oct./nov. 2009
free
seasonal • local • sustainable • artisanal • unique
Butchers Are Back
Walter Nicholls profiles new butchers in the Capital foodshed
Marian Burros on Disappearing Dairy Farms Joel Salatin on Decoding Big Ag Terms Recipes and Craft Beer Pairings for Thanksgiving
Without Safe, Fresh, Locally Grown Food
This is all there might be.
SaveOurFood.org Join us today at SaveOurFood.org and learn about all the ways you can help Virginia Farm Bureau save our food.
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34 28 features 18
Making the Cut
columns
Butchers are a key link in the local food chain because they help small farmers get their meat to customers. Demand for such products in the Capital foodshed is strong enough that several new butcher shops have opened recently.
Rebel with a Cause Industrial Jargon Interpreted
Decipher the language Big Ag uses to disguise what’s really happening to your food.
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Got Dairy Farmers?
Tales from the Field Standing Up to Bullies
The price paid to dairy farmers for fluid milk has dropped by almost 40 percent since August 2008. The crisis is serious enough that Congress is taking action to keep dairies from going out of business.
The White House farmers market provoked some not-so-nice responses in the media.
walter nicholls
marian burros
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joel salatin
michael clune
Seasonal Table Gratitude & Gravy
Some tips on brining that Thanksgiving turkey and recipes from area chefs for your locally sourced holiday meal.
theresa curry
in every issue Terroir, our wine section, starts on page 57.
6 7 53 79
From the Publisher & the Editor Letters from Readers & Eaters The Guest List Advertiser Directory
departments 9
12 24
36
Local Grazings Happenings on the Foodie Front
From fall festivals to fund-raisers, from heritage breeds to homemade dinners, we’ve got news for you. And check out our Green Grazings section, too, because it’s not just about food.
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Flavor Café Equinox
Chef Todd Gray has been an outspoken champion of local food in D.C. for a decade, and his commitment shows no sign of waning.
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Installing a green roof is an innovative way to create beauty and reduce energy consumption.
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amber davis
Flavor Café Thornton River Grille
Nestled between Rappahannock County farms and the Shenandoah National Park, the Grille is a favorite with locals and tourists alike.
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50 50
melissa mccart
Mindful Living Propagating Green Roofs
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amber davis
anita l. sherman
Artisans & Entrepreneurs Living by the Work of Their Hands The nuns at Our Lady of the Angels monastery in Crozet, Virginia, make sublime Gouda. mollie cox bryan
In the Food Desert A Desert in Our Midst
It’s not water that’s scarce in these deserts. It’s fresh, unprocessed, nutritious food.
zora margolis
Cover photo of the Belmont Butchery in Richmond, Virginia, taken by Molly McDonald Peterson.
from the publisher & the editor We are having a blast. In August and September, we had the privilege of supporting and attending wine festivals, farm tours, film screenings, and events like the Harvest Heritage Festival in Charlottesville, the Occasions Caterers Urban Market and Fall Menu Preview in D.C., the Outstanding in Field Dinner at Ayrshire Farms, and a chef’s day at Polyface Farm, hosted by Flavor columnist Joel Salatin (see “The Guest List” on page 53). And the Flavor family is still growing. We’re honored to have Walter Nicholls join our team of contributors. Nicholls — who has spent the last two decades writing on food, including 12 years as a staff reporter at the Washington Post — wrote this issue’s cover story, celebrating the resurgence of neighborhood butchers (see page 18). We have welcomed more people to Flavor’s in-house team, and we continue to add new readers in metro D.C., Richmond, and the Shenandoah Valley. The media continue to watch one of the Capital foodshed’s local food advocates, Michelle Obama, who launched a farmers market near the White House in September with FreshFarm Markets (see page 34) and hosted an on-the-farm dinner for the G-20 spouses outside Pittsburgh, where she gave them honey harvested by the White House beekeeper. And the USDA launched the “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” campaign to promote farm-to-consumer opportunities. But despite all this good news, many organizations are still working to defeat the food security bill in Congress that favors agribusiness and could force small farms to fold. And as Marian Burros reports, dairy farms are disappearing at an alarming rate (see page 28). There are still stories to be told, work to be done, and miles to go before we sleep, but we sure are having fun along the way. Join us. Melissa J. Harris
Jennifer Conrad Seidel
PUBLISHER
Melissa J. Harris EDITOR
Jennifer Conrad Seidel ART DIRECTOR
Nora Monroe Molly McDonald Peterson Theresa Curry graphic designer Annie Arnest editorial assistant Amber Davis proofreader Laura Merricks
photographer
recipe editor
advertising & events coordinator
Tara Griffin
account executives
Travis Bjorklund & Bridget Brown-Kosene advertising assistant Kali Kosene circulation & distribution manager Christopher Harris CHIEF INVESTMENT & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Lynn Sullivan ADVISORY BOARD
Matt Benson, Marian Burros, KeriAn Dodson, Sherri Fickel, Stephanie Giles, Sandy Huckstep, Kevin Kraditor, Jim Law, Bernie Prince, Maggie Rogers, John Fox Sullivan, Chad Zakaib SUBSCRIPTIONS & ADVERTISING
A one-year, six-issue subscription is $32. Send subscription and advertising inquiries to Flavor Magazine, Inc. P.O. Box 100 Sperryville, VA 22740 (540) 987-9299 (540) 518-9190
voice fax
info@flavormags.com www.flavormags.com Copyright ©2009 by Flavor Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Flavor is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs.
P.S. Because many readers have said their commitment to the local food movement is motivated by their concern for the environment, we’ve introduced a new department, “Mindful Living” (see page 36), which will touch on other green lifestyle topics.
Flavor is an independent, bimonthly publication created in VIRGINIA and is not affiliated with any nationally franchised publications.
a slice of humble pie
On page 28 of the Aug./Sept. issue, we mistakenly identified the town in which Eco-Friendly Foods is located. It is in Medota, Virginia. We also misspelled the name of Bernie Prince on page 6. 6
flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
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letters from readers & eaters Another masterpiece of a magazine this month! There are gems to be discovered within the magazine, like the article about Red Truck Bakery or about the 3/50 Project and Everona, right up the road from me, and especially about Albemarle Ciderworks, which I am planning on visiting soon. May I also compliment Molly McDonald Peterson on her excellent photography? Great angles. The shots from Boxwood Winery are perfect. Jeff Curtis, Executive Director Orange Downtown Alliance, Orange, VA Your beautiful August/September issue of Flavor changed my life and the life of my family! I picked it up at the P Street Whole Foods store in D.C. in early August. I read it cover to cover and really enjoyed all the articles. But it was an ad for a unique farm school in Sperryville that really caught my eye. I picked up the phone and called Belle Meade School and spoke with Susan. The school sounded like a dream come true for our son: an organic farm that integrates highquality education and farm chores while teaching students to be a part of and to appreciate sustainable agriculture. We visited Belle Meade on AuSend letters, suggestions, and questions to editor@flavormags.com
gust 30, and by September 14, with the help of realtor Cheri Woodard, we had moved to Amissville! In two short weeks, we moved our life from Alexandria to Rappahanock County—all because of Flavor! We are still getting settled and getting to know the area, but in the short time here we have enjoyed the beauty of the land and the warmth of the people we have met. As a nutritional health coach, I have long taught my clients about eating fresh, locally grown produce and have always encouraged them to support the local farmers markets. Now I live with the farmers, and I could not be more excited! I look forward to future issues of Flavor where I can continue to learn about the food, farmers, and vineyards of this region. Thanks again for a beautiful and inspiring publication! Cheryl Mirabella-Caldwell, Amissville, VA I read your profile of Red Truck Bakery’s Brian Noyes with great enthusiasm. It is a rare pleasure to have such ready access to truly fermented artisinal breads (not to mention, blueberry coffee cake!) and hopefully it is a trend we will see grow exponentially. As a Weston A Price Foundation member and chapter leader, I would be remiss, however,
if I failed to point out a critical, but unaddressed detail. Fermentation in breadmaking is not just about developing the wonderful, complex flavor and texture that are so characteristic of these lovely loaves, and what differentiates them from modern, processed grain products. The fermentation process happens to be what makes the bread digestible and nutritious. All grains carry a substance called phytic acid, which binds the many nutrients inherent in grain, thus preventing their absorption. The only way to release this compound is to ferment or sprout the grain. This is one of the primary reasons why modern, processed grain products are so detrimental to human health, and is a significant contributor to the alarming rise in gluten intolerance and celiac disease. Thanks again for a great article and a very enjoyable publication. Being fairly new to Rappahannock, I’ve found it to be a very valuable resource. Deverell Pedersen, Flint Hill, VA
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Local Ingredients. Transformed.
Old Virginia Tomato Mountainview Farm Neersville, Virginia
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flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Smoked Tomato Salad
with feta, olives, micro basil and cucumber jellies
Occasions Caterers Washington, DC
occasionscaterers.com 202-546-7400
local grazings
Happenings on the Foodie Front Amber Davis
Three Cheers for Chocolatiers u Robert Ludlow is producing what he calls “hand-grown” chocolates at his new shop Fleurir, which means “to bloom,” in Hartfield, Virginia. Made using locally sourced ingredients, Ludlow crafts chocolate combinations like ginger rogers (ganache infused with fresh mint and crystalized ginger) and cheesecake (white chocolate ganache blended with cream cheese). Ludlow’s chocolates (12-piece box, $20; 4-piece, $8) can be purchased at some Northern Virginia farmers markets, at Biagio Fine Chocolate, and online (starting Oct. 18). Combining her own home-based experimenting with her professional culinary education, Yumiko Womack opened Pandora Chocolatier more than five years ago. She produces 12 unique dark chocolate ganache delicacies, each made from fresh, local ingredients and imbued with exciting flavors like blood orange and muscovado sugar (12-piece box, $16; 4-piece, $6; bark, $6). She uses Shenandoah Joe’s coffee and tea in several of her chocolate recipes and sells her creations at their cafés in Charlottesville. Her chocolates can also be found at Charlottesville farmers markets and several area stores, including Rebecca’s Natural Foods and the C’ville Market. Fleurir Chocolates (804) 577-3819, www.fleurirchocolates.com Pandora Chocolatier www.pandorachocolatier.com
A Pot of Perfection What started as a home-preserving hobby for renowned D.C.-based chef Stefano Frigerio has turned into a full-scale retail operation. After gracing the kitchens of several revered D.C. restaurants over a 20-year period, Frigerio turned his attention to canning fruits and vegetables in his home using produce from neighboring farms he had partnered with in the past. As the demand for his products rose, Frigerio opened The Copper Pot Food Company, which turns surplus and late-harvest produce from mid-Atlantic farms into jams, pasta sauces, oils, and vinegars. His artisanal combinations range from concord grape and grappa jam to roasted shallot and barolo pasta sauce. Frigerio’s products can be found at multiple famers markets in Northern Virginia and D.C., and they are available for purchase online. The company will also start a weekly delivery program in the district this fall. The Copper Pot Food Company www.copperpotfoodco.com
molly mcdonald peterson
Vanishing Breeds At this year’s 27th annual American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Conference on November 13 and 14, farmers, local food experts, and sustainable food movement advocates will come together in Raleigh, North Carolina, to discuss the importance of preserving and raising heritage breed animals. The ALBC’s mission is more critical than ever before, says marketing and communications manager Jennifer Kendall. Without genetic diversity within
our country’s livestock, the future of our meat supply could be bleak. “All it takes is for one disease to hit livestock with the same genetic make-up to cause disastrous repercussions,” she says. This year’s conference will focus on reintroducing these breeds to the American table and will include cooking demonstrations by well-known chefs. American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Conference albc-usa.org
Flavor editorial assistant Amber Davis developed an appreciation for local food, wine, and craft beer while a student at the University of Virginia. www.flavormags.com
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local grazings
A Look at Big Ag
Offering.....
Flavor is co-sponsoring a screening of the nationally acclaimed film Food, Inc., with a special Q&A session with Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms at the Highland School’s Rice Theatre in Warrenton, Virginia, on October 22. The event is free, but donations will benefit the Next Generation Choices Foundation’s Less Cancer Program. Flavor Magazine www.flavormags.com
artisanal cheeses
the Farm
Every weekend throughout October, visitors can enjoy events at the annual Sky Meadows Fall Farm Festival at Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, Virginia. During the event’s Agriculture Weekend (Oct. 17–18), visitors will be able to buy local farm products, sample food from Middleburg Creamery, and learn about dairy production from Virginia Green Grocer.
Loudoun Farm Color Tour www.loudounfarms.org Sky Meadows Fall Farm Festival (540) 592-3556, www.virginiastateparks.gov
Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is
local wines
in-house butcher
Sperryville Corner Store Open daily 540-987-8185 3710 Sperryville Pike, Sperryville, Virginia At the intersection of Routes 522 and 211 10 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
u Taste food from Richmond’s most prestigious restaurants while hearing pig farmer Bev Eggleston of Eco-Friendly Foods discuss issues in urban agriculture and sustainable food production—and raise money for a good cause. The Tricycle Gardens Harvest Dinner will be held on October 3 at Church Hill’s Historic Robinson Theatre. The funds raised through ticket sales ($50 each) go to support the citywide efforts of Tricycle Gardens, which develops and sustains organic community gardens throughout Richmond and educates the public on the importance of local foods. On November 9, FreshFarm Markets, an organization that strives to build and strengthen the local food movement in the Chesapeake Bay region, will hold one of its most prominent and popular events of the year—the FreshFarm Markets 2009 Farmland Feast. The five-course dinner and auction will be held at the Ritz Carlton in Washington, D.C., and will bring local farmers and their products into the kitchens of the best restaurants and expose local chefs to the breadth and selection of seasonal and local foods available in the region. Tickets are $200 each. Join volunteer members of the Friends of the Child Care and Learning Center (CCLC), a nonprofit day care and preschool, on November 14 at the Washington School in Washington, Virginia, as they present what is often called “the best evening in Rappahannock for the money”: the CCLC’s Fall Party and Auction. The $30 admission price and all funds raised during the evening will go to the CCLC’s nationally accredited early childhood programs. This year’s exciting menu will highlight regionally produced food and wine with a special emphasis on products from Rappahannock County. FreshFarm Markets 2009 Farmland Feast freshfarmmarkets.org; Tricycle Gardens Harvest Dinner www.tricyclegardens.org; CCLC’s Fall Party and Auction www.rappcclc.com
ann higgins
organic foods
Fall on On October 17 and 18, enjoy views of the Blue Ridge, Short Hill, and Sugarloaf Mountains as you travel along this year’s Loudoun Farm Color Tour. This free self-guided driving tour takes participants to a variety of Loudoun County farms and historic sites. The 33-site tour includes visits to 14 wineries, fresh-pressed cider and home-churned ice cream tastings at Ballentine Farm in Waterford, pony rides and horsemanship demonstrations at Edgegrove Farm in Purcellville, and pre–Civil War building tours at Rock Hill Farm in Leesburg.
local grazings
Bring It to the Table t Founded in June 2009, Farmer Girls is the brainchild of Deanna Child and Deborah Williamson, who have provided a platform for farmers to market their products online year-round. Farmers themselves, Child and Williamson created a system that allows sustainable farmers to be profitable. Farmer Girls sells and distributes local products from 28 farmers in Fauquier and nearby counties in Virginia. Customers can go online during weekly market hours to see what produce local farmers have available and place their order, which they pick up later at The Market in
Vint Hill. Currently, customers pay a six-month membership fee ($25) as an additional way to sustain and compensate participating farmers. Local restaurants now have their own buyers club, The Fresh Link. During its first nine months, Fresh Link has successfully connected 35 restaurants in places like D.C., Maryland, Northern Virginia, and central Virginia with fresh food options from over 15 small- to medium-sized farms. Restaurant buyers can search through an online inventory of in-stock produce, find out the food’s origin and price, and make a reservation for that food to be delivered to their establishment. Restaurants can also choose a “partnership produce planning option,” reserving plots of land specifically for their restaurant’s use. Farmer Girls www.farmersonlinemarket.net The Fresh Link www.thefreshlink.com
Get Homemade Without the Mess Since 2008, Nashwa Beach has been preparing dishes developed under the guidance of a Le Cordon Bleu–trained chef and bringing these carefully crafted entrees to customers’ kitchens. The concept of her business, Your Urban Kitchen, is simple: Customers go online and order from a list of entrees, and freshly prepared, wholesome dinners with simple cooking instructions arrive a few days later. Each meal provides approximately six servings. Beach sources the ingredients from small farmers and food producers in the region. Currently, Your Urban Kitchen delivers to customers who live in the northwest portion of D.C., with plans to expand the delivery area in the near future. u Soon after Sara Polon decided to get involved in her local food movement, she realized her calling—soup. She founded Soupergirl in Washington, D.C., this year, and makes soups from scratch with her mom each week using many ingredients from farms around the region. Customers choose from among the popular, cleverly named soups (”The Peanut and Squash Reunion Tour Soup,” “Lazy Sunday Morning Cantaloupe Soup”) and pick up their orders at designated locations or have the soup delivered for a small service fee. Look for Polon in an upcoming fall episode of the Food Network’s Emeril Live. Having worked for years in several high-end restaurants in New York City and Virginia, Christine Ilich discovered her true passion—making locally produced and artisanal goods in the comfort of her farmhouse kitchen in Front Royal, Virginia. Ilich started Heirloom Kitchen in 2005 with a focus on crafting homemade specialty soups, such as curried red lentil with cilantro and apricots, and tomato and roasted pepper with fresh basil. Her soups are made with fresh vegetables and herbs that come either from a nearby farmers market or directly from her own garden. You can find Heirloom Kitchen soups and baked goods at the Freight Station Farmers Market in Winchester, the Purcellville Farmers Market, and the Midas Touch in Berryville. Your Urban Kitchen yoururbankitchen.com; Soupergirl (202) 609-7177, www.thesoupergirl.com; Heirloom Kitchen heirloomkitchen@embarqmail.com www.flavormags.com
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local grazings
New (or New-ish) Restaurants u After working for six years at the highly acclaimed Inn at Little Washington, Mike Lund has been tapped as executive chef at Zynodoa in historic Staunton, Virginia. Lund builds on Zynodoa’s reputation for inspired southern cuisine with a refreshing, ingredient-driven approach. “I like simplified, refined dishes that are extremely well-executed,” says Lund, who sources his ingredients from dozens of local producers, including Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm, and Zynodoa’s own garden. Blue Ridge Restaurant in Washington, D.C., which opened in May 2009, is expanding its venue this fall with the addition of a new second floor lounge area. This new space will feature a full selection from the restaurant’s extensive wine and cocktail list, as well as offer cheese plates and specialty food items. Guided by executive chef (and local food advocate) Barton Seaver, Blue Ridge works with a variety of local farm suppliers, including Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables, Path Valley, Blue Ridge Aquaculture, and Pipe Dreams Farm. u This fall, diners at Lemaire at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, will enjoy the restaurant’s newly renovated bar and lounge. Guests can personalize their dining experience by ordering small plates to share or by creating a multi-course food and wine experience. Lemaire’s farm-to-table philosophy involves the support of small producers, such as Dave and Dee’s Mushrooms, Rappahannock River Oyster Company, and Mana kintowne Farms.
We are a group of small family farms committed to raising the very best tasting all natural, pasture raised lamb. Our grassfed lamb is Certified Humane.tm We take pride in producing outstanding food for local customers. To find out more about our lamb and how you can purchase our products, please visit our website.
