Whenever I hear the word wander, I think of that 1960s hit song The Wanderer by Dion and the chorus pops into my head:
They call me the wanderer
Yeah, the wanderer
I roam around, around, around ...
Our Summer issue is truly about just that: being a wanderer and roaming around. Take a day journey, pack up a picnic and take a hike to any of our favorite spots listed in 5 Hiking Trails for Summer Recreation (page 32) or even your backyard. Pause to celebrate the beautiful Indiana weather, the hummingbirds that give us the gift of wonderment, the people who inspire us to wonder how they farm for their community in our feature on WonderTree Farm (page 6). Take short trip back to the 1980s when Indiana tourism embraced the tagline “Wander Indiana” with a red convertible Studebaker driving back country roads, exploring Indiana as a place people loved then and now. We challenge you to embrace this summer, to head to a local farm market and, most of all, to wander around wherever you can to experience something new.
Hoosier Hugs, g
Jennifer Rubenstein, Editor in Chief
From the Editor
Ilike to hike. I enjoy the physical effort, even when the going gets a little tougher. And meanwhile, I get to enjoy nature, spot wildlife and steal wild berries right off their thorny vines. Mind you, a good hike in my book always leads to a bit of a reward. The best hikes come with a great view, where I can linger for a bit, or they take me to a clear stream or lake to dip my toes.
edible INDY
PUBLISHER
Rubenstein Hills LLC
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Jennifer Rubenstein
jennifer@edibleindy.com
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Jeff Rubenstein
MANAGING EDITOR
Francine Spiering
COPY EDITOR
Doug Adrianson
DESIGN
Cheryl Koehler
SALES
jennifer@edibleindy.com
CONTACT US
Have a story you’d like to see featured? Send us your ideas. editor@edibleindy.com
Many hikes ago I learned my lesson that I can’t hike when my tank is empty. My feet simply drag until I take on some more fuel, even just a bite of a banana or a handful of raisins. These days, I always pack plenty of nutritious things in my rucksack (or my husband’s, if I don’t feel like carrying anything).
I hope summer inspires you, like me, to get out into the great outdoors. And perhaps the recipes in this issue will tempt you to try them and take them along on your next hike.
Warmest,
Francine Spiering, Managing Editor
EDIBLE INDY PO Box 155 Zionsville, IN 46077 p. 260.438.9148
SUBSCRIBE
Edible Indy is published four times per year. Subscriptions are $32 and available at EdibleIndy.com
EDIBLE INDY PO Box 155 Zionsville, IN 46077 p. 260.438.9148
Cooperatives are member-owned, member-governed businesses that operate for the benefit of their owner-members according to common principles agreed upon by the international cooperative community. In co-ops, owner-members pool resources to bring about economic results that are unobtainable by one person alone.
Bloomingfoods co-op market promotes healthy, high quality, sustainable, and environmentally-sound products at a fair price. Our commitment to sustainable agriculture, artisanal producers of local products, and delicious regional foods are a few of the things that set us apart.
13,000+ owner-members
$20,177,851 local impact in fiscal year 2020
98 local vendors
Cooperatives are built on seven core principles:
Voluntary and open membership
Democratic member control
Member economic participation
Autonomy and independence
Education, training and information
Cooperation among cooperatives
Concern for community
near west store
FOODGRAM ADVENTURES
#edibleindy
Celebrate edible goodness through the lens of our community by tagging us on all of your culinary journeys. You might find us reveling in your photos here or @edibleindy. Cheers to your next Foodgram adventure!
HOAGIES & HOPS
Authentic Hoagies and Cheesesteaks They aren’t sandwiches or subs. They are Hoagies!
4155 Boulevard Pl., Indianapolis (All Ages) 719 Virginia Ave., Indianapolis (21 & Over) HoagiesandHops.com
Pkwy.,Indianapolis 7460 N. Shadeland Ave.,Indianapolis 9535 Pendleton Pike, Indianapolis
7620 South Meridian St., Indianapolis CaplingersFreshCatch.com
A Natural Grocery Store for All. Organic produce, freshly made juices and smoothies, supplements, classes and more. An Indianapolis staple for more than 47 years. 4375 Georgetown Rd., Indianapolis GeorgetownMarket.com
Indiana Originals Marketplace
Find & Support Truly Local Business with Indiana Originals.
Indiana Originals is on a mission to create healthier, stronger communities and more jobs in Indiana by helping you identify and support Indiana-based businesses—businesses putting three to five times more money back into our local communities! Search the website and app for free to find and support independent, local businesses near you.
Own an independent business? Make it an official Indiana Original! Apply for membership at IndianaOriginals.com and use the code “edible” at checkout to receive 50% off the application fee. Looking for local? Look for Indiana Originals.
WONDERTREE FARM
A LITTLE HEAVEN ON EARTH
Hunter Smith opens the family farm to the Zionsville community
words: Charity Singleton Craig | photography: Jonathan Wayne Photography
Is this heaven? The words came to me as I jumped out of my car onto the driveway of WonderTree Farm. Like Ray Liotta’s “Shoeless” Joe Jackson exiting the cornfields in Field of Dreams, I knew I’d arrived at something special on the edge of metropolitan Indianapolis. A cool breeze swept across the fields and with it the faint smell of farm animals. An eager Australian Shepherd ran my way, jumping up on my kneelength purple puffer coat and leaving muddy paw prints.
“Sorry about that,” said the tall man in the aviator sunglasses, baseball cap and Carhartt vest walking toward me from the farm truck. “He’s just a puppy.”
“No problem,” I said, with mask, notebook and phone in one hand, and the playful licks of the attention-hungry pup in the other.
“Hunter Smith,” the man responded, holding back a handshake he would’ve freely offered in the Before Times of COVID-19. “And this is Ranger.”
Top photo: Hunter and Jen Smith here with their four children, clockwise: Josiah, Samuel, Lydia and Beau.
Happy But Not Dirty
Smith, a retired Colts punter from 1999 to 2008, is the owner of WonderTree Farm, where he lives and works with his wife, Jen, and their four children: Josiah, 16; Samuel, 13; Lydia, 11; and Beau, 8. They bought the 24-acre homestead at auction back in 2015. As only the third or fourth owners since the land was originally deeded, the Smiths opted for a life on the farm after his retirement from the NFL and some soul searching about what’s next.
“I saw my kids happy but not dirty. They didn’t know how to work,” Smith recalls. “And just talking about it was one thing but giving them something to do was another.”
Smith and his wife began looking for a place on the Northside of Indianapolis where they could have space to grow a garden, raise some animals and give their children the kind of upbringing Smith had on his parents’ ranch in Texas.
“My dad was a true cowboy: fearless, strong, a maverick type. My mother is everything you’d expect from a Texas ranch wife: resilient, wise, a bit glamorous. Being raised by these two people in a working agricultural environment forged something in me I am forever grateful
for,” Hunter says. “They showed me how to work. Through weather, injury, uncertainty and loss. They always worked. Hard. And they brought us kids along to work.”
But just as he said about his kids: Talking about owning a farm was one thing and doing it was another.
The Winning Bid
The real estate market on the Northside of Indianapolis was hot at the time, and Smith was having trouble convincing any existing owners to sell to a former NFL player looking for a change. Eventually, a friend in Zionsville told him about an estate that would be coming to auction.
The land was expected to sell for millions, and Smith figured he would be outpriced immediately. But he and Jen had fallen in love with the land when they’d scouted it out earlier, so they showed up at the auction anyway. The auctioneer threw out $1 million as the opening bid, and no one budged. The bid was backed down by the hundreds of thousands and
finally, at $100,000, someone raised their paddle. The bidding raced upward fairly quickly from there in $25,000 increments, and when there was another stall, Smith finally made his first and only bid. The price was already at the top number he and Jen had agreed on, and it was his one shot. There were four other bidders still in at that point.
Unexpectedly, the auctioneer paused, giving everyone a five-minute break to run numbers and presumably get back to bidding. But during the break, one of the other bidders approached Smith and asked what he was going to do with the place. When Smith told him he wanted to raise cows and kids, the man said, “Alright then, I’ll let you have it. My name is Wilburn Craft. I’ll be your neighbor.”
No Plans But Nostalgia
“The old people around here laugh at me a lot,” Smith says, as he explains his naïve approach at turning the abandoned property into a working farm. One of the first things they did was dam the ravine at the back of the property to make a pond. They cleared a lot of the brush by releasing a small herd of goats into the back pasture. And then there’s the big red barn.
“I had no plans other than nostalgia,” Smith tells me. “I wanted a barn like the one I grew up with in Texas.”
