Surprise - it's us again!
We got knocked a bit off our regular monthly schedule this spring by a variety of the curve balls life throws at you, so we have rustled up this June issue of Local Mix right on the heels of last week's May issue. Our hope is to stay on a schedule of getting the newsletter out early in the month. Some of you may remember that, way back four years ago when we started Local Mix, we were actually sending it out twice a month. Other local food projects, including Edible Chesapeake, began to take up more of our time and we scaled it back. We stopped Edible Chesapeake, but continue to work on other food and agriculture related projects, so we think a once-a-month newsletter still works. We hope you agree!
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BARC's 100th Birthday Party THIS SATURDAY
The 100th anniversary party for the renowned U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, MD is this Saturday. BARC will host a fun-filled and educational field day on Saturday, June 5, from 10 am to 4 pm. Over the years, BARC has been involved in a wide range of environmental improvement projects affecting areas including the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, as well as studies on agriculture, nutrition, and climate change.
The 100th anniversary celebration will not only showcase BARC's projects and history but also offer hay rides, an animal exhibit, farm machinery and hands-on demonstrations. It's located just north of the IKEA at the intersection of Route 95 and the DC Beltway. Stop by to learn more. For details, click here.
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Make Plans for Summer's Local Eating Celebrations
 In our minds, every day of summer is a celebration of local eating, but the departments of agriculture in both Maryland and Virginia encourage local eating through seasonal special events.
In Maryland, July 17-25 is the annual Buy Local Challenge. Originally a project of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Commission (www.somarylandsogood.com), the program proved so popular Governor Martin O'Malley took it statewide in 2008. It kicks off with a cookout organized by the Maryland Department of Agriculture at the Governor's Mansion in Annapolis featuring teams of farmers and chefs from across the state, showcasing their county's local specialties with taste and creativity. (There will be an entry from Prince George's County for the first time this year, thanks to our new Agricultural Marketing Specialist Janna Howley!) For the Challenge, everyone in the state is asked to eat at least one locally grown or produced or fished item every day for that week. In mid-July, with corn and tomatoes and peppers at their peak, melons of all kinds coming in from the Eastern Shore, and a good report for the summer's crab population, how hard can that be?
Amidst scores of summer food festivals, Virginia takes a statewide approach to Farmers' Market Week, August 1-7. Last year, several of Virginia's farmers markets were voted into the top of the American Farmland Trust's Favorite Farmers Market Contest and the state hopes to see its markets with repeat accolades this year. Also look for information about a Virginia Grown photo contest to take place during Farmers' Market Week as well. All the info is at the Virginia Grown web site.
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Cabrito, Chevron: It's All Goat To Me
Jeanne Dietz-Band of Many Rocks Farm is a one-woman crusade to get American eaters to understand the taste and nutritional benefits of eating goat. If you want to know anything about how best to cook and enjoy goat meat, talk to Jeanne at the Silver Spring FRESHFARM Market or the Baltimore Farmers Market. Her website, www.manyrocksfarm.com, has a ton of great information as well.
She scored a great victory for cabrito (also referred to as chevron) at last
Gov. O'Malley enjoys the cabrito slider with Jeanne Dietz-Band (2nd from left) and Alice Orzechowski (2nd from right) and their crews at the Cookoff.
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summer's Maryland Buy Local Cookoff when her Cabrito Sliders topped with goat gouda from Alice Orzechowski's Caprikorn Farms took the top prize. The recipe for the sliders themselves is below, but click here for all the recipes, food sources and wine pairings from the 2009 Cookoff, including the complete entry for Washington County Cabrito Sliders with Goat Gouda and Eggplant Spread on page 36 of the "Maryland Buy Local Cookout Recipe Book" published by the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
Cabrito* Sliders - 6 Servings
1 lb ground chevron (goat)
1 lb goat chorizo
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
½ tsp fresh ground sea salt
¼ cup olive oil
12 slices of goat cheese gouda
12 buns (3 inch split in half, lightly toasted)
3 tbsp butter (optional)
Prepare grill. (Note that goat meat will lose moisture and can toughen quickly due to low fat content if it is exposed to high heat.) Grill 5 to 8 inches from source of heat. Mix meat thoroughly -- handle lightly, as overworking the meat will make it tough. Roll into 12 small balls. Mash down the balled ground meat with a heavy spatula or bacon weight to form patties approximately 3 inches wide and about 3/8-inch thick. Brush patties with olive oil and season with fresh ground salt and pepper or insert thumb print and add ¼ tsp of butter, cover and season with salt and pepper. Cook about two minutes per side. Place cheese on burger for 1 minute to melt. Serve on toasted roll and garnish with eggplant spread.
*Cabrito is meat from young, milk-fed goats between 4 and 8 weeks of age. The meat is tender, juicy, very lean and tasty at this age.
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Two Fabulous Gelato Businesses Using Local Inputs
The DC-Baltimore area is lucky to have two independently owned artisanal gelato companies that source their dairy products and much of their fruit from area farms, and then produce their gelato locally too: Dolcezza and Pitango Gelato. Having tried both, we can say they're definitely worth a stop on one of those steamy summer days or evenings. Both offer gelato with and without dairy, as well as coffee products.
Pitago can be found at five farmers markets, one store in Baltimore's Fell's Point and two shops in DC. At Pitango, flavors include classics like stracciatella (vanilla chocolate chip), nocciola (hazelnut) and local Pennsylvania organic strawberry, as well as wilder flavors like bourbon vanilla, mojito sorbet and local Pennsylvania quince.
Dolcezza also has three stores and sells at six farmers markets, all in the DC area. Flavors are a little more exotic than at Pitango, such as strawberry tarragon, blueberry lemon thyme, and bananas foster. But old favorites like chocolate and strawberries and cream are also on the menu.
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Local Eater Profile: Andy Zabel
Enjoying his Chesapeake blue crabs, Andy Zabel, a research scientist in Baltimore, had this to say about his love of local foods:
"Local foods support the local economy, reduce my carbon footprint, and are tasty. It's a win-win-win!" |
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Film on Silver Spring Farmer in Silverdocs Festival
 This year's Silverdocs documentary film festival, held June 21 to 27 in and around Silver Spring, MD, will include a short film about Silver Spring's own Charlie Koiner, whom Kristi also wrote about previously for "Local Mix." ( Click here to read Krsit's profile.) In the film "Corner Plot," by Andre Dahlman and Ian Cook (2010), "89-year-old Charlie Koiner cares for a one-acre piece of farmland that rests just inside the beltway of urban Washington DC," as noted in the film's description. Sponsored by American Film Institute (AFI) and The Discovery Channel, the festival aims to include "the best documentaries from every corner of the globe."
For more information about the film and its screening, click here. |
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Read local, eat local!
Sincerely,
Renee and Kristi
Local Mix
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FARMERS:
JUNE FIELD DAY AT ONE STRAW FARM
Growing and Marketing Organic Vegetables
June 16, 10 am - 3 pm
for info and registration |
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Two June Events with Urban Ag Guru Will Allen!
An Evening with Will Allen at Busboys and Poets - June 17
Sowing Seeds Here and Now! A Chesapeake Urban Farming Summit - June 18
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Raspberries & Blueberries
on the Way
Having just feasted on local strawberries, we can now get ready for a flood of local raspberries, black raspberries, blueberries, and black berries, which will start becoming available this June. There's nothing like fresh berries to pack a flavor punch and provide all kinds of nutrients and antioxidants. So get foraging!
Find popular spots in Maryland by clicking here or in Virginia here.
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