12 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
local grazings
The Next Chapter Harrisonburg’s newest quick, casual café and catering restaurant, A Bowl of Good, developed close ties to local farmers and producers during its four-year presence at the local farmers market. This community-minded venture works with several area farms, including Radell Schrock’s Season’s Bounty, Green Haven Farm, Mountain View Farm, and Beery Farm. The restaurant, which offers many international dishes, will host a grand opening celebration on October 17. Family-friendly Fardowners in Crozet, Virginia is serving up new, pub-style local fare with an emphasis on organic produce supplied from a variety of neighboring farms, like Gryffon’s Aerie Farm, Goodwin Creek Farm, and Brightwood Farm, and local brews from Starr Hill, Devil’s Backbone, and Blue Mountain. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner, with additional brunch hours on Sunday. This fall, the restaurant has expanded its entertainment options, including live music acts every weekend. Zynodoa (540) 885 7775, www.zynodoa.com Blue Ridge (202) 333-4004, www.blueridgerestaurant.com Lemaire (804) 649-4644, www.lemairerestaurant.com A Bowl of Good (540) 437-9020, abowlofgood.com Fardowners (434) 823-1300, www.fardowners.com
u Virginia already has six Buy Fresh, Buy Local (aka BFBL) chapters, and it’s getting two more! The newest, the Hampton Roads BFBL chapter, serves Norfolk, Isle of Wight County, the Eastern Shore, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach. The chapter, organized in early May, promotes locally grown and produced products to preserve open space, support the local economy, and ensure the environmental health and sustainability of farms throughout the area. According to chairman Jo Ann Hofheimer, unlike most other chapters in America, the Hampton Roads BFBL chapter is an independent, grassroots, all-volunteer organization that is attempting to raise funds through paid partnerships, grants, and sponsorships. The chapter will unveil its first guide on October 3 at the Virginia Beach Farmers Market. The Fredericksburg Region BFBL chapter will encompass Fredericksburg and the counties of Spotsylvania, Stafford, Caroline, and King George. According to program manager Elizabeth Borst, the mission of the chapter is to connect the region’s residents at all income levels with fresh, local foods, to support the preservation of the region’s agricultural heritage, and to develop community-based food systems by promoting local producers and markets. Over the next year, the chapter plans to distribute a consumer food guide and develop a regional webpage. Buy Fresh, Buy Local Virginia www.buylocalvirginia.org
Fresh Local Mennonite Grown Produce Eggs • Poultry Meat • Trout Accepting subscriptions anytime Visit our website for details www.horseandbuggyproduce.com office@horseandbuggyproduce.com 434-293-3832
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Leveraging and using consumers’ buying power is at the root of what makes Carrotmob, a San Francisco-based start-up, work. According to founder Brent Schulkin, traditional consumer activism uses a lot of sticks—such as protests, lawsuits, and boycotts—to promote change. Schulkin decided to play on the notion of using carrots, or a friendlier approach, to get businesses to make changes in return for profits. The method is simple: Carrotmob members approach similar businesses (say, corner grocery stores) and ask them what percentage of the money raised from a Carrotmob-organized shopping spree they would spend on environmentally friendly upgrades. The business that names the highest percentage wins the extra customer traffic. Schulkin’s idea has been implemented in many states and is finding an audience internationally. Carrotmob carrotmob.org
Local Lending The Virginia Microenterprise Network (VMN)—an organization that seeks to promote green business initiatives and the concept of “local first” as a means to build sustainable communities—is holding a conference on October 19 and 20 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Co-hosted by the American Independent Business Alliance and Eco-Ventures International, the event brings together microenterprise and main street programs, community economic developers, organizations interested in eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture, and small-business owners (like Staunton’s George Bowers Grocery co-owner Brian Wiedemann, pictured here) from all over the state and Washington, D.C., in hopes of providing the knowledge needed to successfully run a Buy Local campaign or a greencertified business. Virginia Microenterprise Network Conference www.vamicro.org
Where can you pick up a copy of Flavor? Find a list of current distribution sites at flavormags.com
Mall? What Mall? For a unique holiday shopping experience, head to the specialty shops of downtown Culpeper for their annual Holiday Open House on Sunday, November 22. Stores will be decked out in holiday fare while customers enjoy in-store specials, the Culpeper Garden Club’s sale of wreaths and centerpieces, trolley rides, and live music performances. Kids’ activities include a special children’s shopping market where all items are $5 or less and pictures with Santa. A community tree lighting ceremony will take place directly after the event at 5:30 p.m. Culpeper Downtown Holiday Open House www.culpeperdowntown.com
14 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
left: the digitel charleston; right: roger h. goun
Speak Softly and Carry a Really Big Carrot
green
grazings
Hang Out & Help Out Project Laundry List is trying to change the way Americans handle their laundry. According to founder Alexander Lee, Project Laundry List is making air-drying and cold-water washing acceptable and desirable as simple, effective ways to save energy. The project began when Lee realized that hang-drying clothes would lessen society’s reliance on nuclear power. The current organization has veered away from supply-side advocacy to focus on laundry activism. “We have made it increasingly eco-chic to hang out your clothes and have seen right-to-dry legislation passed in four states,” says Lee. The project is putting pressure on the White House to install a clothesline there once again. Project Laundry List www.laundrylist.org
Fresh, Local Art Purveyors and purchasers of local art typically only see the final result of an artist’s vision, not the energy, technique, or time that went into creating that work. During the 15th Annual Artisans Center of Virginia Studio Tour on November 7 and 8, individuals have the opportunity to visit 15 local studios in and around Charlottesville, meet 30 participating artisans, and learn how their favorite local products are crafted. According to five-year tour participant and metalsmith Tavia Brown of Taviametal in Charlottesville, Virginia, visitors get a sense of each artist’s working process and gain insight into hand-crafted pieces that may become family heirlooms. The tour includes donated samples of local fare from several food vendors at each stop. Artisans Center of Virginia Studio Tour www.artisanscenterofvirginia.org
oh please,
oh Please, oh Please...
Charlottesville Area BOOK SIGNING and RECEPTION with David Gumpert and Joel Salatin November 7, 6-9pm at Piedmont Virginia Community College Come and celebrate David Gumpert’s newly published book, The Raw Milk Revolution. The book takes readers behind the scenes of the government’s tough and occasionally brutal intimidation tactics, as seen through the eyes of milk producers, government regulators, scientists, prosecutors, and consumers. Pre-registration requested via www.VICFA.net, or by calling 434-760-5514 Sponsored By
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Butcher Shop Wine Shop Food Shop Hard to find Butcher Cuts of Meat Unique Selection of Wine and Beer Assorted Cheeses and Charcuterie Specialty Food Items House made Chocolates, Pastries, and Sandwiches 1600 King Street, Alexandria VA 703.894.5253 www.butchersblockrw.com
www.flavormags.com
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rebel with a cause
Industrial Jargon Interpreted Joel Salatin
Don’t be fooled by these terms, which try to hide what’s really happening to your food. molly mcdonald peterson
T
he industrial food system employs some of the sharpest cleverspeak wordsmiths in our culture. Their art is describing things in a way that makes you like something even though it is reprehensible. Most people don’t realize that in the focus groups and think tanks of industrial food empires—down in the bowels of the beast—really smart, high-salaried folks create words to drive their public relations campaigns. In this column, I’d like demystify a few of these terms so you’ll be wise when they show up in news stories and policy position papers.
Cold Pasteurization “Cold pasteurization” means irradiation. Since most folks understand that zapping food with radiation might alter it in some way— and it certainly does—the industry had to figure out a way to label this process more acceptably. And since most consumers believe pasteurization is a good thing, this phrase takes the negative edge off the obvious association with radiation, like mushroom clouds and Chernobyl, and makes the whole process seem like God’s gift to health. The number one food candidate for irradiation is meat, but this technology is in the cards for all foods.
Tracking “Tracking” is another name for placing government-mandated radiofrequency identification (RFID) chips in animals and eventually in fruits and vegetables. The USDA has already spent millions trying to implement the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) but is running into farmers with fierce independent streaks who don’t want every backyard chicken implanted with an RFID chip and registered in a government database. Capitalizing on the foodie buzzword “sourcing,” the industrialists reinvented this draconian, unworkable idea by piggybacking on the benevolent desire to know where your food comes from. Never mind that a single fast-food hamburger contains parts of 1,500 different animals. Our government, which can’t seem to identify corporate banking scoundrels or undocumented foreigners, will be hard-pressed to keep up with every backyard chicken, don’t you think? This whole expensive notion will in effect destroy all small farming in America—and that’s exactly what the industrialists want. A large-scale commercial chicken house only needs one chip for every 15,000 chickens, but in a small backyard flock, you would need one in every bird. How’s that for prejudicial?
16 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Precision Farming The phrase “precision farming” is quite insidious. What could be better than being precise? After all, don’t we want to be precise? But what this specific term really suggests is that humans are capable of taking all the guesswork and mystery out of nature. It applies both to genetic manipulation and to the application of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides using global-positioning satellites. While applying toxic substances precisely sounds like a good idea, it begs the question, “What about not applying toxic substances at all?” Of course, like most of these terms, “precision farming” is used condescendingly to separate its practitioners from imprecise, or general-type farmers. But heritage-based farming is general. On our farm, we don’t begin to try to manipulate the cow’s ingestion too closely, as if there were a perfectly scripted diet; we rely on her innate ability to choose one grass, legume, herb, or weed over another totally spontaneously and according to her own senses. That someone would presume to know precisely what she should eat on May 15 at 5 p.m. is itself arrogant and disrespectful of the cow’s mind. To say that my trust of the cow and the compost (which is inherently imprecise because it has all those bugs in it) is farming with unknowns—and therefore unsafe or backwards—assumes that humankind has unlocked all the mysteries of the mitochondria.
While applying toxic substances precisely sounds like a good idea, it begs the question, “What about not applying toxic substances at all?” When the human genome mapping project started, the scientists assured us that at least 100,000 gene pairs would occupy the DNA strand, due to the precise calculations of the number of known genetic traits. Wonder of wonders—the project discovered only some 35,000 or so, concluding that a lot of hanky-panky is going on up and down that DNA strand that we don’t have a clue about. And yet we match, bombard, and rematch DNA with impunity, release these new life forms into the world, and act like we humans have it all figured out. Precision farming is another way to say, “I’m an
molly mcdonald peterson
you are what you eat
At Polyface farms, cows eat what cows have always eaten—grass.
arrogant know-it-all and all the rest of you hick farmers are holding back progress.” In truth, genetically modified organisms can’t be kept in a bottle and are far from controllable.
Science-Based The phrase “science-based” is wending its way through Congress in food safety bills and is probably the most insidious term on my list. Industrial food elitists want government agencies to be able to conduct warrantless searches of all farms to determine whether any production practice does not adhere to science-based criteria. Of course, “science-based” farming means factory chicken houses and hog farms, irradiation, mandatory vaccinations (which assumes that the conditions in which animals are raised makes them sick), chemical usage, and anything else agribusiness loves. The whole campaign is to paint agribusiness corporations as scientific and heritage-based farmers as anti-science Luddites. Remember, the USDA has been telling farmers like me for 40 years that science-based cattle production requires feeding dead cows to cows. (Scientists created feed that includes pulverized cow carcasses.) Isn’t it disingenuous for the very agency that promoted the techniques that by its own admission gave us bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) to then position itself as the repository of food safety? Or science? Why would you, I, or anybody else trust these folks? To them, science-based poultry raising means crowding 15,000 chickens, beak by wattle, in a house filled with fecal particulates. They say that letting chickens chase down grasshoppers and ingest clover buds on open pasture is unscientific. Every time you see a news article quoting an expert lauding sciencebased agriculture, realize that he’s taking a pot shot at organic, pasture-based, multi-speciated, nonmedicated, heritage-based agriculture—the kind of agriculture that heals the land, the plants, the animals, and ultimately the eaters. Now you’ve got the scoop. Beware. Internationally acclaimed conference speaker and author Joel Salatin and his family operate Polyface Farm in Augusta County near Staunton, Virginia, producing and direct marketing “salad bar” beef, “pigaerator” pork, and pastured poultry. He is now also co-owner, with Joe Cloud, of T&E Meats in Harrisonburg. Visit www.polyfacefarms.com for a list of restaurants and stores that feature Polyface products, a calendar of Joel’s speaking engagements, and information on his many books.
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Making the Cut Walter Nicholls
Photos by Molly Peterson McDonald
These butchers know their meat— and the farmers that bring it to their shops.
O
ver the last three decades, the all-American butcher shop nearly disappeared. Along the way, few shoppers noticed that the less mainstream cuts of meat and personal service all but vanished along with the specialty trade. Most consumers seem to be satisfied finding what they need in the supermarket: portioned, wrapped, and ready to-go.
But over the last five years, after repeated salmonella scares and product recalls, there has been a major uptick in the number of people who are concerned about health, food safety, and supporting small farms. On came author Michael Pollan with his groundbreaking The Omnivore’s Dilemma in 2006, and this year filmmaker Robert Kenner released the documentary Food, Inc. The horrors of industrial food hit the page, the screen, and the public’s confidence. Humane treatment went buzzword. A handful of issue- and quality-conscious entrepreneurs have stepped into the void and brought the specialty butcher shop back—in Richmond, McLean, Charlottesville, and most recently, Alexandria. Daily, they source the best products available, truss naturally raised beef roasts, make European-style pâtés, offer serving suggestions, and more. That’s their business. Walter Nicholls is a former staff reporter for The Washington Post. A native Washingtonian, he has tracked down and written about the best food markets, restaurants, and farms for 21 years.
18 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Belmon t Bu tchery Just inside the door of Tanya Cauthen’s petite Belmont Butchery, located in Richmond’s Museum District, there is a “Me” wall of framed magazine and newspaper clips, devoted to her rising fame. National and local food writers have focused on her 20-year career as a noted area chef, caterer, cooking consultant, and, since late 2006, butcher. All around, the black and white tile décor sings with mellow, retro notes. “I’ve been lucky,” says Cauthen, sporting a knowing smile that comes with confidence. “We never sent out press releases saying: ‘Come look at us.’ People noticed on their own that we are doing something unique and different. We break full carcasses and make our own sausages and charcuterie. It takes a lot of effort to do this stuff.” Just past the framed magazine clips are the saws and cleavers, her tools of the trade.
“Factory animals are couch potatoes. Like an athlete, farm animals walk.”
— Tanya Cauthen, Belmont Butchery
At Belmont, every chop and steak is cut-to-order. Her shoppers appreciate that, in addition to restaurant-quality beef, she stocks the more muscled, grass-finished beef, which cooks faster and, some believe, is healthier. “Animals that walk around have a different muscle texture,” explains Cauthen. “Factory animals are couch potatoes. Like an athlete, farm animals walk.” The
Former chef Tanya Cauthen (above) opened Belmont Butchery in Richmond’s Carytown in 2006. Unlike many other butchers, Cauthen and her staff, including charcutier Chris Mattera (left) cut by thickness, not weight (below).
pork in her display case is from pastured, heritage breeds. Customers eat it up. “I met the man here who raised the pig that Tanya used to make the bacon. These people are my quality control,” said shopper and health-care consultant Hollister Lindley, who this day bought house-made hickory-smoked bacon that she planned to wrap around a lean pork roast. Cauthen credits a trip Down Under and a cable television show for the inspiration for her butcher shop vision. “In Australia, there are butcher shops everywhere. You can buy small portions and the off cuts, like flatiron steak. I knew I could cut meat and work hard.” But it was Food Network personality Alton Brown who drove the idea home. “He likes to say: ‘Ask your local butcher,’ she says. “But at the time, I didn’t know who that would be.”
Belmont Butchery 15 N. Belmont Ave., Richmond, VA (804) 422-8519 www.belmontbutchery.com
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“Opening a butcher shop appealed to us on a personal level.”
—Don Roden, The Organic Butcher
THE ORGA N IC BUTCHER In late 2005, Don Roden and his brother-in-law, Ryan Ford, opened The Organic Butcher stores in McLean and Charlottesville with the specific goal of helping small farmers sell every part of their animals, not just the high-end cuts. At the time, both had sales and marketing experience but little formal training in butchery. “Opening a butcher shop appealed to us on a personal level,” says Roden, who, like Ford, is a Vienna native. “We enjoy eating good food and making it available.” They recognized the existence of a farm-to-table, supply-and-demand problem. Ford explains that beef farmers, for example, can sell the steaks to restaurants but wind up with a freezer full of ground beef, chuck roasts, bottom rounds, and bones. Farmers find some success selling frozen meat at the farm or at farmers markets. “But we can put fresh product in front of the customers every day, just like a European-style butcher shop,” he says. All of the beef, and most of the heritage-breed pork, is organically raised, antibiotic- and hormone-free, and humanely slaughtered. Customers regularly ask if the animals had a good life and were treated well. Only a few shoot questions about organic certification. “People put more emphasis on locally raised,” says Ford, adding that he sees fewer farmers entering the organic production program because of the fees, costly feed, and the paperwork. “In the end, it’s very difficult for them to get the premium price they need,” says Ford. At the gleaming McLean store and the far smaller outpost in Charlottesville’s Main Street Market, one of the biggest sellers is hanger steak—the flavorful boneless beef cut that hangs between the rib and the short loin. “It’s a great price point, easy to prepare, and tender,” says Roden. The men have had less luck selling grass-finished beef, which they say, “doesn’t move.”
20 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Don Roden (left) and Ryan Ford (above) opened their stores in McLean (below) and Charlottesville in 2005. They aim to serve small farms by taking whole animals, not just the most popular or expensive cuts.
“People are getting on board. But we’ve found that as butchers, we are not here to promote ideologies,” says Ford. “We stock what sells.” And despite the recession, the meat is moving. Sales have grown 20 percent over last year.
The Organic Butcher 6712 Old Dominion Dr., McLean, VA (703) 790-8300 416 W. Main St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 244-7400 www.theorganicbutcher.com
THE BUTCHER’S BLOCK In March, Washington powerhouse chef Robert Wiedmaier fulfilled a lifelong dream, opening The Butcher’s Block in Old Town Alexandria. Next door are two of his restaurants: the more formal Brabo and casual Brabo Tasting Room. Across the Potomac in Washington, his fans know his Belgian-inspired Marcel’s and Brasserie Beck. “My drive has always been to be a full-service chef, sourcing whole products from local farms and utilizing everything. Like in Germany, where I grew up, nothing goes to waste,” says Wiedmaier, who is known for his attention to every detail. He takes “full service” one step further than his competitors. With three chefs on the shop’s staff, everything in the display case—the bison flatiron steaks, lamb tenderloin, and veal cheeks—can be cooked to order. Having a party? This crew creates event-worthy bites, such as foie gras parfait topped with Madeira gelée. Chris Watson, the chef in charge of The Butcher’s Block, calls the shop “an on-going project.” “We just added books on butchering. We keep adding more farmers,” says Watson, who enjoys the teaching aspect of the job. “I like to explain to people things like what to do with bones [make stock] and fat [lard roasts] and how to prepare the meats properly.”
Chef Chris Watson (above) is chef de cuisine at Robert Wiedmaier’s Brabo and Brabo Tasting Room in Alexandria. He also runs The Butcher’s Block, adjacent to the restaurants, where he takes every opportunity to educate his customers.
Watson. “Then, we put a whole chicken, for example, in front of the group. We show how to truss it three or four different ways, which helps it to cook evenly and hold a shape. We stuff herbs under the skin. We break the birds apart five or six different ways. It’s super fun.”