Smith designed and built the barn himself. The color red was important, so were the two wings on each side of the barn’s gambrel roofline and the large 16- by 16-foot doors. He ordered the supplies from an Amish company and then got to work with the help of a friend.
“This is where we start the process of the kids learning to work around the farm,” Smith recalls. “You teach your children to work by showing them how to do it.” Within a year, the shell of the WonderTree Farm barn was complete, even though its full use as the hub of their burgeoning meat, egg and dairy business wouldn’t be fully realized for a few more years.
Before we take a look inside, Smith tells me to wait until he opens the big doors—“It will help with the smell”—and turns on the lights.
The lights were a good idea, because there was so much to see inside the barn. From the lofts and paneling built from the wood of an old fence that Smith repurposed, to the large walk-in coolers and freezers that store the products WonderTree Farm sells during their drive-thru market during the winter and their market days during the summer. On the left, I found the source of the smell: a litter of Old Line Duroc feeder pigs. And from one corner of the barn to another,
bouncing kittens, waddling ducks and a few strutting brood chickens.
“These are just for ambience. The working flock is out in the pasture,” Smith says, pointing to the poultry. Ranger bounds in and begins wrestling with the cats and playfully chasing the hens. I remember that Shoeless Joe line about heaven again, as I think about lions and lambs—or in this case puppies and chickens—lying down together.
If You Build It, They Will Come
Chickens are, in fact, what got the Smiths into the “business” of farming beyond just a hobby farm. They started by buying 20 laying hens and 50 broiler chickens and ended up with enough eggs and meat to sell to a few friends and other members of the community. The next year, they saw an opportunity: Instead of just offering the products for sale, what if they brought people to the farm for an experience, too. So, they hosted a fall festival with more than 800 attendees. By the following year, they’d added a few head of cattle and hogs and began selling beef and pork, too.
“By the end of that second year, we had just enough beef and pork to make people think we had enough,” Smith recalls.
Now, as they prepare for their sixth year, they’ve acquired three additional farms, and they keep about 700 broilers, 350 laying hens, 90 head of cattle and 70 hogs at any given time, along with another 150 turkeys seasonally, plus the “ambience” chickens and ducks (which I dubbed “the talent”), five goats, three horses, two donkeys, six cats and four dogs. Their customers, 2,065 families within a seven-mile radius, are primarily their neighbors, a priority for Smith from the beginning.
“Because the family farm is gone, we want to be the family farm for our community,” Smith says. “Ultimately, we’d like to train other people to do this. I don’t know how we move forward as a society if don’t have something like this to be part of.”
Doing Things the New Old Way
The Smiths aren’t just creating a modern version of the old family farm. Rather, they are attempting to use regenerative techniques to live lightly on the earth. Smith himself probably wouldn’t use that word; he tells me he’s not all that into the latest trends and terms. Instead, he explains how he’s doing things the old way: keeping old-line breeds of hogs and cattle, pasture raising all his animals, using his infrastructure and land for multiple purposes, even hiring local companies for humane meat processing that know how to prepare pastureraised meat for optimum taste and quality.
“We have a commitment to being antiquated—out of necessity—to farm healthy,” says Smith’s business partner, Chris Jackson, who began with WonderTree Farm in 2020. “That means less tech, less infrastructure, lighter on the land.”
That doesn’t mean Smith isn’t willing to innovate when necessary. For instance, Jackson brought with him the idea for “glamping” (a combination of “glamorous” and “camping,” though Jackson says it’s really just a term that means fully outfitted camping) at WonderTree Farm. They currently offer one “village” of four campsites where people can “come experience nature, culture and farm life.”
“It’s another way we can foster relationships between people, land and animals so they can understand where their food comes from,” Jackson says.
The Wonder Tree
Before the tour ends, Smith tells me he has one more thing to show me.
“I hope it’s the Wonder Tree,” I say. And it is.
As we walk along a muddy path to the back of the original homestead, I’m relieved Smith had warned me to wear boots. We pass a stand of trees, and then over to the left I see the large white oak rising just at the top of the hill. Even though its limbs were bare—I visited in early March—the old giant inspires wonder all the same. One branch that hangs low and protrudes off to the south is as big as most of the other trees in the area.
“It’s 340 years old,” Smith says proudly. “At least that’s what the Internet told us,” he confesses. A Google search had given them a way to estimate the tree’s age by its circumference. “That means this tree was already 185 years old at the time of the Civil War.”
We both stood quietly for a minute just taking it in.
“We didn’t even know exactly what was back here when we first bought the place,” Smith says. A neighbor had told them about a 200-foot limb coming out
of the side of an old tree, but there was so much undergrowth and so many other trees growing in an around it, that they weren’t able to assess its true size until the pasture was cleared.
“After we found it and figured out how old it is, the kids and I started to wonder: How many deer have run past this tree? Did Union soldiers camp out under it? How many farmers were tempted to cut it down? So we called it the Wonder Tree.”
Unfortunately, the old tree is dying. Smith expects they’ll have to cut it down later this year before it falls down.
“It’s sad, but it’s part of what we’re imparting to our kids: All things die,” Smith says. They’ll turn the usable wood into something new for the farm, and they hope to leave a tall stump where they can build a deck to overlook the farm.
“We’ll make it a place people can come,” Smith explains. “We’ll honor the tree by making it its own place.”
The WonderTree name will carry on in other ways, too. Not only in the wonder of having such a beautiful piece of land for the community to visit and enjoy, but also the wonder, curiosity and willingness to try that have driven the Smiths from their first day here.
In fact, their whole story makes you kind of wonder: What would happen if a retired NFL player and his wife bought a farm and tried raising kids and cows and whole lot of chickens and hogs for a living? Well, it might just end up being like a little bit of heaven on earth.
Interested in checking out WonderTree Farm yourself?
There are several ways to join the Smiths for a family farm experience.
Each Saturday from May through October (with soft openings and closings in April and November), join the Smiths on the farm to buy clean, locally raised pastured meats, farm-fresh eggs, raw dairy and local honey. You can also feed the animals, ride a horse, or play with the chickens while you’re here. The whole Smith family pulls together on Farm Days, so expect to see Josiah at the gate parking cars, Samuel helping with horse rides or with feed cups, Lydia making cotton candy, and Beau helping his brother fill feed cups. Jen offers horse rides on Sherman and Sunny, and Hunter pitches in wherever he’s needed.
The warmer months also mean glamping. WonderTree Farm currently has one “village” of four totally outfitted camp sites, including waterproof, bug-tight and breathable canvas bell tents stocked with everything from linens to lanterns. WonderTree can even pack a cooler of local meats to prepare on the fire or the grill that’s provided. Weekend campers also can “be a farmer” for a day with a full-farm tour on Saturdays.
During the winter months, WonderTree offers a drive-thru market, where customers literally drive through the big red barn to pick out and pay for meats, eggs and other products.
WonderTree Farm also has a membership program, WonderShare, which includes two customizable boxes of WonderTree meat, eggs and other products each month, free parking on Farm Days, special access to WonderTree events, discounts to the Glampground and other benefits.
To learn more about WonderTree Farm, plan your Farm Day visit, register for glamping, or sign up for a WonderShare, check out WonderTreeFarm.com.
Charity Singleton Craig is the author of The Art of the Essay: From Ordinary Life to Extraordinary Words and Poetry and On Being a Writer: 12 Simple Habits for
Writing Life That Lasts. Her work has
Dazzling
Because hummingbird s feed upon nectar from flowers , sugar water from feeders , and small insects , they may stop over on their journey for a few minu tes or days w hen they find food available for fuel. This is w hy landscaping our yard s w i th their favori te flowering plants and prov iding feeders can be helpful.
Dynamos
Hummingbirds traverse the continent for summer feeding and breeding
words and photo: Joni James illustration: Marisa Randles
As hours and warmth of sunlight increase, the flowers bloom, the insects become active and our ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) return to the eastern United States during spring migration. They travel thousands of miles to spend summer here, to breed and raise their young.
Migration, from Central America all the way to Canada, is one of the most incredible feats of this tiny bird that measures 2.8–3.5 inches in length with a wingspan of 3–4 inches and weighs just 0.1–0.2 ounces.
And in fall, they migrate again—south this time. Some individuals will remain in the United States along the Gulf Coast and southern Florida. Most of our hummingbirds spend their winters in Central America and many will fly across the Gulf of Mexico.
Before beginning their migration, they will increase their body weight by 25–40% for their long journey. Hummingbirds fly alone during the day and will often use the same course they have used previously. They fly low, not far above treetops or bodies of water. These birds, affectionately called hummers, can travel as much as 23 miles in a day. Amazingly, those that traverse the Gulf of Mexico complete the 500-mile flight nonstop, dependent on wind and weather conditions.
