Ever Try Fresh Local Vegetables?

by christien coniff & liese haley

A labor of love, the Volunteers of FACSAP believe in the message of bringing Healthy Food to its Members by connecting them to the small area farmers who believe in the same message.

What is a CSA?

It stands for communitysupported agriculture, and it's one of the easiest ways to get fresh, local produce. Our CSA is a program in which members purchase a "Share in Harvest" before the season begins.

The share price reflects the cost of producing and distributing the harvest using environmentally sound practices.

A variety of produce is harvested from several different farms and distributed each week to members throughout the 16-week season.

What is Certified Naturally Grown (CNG)?

From the start of the Summer Season, from mid-May to the end of August, you will come upon a beautiful sight of volunteers unloading and organizing Produce from Local Farms to be passed out to members of the Fredericksburg Area Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

The Fredericksburg Area CSA will set up what is called a Harvest Bar, where its members will bring their own basket or bag and choose from the share of that week's Harvest.

A direct link from the Farms to the Members who pre-pay to support local farmers and share in the collective Harvest.

The Fredericksburg Area CSA was established in 1996 and is still the only CSA in the area that offers CNG-CCertified or organically raised produce

For over 25 years the Fredericksburg area CSA has been striving to bridge from Farm to Member.

Certified Naturally Grown, is a US-based farm program that certifiesproduce, livestock, and apiaries for organic farmers who sell locally and directly to customers.

With CNG, you will know your produce is grown with sustainable, environmentally friendly practices.

Come Join Us!

Our 2023 Summer Share Harvest Season will run from May 17 through August 31st.

Every Thursday evening from 6 pm-7 pm for pickup, our members can select their produce from the Harvest Bar.

For more information, please visit our website at www fredericksburgcsa com or email us at info@fredericksburgcsa.com.

We look forward to seeing you in May!

Christien Conniff and Liese Haley are CSA Volunteers

FACSAP is Fredericksburg’s first CSA committed to providing organic food from local farmers since 1997 FACSAP is committed to providing both local and organic/Certified Naturally Grown produce All FACSAP farms are within a 100 mile radius of the City of Fredericksburg, with a majority within 50 miles www.fredericksburgcsa.com

Love is in the air once again, as Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching. Many stores are filled with displays of chocolate-filled, heartshaped candy boxes to give to the ones you love. At City Vino we an help you choose wines to share with your love, gift to one you love, or to pair with chocolates from those heart-shaped candy boxes.

Our first wine is the non-vintage Sartori di Verona Love Story Sparkling Soave Turn the TV on to the Hallmark Channel, or another channel, and watch a love story unfold before your eyes, paired with this bright sparkler made from 100 percent Garganega. This wine has deep aromas and flavors of ripe apples, freshly baked pie crust, and a touch of vanilla. Pair this wine with a white chocolate nut cluster, to complement the apple in this wine. Try it with a white chocolate caramel, for a play on a caramel apple.

The next wine we open our heart to is the 2017 Zolo Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Estate from Mendoza region of Argentina. This medium bodied red wine has aromas and flavors of violet, red raspberries, mint, and earthy spices. Our suggested chocolate pairing would be a dark chocolate coated raspberry cream The similar raspberry notes will play off each other nicely.

Our third wine is the 2018 Scheid Family Wines Very Dark Red Estate Grown from Hames Valley in California. The wine is full-bodied, with 60 percent Petit Verdot, and 40 percent Petite Sirah. Aromas and flavors of very dark fruit, like black currants and black raspberries dominate this wine, with gentle notes of crushed violets. With this wine, and its firm tannins and dense flavors, we lean toward a dark chocolate, with high levels of cacao that don't have a lot of sweetness. All in the name of experimentation, you might want to try this with a dark chocolate that has dried fruits and nuts in vory Italian dishes, and smoked cheeses.

To wrap up with a lovely red bow, is the 2019 Doña Paula Smoked Red Blend, from the Luján de Cuyo sub-region of Mendoza in Argentina. This complex wine is comprised of 60 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 30 percent Malbec, and 10 percent Bonarda. Here, the aromas and flavors are of red fruits, baking spices, and vanilla, wrapped up with a hint of

by Rita Allan

smokiness. Due to the red fruits and spices, this wine may fare well with a dark chocolate-ccovered cherry An additional suggestion may be to play off the vanilla in this, and try it with a dark chocolate vanilla caramel

What's the Best Wine for your Favorite Style of Chocolate?

Shiraz or Zinfandel and Spiced Chocolate

Especially if the wine has a little residual sugar, the spice flavors in Shiraz and Zinfandel will highlight notes of cinnamon, chili or ginger in the chocolate.

Pinot Noir and Milk Chocolate

While many pairing recommendations favor sweeter wines with milk chocolate, we have found that a fruity Pinot Noir is a great alternative if you don't want sweet wine.

Moscato d'Asti and White Chocolate

The fruity sweetness of Moscato d'Asti and the buttery smoothness of white chocolate pair very well. The acidity and bubbles of the wine will help cut through the richness of the chocolate.

Cabernet or Malbec and Dark Chocolate

Pairing red wine and dark chocolate is a little tricky since both have tannins and can cause bitter flavors, especially in the wine. To avoid this, choose a high percentage cocoa chocolate (i.e 90%) so that the tannin of the chocolate is a little more than the wine. This will help pair against the tannins in the wine and let more of the wine's fruit flavors show through.

Port and pretty much all chocolate

The sweetness in port is generally as sweet as, or sweeter than, the chocolate so it won't make the chocolate taste bitter. Ruby ports play well with chocolates that include fruit, while tawny ports go with chocolates that include nuts or caramel. City

You find owner Rita Allan to provide answers to all your wine questions.