The Butcher’s Block 1600 King St., Alexandria, VA (703) 894-5253 www.braborestaurant.com
“I like to explain to people things like what to do with bones and fat and how to prepare the meats properly.”
— Chris Watson, The Butcher’s Block
To that end, in the front section of the modern shop, there are meat-complementing ingredients, used in the Wiedmaier restaurants, such as finishing salts, verjus for sauces, and olive oil marinades. Wash it down with a selection from the wall of wine. Once a month Watson gives free, one-hour butchering demos at the store for up to 40 people. “We open some wine and answer questions, like why we support local farmers,” says
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Recipes from Belmont Butchery, The Butcher’s Block, and The Organic Butcher are available at flavormags.com/enhanced.
note: For the fall season, Belmont Butchery, The Butcher’s Block, and The Organic Butcher are featuring game, such as rabbit, elk, boar, and game birds.
Unlike employees of chain grocery stores, independent butchers can often tell you about the farm where their meat was raised and about the people who raised it. Butcher shops are few and far between, so please patronize the ones near you when you can. Here are some other butchers in the Capital foodshed you can support. Bedford Avenue Meat Shop
Home Farm Store
Olde Towne Butcher
Two Fat Butchers
2302 Bedford Ave. Lynchburg, VA (434) 845-6328 www.bedfordavemeats.com
1 Washington St. Middleburg, VA (540) 687-8882 www.homefarmstore.com
405 Williams St. Fredericksburg, VA www.oldetownebutcher.com
239 South St. Front Royal, VA (540) 635-6900 www.twofatbutchers.com
Blue Ridge Meats
Let’s Meat on the Avenue
2391 Guard Hill Rd. Middletown, VA (540) 636-6050 www.blueridgemeats.com
2403 Mt. Vernon Ave. Alexandria, VA (703) 836-6328 www.letsmeatontheavenue.com
256 Charles St. Harrisonburg, VA (540) 434-4415 temeat.com
22 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
T&E Meats
Wagshal’s Market 4845 Massachusetts Ave. NW Washington, DC (202) 363-0777 www.twofatbutchers.com
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Equinox Melissa McCart Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
Todd Gray brings a taste of the Chesapeake region to the table.
24 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
flavor café
O
n a boat off the shores of Nantucket this past summer, Equinox’s chef and co-owner Todd Gray, his wife and co-owner Ellen Kassoff-Gray, and son Harrison caught nearly 20 bluefish in two hours. “We have a million new ways to cook bluefish now,” says Ellen, inspired by their bounty. Bluefish has recently appeared on fineand casual-dining menus because it’s plentiful and sustainable, arriving at East Coast restaurants so fresh it tastes as if it were just pulled from the sea. Vacation isn’t the only time Gray heads to the source to gather ingredients for an evening’s meal. He heads to Warrenton several times a month, where Black Angus cows are raised for the restaurant. In spring, he rises before dawn to fish for rockfish in Virginia waters. And in fall, he’s in close touch with folks from Rappahannock River Oysters, his source for local mollusks. Local Anchor The Grays’ commitment to local and sustainably raised ingredients anchors the menus at Equinox. Whether they’re getting snow peas from Pennsylvania’s Path Valley, seafood from Chincoteague, black-eyed peas from the Tidewater region, or soft-shells from the Chesapeake, regional rules. It’s no wonder members of the food-focused Obama administration are among Equinox’s regulars. “When you see the whites of the eyes from the people you buy from a block from the White House,” says Gray of the local vendors delivering to the restaurant, which sits at the end of Connecticut Avenue, “that’s local commerce to the max.” As the city’s power brokers come through the front door, modest Mennonite farmers pull up in their truck to the back entrance, where Gray and his line cooks help unload whatever they bring: asparagus, tomatoes, peaches, potatoes, greens. “We’re showing off simple, straightforward flavors,” says Gray. “And for that we need the best products. Whether it’s extraordinary beets, great salt, or good olive oil, the flavors have to be really intense. I want customers to say, ‘Those were the best beets I’ve ever eaten.’ That’s the mark of success.” Hands-On Sourcing When Equinox opened 10 years ago, Gray was among the first area chefs to embrace the trend of local, sustainable food. On the restaurant’s decade anniversary, he continues to serve as a pioneer—this time by joining farmers and fishermen to find the best food and by having a say in how it’s raised and harvested. Gray’s progressive thinking about food sourcing led to his raising Black Angus for the restaurant, after a customer offered to raise cattle exclusively for Equinox to Gray’s specifications. It came together two years ago, when a regular customer came in for lunch. He had recently bought land in Virginia, along with a herd of Black Angus cattle. The rest is history in the making.
Even though heritage lines such as Piedmont and Randall Lineback are having a renaissance, Gray prefers the flavor of Black Angus. “The animal’s muscle structure makes it so special. It has a totally different mouthfeel and flavor.” Gray and the farmers experimented to find which organic, natural feeding methods produced the most flavorful beef. And today, the restaurant offers grass- and grain-fed Black Angus that yields one of the district’s favorite burgers. “It’s an amazing burger,” says Gray, who makes it with ground ribs and chuck. “It’s a little leaner, but because it’s a young Angus cow, it’s gorgeous.” The burger is served at lunchtime on house-made brioche with gorgonzola cheese and house-cured bacon. Chef Gray has also helped spark the revival of Rappahannock River Oysters in Topping, Virginia. Based near his parents’ home, oyster farmers Ryan and Travis Croxton have been harvesting Virginicas for the past couple of years. But it’s Gray who was among the first in the area to carry Olde Salts, Stingrays, and Rappahannocks—oysters with varying levels of sweetness and salinity harvested around the Chesapeake. And while the “months ending in -r” rule has largely been dismissed—with oysters harvested from cold waters around the world being shipped efficiently—Gray, like the Croxtons, patiently waits for local oysters. Seasonality is sacred, even when it comes to seafood.
When Equinox opened 10 years ago, Gray was among the first area chefs to embrace the trend of local, sustainable food. Beyond the Restaurant’s Four Walls Kassoff-Gray is especially passionate about the people behind the food they serve. After all, she was involved in food distribution for years before Equinox opened, both for Sysco Food Service, a mass-market distributor, and for D’Artagnan, a highend New York gourmet food distributor. The Grays are passionate about supporting farmers and fishermen. They’ve also brought in area high school and college students to stage in the kitchen, and they are prominent supporters of animal rights. The Grays are educators and fundraisers, too, creating and hosting the annual Sugar and Champagne event that benefits the Washington Humane Society each January. Their most recent efforts include working with the Obama administration to spearhead efforts to help develop healthier school lunch programs and to connect chefs with schools to develop menus. (The Obamas celebrated soon-to-be first lady’s
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flavor café
Ravioli of Kabocha Squash and Gold Potatoes with Parmesan Cream Sauce Start-to-finish time: 1½ hours Serves 8 For the ravioli 1 Kabocha squash 3 Yukon gold potatoes 3 tablespoons ricotta cheese 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste 48 pasta rounds (2½-inch diameter) or wonton wrappers 2 eggs 2 tablespoons water Preheat oven to 400 F. Split squash in half and season with salt and pepper. Roast, fleshside down, on sheet tray in oven until tender and skin is blistered (approximately 45 minutes). While the squash is roasting, place potatoes in boiling, salted water and boil until tender (approximately 30 minutes). Drain, peel, and mash with a fork. Set aside. Remove squash from oven and scoop out the roasted flesh. Mix with potatoes, add cheeses, and adjust seasoning as needed. Cool the filling before preparing the ravioli. To make the ravioli, place pasta rounds on a lightly floured surface.
TOIGO ORCHARDS
Farmers Market locations and all-natural products online at:
www.ToigoOrchards.com 26 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Mix eggs and water for an egg wash. Brush pasta with egg wash on one side, spoon a small amount of squash filling in the center, and fold over the bottom edge to the top edge, pressing well to seal any openings. Place sealed ravioli on lightly floured tray. Keep covered in refrigerator until ready to use. For the sauce 2 cups white wine 3 shallots, sliced 2 garlic cloves, sliced 1 thyme sprig, leaves stripped from stem 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated 1 black truffle, minced Salt and pepper to taste Place wine, shallots, garlic, and thyme in a small sauce pot and reduce over high heat until nearly dry. Add cream and reduce by one third. Remove from heat and strain. Put into a clean pot and stir in Parmesan and black truffle. Season with salt and pepper. Keep sauce warm. To finish Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop pasta into water and cook for 3 minutes. Drain quickly, and toss into warm sauce. Spoon pasta into dishes. Serve immediately.
Deeply Rooted Inspired by Alice Waters’s movement to prioritize locally grown, fresh ingredients, the Grays were committed locavores long before the movement went mainstream. “Farm to table? Yeah, we live it,” says Gray. So it makes sense that Equinox isn’t just a restaurant at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue and 17th and K Streets. After 10 years as one of the city’s iconic restaurants, its presence is felt as a cornerstone of D.C.’s food culture. The Grays’ support for sustainability and the farm-to-table movement already has deep roots. Melissa McCart is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C.
Co-owner Todd Gray and Ellen Kossoff-Gray are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Equinox, which has been committed to using local ingredients since it first opened in May 1999.
birthday with a dinner at Equinox back in January, just before the inauguration.) Gray is also the culinary director for Salamander Hospitality, owned by Sheila Johnson, a co-founder of Black Entertainment Television and a Virginia-based philanthropist. Gray will be the culinary director of the Salamander Resort in Middleburg when it opens in 2012.
Equinox 818 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC (202) 331-8118 www.equinoxrestaurant.com Lunch: Mon.–Fri., 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Dinner: Mon.–Thurs., 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sun., 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
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Got Dairy Farmers? Marian Burros Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
The crisis faced by dairy farmers in the United States is worsening, and it can’t be blamed on the current recession.
M
ilk’s positive image has been taking a shellacking on many fronts for several years now. Should humans drink it? Is it safe? But those controversies pale in the face of the huge fight that is brewing over record-low prices for milk being paid to farmers. Across the country, dairy operators are going broke and selling off their herds at an accelerated rate. In Vermont—which once had more cows than people—32 dairy farmers have gone out of business since January, compared to 19 last year.
Milk Monopoly? A group of farmers in the Southeast, including Virginia, have filed a huge antitrust suit against the people who buy and 28 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
process their milk. Several members of the U.S. Senate have written the Department of Justice telling them to look into anti-competitive practices in the industry. The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing in mid-September to explore concentration in the dairy business. And the Justice Department has sent very strong signals that the dairy industry is at the top of its list of investigations for antitrust violations. In August 2008, farmers received an average of $18.40 per hundred pounds of milk; in August of this year, they were receiving $11.80. The cost of milk at the supermarket still does not reflect the significant drop in price paid to the farmer. Between January and August, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there was only a 31 cent drop in the
Unlike cows at large-scale conventional dairy farms, these cows at Threlkeld Farm in Brandy Station, Virginia, are managed seasonally and are totally grass-fed, so they do not produce milk during the winter.
average price of a gallon of whole milk, from $3.80 to $3.49. So while farmers took a 36 percent hit, consumers have seen less than a 10 percent drop.
Hard Times Made Harder There has been a decreased demand for milk because of the worldwide recession, but many experts say concentration in the dairy industry has exacerbated the difference between what farmers are paid and what consumers pay. According to Chris Galen, spokesman for the National Milk Producers Federation, the dairy farmers’ trade association, “The degree of red ink, at least this spring, was as wide a gap as we’ve recorded over the past 40 years. Milk prices are 25 to 30 percent below the cost of production.” Part of the problem is the high cost of feed and fuel. Mike Stiles, a third-generation dairy farmer in Clear Brook,
Virginia, is a typical dairy farmer whose bills each month are $12,000 to $15,000 higher than his monthly income. Right now he is using his savings and retirement money to keep farming. “That’s not good,” he said. “The big question is how much longer can we do this, or do we want to do it?”
Fuzzy Math While acknowledging that there is a reduced demand for milk, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who is leading the call for tighter scrutiny of the dairy industry, says the real causes for unsustainable prices for milk at the farm are anti-competitive practices brought about by the decades-long consolidation of milk processors and wholesalers. Dean Foods is the largest fluid milk processor, controlling about 40 percent of the buying market nationally and much more in certain states, according to Sanders and others. www.flavormags.com
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For small dairy farmers, the alternative to dealing with big business is to sell directly to consumers. The country’s largest milk cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), which controls at least one-third of the nation’s milk supply and as much as 90 percent in the Southeast, has only said, “The national scope and size of our cooperative bring about scrutiny.” Dairy cooperatives were established to help farmers receive a fair price for their milk, but, ironically, members of DFA are among those who have filed the lawsuit in the Southeast. “Basically, it means farmers end up not having a lot of options for selling their product,” said Sanders. “While milk prices have plummeted, profits at Dean have soared this year”— up 35 percent for the first six months of 2009. “You have to be dumb not to see the connection.”
Fewer Buyers The Department of Justice has been aware of this problem at least since the second term of the Bush administration, when career employees at the department conducted a two-year investigation into dairy industry competition. The chief investigator recommended that the Justice Department take action. Political appointees in the department shelved the project. People in the dairy industry, who were interviewed during the investigation, confirm the facts but have requested anonymity because they could be subpoenaed to testify again. 30 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Market Forces At the Vermont hearing, Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee and the state’s senior senator, said, “As I think about the gap between retail and farm prices, I cannot help but think back to 2001 and the Dean Foods merger with Suiza Foods”—the number one and two companies in the industry. “That merger created the largest milk processing company in the world, and I continue to be disappointed that the Justice Department, under the previous administration, approved it. Just as I had feared eight years ago, it seems that market dominance has translated into overwhelming power in the dairy industry.” Some farmers are not waiting for the government to act. The group in the Southeast has filed two lawsuits against Dean Foods of Dallas and Dairy Farmers of America of Kansas City. They charge the companies with “unlawful activities $25 designed to artificially $21.60 and anti$19.30 $20 competitively reduce the price paid [to producers] $15 for Grade $11.30 A milk” in 17 states. $10 They seek hundreds of millions $5 of dollars in damages and reform of the $0 Jan Jul Jan Jul Jan Jul system. 2007 2008 2009
source: professor brian w. gould, university of wisconsin dairy marketing and risk management program
In a statement, Dean Foods said it buys less than 15 percent of the nation’s supply of raw milk. “To suggest that we control the raw-milk market, or that we are the cause of low milk prices, makes no sense.” But the company’s figure is misleading because it includes not just fluid milk, but also the milk used for manufactured products like ice cream, cheese, and powdered milk. Dean Foods does not specify its share of the fluid milk market.
Price per hundred pounds
Milk produced by these cows at Cows-N-Corn in Midland, Virginia, is sold under the Marva Maid brand and the store brands of Bloom, Harris Teeter, and Giant.
The new political appointees in the Justice Department have signaled that antitrust violations in agriculture, particularly dairy, are high on their list of investigations. In August, the Justice Department and the Department of Agriculture announced a series of workshops starting next year to explore competition issues affecting agriculture. Remarks made at the mid-September Senate Judiciary Committee in Vermont by Christine Varney, chief of the antitrust division at the Justice Department, make the department’s interest clear. In her testimony, Varney said, “Parts of the dairy industry have experienced extensive consolidation in recent years, with fewer processors and therefore fewer buyers of dairy products. As a result of consolidation, the potential for an exercise of buyer power has increased.” Varney also said that agriculture has become more vertically integrated over the last 15 or 20 years. (Vertical integration involves ownership at multiple stages or contractual commitments. In this context, that would include collecting, processing, and distributing fluid milk and milk products.) Varney added that “a careful review of these arrangements is merited.”
A School, Farm, and Bed & Breakfast in Rappahannock County
SCHOOL Grades 6-10, academic excellence through experiential learning I wish I could have gone to a school like Belle Meade! A nurturing environment that educates the whole person, while also providing a high-quality academic program that takes into account the skills and needs of each individual child. We couldn’t be happier with the experience our two children are having, and they feel the same way. –Peter Rice (Parent)
bellemeadeschool.org 540-987-8970
farm Belle Meade Farm specializes in pastured livestock raised without hormones or antibiotics, including cows, pigs, chickens, laying hens, and turkeys, as well as organic vegetables. The farm also features horses, dogs, cats, and an abundance of wildlife. Here at Belle Meade, all of our animal products are free-range and the beef is grass-fed. We practice management intensive rotational grazing in which our herd of cattle rotate through our pastures on a daily basis.
Bed & Breakfast Our restored Victorian farmhouse is on 138 acres of fields, woods, and streams in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains. Guest of all ages are welcome. Whole house rentals, group retreats, and longer stays are available. Our dog will greet you. We love it here and think you will too.
bellemeade.net • 540-987-9748 • 353 F.T. Valley Road, Sperryville, VA 22740 www.flavormags.com
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86%
number of dairy operations
➜
25%
➜
96%
pounds of milk produced annually per cow
➜
➜
Other Trends in the U.S. Dairy Industry, 1970–2007
500%
average herd size
number of dairy cows
1970
2007
12 million
9 million
1970
2007
1970
9,700 nearly 19,000
early 2000s
650,000 roughly 90,000
1970
20
2007
100
source: national agricultural statistics service, agricultural statistics board, u.s. department of agriculture
The Fate of Local Dairies For small dairy farmers, the alternative to dealing with big business is to sell directly to consumers. Clear Spring Creamery in Clear Spring, Maryland, an organic dairy, milks 30 cows. “We dictate the price—$6 for a half gallon—for all the milk we sell directly at farmers markets,” said Clare Seibert, who owns the farm with her husband, Mark. “The [price of the] milk we sell through an organic wholesaler is affected somewhat.” But nothing like how milk from conventional producers has been affected. Organic Valley, a cooperative that sells milk in many large grocery stores throughout the Capital foodshed, has reduced the price it pays producers for milk from $26 to $25 per hundred pounds; it has also instituted quotas that reduce the amount of milk it will buy from farmers by about 7 percent. But these slightly lower prices for organic milk have nothing to do with market concentration. Instead, there is a surplus of
organic milk because many people can no longer afford it. Farmers have received temporary relief from the federal government, which has raised the price for some milk products by about $1 per hundred pounds. Additional funding was passed by Congress at the end of September. “If you do not have fair prices, you are going to see more and more farmers being driven out of business,” said Sanders. “There will be a need to import more from all over world. People want local, fresh, good quality. We are going exactly in the wrong direction.” Marian Burros was on staff at The New York Times for 27 years and still writes for them. She has lived in the Washington area since 1959, and at one time or other, she worked for the The Washington Post and the late lamented Washington Star and Washington Daily News. She was also a consumer reporter for D.C.’s WRC-TV. The author of 13 cookbooks, she has been writing about small farms and the pleasures of local food since the 1980s.
Look for products from local dairies like these at grocery stores and farmers markets. Some even offer home delivery. Clear Spring Creamery Clear Spring, MD www.clearspringcreamery.com Homestead Creamery Wirtz, VA South Mountain Creamery Middletown, MD www.southmountaincreamery.com Trickling Springs Creamery Chambersburg, PA www.tricklingspringscreamery.com Trickling Springs milk complimentary of Roy’s Orchard and Market, Sperryville, Virginia.