First arrivals in spring are usually males with their brilliant iridescent red throat, which can appear dark in poor light. Both sexes have emerald backs and crowns, with grayish-white underparts. The females have white throats and follow a couple of weeks later.
Because hummingbirds feed upon nectar from flowers, sugar water from feeders, and small insects, they may stop over on their journey for a few minutes or days when they find food available for fuel. This is why landscaping our yards with their favorite flowering plants and providing feeders can be helpful.
These early arrivals will benefit from sugar water provided in feeders when weather is still unpredictable and natural food sources are limited. Our hummingbirds usually return to the same feeders and plants each year. Most hummers nest soon after their arrival at feeders unless they are migrating farther north.
Take comfort that you are helping to sustain these birds that return to your property to either fuel up and/or stay to raise their young.
Hummingbirds need to feed constantly during the day to survive. They come close to consuming their body weight in nectar, sugar water and insects every day. Their resting heart rate is 250 beats per minute but during normal flight the rate can rise to 1,300 beats per minute. To get through the night they will conserve energy by becoming torpid. During torpor they slow down their body processes. A hummer’s body temperature drops below 60°, heart rate slows to fewer than 50 beats per minute and breathing can momentarily stop. Although birds are not dependent on our feeders, one can see how important a feeder can be in the early morning for these birds.
How can you best support these incredible friends that return to our homes each year? The strongest impact you can have is to plant colorful native plants in your yards, plant pots and hanging baskets. Examples of native plants to grow are columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), grape
Cont'd on page 20
Six sweet stops from Texas to Ontario
For a sweet fun approach to ruby-throated hummingbird migration, we imagined: “If I were a hummingbird, where would I hover for something local, sweet and delicious?” Thanks to our sister Edible magazines for their suggestions!
From Edible Houston: SweetCup Gelato’s Texas Sheet Cake @sweetcupgelato; SweetCupGelato.com
A Texas sheet cake is a cake baked in a sheet pan “the size of Texas.” SweetCup’s is a chocolate fudge cake, chopped up into delectable chunks that are folded into a creamy milk chocolate gelato. It is one of more than 200 rotating flavors created by owner and artisan Jasmine Chida.
From Edible Memphis: MemPops’ Peach Pops @mempops; MemPops.com
Think of a ripe, juicy peach. And then think of all that sweetness wrapped around a popsicle stick. The peaches in these pops come directly from Jones Orchard, a relationship that was forged in the local farmers market community.
From Edible Kentucky: Crank and Boom’s Bourbon & Honey Ice Cream @crankandboom; CrankAndBoom.com
What would a stopover in Kentucky be without a taste of bourbon? Even better when it comes mingled with local honey and churned into ice cream. Go on, pick the bourbon & honey ice cream sundae that comes with hot chocolate fudge sauce and candied pecans.
From Edible Indy: Cone & Crumb’s Blueberry Buttermilk @conecrumb; ConeCrumb.com
Blueberry Buttermilk sounds so poetic that it is easy to dream up blue-hued summer sweetness swirled in a rich and refreshingly tangy custard. Brimming with local blueberries, it is only one of 12 rotating flavors, all made from scratch.
The Ancona ducks that live right by the Creamery didn’t just inspire the name Spotted Duck. Their eggs make the creamiest custard. Add to that homemade caramel with salt mined from beneath Seneca lake and you have a scoop that is all about farm life and couleur locale.
From Edible Ottawa: Moo Shu’s Hong Kong Milk Tea @mooshuicecream; MooShuIceCream.com
Moo Shu always has something unique churning, like a refreshingly aromatic Lime Leaf & Mint. Best-selling Hong Kong Milk Tea, an ode to owner/artisan Liz Mok’s Hong Kong heritage, is a secret blend of aromatic teas, all balanced with rich milky goodness.
Bird Banding at the Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary
The independent Indiana Audubon Society is the oldest conservation organization continuously operating in Indiana (founded in 1898) and the fourth-oldest “Audubon” in the country. The IAS is dedicated to fostering the appreciation of migrant and resident bird species that are present in Indiana and other regional areas of the world.
Bird banding is one of the current research projects at the IAS’s Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary (MGBS) near Connersville, Indiana. Owned and operated by IAS, the MGBS is open to the public. Numerous trails traverse the diverse habitats within the 700acre sanctuary.
Banding is conducted with songbirds, saw-whet owls and hummingbirds. Highlights from research data gathered from the banding of rubythroated hummingbirds at MGBS during 2020 included 544 new birds banded, 122 recaptures from banding in previous years and the oldest hummer banded was a female at least 6 years old.
Bird banding is a fascinating activity for those interested in birds. These banding events are open to the public and the schedule can be viewed at indianaaudubon.org.
Cont'd from page 17
honeysuckle (Lonicera reticulata), Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica) and wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa).
Native plants are critical for the biodiversity of our landscapes and this begins with our yards—even container gardens and hanging plants on an apartment balcony. This biodiversity sustains our ecosystems by benefiting pollinators, native insects, birds and other wildlife. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Doug Tallamy (Timber Press, 2009) is an easy read to understand the power we have to make a difference in our environment through the interconnectedness of native plants and wildlife.
Plants and animals are unique and fascinating. It is their adaptations that are so intriguing. Adaptations are those physical characteristics and behaviors that help a plant or animal survive in their environment. For hummingbirds, one of the most fascinating is their flight. Sit at a window and watch them at your feeder and you will be amazed at their acrobatics. They are capable of flying every direction including sideways, shooting upwards, downwards, and stopping to hover. They can even fly upside-down for short distances. As if that was not enough, they are known to fly up to 60 miles per hour and can flap their wings 20–80 times per second during flight. By contrast, most songbirds beat their wings about five times per second.
These flight abilities are the result of the hummingbird’s elongated wings that are stiff and do not bend. Their wings have an oar-like look because of their short flight feathers. While other birds have flexible wings that beat in a “flap and glide” motion, hummingbirds appear to be rowing when they fly.
Another flight adaptation is the ability to create power in both the downstroke and upstroke. Their upper wing bones rotate in the shoulder joint, which allows them to change the angle of the leading edges of their oar-shaped wings.
If you have watched hummingbirds at feeders for very long you undoubtedly observed male ruby-throats aggressively defend the feeders and flowers. This results in spectacular pursuits and dogfights. These territorial aggressions by males are towards all hummingbirds—males, females and juveniles. Feeders are defended by males against all others.
Another fascinating flight behavior is by the male. He performs a courtship display exhibited to females who enter his territory. The male flies in a looping U-shaped dive above the female—as high as 50 feet. It is a treat to witness this behavior.
When it comes to family life, the female does all the work. Male and female rubythroated hummingbirds are together only through courtship and mating, which can be a few days or weeks. In Central and Southern Indiana, they tend to have two broods each year; farther north the tendency is towards one brood. The male then is on his own and no longer involved with the female and raising of the nestlings. The female builds the nest, a beautiful work of art high above the ground. Spider silk holds together dandelion down and thistles, all decorated with lichens. She incubates her jelly-bean-sized eggs for 12–14 days, feeding the nestlings after that for another three weeks. All with no assistance from the male.
By the end of mating season, the male ruby-throated hummingbirds are often heading south for the winter. Females and the fledged young, having survived nesting season, begin autumn migration a month or two later. Once again the dangerous trek of thousands of miles begins.
Birds provide us with a special reciprocal relationship and this is certainly experienced with hummingbirds. They enjoy our sugary nectar for sustenance and we enjoy a peek into their incredible lives and behaviors. I am always reminded of this relationship in April when I have been tardy in getting my feeders hung before the first arrival. Suddenly, to my surprise, I will see a movement at the window and there he is. Sitting up near the window with ruby throat flashing is one of “my” males who has returned and is asking, “Where are my feeders? I’m back.”
Joni James is a retired educator and a life-long birder, naturalist and nature photographer. She enjoys journaling to document her observations and experiences. She lives in Central Indiana. Her website is jonijamesphotography.com.
Hummingbird Feeder Tips
Hummingbird feeders attract the little dazzling dynamos to your garden. While they will never depend on feeders or minimize eating natural foods, hummingbirds do love the extra energy the feeders provide. And we get to enjoy watching them. When you put up a feeder, it is important to keep a few things in mind:
• If you make your own nectar (easy and very good for the hummers), make sure you use white sugar in a 4:1 ratio (four cups water to dissolve 1 cup white sugar). Plain white sugar best mimics the chemical composition of natural nectar, whereas the 4:1 ratio is very important as it best mimics the natural nectar in flowers. Boiling is not necessary. Keep refrigerated.
• Do NOT use brown sugar, organic sugar, raw sugar or honey. These sugars promotes dangerous fungal growth and other sugars contain levels of iron which can be lethal.
arden. While will never depend on he extra energy the feeders And portant to a few in mind : mers), make sure you use white gar). Plain white sugar best These contain levels
not contain any clear solution is
• If you do buy special hummingbird nectar, make sure it does not contain any chemicals or additives, including red dyes or food coloring. A clear solution is safest and healthiest.
st five feet from the
• Place feeders in a shady location with minimal sun and at least five feet from the ground to protect the birds from cats.
en warmer. If you f have dividuals visit feeders
• Keep feeders clean. Rinse and refill every few days, more when warmer. If you have one bird dominating a feeder try putting more feeders out. Individuals visit feeders approximately once every 30 minutes.
ber 15.
• Put feeders out by April 15 and continue feeding until November 15.
• Remember that hummers often return to the same locations/feeders each year.
feeders each year.
s have left in th.
• Keep the feeders up for several weeks after the hummingbirds have left again, just in case there’s a straggler in need of a boost on its long trek south.
NUTS FOR MEZZE
Walnuts add local flavor to old-time favorites
words & recipes: Francine Spiering photography: Elizabeth Hannah
Mezze make my world go ’round when I think of a picnic. Easy to pack in containers, any array of dips and spreads spells leisurely eating joy to me.
I got spoiled for life with mezze when I lived in Cairo, Egypt, some 15 years ago. One of our favorite pastimes was to lounge along the Nile, leaning back on colorful cushions, watching feluccas (traditional wooden sailboats) cruising the river as we nibbled on pillowy pita hot from the wood-fired oven and sipped cooling drinks like crimson karkade, a tart hibiscus juice that is said to date back to the ancient Pharaohs.
The only thing better would be to actually be on one of those feluccas and watch city life on the Corniche from the tranquility of the water.
The air thick with the soothing scent of shisha tobacco wafting from bubbling water pipes, our table grew with little bowls and plates: lemony parsley salad, or tabouleh; silky hummus (sometimes topped with grilled chopped lamb, sometimes just sprinkled with herbs, always drizzled with a little olive oil); smoky mashed fire-roasted eggplant salad (aka baba ghanoush); and an assembly of pickles, fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, olives and breads. Oh, and often there was dukkah, a mix of coarsely ground nuts and seeds that you mopped up with pieces of olive-oil-soaked bread.
Popular from the Balkans throughout the Middle East to North Africa, mezze (the spelling varies throughout the region) are appetizers. But really, that is just short for a tantalizing collection of small dishes that combine together in a veritable appetizer feast.
Mezze can include anything from dips created from pulses, vegetables and spices; to salads, olives and pickles; to seafood and meats. Typically, mezze is eaten as part of a larger meal for lunch or dinner, although things like hummus, olives and pickles also appear for breakfast in the Middle East. And on a trip to Cyprus, I discovered that Cypriot mezze is a full-on meal of 30-odd dishes, and often include repurposed leftovers from yesterday’s meal.
Mezze, in other words, can be anything you want them to be.
Our days of lounging along the Nile at sunset are long gone. But to this day, mezze meals are part of our life. We regularly join together in the kitchen to whip up whatever dips we are in the mood for; wash vegetables, rinse herbs; knead and rise pita dough, heat up the oven and shove in the flattened dough balls; and—the best job of all—open goodies we picked up at a favorite Middle Eastern grocery.
Summertime in particular is simply made for mezze meals.
The recipes here—a twist on classic mezze using Indiana’s delectable walnuts—are perfect for a picnic. Gather a seasonal abundance of beets, radishes, summer squash and herbs. Throw in mixed olives, chunks of feta, walnuts and breads. Bring a blanket, and don’t forget some comfy cushions. It’s mezze time!
Francine Spiering is a globetrotting food writer with a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She is also the author of collaborative cookbook Houston Cooks. Find her on Instagram @lifeinthefoodlane.
SUMMER SAYS TABBOULEH
With its vibrant green color and refreshing tang, tabouleh is a musttake on any summertime picnic. I love it all by itself, but I am also known to sneak it into an otherwise plain cheese and tomato sandwich. And it makes a killer veggie wrap: smear a little hummus on a wrap, top it with tabouleh and add whatever crunchy vegetables like cucumber, radish and carrot. Classic tabouleh has a bit of bulgur, but here it is local walnuts that add a flavorful crunch.
Makes about a pint
4 cups finely chopped fresh curly parsley
½ cup finely chopped fresh mint
1 medium ripe red tomato, diced fine
1 medium/small red onion, diced fine
2 sprigs green onion, chopped fine
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped fine
1 teaspoon sumac
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh ground black pepper and salt to taste
Combine parsley, mint, tomato, onion and green onion in a bowl. Add the toasted walnuts and remaining ingredients. Mix together well, cover and keep in the fridge until ready to use. It stores well for at least 24 hours.
edible INDY
Join Us for The GOOD(s) Box Experience
Virtual Cooking Classes Building Up Your Kitchen Experience
We invite you to join Goods for Cooks and Edible Indy for the next series of virtual cooking classes. From homebrewing a perfect cup of coffee to treating your senses with worldly flavor, these live, one hour classes will include an experience box curated by Goods for Cooks, special guests, education, and mindful discussion of how to create intentional rituals for yourself in 2021.
June 27
MEDITERRANEAN MEZZE: Mediterranean Mezze (finger foods) + Spice with special artisan guest Marlen Wensel of Apricot Sun and Francine Spiering of Edible Indy.
August 22
ALOHA POKE BOWLS: Deconstructed Sushi Bowls with special guest Edible Hawaiian Islands and the Island Poke Cookbook author.
CLASS 4 | October 17
NOT JUST ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE: Learn how to brew a better cup of coffee: From French Presses to Pour Overs with special guest Jane Kupersmith from Hopscotch Coffee.
Each class + box begins at $75, reserve soon, classes are limited to 15 participants.
Scan the QR code to learn more or to reserve your spot as they sell out quickly!
HOOSIER
WALNUT DUKKAH
Dukkah is an Egyptian snack mix of toasted and fragrant coarse-ground nuts and seeds. A great way to enjoy it is to dip a piece of bread in olive oil and then in dukkah. But there’s more: Your roast chicken loves it, too. So does roasted cauliflower, squash soup, grilled lamb chops… and why stop there, right?
Makes 1 (16-ounce) jar
1 cup walnuts
½ cup dry-roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons (black or white) sesame seeds
1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
2 tablespoons sunflower kernels
1 teaspoon sumac, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Toast each ingredient except peanuts (already dry-roasted), sumac, ground pepper and salt separately until fragrant, then transfer all to a small food processor and pulse until you have a coarse mix. Season with sumac, pepper and salt. Alternatively (and actually my preferred method): Pound each nut and seed lightly in a mortar and pestle until you’re happy with the coarseness, and then bring together in a bowl with sumac, salt and pepper.
Note: You can find ingredients used here (as well as dried roselle for karkade, see Last Bite) at Saraga International Grocery (saragaindy.com) at 3605 Commercial Dr., Indianapolis
BEETROOT MUHAMARA
Edible Indy publishers’ youngest daughter is named Mara, and it’s why we call this one Beetroot MuhaMara. Based on classic muhammara (a dip of roasted peppers, tomato paste and walnuts), our magenta variation omits the tomato paste in favor of roasted red beets. It does, of course, have those tasty local walnuts.
NOTE: Have organic dried beetroot powder?
Here’s another use for it: Substitute fresh beetroot used in this recipe with a tablespoon (or to taste) beetroot powder. Beetroot powder will make your dip runnier, in which case you can eliminate 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Makes about a pint
2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 medium beetroot, roasted and peeled
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar*
Juice of ½ lemon
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika powder
Dried chili flakes or cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
Chop the roasted and peeled peppers and add to the bowl of a food processor. Do the same with the peeled beetroot*. Add vinegar, lemon, garlic and spices and pulse until smooth but still has some texture.
Transfer to a bowl and add salt to taste. Stir in the coarsely chopped walnuts and olive all. Mix well, adding more balsamic, salt or cayenne pepper to finish to taste.
* Or you can use pomegranate molasses, that tangy sweet syrup popular in Middle Eastern cooking! The beets used in this recipe lend beautiful sweetness so balsamic vinegar works well here. If you like it sweeter, add honey to taste along with the balsamic vinegar.