32 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
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tales from the field
Standing Up to Bullies Michael Clune
Some people just don’t get it. molly mcdonald peterson
R
The speeches at the market’s inauguration were powerful—advocating healthy eating as the first step in fighting obesity, enhancing overall health, and combating Michelle Obama shops for produce in the Farm at Sunnyside stand after inaugurating the new farmers market near the rise of chronic illness that is having the White House on September 17, 2009. a serious impact on an already strained encountered when I worked in emergency services couldn’t hold medical system. I was proud of the new administration for taking a candle to some of these writers. At least my former patients on this issue, of my fellow farmers and producers, and of our could blame their problems on a medication imbalance. Sunnyside team for all the hard work they put into growing the organic fruits and vegetables on display at our stand. Between the lines of their criticisms of the market, I read this message: I have to tell you, I was riding a high that night, an elevated state I haven’t felt in years. We are moving in the right direction, a direcI, [insert pen name here], want to eat eggs from caged tion in which both farmers and consumers benefit by strengthenchickens that are fed medicated, genetically modified ing the relationships involved in getting fresh, nutritious food from feed—on the rare occasions when I don’t have any the fields directly to the table. boxed, processed food in the pantry. I love the subtle flavors of herbicides and pesticides in vegetables So imagine my surprise when I started reading some of the articles flown in from distant lands. I want my children to eat and blogs written about the market the day after it opened—some feedlot beef that has been routinely injected with horwritten by supposedly reputable journalists. Now, I realize that mones and antibiotics because it will make my kids I’m just a shoeless dumb guy raising vegetables in the mountains grow big and strong and protect them against colds who can’t quite grasp the political motivations of a bunch of and that terrible pig disease going around. The hipeducated city folks, but the writers’ logic and words shocked pies who raise environmental issues and go to farmers me. I read on, thinking the whole time that the insane people I
34 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
dayna smith for freshfarm markets
ecently, the Farm at Sunnyside, along with 17 other farmers and producers, was honored by being selected to participate in the newly formed White House farmers market on Vermont Avenue in Washington, D.C. Initiated by Michelle Obama, the market has a twofold goal. The first is to provide federal employees working in the area access to fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and value-added products. The second is to use the high-profile setting to promote local as the first choice for consumers shopping for fresh food.
You may be teased, but rebelling against the industrialized, commercialized norm makes you super cool. markets like the one at the White House are just a bunch of tree-huggers who can’t find jobs because they got liberal arts degrees. Rather than change my eating or couch potato habits, I’d rather rely on pharmaceuticals to keep my obese body chugging along until I finally have my last and fatal heart attack at the age of 51. Just because I was taken aback by this level of rhetoric doesn’t mean I’m an innocent. I understand political discourse. In the fourth grade, I was elected vice president of my grammar school. Subjected to a very vocal smear campaign targeting my Doctor Dolittle lunchbox, I was later impeached following my rather undiplomatic tirade following these attacks. The same schoolyard bullying I encountered then is being put into practice in this present situation, but with a twist: We’re grownups now!
ture in your region. You may be teased, but rebelling against the industrialized, commercialized norm makes you super cool. It’s cool to choose to eat food that is grown in such a way that it helps preserve our farmlands for future use. You’re sending a message to agribusiness that you’re tired of seeing our earth get blanketed with herbicides and pesticides that destroy ecosystems and biodiversity. Eating local foods shows that you care about your own health, too. You recognize that not only are sustainably grown foods more dense in nutrients, but, in many cases, they have substantially more flavor than conventionally grown products. Finally, by voting with your dollars at farmers markets, CSAs, local buyers clubs, and farm-to-table restaurants, you are helping environmentally responsible farmers remain economically viable. Now that is really cool. Michael Clune is the director of farm operations for the Farm at Sunnyside in Washington, Virginia. A former firefighter and paramedic, he is an ardent advocate of local, sustainable agriculture.
It’s time to stand up and shake a fist at these antagonists. Become an active participant and supporter of sustainable, local agricul-
H Ho on nees st t f fr rees sh h
&
ll o o cc a a ll f fo oo od ds s
“One of my favorite discoveries is Brian Noyes, the owner of the Red Truck Bakery in Virginia, who has a deft hand with pastries and an unerring sense of flavor balance.” —MARIAN BURROS,
the new york times
The Red Truck Bakery & Market features the freshest local produce and dairy items in our pies, jams and other goods. Visit us in our new home— a renovated 1921 Esso filling station in the heart of Old Town Warrenton—for freshly-baked breads, hearty soups, sandwiches, pastries and the best cup of coffee on the East Coast. And keep us in mind for holiday events: all of our goods (including stollen, and pumpkin, mincemeat, sweet potato and pecan pies) are made by hand right here in our own RED TRUC K kitchen, and can be shipped B A K ERY & M A R K ET nationwide through our website. ®
22 Waterloo Street at Courthouse Square in Old Town Warrenton, Virginia 540-347-2224 and 540-364-1883 . RedTruckBakery.com
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35
mindful living
Propagating Green Roofs Amber Davis
I
n many cities across the country, herb, vegetable, and plant gardens are sprouting up in a most unusual place—on the rooftops of both residential and commercial buildings. These “green roofs” are public displays of an environmentally conscious trend toward improving the quality of life within large metropolitan cities.
Urban Heat Islands According to Criston Mize—operations director and residential designer at Canopy, a green-roof company—Washington, D.C., is among the top four American cities leading the way in promoting and integrating green roofing technology. The positive environmental benefits that these roofs provide are most evident in dense city spaces, where increased greenery can help improve air quality and regulate overall temperatures. Like many other major cities, D.C. is an urban heat island: The impenetrable matrix
of buildings combined with a severe lack of vegetation leads to higher temperatures in the city limits. This phenomenon creates higher cooling energy costs for home owners and businesses and thus greater quantities of air pollutants and emissions. Green roofs can help combat this phenomenon by naturally cooling buildings and removing harmful pollutants from the air. Green roofs also help reduce the damaging effects of storm water runoff by absorbing rain water that, unobstructed, can flow into the city’s sewer system and pollute surrounding bodies of water. “When storm water runoff hits the impervious surface of a typical roof, it moves at a rapid pace to the ground and into our aging sewer systems,” says Mize. “Every time it rains, there is an overflow in the sewer systems, the overflow bow opens, and all the sewer water goes straight into the Anacostia River.”
The roof of Gregg Schultz’s D.C. home was transformed into a Japanese-inspired garden by Canopy.
A Different Kind of Yard In the district, these benefits have prompted many businesses to incorporate this technology into their own roofing projects. Today, green roofs can be seen atop a wide variety of government buildings, hotels, and schools, many of which are open and accessible to the public. In general, a flat roof can accommodate a deeper layer of soil and thus more deeply rooted plants than can a slanted roof, which, because it has shallower soil and retains less rainwater, is more likely to host sedum or other plants that thrive in arid environments. On private, residential properties within the city limits, where the opportunity to cultivate a traditional backyard garden is often limited, demand has also increased for green roofs over the past several years. On the flat roof of his sturdy, commercially converted concrete home, D.C. home owner Gregg Schultz opted to install a Japanese-inspired garden. “We live in an urban area, and we wanted the opportunity to have a yard,” says Schultz. “It was important to us that we grow herbs because I cook a lot. We now have a lot of drought-resistant herbs, like basil, rosemary, compact thyme, mint, chamomile, dill, and sage. So far, we’ve had 100 percent success with the food we’ve grown on the roof.”
The process of installing a green roof over an existing roof includes creating a bottom layer impenetrable to rainwater and top layers fertile enough for plant life. This layering protects the roof’s surface and can reduce long-term maintenance costs. The upfront investment of a green roof should be con36 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
gregg schultz
Beauty More Than Skin Deep
sidered alongside its overall cost-saving features, such as reduced energy use, reduced storm water management fees, and a longer roof life. To help offset the expense of installation in D.C., the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) offers a subsidy for residents and businesses: $5 per square foot up to $20,000 for each individual roofing project through the end of 2009. The benefit is now available for any project covering at least 50 percent of the available roof space. Individuals can apply for this grant through the nonprofit environmental firm DC Greenworks, which also provides consultation services and promotes employment in green collar trades. “The overall implementation of green roofs has definitely increased since our first major project in 2004, and in 2008, D.C. was second only to Chicago for green roofing projects,” says interim executive director Sara Loveland. “DC Greenworks has installed over 50,000 square feet of green roofing in the city—and we are one of the little guys.”
Grazing on the Roof One of D.C.’s most revered inns, the Tabard Inn in Dupont Circle, has also incorporated green roofing technology on several of its buildings during the past two years. Irene Mayer, the inn’s in-house designer, hired Canopy in 2007 to begin their first green roofing project. “I’ve known about green roofs for years and years, and I’ve always wanted to do it,” she says. “I have neighbors in the city that would like a garden, but there are too many houses around them or their backyards are too shaded. I wanted people to see what they could do with green roofs and get the idea in their minds. The more people that copycat our initiative, the better off we all are.” The inn’s first project was a rooftop herb garden for the restaurant’s use, which now regularly produces lemon verbena, two varieties of bush blueberry, rosemary, chives, thyme, sage, and basil. Because of the success of the first garden, Mayer
worked with Canopy on the installation of two additional green roofs. “Who wouldn’t want to look at a garden instead of a traditional roof?” asks Mayer. “It’s like eye candy.” Flavor editorial assistant Amber Davis wishes she could install her own green roof garden atop her apartment complex to satisfy her perpetual cravings for basil and tomatoes.
Canopy greenroofcanopy.com DC Greenworks www.dcgreenworks.org District Department of the Environment ddoe.dc.gov To find a publicly accessible green roof project near you, visit www.greenroofs.com/projects
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seasonal table
Gratitude
&Gravy
I’ve followed one too many turkey trailers down I-81 in the Shenandoah Valley to ever want to buy a commercial turkey. Good thing it’s easy to find a local, humanely raised turkey (see sidebar). The important thing is to order your turkey early so you can get the size turkey you prefer from a farm you trust. Easier than finding the turkey is cooking the turkey. You just put it in the oven and roast it until done (175 F at both thighs, and 165 F at both sides of the breast). The difficulty is mainly in the logistics, no matter how well you’ve planned. Then there’s the question of brining, or soaking in a salt solution, which keeps the meat moist—always an issue when you’re cooking turkey. But where to fit all that bird and brine when your refrigerator’s full? The Splendid Table’s Lynne Rosetto Kasper uses the huge Ziploc bags sold for storing blankets. She checked on the plastic—it’s food safe—and the flat bottom makes it easy to pour the brine in over the turkey. She suggests putting the bird in the bag, putting the bag in a cooler, and burying it in ice, but not enough to keep it frozen. Alternatively, submerge the bird in the brine in a stock pot and add ice often enough for a slow, safe thaw. Kasper figures 10 to 12 hours for a 12- to 16-pound bird and closer to 18 or 20 hours for 20 pounds and over. Use a cup of salt per gallon of water. Some chefs also add a cup of sugar per gallon. Or you could plan a pleasant trip to Ayrshire Farm in Middleburg, Virginia, which sells its turkeys already brined, and you can solve the “where to keep it” question by picking it up as late as the Wednesday before Thanks-
giving. Just make sure you’ve pre-ordered it in plenty of time. One of my favorite food writers, Harold McGee, revealed himself as a member of the “don’t brine” community in a shocking New York Times article last year. Yes, he admits, brining does make the turkey reliably tender and moist, but he’s disappointed with the watery, salty gravy his brined birds produce. Taking his cue from barbecue, McGee observed that the dryness of the turkey breast was similar to the dryness of pork when cooked long enough to be shredded. Like the pitmen who’ve made a science out of tender meat, McGee submerges his breast slices entirely in hot juices. He makes a good pan sauce from the drippings: Take half the drippings and adjust the volume with wine, chicken stock, or turkey stock for enough to cover the breast meat, reserving the remaining drippings for a thickened gravy. Then he either slices the breast meat thin or shreds it for maximum exposure to the liquid. I stumbled on this method last year when I needed to cook my turkey in advance for a photo. I really couldn’t tell the difference between my day-old turkey and those hauled steaming from the oven in previous years. I carved last year’s turkey Wednesday night, dunked the pieces in pan juice and covered it all tightly. It’s fine to let the slices cool in their own juices, just as you might do for chicken intended for chicken salad, but refrigerate it within the hour. As far as stuffing goes, choose bread with substance and plenty of fresh herbs. Sage is the star of Thanksgiving, when it’s snipped into stuffing and crumbled onto root veg-
etables before they’re roasted. Deirdre Armstrong of Harvest Thyme Herbs in Staunton, Virginia, makes what she calls her “Simon and Garfunkel herb mix”: parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Armstrong gives us some other Thanksgiving ideas for seasonal herbs: Tuck whole leaves of sage under skin of turkey while roasting. Or sauté whole leaves of sage in olive oil until crisp and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly grated Parmesan cheese for a garnish for your first-course soup. This also works well as a garnish for pumpkin ravioli at a vegetarian Thanksgiving. Since we’re celebrating Julia Child this year, I’m including her recipe for cooking turkey fast and hot. A friend living in Paris once searched in vain for a large turkey, only to find one when Thanksgiving dinner was just a couple hours away. The high-heat method popularized by Child allowed her to have it on the table just in time.
Julia Child’s High-Temperature Turkey Cook the stuffing separately in this fast method. Child notes that a turkey cooked this way may not be as tender as the slow-cooked version, but it will be a brown and juicy bird. Although not included in Child’s original recipe, brining helps keep the turkey tender. 1 14-pound turkey Juice of 1 lemon ½ cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped carrots 2 cups water Preheat oven to 500 F. Rinse out the turkey cavity and sprinkle inside with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Freelance feature writer Theresa Curry contributes to a number of publications, including The Virginian Pilot, The Charlottesville Daily Progress, The Augusta Free Press, and The Harrisonburg Daily News Record.
38 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
kim lowe
Theresa Curry
Place the turkey in a roasting pan and start the roasting at 500 F. In 15 to 20 minutes, when the juices begin to burn, reduce the heat to 450 F.
large bowl and add the contents of the pan. Toss quickly to mix, without breaking up the bread pieces.
Add chopped vegetables and water to the pan, pouring in a little more water now and then as needed to prevent burning and smoking. A 14-pounder will roast in about 2 hours.
Slowly drizzle in turkey stock and mix carefully. After the bread has soaked up the stock, place the dressing in a casserole dish. Chop the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and sprinkle on top. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
Biscuit, Cornbread & Chestnut Stuffing Market Salamander, Middleburg, Virginia Chef de cuisine Vaughn Skaggs uses leftover bread and biscuits, but you can save time by buying good-quality biscuits and cornbread. Drying the bread enables it to absorb the aromatic vegetables and turkey stock. He advises home cooks to make the dressing on the side, since thoroughly cooking the dressing results in a dry turkey. Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Serves 6 1 pound biscuits (12–15 normal-sized biscuits) 1 pound cornbread (9-by-12-inch pan) Thick-cut bacon slices, chopped into ¼-inch pieces, enough for ½ cup (about 4 slices) 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 onion, diced small 4 cloves garlic, sliced small 1 leek, diced small ¼ cup chestnuts, diced small 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stem 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped ¼ cup turkey giblets, chopped 2 quarts turkey stock Pull the biscuits apart in big pieces. Dice the cornbread into 1-inch cubes. Let dry, uncovered, for several hours or toast in the oven until dry. In skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve, leaving half the fat in the pan. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pan with the bacon fat and sauté the onion, garlic, and leek until tender. Add the chestnuts in the last couple of minutes. Add the herbs, bacon, and giblets. Remove from heat. Put dried cornbread and biscuit pieces in a
Preheat oven to 350 F.
T&E Meats
Oyster Stuffing Zynodoa, Staunton, Virginia Oyster stuffing is an early American colonial classic, hence a Virginia classic. Though there’s no mention in our history books, oysters probably graced the first Thanksgiving table. Mike Lund, Zynodoa’s executive chef, tries to feature the best of Virginia at all times, so what better for the holidays then this Chesapeake treat? Except for the oysters, you probably have all the ingredients already. You could even prepare it a day in advance. If you do, just be sure to “soak” the dressing in the refrigerator, not at room temperature. Preparation time: 90 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Yields 1 quart
Featuring Polyface Farms Want safe, fresh, local meat?
Natural Beef, Pork, Lamb, Goat, Chicken, Eggs 256 Charles St., Harrisonburg
540-434-9920
Monday thru Saturday Joe Cloud & Joel Salatin Proprietors
1 stick butter, 1 tablespoon reserved 1 large onion, finely diced 1 bunch of celery, peeled and finely diced (reserve the yellow “heart” leaves) 20 medium oysters, sliced in half and shucked, liquor reserved (or 16 ounces shucked oysters, drained, and liquor reserved) Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stem 1½ pounds day-old bread, preferably French or Italian, cubed and laid out on sheet pan to dry for 24 hours 2 cups homemade or good-quality chicken or turkey stock, ½ cup reserved 2 eggs 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon coarsely ground fresh black pepper 1 teaspoon sugar In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and celery. Sauté until translucent. Add oysters, lemon juice, and Old Bay and continue to cook, stirring
www.flavormags.com
39
molly mcdonald peterson
Obama campaign workers bought several of these sweet potato pies from Mom's Apple Pie Company last fall when they visited the Leesburg store.
occasionally, for 4 minutes. Stir in herbs, cook for 1 minute, and remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the reserved oyster liquor, 1½ cups stock, eggs, salt, pepper, and sugar until thoroughly combined.
RESTAURANT A Name to Remember.... A Meal You’ll Never Forget.
Slowly fold in the cooked oyster mix. Then fold in the bread cubes, being careful not to break them up. Preheat oven to 375 F. With the reserved tablespoon butter, grease a 2-inch deep baking pan, ovenproof dish, or ovenproof bowl. Gently fill with the stuffing mix, careful not to press or force too much as to enhance the fluffiness of the end product. Allow to “soak” for at least 1 hour at room temperature. Just prior to baking, glaze the top of the stuffing with the reserved ½ cup of stock. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, spin, and bake for 15 minutes. Garnish with reserved celery heart leaves.
Roasted Fall Vegetable Hash Claire’s at the Depot, Warrenton, Virginia Executive chef David Scales suggests that to prepare this in advance, roast the vegetables ahead of time until al dente and then reheat them with the bacon fat, onions, and spices just before serving. Use a zester for the garlic if you have one. If you don’t have a zester, crush or purée the garlic so it will dissolve. -Tom Sietsema, The Washington Post
219 E Davis St Culpeper, VA www.fotisrestaurant.com (540) 829-8400 40 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Preparation time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Cooking time: 60 minutes Serves 6 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut in ¼-inch dice
2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cut in ¼-inch dice 2 cups parsnips, peeled and cut in ¼-inch dice 1 sweet onion, peeled and finely diced 6 teaspoons strained bacon fat 5 cloves garlic, peeled and zested 2 tablespoons fresh thyme 2 tablespoons finely minced chives Pinch nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 350 F. Roast squash, pumpkin, and parsnip pieces on lightly oiled sheet tray for 45 minutes to an hour. Sauté onion in bacon fat until translucent. Add roasted vegetables and garlic. Toss until evenly coated with bacon fat and onions. Add thyme, chives, and nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss and serve.