Indiana-based Huse Culinary restaurant group is known for the iconic downtown Indianapolis St. Elmo Steak House and their culinary masterpiece dishes including their famous shrimp cocktail. They own and operate seven fine-dining restaurants with locations in Fishers and Indianapolis and are committed to providing the best ingredients and service.
St Elmo’s Steak House
127 S. Illinois St. Indianapolis StElmos.com
Harry & Izzy’s
Downtown: 153 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis
Northside: 4050 E. 82nd St., Indianapolis
Airport: 7800 Col. H. Weir Cook Memorial Dr., Indianapolis HarryAndIzzys.com
1933 Lounge
Downtown: 127 S. Illinois St., Indianapolis
Northside: 9707 District North Dr., Ste. 1120, Fishers 1933Lounge.com
HC Tavern & Bar
9709 E. 116th St., Fishers AtTheHC.com
photograph: Dave Pluimer
ROASTED EGGPLANT YOGURT DIP
There’s something about roasting that transforms eggplant into a velvety-soft caramelized flavor bomb. Fair warning: This dip is addictive!
Makes about a pint
1 large eggplant
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon tahini (optional)
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh-ground black pepper to taste
To finish: 2–3 tablespoons dukkah
Fresh mint, to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Wash and dry eggplant. Pierce all over with a metal skewer and place on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven until shriveled and soft, turning once, about 25 minutes. Leave to cool.
In the meantime, mix together yogurt, tahini, garlic, spices and salt to taste in a medium bowl.
When the eggplant is cool, chop until it resembles a coarse mash. (Note: I leave the skin on but if you prefer a smoother final result, strip the skin). Combine in the bowl with the yogurt.
When ready to serve, spoon the eggplant yogurt dip in a shallow bowl and sprinkle dukkah on top. Garnish to taste with fresh mint.
Whats in your glass?
Cocktail kits will be available for pre-purchase online with pick up Hotel Tango Tasting Rooms leading up to events.
Swag & enter-to-win cocktail experience will be available for guests that attend the event
enter to win: scan the QR code to enter to win a chance to a private tango university cocktail & cooking class + an overnight stay at the hotel tango farm.
You’re invited to watch two spicy gingers shake things up (literally) by making cocktails and jokes! 3 LIVE shows throughout the summer in person or watch from the comfort of your own kitchen. er r wi o es se a e k m. .
*Must be 21 to attend. COVID restrictions may vary per location. All orders are final and must be picked from a Hotel Tango Distillery Tasting Room.
“Episode 1” The Cure for Summertime
When: June 17th @ 6Pm Where: Fletcher Place Tasting Room
Scan the QR codes purchase your at home cocktail kit
“Episode 2” Shaken Not Stirred
When: July 15th @ 6PM Where: Hotel Tango Fort Wayne
“Episode 3” Herbalicious
When: August 12 @ 6PM Where: Hotel Tango Zionsville
Recalling Indiana’s
Days of Wander Lust
Wonder what happened to “Wander Indiana”?
words: Brian Garrido | photography: Brian Welker
Acherry-red Studebaker in stop-motion rounds an uphill bend, while a Lawrence Welk–sounding chorus cheerily croons, “Wander Indiana.” During the 1980s and early ’90s it was an all-too-familiar TV commercial to Hoosiers. Indeed, the crimson convertible, unburdened by a driver, slid through winter trails, frolicked with beachgoers and swam with the other kids.
How did this piece of Americana kitsch start, and why did it end?
Under the auspices of then-Lieutenant Governor John Mutz, the Indiana Office of Tourism Development launched the program to target those living in Indiana. According to Denise Miller, Indiana’s director of tourism development from 1989–92, “[They] realized they had only focused on [attracting] big meetings and conventions. ‘Wander Indiana’ was about locals traveling to see their state.”
The marketing campaign debuted in 1982 and operated with a budget of $384,000. The powersthat-be created a stylized “Wander Indiana” logo, putting together a vigorous marketing campaign blanketing airwaves, radio and print. Concurrently, an informational travel guide offered short-drive ideas around Indiana. The publication, called Wander Indiana, detailed stops and places of interest; it also included an order form for branded items featuring the new logo. While the magazine offered areas of interest, it was also a catalog offering souvenirs for purchase such as caps, T-shirts, coffee mugs, glasses, Fun Flyer discs and luggage.
The state’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles got into the act with a brightly colored license plate. The metal placard debuted on the top-rated “Today Show” with celebrated TV personalities Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley. They made their way to Indianapolis, assisting in promoting the effort with a national shout-out to the millions of viewers in front of the late Hoosier Dome.
Today little remains from the advertising and marketing blitz. A 10-second slice of a commercial exists on YouTube, as well as a 30-second spot showing the driverless car cruising down country lanes. Last year, Andrea Glenn, a librarian at the main branch of Indy’s Public Library, wrote a blog item about the “Wander Indiana” campaign. She said, “Back in 2016, for Indiana’s bicentennial celebration, I’d collaborated with a co-worker to create a display with Indiana license plates and some ‘Wander Indiana’ items. It seemed like a fun theme for a blog post, and it gave me a chance to look at materials such as newsletters and reports in the library’s collection.”
Glenn, an Indiana native, even recalled, “When we were traveling out-of-state, the bright colors on the license plates made it easy to spot other Hoosiers. Also, I remember the catchy theme song and the red Studebaker in the television commercials. I liked the tune, but it’s a bit of an earworm.”
But it’s not always remembered so fondly, even though it garnered national attention. When Governor Evan Bayh was elected, Miller took over the tourism division’s helm coming from South Bend’s
Edible Indy Seeks New Ownership
Over the past eight years we have grown Edible Indy in ways that have championed and nourished the local food movement in Central Indiana. We have not only developed a print publication making an impact on people’s lives, but we have created a print, digital and social media company that has allowed Edible Indy to truly work with connecting our community both with our consumers and the businesses throughout the state and beyond.
We are looking for new hands and hearts to carry on, elevate and grow the business in new and exciting ways. As we grow older, situations shift, priorities change and it is now the time for us to find someone ambitious and excited to step into the ownership of this successful and growing publication.
If you are interested in learning more about Edible Indy or stepping into the ownership role, please reach out to us. Email Jennifer Rubenstein at jennifer@edibleindy.com.
Thank you for all the years you have spent with us, Jennifer & Jeff Rubenstein
Convention and Visitors Bureau. She remembers, “The jingle was everywhere. You couldn’t turn on a radio without hearing it.”
She increased the budget to $500,000 during her tenure, making the driverless car even more ubiquitous. But as much as all things gear up, they do have a lifespan and eventually run out of gas. “I had been at the agency for two years, and we gauged the effectiveness of ‘Wander Indiana’—this was before digital marketing—by the number of calls the tourism bureau fielded.”
At one time, Miller recollects, the agency would mail out thousands of travel guides. By 1992, the program sputtered to only a handful of inquiries. Even with a more robust marketing plan, “Wander Indiana’s” Studebaker, a product of the state’s onceprominent automotive industry, quit chugging along.
“At the time,” Miller says, “Indy was still being called Naptown. It was a sleepy city without much of a thought, and the state wasn’t far behind. After ‘Wander Indiana,’ Hoosiers became proud of what one could do in their state. Ultimately, the campaign was a success.”
And the cherry-red auto rolled into the setting sun, looking for new places to explore and “Wander Indiana.”
Brian Garrido has written food stories for LA Weekly, Clever Root and DailyMeal.com. He moved to Indy from Los Angeles with two dogs and his partner, Nick. Follow him on Instagram @briangarrido.
Hiking Trails for Summer Recreation
Plus: tips and recipes for healthy hiking munchies
recipes: Skyler Hanka | photography: Jennifer L. Rubenstein
Are you ready for a good hike? We’ve selected five exciting trails right here in Indiana for a great day outdoors. Make these protein- and carb-filled recipes the night before, pop them in reusable containers and you’ll have something nutritious and delicious to munch on while you wander.
We all know how important it is to stay hydrated. But your exercising body needs more: It needs something good to burn. Make sure you fuel before your hike with a meal that is high in complex carbohydrates like whole grains, rich in (plant-based) protein, and fruits and vegetables. Think for instance a bowl of oatmeal with nuts and dried fruit, or scrambled eggs on whole-wheat toast and a fruity smoothie.
Whether you’re on a short hike or a long wander, it is important to snack every one or two hours, and don’t forget that raw fruits, vegetables and hard-boiled eggs are also great additions to your hiking snack pack. Once you return home from a great hike, it’s time to refuel again: The postexercise window is when your body is most receptive to nutrient absorption.