Sweet Potato Pie Mom's Apple Pie Company, Leesburg, Occoquan, and Sterling, Virginia Co-owner Steven Cox uses sweet potatoes from the family farm for this flavorful pie. Ask your vendor whether your sweet potatoes have been “cured”—allowed to rest in a warm, dry place for 10 days or so after digging. This adds to their sweet, mellow flavor and improves storage ability. Co-owner Avis Renshaw, Cox’s wife and the “mom” of Mom’s Apple Pie Company, suggests topping
seasonal table
the pie with whipped cream flavored with a little maple syrup. Their daughter Petra Cox demonstrates how to make the pie crust (and other recipes) at monkeysee.com. Preparation time: 2 hours, 30 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour Makes two regular 9-inch pies or one deep-dish 9-inch pie For the pie crust 2½ cups unbleached pastry flour 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces and frozen for an hour before mixing 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt Up to 5 tablespoons ice water Add the flour, butter, sugar, and salt to a food processor. Using pulse option, mix ingredients together. Add ice water to the dough one tablespoon at a time, until the dough barely comes together. When finished, transfer the dough to a bowl and place it in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Flour the working surface well. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before you start working with it. Cut the dough roughly into two pieces and roll into balls. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Three quick, firm passes with the pin should give you the size you need for the 9-inch pie pan. Repeat for second pie crust. Lay the dough in the bottom of the pie pan. Roll the top edge and pinch with fingers or press with a fork to desired height and thickness. For the filling 2 cups cooked, peeled, and mashed sweet potato 2∕3 cup sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla 3 or 4 tablespoons molasses ½ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup half-and-half 3–4 eggs Mix first eight ingredients gently. Mix in eggs until filling is smooth.
Baking and serving Preheat oven to 375 F. Pour into prepared pie shells and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Ayrshire Farm www.ayrshirefarm.com Harvest Thyme Herbs www.harvestthymeherbfarm.com The Splendid Table splendidtable.publicradio.org
£ Get Your Gobble On Visit www.flavormags.com for a list of stores and farms in the Captial foodshed offering humanely raised turkeys for the holidays.
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41
Taking steps to benefit National
SIDS Foundation and RCSSA The 2nd Annual Lucy Grace Race
The 2nd Annual Lucy Grace Race
5K Walk / Run & 1K Kids’ Fun Run November 26, 2009
17 Open Studios, 7 Galleries & more than 50 Participating Artists Saturday, November 7 & Sunday, November 8
In beautiful Rappahannock County, Virginia, the Lucy Grace 5K Race takes a scenic loop around downtown Sperryville. The 1K Kids Fun Run begins at 9:30 am and the 5K race begins at 10:00 am. Register online at www.lucygrace5krace.com or call 540-987-3117 for more information.
(540) 675-3193 or www.raac.org
OCTOBER 20TH Alexandria Gets Fresh! Join us at the George Washington Masonic Memorial 101 Callahan Drive, Alexandria, VA 22301 From 6-7pm is “The Sample Hour” with local food samples being served from Kingsbury Chocolates, Grape + Bean, Cheesetique, Food Matters, Mom Made Foods, and more.
Upcoming movie screenings of
RSVP number of attendees to Susan Mclaughlin, white_tortoise1@msn.com
Join us at 4pm at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax 2709 Hunter Mill Road, Oakton, VA 22124 for a screening of Fresh followed by a panel discussion featuring our local heroes!
A film by Ana Sofia Joanes Panel Includes:
Joel Salatin Polyface Farms Sally Fallon Weston A. Price Foundation Andrew Kimbrell Center for Food Safety Monica Corrado Weston A. Price Foundation Carole Morison Sustainable Food Consultant
The movie begins at 7pm and is immediately followed by a panel discussion moderated by Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka and featuring Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms, Melissa Harris from Flavor Magazine, Chef Robert Wiedmaier from Brabo, and more. $10 voluntary donations happily accepted. Donations will help support Alexandria’s ALIVE! food shelter by providing it with locally produced food.
NOVEMBER 8TH
New thinking about what we’re eating
Moderated by Melissa Harris, Publisher of Flavor Magazine RSVP number of attendees with contact info to rsvpfresh@gmail.com
For updated information on the screenings check out www.flavormags.com
42 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
flavor café
Thornton River Grille Anita L. Sherman Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
The Grille serves savvy, savory fare in Sperryville, just a stone’s throw from the farms that supply the kitchen.
I
t’s that time of year in Virginia when the leaves turn riotous colors. Their fall beauty lures locals and tourists west to seek scenic routes to Skyline Drive, Old Rag Mountain, or the Shenandoah National Park to take in their autumn splendor. The historic little village of Sperryville, which sits about 75 miles west of Washington, D.C., is on the way and well worth a stop. Its eclectic collection of shops and galleries draw antique hunters and art appreciators. It is also home to the Thornton River Grille—a culinary diamond in the Rappahannock County rough.
It was the dream of Andy and Dana Thompson to open a restaurant where they could serve memorable food in a breathtaking setting. Since November of 2003, they have done just that thanks to their maestro in the kitchen, chef Tom Nash. Better Than a Desk Job Self-taught, Nash began his career in cooking while supporting himself as an electrical engineering student at Virginia Tech. “I quickly learned that I would rather be creating dishes in the hustle and bustle of a hotel or restaurant setting than laboring over a desk,” said Nash, who landed a job helping the chef in
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the kitchen at the Hotel Roanoke when he was in college. Before coming to the Thornton River Grille some six years ago, Nash spent time in kitchens in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; at the Tikchik Narrows Lodge in Alaska; and at Tom Kee’s Rail Stop in The Plains, Virginia. Nash is not your white-coated type of chef. “That’s just not me,” laughs Nash, who sports a comfortable T-shirt. On this particular Friday afternoon, Nash has assembled one of his signature salads: a trio of heirloom tomatoes—Cherokee Purple, Pink, and Garden Peach—arranged playfully, topped with emerald green baby arugula and thinly sliced cave-aged Cardona, and drizzled with reduced balsamic vinaigrette. “It’s one of my seasonal favorites. I offer it, but don’t have it on the menu because I can’t always guarantee that I’ll have the tomatoes,” said Nash. While local produce is abundant, local wines are equally available and offer fine company for Nash’s entrees.
seafood and prepares fresh, daily offerings. “Again, it’s not on the menu, but I offer a fresh fish dish each day,” said Nash, who gets his seafood from the same place that supplies Foti’s in Culpeper and the Inn at Little Washington —Slavin and Son in Arlington. “They have some of the best seafood.”
The highlight of Nash’s career came last year during a serendipitous visit from world-renowned French chef Alain Ducasse.
The Rappahannock Natural Foods Cooperative is a true farmers coop. We offer your the convenience of a one stop market for all your natural and local meat, eggs, produce, fruit and other farm products from Rappahannock’s best farms. Order from our website or from our local Farm Store (coming soon) in the River District in Sperryville. We deliver weekly to the Washington DC area. Sales@RNF.COOP Tel: 540-987-9699 WWW.RNF.COOP
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Aged in stainless steel containers, the crisp, clear, and light Gadino Cellars Pinot Grigio is the perfect pairing for the rich and sweet denseness of the tomatoes. Nash also recommends pairing Linden Vineyards Claret, a medium-bodied red, with his pork loin, lightly bathed in a local apple cider glaze with juniper berries and served with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled zucchini. Suppliers (aka Neighbors) The menu at the Thornton River Grille changes four times a year. This season, broiled crab cake with remoulade sauce and beef tenderloin with tarragon butter are entrée mainstays. Nash also favors
“My overall philosophy in cooking is to keep it very simple,” he continued, “and to prepare local foods as much as possible.” Nash gets ingredients from growers who are also neighbors. “As far as I’m concerned, Johnny Jenkins is the best in the business,” said Nash of Jenkins, a local farmer who has lived and grown produce in Rappahannock County for years. Several suppliers are less than 10 miles from the restaurant. That afternoon, Nash received a delivery of fresh green beans from nearby Belle Meade Farm. He is also keen on lamb from Cliff Miller’s Mount Vernon Farm, which is practically adjacent to the Grille. And asparagus from Trista Scheuerlein’s
flavor café
Grilled Shrimp with Smoked Gouda Grits & Red-Eye Gravy The Thornton River Grille makes its own seasoning for the shrimp, but chef Tom Nash recommends Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic seasoning blend in its place. He also suggests serving this dish with Gadino Cellars Reserve Viognier: “It has overtones of fruit—in particular, apricot—which works very well with the slight saltiness of the red eye gravy.” Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves 2 ½ cup stone ground, unbleached grits 2 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 1 pint half-and-half ½ pound smoked Gouda cheese, diced ¼ pound diced country ham, with fat 2 cloves garlic, smashed but left whole ½ cup cream sherry 2 cups brewed coffee 4–6 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined Olive oil Blackening seasoning
Turkey Hill Stables
For the grits Combine grits, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer the grits, stirring frequently, until they begin to thicken. Stir in half-and-half and Gouda. Continue to simmer until thick (30 minutes or so), stirring frequently. When finished, remove from heat, salt and pepper to taste. Let rest for at least an hour before serving. For the gravy Sauté country ham and garlic in a very hot sauce pan. When garlic begins to brown, add sherry and coffee. Simmer over low to medium heat for about an hour. Salt and pepper to taste. For the shrimp Baste the shrimp with olive oil and season with your favorite blackening seasoning. Grill the shrimp until done—just until there is no translucence in the center. If overcooked, the shrimp will become rubbery. Assembling and serving Place the shrimp on top of the grits and ladle the red eye gravy over the top. A nice sprig of rosemary or chive makes a perfect garnish.
“...a delightful, fresh, and hip version of a country inn…without a doubt, the best breakfast I have ever experienced.”
A premier riding facility in the scenic foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Located in Rappahannock County, within hacking distance of the Thornton Hill Hounds. Full board / Field board Indoor and Outdoor Arenas Endless Cross Country Trails Clinics / Lessons Training / Sales Local Event Sponsor An hour or less from eight of Virginia’s finest fox hunts
Read over 100 five-star reviews like this one at www.tripadvisor.com. www.fosterharris.com (800) 874-1036
540-987-9778 Photo: Molly M. Peterson • 268 Fletcher’s Mill Rd • Woodville, VA www.flavormags.com
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Thornton River Grille 3710 Sperryville Pike, Sperryville, VA (540) 987-8790 thorntonrivergrille.com Lunch: Tues.–Sat., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner: Tues.–Sun., 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Brunch: Sun., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Mondays Chef Tom Nash (left) relies on the many farms just minutes from the restaurant to provide seasonal produce in season.
school-based Farm-to-Table Program down the road is bountiful in season, as are apples and peaches from area orchards. A Special Niche Nash attributes much of his success as a chef to the latitude he has been given to grow and change. The highlight of his career came last year during a serendipitous visit from world-renowned French chef Alain Ducasse, known for demanding that only the very freshest of ingredients be used. “I admit, I was nervous,” said Nash, who has served his share of politicians and celebrities, “but he was very complimentary and came back the next day for breakfast.”
Jordan River Farm A beautiful vacation rental in Rappahannock County
Three-bedroom, two-bath historic house on 328 quiet, secluded acres for rent. Excellent fishing, hiking and picnicing without leaving the premises. Children and pets are welcome. Chemical free since 1971.
Weekend, weeknight, and weekly rates Call 540-636-4775 for information and reservations www.jordanriverfarm.com Huntly, Virginia 46 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Nash believes that he has found a special niche at the Thornton River Grille. With a staff of 15 and a customer base that includes committed locals as well as steady stream of tourists, the restaurant serves unpretentious dishes in a casual setting. Nash’s creations reflect not only his personal approach, but Rappahannock County’s plethora of farmers as well. Award-winning writer Anita L. Sherman is the managing editor of the Culpeper Times, a local weekly newspaper, and was previously the managing editor of the Rappahannock News. She resides in Warrenton, Virginia, with her husband, Donald, and is working on her first novel.
artisans & entrepreneurs
Living by the Work of Their Hands Mollie Cox Bryan Photos by Laura Merricks
The nuns at this Trappist monastery support themselves by making transcendent Gouda.
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gray, misty fog hangs over the Blue Ridge Mountains. A red brick monastery sits high on a grassy hillside, where poppies, buttercups, and bluebells dot the landscape. A swallow flies overhead, and an exuberant Golden Retriever circles the walkway. As a nearby stream babbles and trees rustle in the breeze, a nun robed in black and white opens the door, with a wide smile and open arms. This would be Sister Barbara Smickles of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery. She is one of the women making some of the best Gouda cheese on this side of the Potomac. Crafted with fresh milk from grass-fed, pasture-living cows in the Shenandoah Valley, the cheese is a smooth, creamy delight.
Cheesemaking as Vocation “Our cheese business has allowed us to be completely selfsupporting,” she says, which is important to this Cistercian (aka Trappist) community tucked in the mountains of Crozet, Virginia, just outside Charlottesville. “It’s so satisfying to be earning our living by working with our own hands.” Members of this religious order combine the work of prayer and prayerful work. They seek to produce goods that will generate income for their monasteries. The most famous of these goods is Trappist beer, such as Chimay and Koningshoeven. All 11 nuns who live in the monastery take part in the cheesemaking, even if that’s simply cleaning the equipment and www.flavormags.com
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418 W. Main Street Charlottesville, VA Monday - Friday 7 - 6 Saturday 7 - 5
the building where the cheese is made, which is an enormous job. “I sometimes think half my life is spent cleaning the cheese barn,” Sister Barbara laughs. They embrace hard work, which drew the attention of the neighbors in Crozet. “There aren’t many Catholics here, so I think the local people didn’t know what to think of us at first. But one day we were out painting the barn in blistering heat and some of the neighbors came to help. The next thing you know, we were very accepted by everyone. I guess we are the nuns who work hard, and they could relate to us,” she teases. But make no mistake—their work is intended to support a life of prayer and service to God. They don’t advertise their cheese and have no plans for growing their business. In fact, their cheese gained recognition through no effort of their own.
Humble Beginnings
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albemarlebakingco.com 434-293-6456
The 15th Annual
Artisans Studio Tour November 7 & 8, 2009 10 am – 5 pm 30 artisans in 15 studios around the Charlottesville area tasty delights and chances to win prizes
48 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
A group of these nuns came together in 1987 and lived in two log cabins in Crozet. A local woman taught them to make cheese with a native Dutch recipe and a cheese culture shipped from Wisconsin. After the woman’s marriage dissolved and she moved away, she gave her cheese business to the nuns. By 1990, they were crafting their own cheese. “We were so naive,” Sister Barbara says. “We just thought, ‘Hey, let’s make cheese.’ It wasn’t that simple. We learned to take one thing at a time.”
During cheese-producing months, 6,200 pounds of fresh Grade A milk is delivered to the monastery each week from farms in the Shenandoah Valley. Soon after the nuns took over the business completely, a Washington Post food editor stumbled upon their handiwork and wrote about their cheese. The next thing the Sisters knew, their customer base skyrocketed to over 1,000 people. Their business, which is mostly mail-order, has continued to expand. Its growth has given them the funds to build a monastery and a chapel. “We make as much cheese as we can without cutting into our prayer and meditation routines. There are only 11 of us, and some of us are getting older,” she notes. “If we get more Sisters, we may increase productivity. But for now, we have no ambitions or [expansion] plans.” Currently, the Sisters produce about 21,000 pounds of cheese a year.
Our Daily Cheese From mid-January to mid-November, the Sisters of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery make cheese once a week. With time
artisans & entrepreneurs
off for holy days, and other community activities, this means they make cheese about 33 or 34 days a year. During cheese-producing months, 6,200 pounds of fresh Grade A milk is delivered to the monastery each week from farms in the Shenandoah Valley. After the morning delivery, the milk is pasteurized, poured into a huge cheese vat, and heated. The culture is added to produce curds, which are cut by hand, packed in forms (called hoops), and pressed. The finished cheeses are immersed in salt brine and then cured in the cooler, where the nuns inspect the cheese each day. During the first four days of production, the cheese is dipped by hand into food-grade polymer, which allows it to breathe while it ages. The cheese takes on a rich golden color as it begins to ripen. Before shipping, each two-pound wheel of cheese is dipped in red wax to protect it. The Sisters recently purchased a new machine that eliminates some of the heavy lifting, pushing and pulling of the cheese in the first steps of the process— steps done manually until now—because some of the Sisters were suffering from the heavy-duty work and repetitive motions inherent in making cheese. “Our new PPV [pre-press vat] from Finland is
definitely making our lives easier, but our hands and prayers and love still go into our cheese. I always think of the huge cheesemakers and think of the poor little cheese not touched by human hands,” Sister Barbara says playfully.
Touched by (Sisters at Our Lady of the) Angels The Sisters always want to have personal, physical contact with the cheese and the cheese equipment. “It provides a good balance for us,” explains Sister Barbara. “Otherwise our life of prayer could be too sedentary. It’s an intense way to live.” This approach to cheesemaking—part of the monastic rhythm of prayer, work, and study—is one their small community can sustain. And its one that their customers can celebrate with every bite. Mollie Cox Bryan is the author of Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies and Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook: A Lifetime of Recipes from the Shenandoah Valley.
Our Lady of the Angels Monastery Crozet, VA (434) 823-1452 cheese@www.olamonastery.org www.olamonastery.org Cheesemaking facilities not open to the public
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in the food desert
A Desert in Our Midst Zora Margolis
September was National Food Desert Awareness Month. So just what is a food desert?
D
riving through this area, most people wouldn’t consider it a desert. There’s nary a cactus or tumbleweed in sight, no sandstone cliffs or sun-baked dunes on the horizon. Instead, there are leafy deciduous trees, block after block of clapboard row houses and brick apartment buildings, and commercial zones bustling with urban street life. While convenience stores and fastfood restaurants are plentiful, there are few if any full-service grocery stores. This is a different kind of desert. A food desert. It’s hard to find a place to buy milk and honey here—or a head of lettuce. A neighborhood where residents lack easy access to full-service supermarkets, farmers markets, and greengrocers selling affordable fresh produce, meat, poultry, fish, dairy, grains, and other staple foods is regarded as a food desert. People living in a food desert are at greater risk of suffering from obesity, diabetes, and
cardiovascular disease, and they have a shortened life expectancy. The District’s Desert There’s a big food desert here in Washington, D.C., in Wards 7 and 8, east of the Anacostia River. According to statistics compiled by
Ward 8 in Washington, D.C., is home to only one full-service chain grocery store, but many people are working to fresh food to its residents. annie arnest / source: mapquest
50 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
D.C. Hunger Solutions, an organization dedicated to ending hunger in the nation’s capital, 24 percent of the population of the District of Columbia lives east of the Anacostia River, but only 15 percent of the city’s food retailers are located there. In Ward 8, there is one food retailer for every 2,585 residents— a ratio that is more than 60 percent higher than in other neighborhoods of the district. And for the most part, the retail grocery outlets located in Ward 8 are small corner grocery or convenience stores, which typically stock snack foods and few fresh fruits and vegetables. “Giant opened a full-service supermarket in Anacostia in December 2007,” reports Alexandria Ashbrook of D.C. Hunger Solutions. “It’s been a great boon to the community.” It’s one glimmer of good news on the Ward 8 horizon, which remains bleak. There are a few weekly farmers markets in Ward 7, on both sides of the Anacostia River, but the only market in Ward 8 was unable to make a go of it after a year. “Unfortunately,” says
It’s hard to find a place to buy milk and honey here— or a head of lettuce.
thomas r. anderson photography
Ashbrook, “the Anacostia farmers market has closed.” Feeding Desert Dwellers Although not all the residents of a food desert are poor, poverty and lack of transportation are common. People without cars or easy access to public transportation can have a tough time getting to full-service grocery stores located miles from home. They often must rely on expensive taxi rides to distant supermarkets or depend on nearby corner stores, fast-food outlets, and carry-out shops for their meals. Washington, D.C., is not unique. There are food deserts in many U.S. cities and in rural areas as well. Across the country, activists are searching for creative ways to establish a “food oasis” amid the food desert in their community. In Detroit, Boston, and New York City, mobile farm-market trucks traverse inner-city neighborhoods. In Chicago, a van service transports residents to supermarkets. Peapod, a multi-city grocery delivery service, is increasingly used by higher-income residents in gentrifying inner-city neighborhoods fitting the food desert definition. (Their low-income neighbors, however, are not likely to use Peapod, since it uses an online ordering system and does not take food stamps.) In a few cities, including Chicago,
groups of activists are following the model created by Milwaukee’s Growing Power, an urban farm with year-round produce that sells goats, honey, eggs, and aquacultured fish at a co-op retail outlet/community center. Its founder, Will Allen—a native of Rockville, Maryland—is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant.” Working for Change According to Ashbrook, whose organization works with numerous other public and private nonprofit agencies on foodaccess issues, the D.C. Office of Planning is conducting a comprehensive study called “Healthy by Design,” which is mapping the entire city’s opportunities for access to healthy food and healthenhancing activities. The D.C. Department of Health (DOH) will be issuing a “State Obesity Plan” that will address, among other things, development of community gardens in low-income communities. The DOH provided start-up funding for the Healthy Corner Store Program, a project of D.C. Hunger Solutions, a division of the larger Food Research and Action Center, which is partnering with Healthy Solutions, a small nonprofit in Anacostia. According to Tanikka Cunningham, executive director of Healthy Solutions, the program delivers fresh produce at
Catch That Phrase Chicago researcher Mari Gallagher is often credited with popularizing the term food desert. She and her colleagues are conducting a national assessment of the availability of fresh food and then calculating the ratio of mainstream grocers to so-called fringe food venues—those that sell primarily non-nutritious fast-food or prepared foods. The resulting “food balance score” indicates whether residents have a reasonable choice between fringe and fresh foods. Gallagher’s group, which emphasizes this scoring system over the distance-based approach used by some other organizations, has assessed about 100,000 residential blocks across the country in its efforts to map U.S. food deserts.
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jim kuhn
wholesale cost to neighborhood convenience stores in Wards 7 and 8. It also provides them with display shelves and informational literature about healthy food choices for their customers. D.C.’s Food Research and Action Center has worked with a city council member on an initiative that, if implemented, would provide city funding to double the value of food stamps and senior coupons used at farmers markets citywide. (FreshFarm Markets is already doing this at some of its own markets.) However, the D.C. system makes it a huge challenge to establish small-scale oases in the desert: overlapping regulations involving multiple city agencies and logistical challenges involving electronic food stamps remain a barrier to establishing new farmers markets or even allowing an entrepreneurial farmer to sell produce from the back of a truck.
Zora Margolis has lived in Washington, D.C., since 1996. She wrote about the Dupont Circle farmers market in the Aug./Sept. issue of Flavor and co-hosts the farmers market forum on www.donrockwell.com, D.C.’s popular food lovers’ discussion site. laura schuetz
Oases on the Horizon The issue of food deserts is also being addressed on the national level. Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) has introduced the Food Desert Oasis Act of 2009, which is co-sponsored by 13 members of Congress, including Eleanor Holmes
Norton (D-DC) and Representative Robert Scott (D-VA) from Richmond. The bill, which was referred to the House Agriculture Committee in late June, designates certain U.S. cities as Food Desert Zones. In these zones, businesses that derive at least 25 percent of gross receipts from the sale of fresh fruits and vegetables will be given tax incentives. The bill will also provide funding for community programs addressing hunger. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has just announced a multimillion dollar program to fund development of new farmers markets and a “double dollars” program on a national scale, which will allow people receiving government food stamps to double the value of their benefits when they shop at farmers markets across the country. And first lady Michelle Obama is actively engaged in the effort to encourage everyone to increase their consumption of fresh, wholesome food.
D.C. Hunger Solutions www.dchunger.org Food Research and Action Center www.frac.org Growing Power www.growingpower.org Healthy Solutions www.healthysolutionsgroup.org
52 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
the guest list Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
Occasions Caterers Urban Market & Fall Menu Preview September 9, 2009 Washington, DC Maddy Beckwith and Bob Wollam
Trevor Charles Lewis, Nathan Stambaugh and Sina Molavi
Eric Michael, Mark Michael
Melissa Harris, Travis Bjorklund and Karen Liot Hill
Nora Pouillon, Ann Yonkers and Bernie Prince
This event at the American Pharmacists Association Building featured local growers affiliated with FreshFarm Markets. The evening promoted the local food movement and celebrated the opening of the building for events for the first time in its 75-year history.
Georgia O’Neal, Zachariah Lester and Katherine Stewart
Cooking local year-round Winter classes begin January 30, 2010 47 Main Street Sperryville, VA 540.987.3383 www.hopkinsordinary.com innkeeper@hopkinsordinary.com www.flavormags.com
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the guest list Chef’s Day at Polyface Farm August 31, 2009 Swoope, VA
Chefs from Richmond, Charlottesville, and the metro D.C. area who serve Polyface products at their restaurants were invited for a special tour of the farm, near Staunton. Joel Salatin led the group, showcasing the farm’s sustainable practices.
Joel Salatin
Joshua Wilton House Staff
Alston and Will Ritchie
Mark Lilly, Suzi Lilly and Fred
Lynn Sullivan, Dorigen Hofmann, Melissa Harris, Walter Nicholls, Jayne Wise, Kevin and Jennifer Seidel
Taste of Rappahannock September 12, 2009 Sperryville, VA
The Taste of Rappahannock is an annual gourmet, locally sourced dinner prepared by area chefs and culinary arts students at Rappahannock High School. Held at Belle Meade Farm, profits from ticket sales and auctions benefit the Headwaters Foundation’s Farm-to-Table Program.
Pam and John Kiser
Cheri Woodard, Terri Lehman
Susan Hoffman and Mike Biniek
Southern Menu, Local Foods, Catering
Local Food & Spirits Night at Maya: 5 course meals, reservations required October 5th - 6pm Polyface Farm (Daniel Salatin), Barboursville Vineyard (Luca Paschina) & The Food Hub (Alan Moore)
November 9th - 6pm Monticello Gardens (Peter Hatch), Monticello Vineyard (Gabriele Rausse), Double H Farm, Roundabout Farm
633 West Main Street Charlottesville, VA 22903 434-979-6292 (MAYA) maya-restaurant.com 54 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Jack Schore & Anne Pallie
Theresa and Joel Salatin
8th Annual Windy Hill Fashion Show & Silent Auction September 23, 2009 The Plains, VA
Jim Treptow, Mary Lea Treptow and Cheris Treptow
Presented by Saks Fifth Avenue at Tysons Galleria, this event was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Treptow. The afternoon’s cuisine was provided by seven local restaurants, including Market Salamander and the Blackthorne Inn, and pieces by local designers were among the collections shown.
Sandi Atkins, Gloria Armfield and Barbara Wilson
Matilda Reuter, Becky Croft and Gordon Wicks
Andrea Ross, Barbara Sharp and Azita Shini Marny Birkitt and John-Gustin Birkitt
Rappahannock Farm Tour Screening of Fresh September 25, 2009 Sperryville, VA
Flavor hosted a screening of the film Fresh at Rappahannock High School to kick off the Rappahannock Farm Tour. Following the film, editor Jennifer Conrad Seidel moderated a panel discussion, and attendees were served a dessert made with local ingredients by the school’s culinary arts students. Net proceeds benefitted the Headwaters Foundation’s Farm-to-Table Program and Belle Meade Farm School.
John and Heidi Lesinski
Lorraine Duisit, Vinnie DeLuise, Paul Reisler, and Heidi Morf
Cliff Miller and Laura Overstreet
Jennifer Seidel, Marian Burros, Mike Biniek, John Lesinski, Michael Clune, Cliff Miller
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O pen W ed -S un
M Onday
hOlidayS
and all
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aM -6 pM
(434) 984-4272
www.SugarleafVineyards.com 3613 walnut branch lane n o rt h ga r d e n , Va 2 2 9 5 9 56 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
virginia
October/November 2009
Features
64 Keeping It in the Family Winegrower Jeff White is creating impressive wines from vines on land his family has owned for more than a hundred years. Evan Williams
Departments
70 winemaker’s notes Lori Corcoran This Loudoun County vineyard owner is one of Virginia’s newest winemakers.
72 pairing Give Thanks for Local Craft Brews Complement your Thanksgiving dishes with beers crafted in the commonwealth. Ben Eubanks
74 imbibe Varieties of Organic Wine
An introduction to Old World organic wines, with tasting notes. Robert Harllee
Columns
68 blind tasting Bordeaux-Style Virginia Wines Show Their French Side Virginia’s winemakers have really hit the mark with these Bordeaux blends. Kevin Kraditor
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flights drink seasonally photo by laura merricks
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Flights
Amber Davis
Vino Venues to Visit For many wine bars in the region, it’s not about the quantity of wines and food available—it’s about the quality of the items they serve and the caliber of the products they carry. Be sure to check out these hip wine bars and well-stocked stores in Fredericksburg and Washington, D.C. For the full-scale wine retailer and restaurant Kybecca in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the focus is on providing customers with hand-crafted wine in a cozy historic downtown location. From the handmade furniture that graces the store to the extensive renovation of the building’s interior, owner Rebecca Snyder makes every effort to support local businesses and conservation efforts. By carefully handpicking the wines offered in both the store and at the wine bar, Snyder hopes to provide her customers with the most flavorful and thoughtful wine on the market. “We only stock those wines which are family-produced or from small producers,” says Snyder. This fall, Kybecca will offer a new series of wine and tapas events, as well as continue to host regular Friday and Saturday wine and beer tastings. Kybecca Wine Bar & Shop (540) 373-3338, kybeccawinebar.com
When entrepreneurs Diane Gross and Khalid Pitts founded Cork Wine Bar in Washington, D.C., two years ago, they knew they wanted to establish a wine bar with a different focus: to provide a comfortable space for their customers to enjoy the finest Old World wines with friends, family, and neighbors. Currently, Cork offers at least 50 wines by the glass and 220 wines by the bottle from small producers around the world. Because many wines ordered for the restaurant are not widely distributed, Pitts and Gross decided to open another establishment, Cork Market & Tasting Room, to sell those wines to customers. Opening in late October, the two-story shop will have a neighborhood-store feel with a large selection of wines and gourmet foods, as well as an upstairs for classes and events. Cork Wine Bar (202) 265-2675, corkdc.com
Sharing More Than the Vine Visitors to Sperryville won’t have too far to travel to try some of the area’s best wines—thanks to a new tasting room that Rappahannock Cellars opened on September 26 in the Link Community Center. Featuring wines from Rappahannock Cellars and DuCard Vineyards, the tasting room will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through the fall from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. According to proprietor John Delmare, the new establishment will enable the winery to increase its exposure and accessibility in the region, as well as highlight the new wines coming from DuCard Vineyards, a six-acre vineyard that has been supplying grapes to Rappahannock Cellars for years. DuCard Vineyards plans to open up its own winery and tasting room in February 2010. Rappahannock Cellars (540) 635-9398, www.rappahannockcellars.com; DuCard Vineyards (434) 409-4378, www.ducardvineyards.com
Make Mine (Own) Virginia Wine Instead of just drinking the wine that you like, how about actually taking part in making the wine that you drink? At Vint Hill Craft Winery in Vint Hill, Virginia, owners Chris Pearmund and Ray Summerell offer the tools, techniques, and facilities for individuals to create their own signature wine. From initial fruit selection to fermentation, to bottling and designing the label, Vint Hill’s winemaking team works alongside customers to educate, coach, and advise during every step of the process. The base price for individually crafted wine for this 58
• Oct./Nov. 2009
year is $6,000 per barrel—approximately $20 per bottle. Customers can choose from a variety of grapes from both Virginia and California to create their individual wines, and they can also select the barrel in which to age their wines. Winemaking typically starts in fall, and most wines are bottled between April and August. The public can taste and purchase customers’ wine at the on-site tasting room. Vint Hill Craft Winery (703) 991-0191, www.vinthillcraftwinery.com
chris engelsma
Putting Virginia Beer on the Map At the 2009 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado—the biggest beer festival in the country—four Virginia breweries captured medals in eight categories. Virginia’s newest brewery, Devil’s Backbone in Roseland, Virginia, won four medals overall, including a gold medal in the International Style Pilsner category for its Gold Leaf Lager. Well-established Starr Hill Brewery in Crozet, Virginia, captured a gold medal for its Dark Starr Stout in the Classic Irish Style Dry Stout category. Arlington-based Rock Bottom Brewery’s “Dude! Where’s My Vespa?” took home the gold in the Coffee Flavored Beer category, and Centreville’s Great American Restaurants Group won a gold for its Crazy Jackass Ale in the Rye Beer category. More than 450 breweries showcasing over 3,000 national brews competed at the festival in September. Great American Beer Festival www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com
Your One-Stop Virginia Wine Shop You can travel the state to try all of the wine offered by Virginia’s 150 local wineries, or you could head to Virginia Wine Experience in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia, for the same breadth and selection. According to owner Edwin Wyant, the store currently carries over 425 different Virginia wines as well as a substantial variety of national and international wine. At the spacious three-story building, complete with a rare wine room and an imports room, customers can
attend weekly wine tastings, frequent wine dinners, and take wine classes. Upcoming events include a six-course wine dinner with Jefferson Vineyards on October 10. Other fall visitors include Mountfair Vineyards, Gabriele Rausse Winery, Naked Mountain Vineyards, Peaks of Otter, and Black Snake Meadery. Virginia Wine Experience (540) 373-8878, www.virginiawineexperience.com
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Flights Okto-BEER-fests No need to travel to Germany to experience an authentic Oktoberfest celebration. These events offer traditional Oktoberfest festivities with a focus on domestic and local craft brews. Oktoberfest at Blue Mountain Brewery in Afton, Virginia (October 1–4), will feature live music performances, daily giveaways like steins, shirts, and hats, and specials like 10 percent off all food with a ticket stub from the Crozet Music Festival. The brewery will also unveil its unique Humpbock Oktoberfest Lager, paying homage to the brewery’s view of Humpback Mountain.
t For the largest Oktoberfest celebration in Virginia, head to the 41st annual Richmond Oktoberfest, October 23–24, in the Exhibition Hall at the Richmond Showplace in Richmond, Virginia. The events kick-off on Friday at 6 p.m. and doors remain open until midnight both nights. Ticket prices are $8 in advance or $10 at the door, and kids 15 and under get in free with a paying adult. Attendees will find a large selection of typical German Oktoberfest food and a variety of German and domestic beer. Blue Mountain Brewery (540) 456-8020, www.bluemountainbrewery.com Rustico Restaurant (703) 224-5051, www.rusticorestaurant.com 2009 Richmond Oktoberfest (804) 342-0310, www.richmondoktoberfest.com
Flavor editorial assistant Amber Davis also wrote “Propagating Green Roofs” on page 9.
Award Winning Wines Concerts Weddings Private Events “Local” Wine Dinners Escape Packages Join our wine club Saturdays and Sundays
500 Delfosse Winery Lane Faber, VA 22938 (434)263-6100 www.delfossewine.com finewines@delfossewine.com
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Rustico Restaurant in Alexandria, Virginia, will host an Oktoberfest celebration outside of the restaurant from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 10. Admission is free, and food from local restaurants and various seasonal and craft brews will be available for sale. Festivities include live music, a raffle to benefit the nonprofit DC Central Kitchen, and children’s activities.
d r i n k S e a son a l ly Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
End of Autumn Derek M. Brown Bartender, The Passenger and Columbia Room Washington, D.C. ½ ounce Sencha Premier green tea, cold brewed (instructions below) ¼ ounce honey syrup (instructions below) 1 ounce Westford Hill Distillers New World Aged Apple Brandy 4 ounces Thibaut-Janisson Virginia Sparkling Wine 1 cinnamon stick 1 freshly cut lemon twist Using the ratio of tea to water given on the package, brew tea in cold purified or distilled water for 6 hours. Do not heat. Make honey syrup: Add 2 parts honey to 1 part boiled water. Make sure pan is removed from burner, and stir until honey and water are fully blended. Cool. Pour brandy, brewed tea, and honey syrup in a tin with ice and shake. Strain into chilled flute. Add sparkling wine. Garnish with cinnamon stick and lemon twist in flute.
Pumpkin Ginger Martini Carrie Throckmorton General Manager, Blue Light Grill and Raw Bar Charlottesville, Virginia 1 cup water, divided ½ cup sugar, divided 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice ¼ cup pumpkin purée Ginger root, peeled but whole (golf-ball sized) Ice 3 ounces vanilla vodka Make pumpkin purée simple syrup: In a small saucepan, mix ½ cup water, ¼ cup sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin purée and bring to a boil. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and cool. Make ginger simple syrup: In a small saucepan, mix ½ cup water, ¼ cup sugar, and ginger root and bring to a boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Remove ginger. Pour 2 tablespoons pumpkin purée simple syrup over ice. Add 1 teaspoon ginger simple syrup and vanilla vodka. Shake vigorously. Strain and serve up with miniature marshmallows and a cinnamon stick. www.flavormags.com
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Keeping It in the Family Evan Williams Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson
At Glen Manor Vineyards, a new crop thrives on old farmland.
F
or Glen Manor Vineyards owner-winegrower Jeff White, it’s all about the place. Tucked into an isolated, horseshoe-shaped glen among the towering Blue Ridge Mountains, his family’s estate provides unique terroir and an opportunity to explore a new crop on an established working farm. From corn and wheat, to apples and peaches, to Christmas trees, and now to wine, Glen Manor is a perfect Virginian example of a farm where family tradition is kept alive through agricultural innovation. Originally purchased by White’s great-grandparents in 1901, the picturesque 226-acre property has been in the family’s hands ever since, earning it the prestigious Virginia Century Farm designation. Today, White considers himself a steward of this land, but this wasn’t always the case. After college, he went 64
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to work in Fairfax County, crunching numbers for a defense contracting firm. Eight years later, burned out by the daily grind, he returned to the family farm to help his parents with their Christmas tree growing operation and to keep a small amount of livestock.
Winegrower, Not Winemaker It didn’t take long, however, for White to dream up different plans for the farm. In 1993, after his curiosity led to a bit of research into Virginia winemaking, he was taken under the wing of viticulture professor Tony Wolf. Following a summer of learning the intricacies of winemaking with Wolf, he went to work for nearby Linden Vineyards where, White says, “I
was the cellar rat.” But working under winemaker Jim Law at Linden gave him the education and experience he needed to grow grapes and make wine. Two years later, several acres were cleared at Glen Manor and planted with vines on the westfacing slopes that sit just beneath Skyline Drive; the very next year, Linden Vineyards was buying Glen Manor’s fruit. Jeff worked for Linden while continuing to grow his own grapes— until 2005, when he finally decided to strike out on his own. This gave Glen Manor, which is currently harvesting its third vintage, a unique leg up on most new wineries. “I’m fortunate to be a new winemaker and have a new winery here, but to also have 14 years experience working with my fruit,” says White. As he is quick to point out, winemaking is intuitive. The challenge every year is knowing your fruit and your terroir intimately
and adapting to ever-changing conditions. This learning curve is a major hurdle for most new winemakers, and Glen Manor’s advantage is already apparent in its wine. Where most new wineries take years to establish a comfortable balance, Glen Manor’s first- and second-vintage “rookie” bottlings show tremendous poise and character. This, of course, is also a product of White’s approach to winemaking, which he attributes to Law. “I’m of one school of thought, and that is, very hands-on in the vineyards, very hands-off in the winery,” White says. “I’m not a scientist!” In this way, the winemaker (White calls himself a winegrower) commits a conscious act of selflessness: He showcases the land, the microclimate, and the fruit rather than drawing attention to his skill inside the winery. “Capture what you grow out there in the bottle,” he says. www.flavormags.com
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2007 Sauvignon Blanc ($21) This is as close to a Sancerre or PouillyFume as Virginia sauv blanc has come, in my estimation. Bright acidity, fresh rain on limestones, and rich lemon chiffon are bounded by the structure, poise, and composure that is typical of Glen Manor’s fruit. Imminently refreshing and a showcase for the terroir, this is a great achievement.