Eagle Creek Park
Located on the northwest side of Indianapolis, this park has many trails ranging from 1.25 miles up to 6.75 miles. Many of these trails intersect each other with breathtaking views of birds, including bald eagles, and the Eagle Creek Reservoir. The park includes an Earth Discovery Center, Ornithology Center, zip-lining and plenty of scenic picnic spots.
Knobstone Hiking Trail
A 160-mile trail with four sections spanning from Morgan-Monroe State Forest to Deam Lake in Borden, Indiana, just north of Louisville. There are opportunities for everything from day hikes to backpack camping with beautiful forested hills, ridges, lakes, wildflowers and historic sites.
Hemlock Cliffs
Just over an hour drive south of Indianapolis is a short (1.5 miles) national scenic hiking trail that is packed with waterfalls, cliffs, stunning rock formations and incredible wilderness. Perfect for those who want to wander and explore at a slower pace.
Turkey Run State Park
An hour and half west of Indianapolis, this state park is home to more than 14 hiking trails from easy to rugged ranging from .5 miles to 3 miles. The trails showcase sandstone cliffs, a suspension bridge, Rocky Hollow Falls Canyon along with some historic landmarks including the Punch Bowl with glacial erratics—pieces of bedrock carried from Canada by the glaciers.
Spring Mills State Park
About 2 hours south of Indianapolis, this state park covers seven hiking trails throughout 1,300 acres. The trails include caves, nature preserves, a historic pioneer cemetery and village, a lake and more. Trails range from easy to rugged with the longest trail around 2.5 miles.
KITCHEN SINK TRAIL BARS
One night, before a hike, I wanted to make trail bars and just randomly picked what I had in my pantry. You can do the same: Use any nuts or seeds. And while blueberries have a higher antioxidant content than most other berries, you can totally swap them out for other dried fruits or berries you have. This is a high-calorie snack with a savory flavor that I’ve come to call “kitchen sink” bars.
Makes 12 bars
⅓ cup raw quinoa (any color)
3 tablespoons honey
¼ cup almond butter or other nut butter
¼ cup coconut oil + extra
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
8 pitted dates, roughly chopped
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
¼ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds (raw, toasted, salted: personal preference)
¼ cup blueberries
½ cup rolled oats
Cook the quinoa: Rinse briefly in a colander, drain and transfer to a saucepan. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil.
Simmer on low for 15 minutes. If the quinoa is still liquid, strain through a sieve and let cool completely (see Note).
Line an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with parchment and grease with coconut oil (or use cooking spray).
In a small saucepan heat honey, nut butter, coconut oil, cinnamon and salt for 2–4 minutes over medium heat (it helps the mixing process to evenly coat all ingredients).
In a small food processor, pulse the chopped dates, coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried blueberries for 1–2 minutes, or until mixture has a crumbly but still coarse texture. Add ½ cup of the oats and cooked quinoa, blend for 30 seconds
to 1 minute, until chopped.
In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients and mix until you can press it together and it holds its shape (if needed add a bit more coconut oil).
Press the mixture firmly into the prepared baking pan and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Cut into 12 bars.
Tip: Freeze any trail bars you make before going on a hike: No matter the kind of bar, this will ensure they hold their shape and stay fresh during your hike, especially in the warmer months!
Note: If you prefer crunchy quinoa, change to 1 cup and add it raw. Or you can toast it in a single layer on a baking sheet for 5 minutes at 350°F.
SUBSTITUTES
Tahini is a great substitute for any nut butter. Looking to replace coconut oil? Use grapeseed oil (neutral), avocado oil or olive oil (not neutral).
WEDDINGS. CORPORATE. CHARITY. EVENTS.
We provide a stunning venue on the grounds of the award winning Golf Club of Indiana featuring a breathtaking deck, excel at the ease of planning and will make any event memorable. Allow us to be YOUR destination.
PICK A’CHICKPEA TRAIL MIX
Trail mixes can quickly go from healthy to a little bit too much if you’re not mindful about the amounts of nuts, seeds, chocolate, dried fruit and any other ingredients you decide to mix in. Don’t mix too many high-calorie foods together; keep it simple and choose highquality antioxidant-rich ingredients for a trail mix you can enjoy in handfuls.
Makes about 5 cups
1 can chickpeas
1 teaspoon olive oil
Pinch salt
1 cup toasted, unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds
½ cup walnuts
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup dried berries of choice
Preheat oven to 400°F. Drain chickpeas from can and toss with oil and a pinch of salt; lay them out on a sheet tray. Bake for 20 minutes, until crispy. (Alternatively, purchase crunchy chickpeas already toasted.) To toast the coconut, lower oven temperature to 350°F. Spread coconut flakes in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes, or until browning. Let cool.
Combine all ingredients and store in a glass jar for up to 2 months.
FRESH & LOCAL 2021
Edible Indy Summer Farm Market Guide
2021 has shown us how essential knowing where our food comes from and supporting local farmers, producers and makers truly is. Use this guide to expand your knowledge of some of those markets that will deliver Hoosier hospitality, exceptionally fresh products and positive impacts with sustainable practices that truly make a difference from the ground up. We are all in this together. #LocalTogether
ANDERSON
Anderson City Market
FARM MARKET
802 E. 5th St. Ppchog.org/acm SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-OCT
Asparagus Annie’s FARM
5885 N. State Rd. 9
ARCADIA
Wilson Farm Market
FARM MARKET 1720 E. 256th St. WilsonFarmMarket.com MON-SUN 9-6PM YEAR ROUND
AVON
Avon Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
8244 E. US Hwy. 36 AvonGov.org
TUES 4-7PM JUNE-SEPT
BATESVILLE
Batesville Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Main St. & Boehring St. BatesvilleFarmersMarket.com
SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-OCT
BLOOMINGTON
People’s Cooperative Market
FARM MARKET 909 E. 2nd St. PeoplesMarketBtown.org
SAT 9AM-1PM APR-NOV
Woolery Mill
FARM MARKET
2250 W. Sunstone Dr. BloomingtonWinterFarmersMarket.com
SAT 8AM-NOON APRIL-SEPT
BROWNSBURG
Brownsburg Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
61 N. Green St. BrownsburgParks.com THURS 4-7PM JUNE-SEPT
BRUCEVILLE
The Big Peach
FARM MARKET
7738 N. Old 41 Facebook.com/ Big-Peach-936988086647074 MON-SUN 10AM-6PM MAY-OCT
CARMEL
Carmel Farmers Market
FARM MARKET 5 Center Green
CarmelFarmersMarket.com
SAT 8-11:30AM MAY-SEPT
Rosie’s Gardens
GARDEN CENTER
10402 N. College Ave. RosiesGardens.com
CLOVERDALE
Cloverdale Farmers & Makers Market
FARM MARKET
302 S. Main St.
CloverdaleMainStreet.org
SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-SEPT
COLUMBUS
Columbus Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
123 Washington St. ColumbusFarmersMarket.org
SAT 9AM-12:30PM MAY-SEPT
CUMBERLAND
Cumberland Farmers Market
FARM MARKET 11501 E. Washington St. Town.Cumberland.in.us
TUE 4-7PM; SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-OCT
DANVILLE
Danville Chamber of Commerce Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Jefferson St. East side of Danville Square
DanvilleChamber.org/Farmers-Market SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-SEPT
FISHERS
Fishers Farmers Market FARM MARKET 3 Municipal Dr. PlayFishers.com SAT 8AM-1PM MAY-SEPT
Saxony Market FARM MARKET 13640 E. 131st St. SaxonyMarket.com SAT 9AM-NOON JUNE-AUG
FORTVILLE
Fortville Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
701 S. Maple St. Facebook.com/ FortvilleFarmersMarket THURS 4-7PM MAY-SEPT
FRANKFORT
Smith Farms FARM 1465 N. County Rd. 800 W. SmithFarmsIndiana.com
FRANKLIN
Discover Downtown Franklin Farmers Market FARM MARKET 5 E. Jefferson St. DiscoverDowntownFranklin.com SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-SEPT
Our farm grows sustainably grown, chemical-free produce and plants. Join our CSA program, volunteer on our farm or find us at the Noblesville Farmers Market.
10980 E. 221st St., Noblesville TeterOrganicFarm.com
FRANKTON
Frankton Town Market
FARM MARKET
102 S. Church St. FranktonTownMarket.com SUN 2-5PM MAY-OCT
GREENFIELD
Blue River Natural Foods FARM
6001 E. 500 S. BlueRiverNaturalFoods.com
Brandywine Creek Farms
FARM
5332 N. 400 E. BrandyWinecreekFarms.org
Farmers Market at the Fairgrounds
FARM MARKET
620 N. Apple St. HoosierHarvestCouncil.com SAT 8AM-NOON YEAR ROUND
Hoosier Harvest Market FARM MARKET
802 Apple St. HoosierHarvestMarket.com SAT 8AM-12:30PM MAY-OCT
Southeast Indiana - Dearborn County
Tuttle Orchards
ORCHARD & RETAIL
5717 N. 300 W.
TuttleOrchards.com MON-SAT 9–6PM YEAR ROUND GREENWOOD
Indiana Black Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
4052 E. 38th St. IndianaBlackFarmers.com SAT 1-4PM JULY-OCT
LAFAYETTE
Orchards, Farms & Markets
Greystone Farm
Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Beiersdorfer Orchard
Guilford, Indiana
Phillips Berry Patch
New Alsace, Indiana
Salatin’s Orchard
Moores Hill, Indiana
Busse’s Farm Aurora, Indiana
Lobenstein’s Farm
St. Leon, Indiana
Specialty Spirits
Great Crescent Brewery Aurora, Indiana
At the Barn Winery Logan, Indiana
Holtkamp Winery New Alsace, Indiana
Whiskey City Festival
Greenwood Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
525 N. Madison Ave. Facebook.com/Greenwood-IndianaFarmers-Market SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-OCT
INDIANAPOLIS
Binford Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
6620 Northview Way
BinfordFarmersMarket.org SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-OCT
Broad Ripple Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Second Presbyterian Church 7700 N. Meridian St. BroadrippleFarmersMarket.org
SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-SEPT
East Side Marketspace
FARM MARKET
5547 Bonna Ave. IndysFoodCoop.com
MON 5-8PM MAY-SEPT
Fresh Wednesday Market
FARM MARKET
5505 E. Washington St. AtTheIrving.com FRI & SAT 9AM-NOON YEAR ROUND
Indianapolis Original Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
222 E. Market St. IndyCM.com
WED 9:30AM-1:30PM MAY-OCT
Irvington Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Ellenberger Park 5301 East St. Clair St. IrvingtonGardenClub.com
SUN NOON-3PM JUNE-OCT
Near North Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Herron High School 110 E. 16th St. IndianaBlackFarmers.com
SAT 9AM-NOON JUNE-OCT
Riverside Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
2420 E Riverside Dr. Indy.gov FRI 4-7PM MAY-OCT
Snakeroot Botanicals
GARDEN CENTER 1052 Virginia Ave. SnakeRootBotanicals.com
SoBro Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Historic Lafayette Farmers Market | Downtown FARM MARKET 5th St. between Main St. and Columbia St. LafayetteFarmersMarket.com SAT 8AM-12:30PM MAY-OCT
LEBANON
Lebanon City Market FARM MARKET 98 W. Main St. HeartOfLebanon.org/Lebanon-CityMarket TUES 4-7PM JUNE-AUG
LINTON
Linton Farmers Market FARM MARKET
Humphreys Park LintonFarmersMarket.com SAT 9AM-1PM MAY-SEPT
MARTINSVILLE
Morgan County Farmers Market / Martinsville FARM MARKET
460 S. Main St. MCfarmers.org SAT 9AM-1PM MAY-SEPT
MONTICELLO
Monticello Farmers Market FARM MARKET 1210 N. 6th St. MonticelloINFarmersMarket.Weebly.com SAT 9AM-1PM MAY-OCT
MOORESVILLE
Garcia’s Gardens FARM 11717 E. 42nd St. GarciasGardens.com
Garfield Park Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Garfield Park Conservatory Dr. GarfieldParkFarmersMarket.com SAT 9AM-12:30PM MAY-OCT
Growing Places Indy Summer Farmstand
FARM MARKET
727 N. Oriental St.
GrowingPlacesIndy.org THURS 2-5PM JUNE-SEPT
2201 E. 46th St. WED 4-7PM MAY-SEPT
The Forest Flower
GARDEN CENTER 3205 W. 71st St. TheForestFlower.com
KOKOMO
Kokomo Downtown Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Mulberry St. & Washington St. KokomoFarmersMarket.com SAT 9AM-1PM JUNE-SEPT
Morgan County Farmers Market / Mooresville
FARM MARKET
50 N. Monroe St. MCfarmers.org TUES 3-7PM MAY-SEPT
MORRISTOWN
Berry Goods Farm LLC
FARM E. 600 S. BerryGoodsFarm.com
MUNCIE
Farmers Market at Minnetrista FARM MARKET
1200 N. Minnetrista Pkwy.
Minnetrista.net
SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-OCT
NASHVILLE
Nashville Indiana Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Brown County Inn 51 State Rd. 46 NashvilleIndianaFarmersMarket.com
SUN 11AM-2PM MAY-OCT
NOBLESVILLE
Full Hand Farm
FARM
3844 State Rd. 13 N. FullHandFarm.com
Mallory Farmstead
FARM
10978 Greenfield Ave. MalloryFarmStead.com
Noblesville Farmers Market
FARM MARKET
Federal Hill Commons 175 Logan St.
NoblesvilleMainStreet.org
SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-OCT
Teter Organic Farm FARM
10980 E. 221st St. TeterOrganicFarm.com BY APPOINTMENT APRIL-OCT
Scan QR code for our extensive digital guide for local farms, markets and garden shops.
#LocalTogether
Wheelers Café and Market
FARM MARKET
25625 State Rd. 37 N. Mercantile37.com/WheelersMarket 8AM-NOON YEAR ROUND
PENDELTON
Pendleton Farmers' Market | Falls Park
FARM MARKET
Pendleton County Fairgrounds
68 Fairgrounds Rd. Facebook.com/Pendleton-Farmers-Market SAT 9AM-2PM JUNE-OCT
PLAINFIELD
Plainfield Chamber Farmers Market
FARM MARKET 105 S. East St. Plainfield-IN.com/Farmers-Market WED 4-7PM JUNE-SEPT
RICHMOND
Richmond Farmers Market
FARM MARKET 47 N. 6th St. RichmondIndiana.gov/Resources/FarmersMarket SAT 8AM-NOON YEAR ROUND
RUSSIAVILLE
Bent Arrow Acres FARM 2809 S. 750 W. BentArrowAcres.com
SEYMOUR
Seymour Area Farmers Market FARM MARKET 105 S. Chestnut St. SeymourChamber.com/Farmers-Market WED & SAT 8AM-NOON MAY-OCT
SHELBYVILLE
Shelby County Farmers Market FARM MARKET 18 N. Harrison St. MainStreetShelbyville.org SAT 8AM-NOON JUNE-SEPT
Whitestown Farmers Market FARM MARKET 4286 S. Main St. Whitestown.In.gov THURS 5-8PM JUNE-SEPT
ZIONSVILLE
WonderTree Farm FARM MARKET
2280 S. US 421 WonderTreeFarm.com
TUES & FRI 10AM-1PM; THURS 3-6PM YEAR ROUND
ZIONSVILLE
Zionsville Farmers Market FARM MARKET Corner of W. Pine St. & Main St. ZionsvilleFarmersMarket.org SAT 8-11:30AM MAY-SEPT
SATURDAYS
9AM-12PM (June 5-Aug 28) 131st & Olio • Fishers, IN Over 30 Local Vendors!
EAT. DRINK. THINK.
How we inhabit this planet and envision its future is more critical now than at any time in our history. This past year has certainly taught us that—it has exposed our vulnerabilities, our frail insignificance in the scheme of things. Yet during this turbulent and challenging time we have also found hope.
On the following pages, we bring you the first in a series of thought leadership stories that span topics on sustainability, hunger, restaurant revitalization and regenerative agriculture. These are the values that Edible Communities, as an organization, has been devoted to for the past two decades. Our work lends itself to the singular notion that excellent storytelling has the power to change lives; and that by exploring and elevating important conversations like these, we can create massive change.
We also know that change is impossible without the support of our readers
—consumers who have the power to reshape the world we live in. Every farmer, rancher, entrepreneur and organization we champion is better off because of you. You read, learn, take action and vote with your forks. It will be you who ultimately tilts the scale toward a more sustainable future, a more sustainable food system.
Thank you for joining us as we collectively set our sights on creating a future that is nothing less than extraordinary. One that binds the ecosystems of our lives to Mother Nature without a disconnect between what is on our plates and where it comes from—where all of the seemingly smaller choices we make today add up to massive, beautiful and everlasting positive change.
Tracey Ryder Co-Founder, Edible Communities
Marshall Johnson, Vice President of Conservation Ranching for Audubon standing in a field of prairie grass.