2008 Sauvignon Blanc ($22) The 2008 is more herbaceous and fruitforward, in the New Zealand/Australia style, but similarly structured in the glass. Tasting these two vintages back-to-back really shows how adaptable the winemaker can be from season to season and how much the microclimate affects the wines.
2008 Rosé ($15) The nose is fresh and inviting, with explosive perfume and spring flowers surrounded by strawberry notes. Soft acidity and a plush, rich, savory mouthfeel are followed by a long, crisp finish.
2007 Cabernet Franc ($23) A very fruit-centric nose, with a touch of earthy leather and pie spices. The palate roars along with graphite, blackberry, and pliable but grippy tannins. A restrained effort worthy of the Loire valley, this has none of the greenness that cab franc so often falls prey to.
2007 Hodder Hill ($28) The bouquet (an apt term here) of this Meritage (Bordeaux blend) is deep, layered, and very composed. There’s a brambly rusticity that follows the initial burst of dark, ripe fruit, and following that is what seems to be a spicy, black pepper/woody note. The palate follows suit, and there’s enough acidity and tannic structure that I’d surmise this will age well. Fans of Virginia’s red blends should certainly seek this wine out!
Winegrower Jeff White inspects his vines for pests (above). The 14-acre vineyard is planted on land in Front Royal that was purchased by his great-grandparents in 1901.
Focus on the Vines What White captures in his bottles is Glen Manor’s unique terroir. The steep westward slopes are composed of remnants of eroded mountains that were once much higher, resulting in poor, rocky soil with excellent drainage—perfect for growing wine grapes. “Virginia’s biggest problem is too much rain,” says White, but the steep slopes here drain well. Also working in Glen Manor’s favor is the veritable fortress that the surrounding circuit of mountains provides against Virginia’s incessant summer storms. And while the west-facing slopes don’t get direct morning sun, the intense afternoon heat serves to ripen the fruit exceptionally well, which results in more luscious, fruit-forward wines. For White’s part, he maintains meticulous vineyards and is very careful to keep his yield-per-acre relatively low. “If your yields are too high, the grapes never fully ripen,” he notes. That approach, in conjunction with Glen Manor’s thorough two-stage grape-sorting process (done with the help of friends, family, and neighbors, of course), ensures that only the highestquality fruit makes it into the fermenters. Today, Glen Manor’s original six acres produce around 1,000 cases per year, but the vineyard is already expanding. After White left Linden and started Glen Manor in 2005, he cleared more land and planted eight and a half more acres of vines—which are starting to produce small yields now but need more time to hit their stride—in hopes of taking advantage of the steep rocky slopes where a young pine forest once resided. His goal is to produce 3,000 to 4,000 cases per year.
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Visits by appointment at our Nursery and Truffiere in Rixeyville, Virginia 540-937-9881 www.virginiatrufflegrowers.com pat@virginiatrufflegrowers.com
Stewarding the Land A true steward of his family’s sacred ground, White has not simply repurposed old agricultural farmland for Glen Manor’s vines. He has also created what he hopes will become the engine that sustains his family’s farmland for generations to come. Great care and devotion goes into every acre of this estate, from upkeep on the house his great-grandparents built to planting native warm-season grasses in hopes of bringing back native quail. This same care and devotion is evident in every bottle of Glen Manor’s wines. Evan Williams, a Virginia native who has worked in various facets of the wine industry, is part-owner of the Wine Guild of Charlottesville.
Glen Manor Vineyards 2244 Browntown Road, Front Royal, VA (540) 635-6324 www.glenmanorvineyards.com April–November Wed.–Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sun., 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. December–March Sat., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sun., 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Closed some holidays. The vineyard cannot accommodate limousines, buses, or groups larger than six people. www.flavormags.com
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b l i n d ta s t i n g
Bordeaux-Style Virginia Wines Show Their French Side Kevin Kraditor Photo by Molly McDonald Peterson
Our panelists were challenged to choose the best red from among many strong submissions. While it is not news that the red wines of the Bordeaux region of France are widely recognized as some of the best in the world, it may be news that Virginia wineries are producing wines in the Bordeaux style that can be as pleasing to the palate as their French counterparts. They offer a delicious alternative if you are looking for a medium- to full-bodied red wine, whether to accompany local grass-fed beef, pair with a pungent cheese, or enjoy on its own. The roughly 7,000 wine producers of Bordeaux are limited to specific grapes if they want to use the Bordeaux designation on their label. The five red Bordeaux grapes of note are merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec, and petit verdot. (The less well known Saint Macaire, gros verdot, and carmenère are also permitted but rarely used.) Winemakers from Virginia and other parts of the world make wines they call “Bordeaux blends” using these grapes, but of course they do not have the same restrictions. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot, the two most widely grown red grapes in the Bordeaux region, have been the primary ingredients in countless great wines from around the world. Although cabernet franc, malbec, and petit verdot have traditionally been used as blending grapes, they have each found success on their own in recent years. Cabernet franc has done well in Virginia because it is more cold-hardy than most other red grapes, and it tends to ripen early, so it can be harvested before the threat of autumn rains. Cabernet franc is so popular in the commonwealth, this magazine conducts a separate tasting just for Virginia cabernet francs.
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For this blind tasting, we invited Virginia’s vintners to submit their Bordeaux-style red wines. The wines were all made using only the traditional Bordeaux red grapes. As there were no wines from Bordeaux in the tasting, we were not attempting to compare Virginia’s wines with those from Bordeaux. Rather, we planned to find the Virginia wines, made in the Bordeaux style, that were most pleasing to the group.
The five red Bordeaux grapes of note are merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec, and petit verdot. Our panel of seven tasters, made up of wine professionals and non-professionals with educated palates, sampled 17 wines. The bottles were opened about an hour before being tasted, and the labels and corks were masked to the tasters to prevent bias. Virginia’s Bordeaux blends proved to have the same flavor profile as their French counterparts, terroir aside: cedar, tobacco, black cherry, and white and black pepper were mentioned time and time again by the tasters. Balance between the fruit and tannins, structure, and complexity came through in the best-showing wines.
Repeatedly, the tasters noted how pleasant many of the wines were. “There are so many honorable mentions here,” one said while trying to determine the standouts. With all comments in, three of the wines rose to the top of everyone’s list, but many others were close behind. 2007 King Family Vineyards Meritage ($25.95) This blend has ripe berries, tobacco, and cedar on the nose. Fullbodied and round in the mouth with dark fruit, blackberry, licorice, and leather on the palate, it is well-balanced with a long, pleasing finish. 2007 Pearmund Cellars Ameritage Reserve ($29.00) Pearmund’s submission has cedar and ripe berries on the nose and well-balanced bright fruit with good acid on the mid-palate, which gives over to leather and white pepper on the complex finish. 2006 Barboursville Vineyards Octagon ($39.99) Leather, violet, and plum on the voluptuous nose, black fruit and cedar on the palate in balance with the tannins—this red is ready to drink, but it could age well. Release date: January 1, 2010 Kevin Kraditor has worked in the wine industry for the past seven years, buying and selling wine, advising businesses on their wine purchases, and hosting wine and food-pairing discussions. He and his wife are the owners and proprietors of the Hopkins Ordinary Bed and Breakfast in Sperryville.
What Is a Meritage (And How Is It Pronounced)? As non-varietal blends made in the Bordeaux style but produced outside of Bordeaux have become popular worldwide, a new term was developed to distinguish them—Meritage, a combination of “merit” and “heritage.” A Meritage (rhymes with heritage, not mirage) wine must contain at least two of the Bordeaux red grapes, but it may not contain more than 90 percent of any one of these grapes. In order for a wine to be labeled as a Meritage, the winery must join the Meritage Alliance and agree to its licensing terms. Hence, there are many Bordeaux-style blends on the market that do not use the term Meritage on the label (such as Pearmund Cellars’ Ameritage).
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w i n e m a k e r ’ s no t e s
A vineyard owner learns winemaking— and loves it. Photos by Melissa D. Mullins
Lori Corcoran
Corcoran Vineyards is on a farm in Waterford, Virginia, about an hour northwest of Washington, D.C. Jim and Lori Corcoran planted their first vineyard in 2001 with the assistance of Jeanette Smith. Although the winery has earned dozens of awards, the Corcorans no longer enter their wines into competition, choosing to focus instead on satisfying their customers. Actively involved in the wine industry for years, Lori, a full-time homemaker with four children, took over winemaking duties with the 2007 vintage. She has taken classes with Linden’s Jim Law and enologist Bruce Zoecklein, is currently president of the Loudoun Wineries Association, and serves on the boards of other Loudoun County organizations. S Visit this fall and wander through the aroma garden —irrigated with water caught in the winery’s rain barrels—where you may find sommelier Mary Watson-Delauder teaching visitors about pairing wine and herbs. And look for Lori, who is often pouring wine and happily fielding questions in the tasting room, housed in a restored log cabin built in 1750. You might also find her at the new off-site tasting room, Corcoran Vineyards at Hunters Run, in Hamilton, Virginia, on Charlestown Pike.
I
t all started back in 2001, when my husband and I attended the Mount Vernon Wine Festival and thought, Since we have the vineyard, why not a winery? We are a small family-owned winery situated on our family farm in Loudoun County. Our production started at 550 cases in 2002, and currently we are producing about 2,000 cases. It is hard to believe this will be our eighth vintage at Corcoran. Our philosophy at Corcoran from the beginning has been to produce the best wines. We work hand in hand with our growers—Benevino, Wild Meadow, and La Paz Vineyards—and in our own vineyard to ensure the highest-quality fruit, which is the basis for all quality wines. I let the vines and the wines speak for themselves. I have learned much since I started in the wine business and am so grateful to so many people for helping me truly fall in love with winemaking. The best thing about the Virginia wine industry is the people. This includes all the wonderful friends we have made since opening as well as the other winery owners and the people that help make the Virginia wine industry such an incredible industry to be a part of. One of the most exciting aspects is the growth of women winemakers here in the commonwealth. My approach to winemaking in Virginia may be considered somewhere in between Old World and New World. We hand-sort every cluster to ensure only the finest grapes are being used, but we then use technology to assist us in producing world-class wines. I love producing both reds and whites and have a distinctive fruit-forward style I like to incorporate into all our wines. With regard to certain varieties such as cabernet franc, I have worked with my
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grower to help eliminate the herbaceous qualities that often exist with this variety. I also have eliminated the use of oak barrels in the winery and now use oak alternatives along with microoxygenation to help me bring out the true characteristics of the wines. I feel that oak often masks many of the true flavors of the wines. Using oak alternatives and micro-ox, I have the ability to control the extraction rates and control the flavor profiles—an ability I didn’t have when I was using barrels. Viognier is my favorite white grape. I believe that it will be the grape that puts Virginia on the international wine map. My style of producing white wines in Virginia today has changed completely from what I did when we started. Today, none of our whites go through malolactic fermentation, and all are produced in stainless steel to create a more crisp, fruit-forward wine. An important aspect of good winemaking is the ability to know what good wine tastes like. Although I utilize all the latest technology to assist in my winemaking, my most important tool is my ability of taste. This sounds so simple, but it is often just an afterthought in winemaking. Wine tasting is subjective rather than objective, thus my ability to separate the two is critical to producing wines that are true to each varietal’s character. My goal is not to make a viognier taste like a chardonnay.
Although I utilize all the latest technology to assist in my winemaking, my most important tool is my ability of taste. One of my greatest pleasures as a winemaker is the research and development aspect of knowing what great wines taste like. Each week I make it a point to try new wines and truly concentrate on what I am tasting. This aspect alone has enabled me to become a better winemaker and help me eliminate a common problem many winemakers face, which is known as cellar palate: Winemakers largely drink only the wines they make themselves, and the more of your own wine you taste, the more your palate becomes used to your wine’s characteristics and not to those of others’ wines. I have learned that winemaking is both a spiritual and a scientific endeavor. It has really become a passion for me as well as a career. I feel so fortunate to be able to share this passion in every bottle.
www.thewinekitchen.com 7 South King St. Leesburg, VA 20175 703.777.WINE
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pa i r i n g
GIVE THANKS FOR
Local Craft Brews Ben Eubanks Photo by Laura Merricks
Thanksgiving is the quintessential American celebration, intended to show gratitude for the harvest and to provide a memorable gastronomic experience to share with family and friends. As Virginians, we are blessed with many agricultural and coastal traditions that lend themselves to a wide variety of regional dishes served during the holiday season. This year, consider serving Virginia’s outstanding craft beers with your Thanksgiving meal. The rules of pairing beer with food are just the same as those of pairing food with wine. First, if you are preparing a dish that employs intense cooking methods, such as roasting, braising, or grilling, you should select a beer that has robust characteristics. 72
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Conversely, for a dish with lighter elements, you should consider a crisp, refreshing beer that will not overwhelm the food. Finally, great pairings have elements of contrast and complement. Consider the overall flavor profile of the dish and select a beer that will highlight its flavor and texture. If you will start your feast with a creamy oyster chowder, select a beer that has enough body to stand up to the rich texture and a low degree of bitterness to balance the inherent sweetness of the cream and oysters. One option is the St. George Brewing Company Pilsner ($9.39/6-pack). It is a German-style beer with a medium body, low bitterness, and good acidity.
The general taste profile of Thanksgiving side dishes and proteins is rich and earthy. For flavorful side dishes such as green bean casserole with mushrooms from Dave and Dee’s Homegrown Mushrooms in Sedley, Virginia, look for a beer with intensity and assertiveness. Try the Starr Hill Brewery IPA ($8.89/6-pack). This English-style pale ale has enough alcohol and weight to stand up to the heaviness of the dish, but it also provides a crisp counterpoint, so as to not overwhelm the palate. For a traditional roast turkey stuffed with root vegetables, choose a beer that has the depth and complexity to stand up to nutty root vegetables, sweet, juicy breast meat, and rich, dark thigh meat. The Blue Mountain Brewery Classic Lager ($9.99/6-pack) has a full body, loads of malt flavor, and considerable depth to elevate the bird and the beer to new heights.
The rules of pairing beer with food are just the same as those of pairing food with wine. Here’s a little early America trivia: When the first settlers arrived in what we now know as Virginia, they noticed an abundant supply of pumpkins and hops growing in the wild. Brewers, who were heavily reliant on supplies from Europe, discovered they could extend their malt supplies by using starchy vegetables. There is debate over whether pumpkin ales were first produced in America or Europe, but regardless, all agree that these illustrate the phrase “out of necessity springs innovation.” While there are few true Virginia-made pumpkin beers available today, the Williamsburg AleWerks Pumpkin Ale ($8.39/6-pack) offers lingering sweet spices to complement pumpkin pie but enough acidity to cleanse your palate after each sip to prepare you for the next delicious bite. The emerging Virginia craft beer movement is building a reputation for innovative production techniques, yet it maintains construction in classic European styles. As more and more brewers experiment with new production methods and grow their own hops, the state will continue to distinguish itself as one of the fastest growing markets for hand-crafted beers. So for a Thanksgiving that honors the country’s past and the commonwealth’s future, serve a hand-crafted Virginia beer. Ben Eubanks is director of restaurants and wine at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, which recently reinvented its restaurant, Lemaire. Eubanks is also a certified sommelier and a former executive chef.
Blue Mountain Brewery 9519 Critzers Shop Rd., Afton, VA · (540) 456-8020 www.bluemountainbrewer y.com
Williamsburg AleWerks 189-B Ewell Rd., Williamsburg, VA · (757) 220-3670 www.williamsburgalewerks.com
St. George Brewing Company 204 Challenger Way, Hampton, VA · (757) 865-2337 www.stgeorgebrewingco.com
Starr Hill Brewery 5391 Three Notched Rd., Crozet, VA · (434) 823-5671 www.starrhill.com
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Varieties of Organic Wine Robert Harllee Photos by Laura Merricks
Why not pair an organic wine with that farmers market feast? Organic food is one of today’s hottest trends. You may already be buying organic milk and organic vegetables on a regular basis. But have you tried organic wine? As is the case with farming in general, you are more likely to find some variety of organic viticulture on small vineyards where the family lives and works on the property than on large, industrial-scale vineyards. In Europe—southern Europe, in particular—many small vineyards practice some form of noncertified organic viticulture. Some partially organic vineyards are transitioning from conventional to organic viticulture. In agriculture, as in many fields of human endeavor, labels can have many connotations. The word organic certainly does. It confuses as much as it clarifies, so let’s explore the approaches behind different kinds of organic wines.
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Certified Organic In the U.S., there are technically no “organic wines”—only wines made from organic grapes. No pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, chemical fertilizers, or synthetic chemicals are allowed on the vines or in the soil. Grape growers can only use mined minerals, natural extracts, and their derivatives. The allowances for using sulphur and sulfites (a safe, widely used antimicrobial element that keeps wine from spoiling) in both the vineyard and the winery vary among organic certifications. Sustainable Sustainable agriculture is a way of life or a philosophy that refers to a farm’s ability to produce food indefinitely with minimal unnatural outside inputs and without damaging the health of
imbibe
the ecosystem. One specific, rigorous approach is known as biodynamic agriculture. Biodynamic agriculture goes a step beyond organic agriculture. Olivier Humbrecht (MW) is arguably the best white winemaker on the planet and the owner of Domaine ZindHumbrecht of Alsace, France. He is also one of the leading practitioners of biodynamic viticulture. Pioneered by Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic agriculture views the farm as an organism to itself (and involves practices too detailed to address here). It strives, according to Humbrecht, to “bring forces of life to the soil and the plant” through approaches including humus management, crop rotation, and Steiner’s spiritual philosophy, known as anthroposophy.
In Europe—southern Europe, in particular —many small vineyards practice some form of non-certified organic viticulture. Non-Certified Organic Wine La lutte raisonnée, or “the reasoned struggle,” is a French concept used in orchards and vineyards. Growers who practice this kind of viticulture use biological control and non-chemical inputs as long as they are effective. They only depart from organic practices when there is a dire threat to the crop. Losing an entire vintage could put a winery out of business. Conscientiously practiced, la lutte raisonnée can be very close to organic farming, but the only thing to stop a reasoned grower from falling back into conventional farming is his conscience—it is run on an honor system. You will likely not see any certification on the label, but you will find the above language on winery websites, along with the terms “reasoned combat” and “reasoned battle.” Choosing Among Them I’ve included reviews of several organic wines—just a few of the many organic wines available here in Virginia that I recommend. As you shop, look for designations from certifying organizations on labels, or seek out those importers one can trust to properly report the sustainable and organic status of non-certified wineries. A few that I trust are Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant (Berkeley), Louis/Dressner Selections (New York City), and Williams Corner Wine (Charlottesville, VA). As you drink these wines, which are produced with a variety of organic viticultural techniques, you’ll find that European winemakers are still able to produce fabulous wines despite the restrictions of sustainable agriculture. Robert Harllee has been the owner of Charlottesville’s Market Street Wineshops, Uptown and Downtown, since 1986. This enables him to travel to Italy once a year, where he encounters magical adventures along the wine route.
certified organic wines The major organic wine certification organizations in the U.S. are California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), Stellar Certification Services, and the USDA. The major European certification organizations are Ecocert, Agriculture Biologique (AB), Bio, BIOS, and Nature et Progrès. 2008 La Cappuccina Soave ($9.99) 90% Garganega, 10% Trebbiano di Soave • Veneto, Italy (BIOS) Located in northern Italy’s Verona province just north of the town of Soave, La Cappuccina is named for the small, recently restored 15th-century chapel where Capuchin friars once worshiped. This is not “grocery store” Soave, which is an exceptionally light wine of neutral and inoffensive character. This is “real” Soave, with all the complexities of a handcrafted wine. It shows aromas of white flowers, citrus, yellow apples, and hazelnuts. The palate has that classic Soave mineral character, with a great acidity balancing the yellow fruit flavors. 2005 Mas de la Dame La Gourmande Rouge ($17.99) 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah • Provence, France (AB) 2008 Mas de la Dame Rosé du Mas ($16.99) 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 20% Cinsault • Provence, France (AB) The winery’s basic red is blended from grenache and syrah and sold in the squat, old-style Provencal bottle. The inviting red fruit, spice, pepper, and dried Provencal herbscented nose is but a preface to the fleshy, ripe flavors of red and black fruits that make it a perfect complement to grilled duck, chicken, or sausages. The darkly colored and richly fruited rosé adds cinsault to the red blend (and carries a label with Van Gogh’s painting of Mas de la Dame’s winery bathed in the “sunlight and blue skies” of Les Baux de Provence). It is dry yet fruit-forward with dark cherry and raspberry flavors begging to be paired with a ratatouille or grilled chicken.
www.flavormags.com
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sustainable wines Wines from Anton Bauer and Palazzone are organic but not certified. I know the winemakers and have visited their vineyards. Although they have chosen not to pay the fees to become certified, they are organic enough for me. The major certification organizations for biodynamic wines are Demeter and Biodyvin. Austrian wineries use the Kontrolliert Integrierte Produktion (KIP) organization for certification. 2008 Anton Bauer Grüner Veltliner Wagram Gmörk ($10.99) Gruner Veltliner • Austria (KIP) Long a Market Street Wineshop staple, this white is prized for its round and full palate, and its lovely ripe stone and citrus fruits with a hint of the classic Grüner Veltliner white pepper note. Gmörk is the name of the hillside vineyard where the grapes are grown. 2007 Domaine Manoir du Carra Beaujolais-Villages Non-Filtre ($10.99) Gamay Beaujolais • Burgundy, France (not certified) Beaujolais is the best red wine for beating the late summer heat. Not only is it “trés” smooth with no bitter tannin or tart acidity to annoy a tired palate, but it also will take a chill nicely. Pop it in the fridge for a half-hour and then enjoy it at 50 degrees cool rather than 80 degrees hot. Winemaker Jean-Noël Sambardier has fashioned a smooth, succulent red full of black cherries and raspberries.
Reviews of these wines can be found at www.flavormags.com/enhanced 2008 Chateau Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc ($16.99) 2008 Chateau Gaillard Touraine Sauvignon Blanc ($11.99) 2007 Maysara Pinot Noir McMinnville Jamsheed ($28.99) 2008 Yellow+Blue Malbec ($11.99) 2008 Yellow+Blue Torrontes ($11.99) 2008 Yellow+Blue Rosé ($11.99)
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2008 Meinklang Pinot Gris ($16.99) Pinot Gris • Austria (Demeter) 2007 Meinklang Pinot Noir ($16.99) Pinot Noir • Austria (Demeter) Angela and Werner Michlits farm certified organic vineyards by Lake Neusiedl in Burgenland, Austria, close to the Hungarian border. Meinklang means “my harmony”— in this case, their harmony with the land, or organic winemaking. The pinot gris is rich and full on the palate, very much Alsatian in style, with almond, yellow apple, and poached pear aromas and flavors. The pinot noir is classically Burgundian with dark cherry, strawberry, and earth aromas followed by a palate filled with a fruit-driven texture and an intriguing complexity. These wines are somehow unusual—layered, complex, flavorful, and fascinating—in ways that draw one in and hold the interest. I attribute the dynamism of the wines to both the vineyard and the Michlitses. 2007 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Alsace ($24.99) Riesling • Alsace, France (Biodyvin & Ecocert) This spicy, floral, mineral-scented riesling has a surprising freshness and lively mouthfeel. It is dry, aromatic, and classically balanced. Winemaker Olivier Humbrecht, whose family has been growing grapes for 12 generations, describes this wine, saying, “Toward the end, as you are occupied with the aftertaste, your palate enlivened, the appetite excited, the finesse of the perfume still lingering, the wine seems almost to gleam on the tongue . . . The voyage is from sensual to vibrant.”
Open Daily for Tours and Tastings Afton, Virginia
www.veritaswines.com
540-456-8000
www.flavormags.com
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imbibe
non-certified organic wines 2007 Palazzone Orvieto Classico Superiore Terre Vineate ($14.99)
50% Procanico, 25% Grechetto, and 25% Verdelho, Malvasia Toscano, and Drupeggio • Orvieto, Umbria, Italy (not certified) Erudite owner/winemaker Giovanni Dubini describes this white wine as having an “elegant, vivid bouquet with a definite scent of hazelnut.” He adds, “The impact on the palate is intense yet refreshingly dry and the finish is a perfect balance between the perfume of the fruits and a touch of bitterness.” I found peach, pear, mineral, and hazelnut. Round on the palate with a lovely fruit depth, it is my favorite Orvieto. 2007 Chateau du Coing de Saint-Fiacre Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie Coing de Sèvre ($8.99) Melon de Bourgogne (aka Muscadet) • Loire, France (“reasoned combat”) At the mouth of the Loire River Valley on the outskirts of Nantes, the dynamic Chéreau family makes this amazing value from a treasured plot of 80-year-old vines. The estate nestles in the confluence of the Sèvre and Maine rivers with a unique terroir renowned as the region’s “grand cru.” Their Muscadet “Coing de Sèvre” shows a fresh nose of fruits, flowers, and minerals, while a lively acidity supports rich fruit flavors and a dry, spring-filled finish.
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advertiser directory Albemarle Baking Company Main Street Market 418 W. Main St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 293-6456 www.albemarlebakingco.com Alpaca Compost 18453 Cameron Rd. Gordonsville, VA (540) 832-3025 www.alpacacompost.com Artisans Center of Virginia Studio Tour (434) 825-7541 www.artisanscenterofvirginia.org Artists of Rappahannock (540) 673-3193 www.raac.org Ayrshire Farm 21846 Trappe Rd., Upperville, VA (540) 592-9504 www.ayrshirefarm.com Barboursville Vineyards 17655 Winery Rd., Barboursville, VA (540) 832-3824 www.barboursvillewine.com Belle Meade Farm, School & B&B 353 F. T. Valley Rd., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-8970 www.bellemeadeschool.org The Big Bad Woof 117 Carroll Street NW Washington, DC (202) 291-2404 www.thebigbadwoof.com Blenheim Vineyards 31 Blenheim Farm, Charlottesville, VA (434) 293-5366 www.blenheimvineyards.com Bread & Brew 1247 20th St. NW, Washington, DC (202) 466-2676 www.breadandbrew.com
The Butcher’s Block 1600 King St., Alexandria, VA (703) 984-5253 www.butchersblockrw.com Central Coffee Roasters 11755 Lee Hwy., Sperryville, VA (877) 594-1006 www.centralcoffeeroasters.com Chateau du Reaux 219 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 829-9463 www.culpeperwines.com Circle Yoga 3838 Northampton St. NW Washington, DC (202) 686-1104 www.circleyoga.com Corn Maze in The Plains 4501 Old Tavern Rd., The Plains, VA (540) 456-7339 www.cornmazeintheplains.com Countryside Natural Products 1688 Jefferson Hwy. Fishersville, VA (540) 946-8080 www.countrysidenatural.com Cows-N-Corn 522 Catlett Rd., Midland, VA (540) 439-4806 www.cows-n-corn.com Culpeper Renaissance (540) 825-4416 www.culpeperdowntown.com DelFosse Vineyards & Winery 500 DelFosse Winery Ln., Faber, VA (434) 263-6100 www.delfossewine.com Epicurious Cow 13830 Lee Hwy., Amissville, VA (540) 675-2269 www.epicuriouscow.com
Feast Main Street Market 416 W. Main St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 244-7800 www.feastvirginia.com Fireworks Pizza 201 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA (703) 771-8400 www.fireworkspizza.com Foster Harris House 189 Main St., Washington, VA (800) 666-0153 www.fosterharris.com Foti’s Restaurant 219 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 829-8400 www.fotisrestaurant.com Fountain Hall Bed & Breakfast 609 S. East St., Culpeper, VA (540) 825-8300 www.fountainhall.com Frenchman’s Corner 129 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 825-8025 www.frenchmancorner.com Froggy Spring Farm 95 Nethers Rd., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9230 Front Royal Tourism 414 E. Main St., Front Royal, VA (800) 338-2576 www.discoverfrontroyal.com Funk Brothers Furniture 1304 E. Market St., Suite W Charlottesville, VA (434) 293-9562 www.funkbrothersfurniture.com Georgie Mae’s 154 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 825-0032
Green Comfort School of Herbal Medicine Washington, VA (540) 937-4283 www.greencomfortherbschool.com Griffin Tavern & Restaurant 659 Zachary Taylor Hwy. Flint Hill, VA (540) 675-3227 www.griffintavern.com Gunpowder Bison & Trading 1270 Monkton Rd., Monkton, MD (410) 343-2277 www.gunpowderbison.com Hearthstone School 11576 Lee Hwy., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9212 www.hearthstoneschool.org Henselstone Window & Door Systems 113 Henselstone Ln., Amissville, VA (540) 937-5796 www.henselstone.com The Home Farm Store 1 E. Washington St., Middleburg, VA (540) 687-8882 homefarmstore.com Hopkins Ordinary 47 Main St., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-3383 www.hopkinsordinary.com Horse & Buggy Produce Charlottesville, VA (434) 293-3832 www.horseandbuggyproduce.com Jefferson Vineyards 1353 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy. Charlottesville, VA (800) 272-3042 www.jeffersonvineyards.com
Jordan River Farm 6 Shiloh Ln., Huntly, VA (540) 636-4775 www.jordanriverfarm.com L’etoile 817 West Main St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 979-7957 www.letoilerestaurant.com The Local 824 Hinton Ave., Charlottesville, VA (434) 984-9749 www.thelocal-cville.com The Local Flavor Rappahannock (540) 937-7977 www.farmbuyersclub.com Loudoun Farm Color Tour (703) 777-0426 www.loudounfarms.org Lucy Grace Race (540) 987-3117 www.lucygrace5krace.com Magnolias at the Mill 198 N. 21st St., Purcellville, VA (540) 338-9800 www.magnoliasmill.com Main Street Market 416 W. Main St., Charlottesville, VA www.themainstmarket.com Market Street Wine Shop 311 E. Market St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 979-9463 1448 Seminole Trail Charlottesville, VA (434) 964-9463 www.marketstreetwine.com Maya 633 W. Main St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 979-6292 www.maya-restaurant.com
Triple Oak Bakery surprise . inspire . educate
School of Herbal Medicine
Gluten Free Patisserie Personal Chef Services Local & Organic Ingredients
Herbal Apothecary & Health Consultations
www.TripleOakBakery.com
Washington, VA
orders: 540.675.3601 bakery: 540.987.9122 TripleOakBakery@gmail.com
540-937-4283 greencomfortherbschool.com
Dairy Farm Tours & Corn Maze Adventure
Circle Yoga
Get Lost in Fun! Open now - Nov. 8th
Locally Grown Winner of the 2009 DC Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Award.
every child should meet a cow cheese gift boxes available 540-439-4806 www.cows-n-corn.com
Humanely raised Rose Veal
540-987-9230 95 Nethers Rd. Sperryville, VA 22740
2009 “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” Circle Yoga 3838 northampton st., nw • 202-686-1104 www.circleyoga.com • info@circleyoga.com
Your “Green” Fall Festival of N. Virginia 540-456-7339
www.CornMazeinThePlains.com
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advertiser directory Meet the Farmer TV watch.meetthefarmer.tv MJM Photography (540) 547-4201 www.mjmphotography.biz Mom’s Apple Pie Company 126 Commerce St., Occoquan, VA (703) 497-7437 220 Loudoun St. SE, Leesburg, VA (703) 771-8590 www.momsapplepieco.com Morningside Farm & Nursery 7855 Griffinsburg Rd., Boston, VA (540) 547-3726 www.morningsidefarmandnursery.com Mount Vernon Farm 206 Mount Vernon Ln., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9559 www.mountvernonfarm.net Mountain Laurel Montessori School 23 Sunny Slope Ln., Flint Hill, VA (540) 636-4257 www.mountainlaurelmontessori.org Narmada Winery 27 Narmada Ln., Amissville, VA (540) 937-6613 www.narmadawinery.com Occasions Caterers 5458 3rd St. NE, Washington, DC (202) 546-7400 www.occasionscaterers.com On the Fly Multiple locations Washington, DC (202) 544-9046 www.ontheflydc.com
Patowmack Farm 42461 Lovettsville Rd. Lovettsville, VA (540) 822-9017 www.patowmackfarm.com Paul Harris Tree Services Rappahannock, VA (540) 987-9871 harristreecare@verizon.net R. H. Ballard 307 Main St.,Washington, VA (540) 675-1411 www.rhballard.com Rappahannock Cellars 14437 Hume Rd., Huntly, VA (540) 635-9398 www.rappahannockcellars.com Rappahannock Farms www.rappfarmsva.com Rappahannock Natural Foods Cooperative 3 River Ln., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9699 www.rnf.coop Rebecca’s Natural Food Barracks Road Shopping Center Charlottesville, VA (434) 977-1965 www.rebeccasnaturalfood.com Red Truck Bakery & Market 22 Waterloo St., Warrenton, VA (540) 347-2224 twww.redtruckbakery.com
Revolutionary Soup 108 2nd St. SW, Charlottesville, VA (434) 296-7687 104 14th St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 979-9988 www.revolutionarysoup.com Roy Wheeler Realty 37C Main St., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-8500 www.cheriwoodard.com Shenandoah Joe Coffee Roasters 945 Preston Ave., Charlottesville, VA (434) 295-4563 2214 Ivy Rd., Charlottesville, VA (434) 923-4563 Sperryville Corner Store 3710 Sperryville Pike, Sperryville, VA (540) 987-8185 Stoneybrook Organic Farm 37091 Charlestown Pike, Hillsboro, VA (540) 668-9067 www.stoneybrookfarm.org Stonyman Gourmet Farmer 337 Gay St., Washington, VA (540) 860-9090 Sugarleaf Vineyards 3613 Walnut Branch Ln. North Garden, VA (434) 984-4272 www.www.sugarleafvineyards.com Suites at 249 249 E. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (540) 827-1100 www.suitesat249.com
Better Food Begins Here*
Organic, Soy-Free Feeds • Mineral Supplements • OMRI Approved Fertilizers • Humates Delivery throughout Northern & Central Virginia Call Kevin, Steve or Keith at 888-699-7088 www.countrysidenatural.com * ask your grower or producer if they use Countryside Natural Products.
80 flavor magazine • oct./nov. 2009
Sunset Hills Vineyard 38295 Fremont Overlook Ln. Purcellville, VA (703) 725-2495 www.sunsethillsvineyard.com T & E Meats 256 Charles St., Harrisonburg, VA (540) 434-9920 www.temeats.com Tarara Winery 13648 Tarara Ln., Leesburg, VA (703) 771-7100 www.tarara.com Tastings of Charlottesville 502 E. Market St., Charlottesville, VA (434) 293-3663 www.tastingsofcville.com Tea, Lace, & Roses 123 W. Davis St., Culpeper, VA (202) 829-9700 www.tealaceandroses.com Toigo Orchards 750 S. Mountain Estates Shippensburg, PA (888) 323-8884 www.toigoorchards.com Triple Oak Bakery 11692 Lee Hwy., Sperryville, VA (540) 987-9122 www.tripleoakbakery.com Turkey Hill Stables 268 Fletcher’s Mill Rd., Woodville, VA (540) 987-9778 Tuscarora Mill 203 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, VA (703) 771-9300 www.tuskies.com
Unicorn Winery 489 Old Bridge Rd., Amissville, VA (540) 349-5885 www.unicornwinery.com Veritas Vineyard & Winery 151 Veritas Ln., Afton, VA (540) 456-8000 www.veritaswines.com Village Winery & Vineyards 40405 Browns Ln., Waterford, VA (540) 882-3780 www.villagewineryandvineyards.com Vintage 50 50 Catoctin Cir. NE, Leesburg, VA (703) 777-2169 www.vintage50.com Virginia Farm Bureau www.saveourfood.org Virginia Truffle Growers 11047 Settletown Pl., Rixeyville, VA (540) 937-9881 www.virginiatrufflegrowers.com Virginia Wine of the Month Club (800) 826-0534 www.vawineclub.com The William Cox Inn 455 Touchstone Ln. Standardsville, VA (434) 985-8139 www.williamcoxinn.com The Wine Kitchen 7 S. King St., Leesburg, VA (703) 777-9463 www.thewinekitchen.com WMRA/NPR 983 Reservoir St., Harrisonburg, VA (800) 677-9672 www.wmra.org
Ciabatta Bread
Local Color
South Street Under Bakery Leesburg, VA
Malbec 2007
Greens
Lori & Jim Corcoran Corcoran Vineyards Waterford, VA
Mary Ellen Taylor Endless Summer Harvest Purcellville, VA
Goat Cheese
Tracy Kirkman Cherry Glen Farm Boyds, MD
We work closely with local farmers and vintners every day, combining the fruits of their labors with our inspired culinary craft and impeccable service to create a memorable dining experience for you. That’s why we’ve been recognized as the leading restaurant in Loudoun County for over 20 years.
Orange Tomatoes
Sally Bolton Vinegard Nursery Middleburg, VA
Beefsteak Tomatoes Norma Wilson Butterfly Hill Lovettsville, VA
American Restaurant, Café & Bar
Cherry Tomatoes
Walter Getlinger Blue Ridge Farm Bluemont, VA © 2009 galenphoto.com
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203 Harrison Street, SE Leesburg, VA 703.771.9300 www.tuskies.com 9/23/09 5:26 PM
Fire Works is for
PIZZA LO ERS
GREAT MEALS GREAT MOMENTS Whatever the occasion, whatever the season, the casual elegance and inspired food and drink of Magnolias at the Mill make great moments happen.
198 North 21st Street, Purcellville, VA 20132 540.338.9800 www.magnoliasmill.com
Magnolias.GreatMeals.Flavor.indd 1
We start with the finest Italian Caputo flour in a hand-thrown artisan crust, top it with the finest, freshest local and imported ingredients, then bake it in a wood-fired oven for a uniquely delicious taste experience that will delight the pizza lover in you.
201 Harrison St., SE Leesburg, VA 20175 703.779.8400 www.fireworkspizza.com
9/23/09 5:42FireWorks.Qtpage.Flv.1.ndd PM 1
7/17/09 2:27 PM
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