Photo courtesy of Audubon
THE BIRDS & THE BEEF
WORDS BY Joy Manning + PHOTOS BY Candice Vivien
You’ve seen the headlines: Beef is destroying the planet. You’ve heard all about the greenhouse gases and pollution a typical beef operation produces. But the idea that beef is an environmental disaster isn’t quite that simple. Those dire warnings are based on one kind of beef: The conventional, factory-farmed kind. And it is, by far, the most commonly consumed beef in North America. In fact, 97% of the beef in the US food supply is grain-fed, feedlot beef.
But there’s another way to produce beef, a way that actually enriches the environment. And it’s happening across at least 3.5 million acres of American grassland. Kay Cornelius, a fourth-generation rancher and new general manager at Panorama Meats, intends to add another million acres to that total by 2030 through a groundbreaking new partnership with an unlikely ally: The National Audubon Society.
A NEW SEAL OF APPROVAL
“All of our data proves that grassland birds are the most imperiled group of bird species in America. Grassland birds have lost 53% of their population since 1970, and 95% of all grassland birds live on cattle ranches,” says Marshall Johnson, vicepresident of Audubon’s conservation ranching initiative. The nonprofit’s “Grazed on Audubon Certified Bird-friendly Land” seal was established to recognize ranches that are managed in a way that protects those birds. Saving these birds is a vital part of maintaining biodiversity. Like bees, birds are important pollinators, and they help maintain the delicate balance of a grassland ecosystem.
Through Audubon’s new partnership with Panorama, every ranch in Panorama’s network will earn that Grazed on Audubon Certified Bird-friendly Land seal. “We began the project of introducing this certification in 2013, and we enrolled our first ranch in 2017,” says Johnson. Joining forces with Panorama
now means adding 1 million acres of land to the 2.5 million acres that have already been certified as bird-friendly. “It means a lot to partner with an organization that has built its brand in alignment with our core values,” says Johnson.
Darrell Wood, founding Panorama rancher, was the first in the network to get certified. “I volunteered. I wanted to see how it went and what the level of difficulty would be for ranchers,” he says. And he discovered the benefits greatly outweighed any extra effort. In large part, the certification is an acknowledgement of what Panorama ranches, all of which were already organic, have been doing for years.
As part of the program, each ranch gets an annual visit from a rangeland biologist who takes soil samples, measures the vegetation, and assesses how the ranch affects bird life. Then Audubon creates a habitat management plan for the rancher with suggestions for improvements. “The ranches enrolled are going to become even more bird friendly, but they were already doing great things,” says Johnson.
FARMERS FIRST
Cornelius isn’t new to dramatically growing a network of environmentally friendly farmers. Before taking the helm of Panorama Meats as general manager last September, she doubled sales in her role as vice president for the biggest and bestknown name in humanely raised meats, Niman Ranch. “I spent 12 years there working for farmers, and in my new job I’m still helping farmers earn a living,” she says.
Finding ways to grow and protect a rancher’s livelihood is a high priority for Cornelius personally and central to Panorama Meats’ mission. “I grew up in a rural community during the farm crisis years. My mom and dad really struggled,” she says. The experience of watching her once-thriving farming community dry up back then informs everything she does today. “At Niman
Ranch, we really celebrated the family farmer doing the right thing and we’re doing the same thing at Panorama.”
The simplest way to keep these family farms in business is to ensure they are able to get their product to market and to be paid a fair price. Being part of Panorama’s network helps them accomplish these goals, and the Audubon’s bird-friendly seal provides a major boost, a way to make these special packages of meat stand out from everything else in the butcher’s case for environmental conscious consumers.
SAVING GRASSLAND
The connection between beef, birds, grassland, and climate change isn’t immediately obvious. To understand how a properly managed ranch can actually help remove carbon from the atmosphere, you have to understand the long history of North America’s grassland. Before they were hunted nearly to extinction in the late 19th century, wild bison grazed an area just the right amount to promote the growth of a complex and robust root system without killing the plants. Domestic cows, if left to their own devices, will eat the grass down to the bare earth, destroying the grassland. To make them more like their ancestors, ranchers must use rotational grazing, moving them from spot to spot to achieve that ideal level of grazing. “Cattle can mimic what historic bison used to do. That’s why we need them,” says Johnson.
4 Ways to Shop for Sustainable Meat
Not every supermarket is stocked with grass-fed, grass-finished and bird-friendly beef—yet. If you can’t find it at your store, there are still ways to purchase sustainable steaks, chops, and burgers wherever you are. Here are some tips to get you started.
1. SHOP ONLINE
Panorama has partnered with online retailer CrowdCow.com and you can find their beef as well as meat from other high-quality sustainable ranchers there.
2. BUY A COW SHARE
In many communities, smaller farmers and ranchers will sell onehalf, one-quarter, or one-eighth of a single animal to you. Check out EatWild.com to find one near you.
3. SHOP AT YOUR FARMERS MARKET
Farmers markets are typically a great place to connect with the kind of farmers and ranchers who are passionate about sustainability and land stewardship.
4. ASK QUESTIONS
When you’re shopping, ask your butcher where the beef comes from and how it was raised. This educates you and lets them know there’s a demand for sustainable beef.
Red-winged blackbird
Without animals grazing, grassland becomes overwhelmed with weeds and invasive plant species. The soil quality is degraded, and animal life, birds and pollinators like bees lose their habitat. Vernal pools dry up and disappear. Without well-managed grassland, some species can even become extinct. “There’s a vernal pool on my ranch that hosts an endangered species called fairy shrimp,” says Wood. “I have a stream that goes through my property that’s one of the major salmon spawning streams in California.”
And then there’s the matter of carbon. It’s true that cows emit carbon into the atmosphere, about 80 tons annually for a ranch of 150 acres, according to the Texas Department of Agriculture. There’s also a certain amount of carbon emissions associated with the farm equipment (32 tons). But well-managed grassland, with its deep root systems, lush vegetation, and rich soil, is actually able to remove 500 tons of carbon from the atmosphere per year, giving it an overall positive effect on the environment rather than a negative one. It should be noted that this only applies to cattle ranches with high standards for land management and environmental stewardship--not conventional factory farms.
Raising beef cattle on pasture this way does take longer: Cows don’t fatten up as quickly without the grains provided by feedlots, and they expend more energy grazing than on a feedlot. It also requires more space. As a result, a rancher practicing this kind of regenerative agriculture cannot produce the same volume of beef on the same acreage as a factory farm. Their beef must therefore be sold at a premium.
The preservation of this land is important to everyone, but
these eco-minded ranchers can only protect the grassland, the birds, and the whole ecosystem it supports if they can earn a living doing it.
That’s where you come in.
A MARKET SOLUTION
The way Kay Cornelius sees it, people are looking for three things when they’re shopping for grass-fed beef. “They want to know it’s organic, they want to know that the animals were treated humanely, and they want to know about the environmental impact,” she says. “With the USDA organic seal and the Step 4 animal welfare standards, we had the first two covered.” But until this new partnership with Audubon, Panorama had no iron-clad way to convey their commitment to the environment in a way easily understood by busy shoppers.
The Grazed on Audubon Certified Bird-friendly Land seal requires third-party certification. Audubon is one of the most trusted names in conservation. This means, in an era of spurious label claims, the Audubon seal stands out as meaningful. According to Johnson, since the first ranches were enrolled in the program in 2016, bird abundance has increased on those grasslands by 36%. This is a good indication that other species, especially bees and other pollinators necessary for the food supply, are flourishing as well.
“Consumers buy grass-fed beef to vote for a change in the environment. Paying a little more for beef is a nudge in the right direction,” says Cornelius. It’s a small price to pay for doing your part to preserve America’s grassland and the birds that call it home.
Darrell Wood and Kay Cornelius of Panorama Organic e
DRINK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN
Brew up a batch of hibiscus tea
words & recipe: Francine Spiering | photography: Jenn Duncan
Crimson red and refreshingly tart, karkade (kar-ka-day) is a popular drink in Egypt steeped from dried calyses of roselle (Hibiscus sadbariffa). Enjoy it chilled on a hot summer day, or hot on a cool night by the campfire. Be sure to bring a bottle on your next hike. Health benefits attributed to hibiscus tea include relief from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It is also believed to be beneficial to the digestive system.
5 cups water
1 cup dried roselle calyces
Ice cubes
Local raw honey
Fresh mint and lemon for garnish
Bring the water to a boil. Add the dried roselle.
Boil for 2–3 minutes.
Remove from heat and let the tea steep for at least 20 minutes. Strain into a pitcher and cool. Sweeten with local raw honey and serve in a tall glass over ice, garnished with fresh mint and a slice of lemon.
