| Dear Local Foodies,
Now's the time to go apple and pumpkin picking, something we love to do each year. Well before we need to carve the jack-o-lanterns, those big orange blasts of color look fantastic as a decoration, either on the porch, front stoop or the table. Apples, of course, taste delicious and crunchy just off the tree, and they make wonderful sauce too. How can you go wrong?
It's also the season to plan for your locally raised turkey for Thanksgiving. Check out this article on heritage turkeys from the current issue of Edible Chesapeake.
 Whether to find a farm raising turkeys this year, or to locate an orchard or pumpkin patch, don't forget to check out these resources: Happy harvesting! |
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Riverdale Community Garden Harvest Festival
 The Master Peace Community Garden in Riverdale Park, MD, will hold its second annual harvest festival on Saturday, Oct. 18. It will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Center for Educational Partnership, next to William Wirt Middle School, at 6200 Sheridan Street in Riverdale, MD. (The rain date is Oct. 19.)
The festival will provide a chance for community members to get to know each other better while observing the work that has been completed on the 10,000-square-foot site. A dedication of the new rain cistern will take place at 12:30 p.m. Free refreshments will be served.
Having received grants for improvements, the garden (which some are starting to call a "farm"), which was just contructed in spring 2007, is taking great strides forward. The farm now includes plots for local families as well as for local youth, all of whom collaborate with volunteers from the University of Maryland. Youth participating in the project sell the majority of their produce at the Riverdale Park Farmers Market on Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, go to http://www.engagedu.umd.edu/programs/cnuf/mpg.) |
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Edible Chesapeake Night at the Letelier Theater 
Join us on October 22 for an evening of multimedia entertainment showcasing our local food bounty. "Edible Chesapeake Night" will let you taste how easy it is to incorporate locally grown and locally made foods into your lifestyle, whether that means elegantly composed appetizers or produce so fresh it needs no adornment at all.
Ingredients for the evening's local tasting menu will come from Atwater's, Chesapeake Gardens, Dragonfly Farms Vinegary, Equinox Restaurant, Gunpowder Bison & Trading, Roseda Beef, Takoma Kitchens, Tarara Winery, West Indian Treasures and Whole Foods Market, among many others. Door prizes and take-homes will include goodies from American Market at National Harbor, Gertrude's at the BMA, Maryland's Best, My Organic Market, The Big Bad Woof, The Heritage Store, Virginia Grown and others.
After a multimedia presentation that introduces the farmers and producers, you'll have a chance to talk to them in person and really experience the connection between your food and its source. The event is part of the Local Food Series at the Letelier Theater, sponsored by the Local Food Project at Airlie. Tickets are only $40 per person and must be purchased in advance. Purchase details are at www.ediblechesapeake.com. |
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Hampton Roads Farm to Feast Week Oct 26-30 Five restaurants in the vanguard of the local food movement in southeastern Virginia will create special menus celebrating a different farm each night during the last week in October. Enjoy three courses for $30 during local harvest nights at the following restaurants:
Oct 26 - Croc's, Virginia Beach, 757-428-5444 Oct 27 - The Boot, Norfolk, 757-627-2668 Oct 28 - Comfort, Portsmouth, 757-393-3322 Oct 29 - Stove, Portsmouth, 757-397-0900 Oct 30 - Vintage Kitchen, Norfolk, 757-625-3370 Contact the restaurants directly to make reservations for this week of seasonal and local eating. |
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Loudoun Buy Local To Launch At Winter Market 
Celebrate Loudoun!, a green and local buying campaign, kicks off in conjunction with the opening of the Leesburg Winter Farmers Market on Saturday, November 1, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Virginia Village Shopping Center, Catoctin Circle. "We hope Loudouners will take the step to invest in their own community and surprise those on their gift list this year with locally made products," said Melissa Piper Nelson, Loudoun County agricultural marketing manager. The county says if each household in Northern Virginia spent $10 a week of their total food bill on fresh local produce and farm-based Virginia products, those purchases would result in more than $48 million in support for Loudoun County's economy and $555 million a year across Northern Virginia. More information is at www.loudounfarms.org. |
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Nov 3 - Emeril Green!'s Local Thanksgiving 
It's a little out of focus, but that's Edible Chesapeake publisher Renee Brooks Catacalos chatting with Emeril Lagasse during the taping of a "very special" Thanksgiving episode of the chef's new show, Emeril Green!
The show will air on Monday, November 3 at 8 p.m. on the cable channel Planet Green. Renee, in her roles both as publisher and as a member of the Clagett Farm CSA, was Emeril's guest for cooking the vegetable courses for a sumptuous, family-style Thanksgiving meal. Emeril also worked with local farmers and producers to prepare a heritage turkey, oyster stuffing, pumpkin soup and roasted pears. The show was filmed on location at the farms, as well as at the Whole Foods Market in Fair Lakes (Fairfax, VA), where all episodes of Emeril Green! come together.
We are working to locate restaurants and public spaces with large screen TVs and cable to arrange a series of viewing gatherings for this totally local Thanksgiving episode. If you have a business that would be a good place for local food fans to gather and watch, please email us and let us know. We'll send out a list closer to the air date, so folks who don't have cable or who just want to share this momentous event with friends can find a location near them to watch. |
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Urban Farmer Wins "Genius" Grant 
Farmer Will Allen of Milwaukee was awarded a $500,000 grant -- commonly called a "genius grant" -- from the John D. and Cartherine T. MacArthur Foundation this month. Despite the fact that Allen is not local to us, we wanted to draw attention to his work, which has national, if not global application. His non-profit organization Growing Power manages urban farming and related educational projects that deliver fresh food as well as skills in business and agricultural to lower-income areas in cities. Providing an outstanding example of how urban farming can work, Allen is part of a growing movement worldwide to grow food within city limits and maximize the potential of parks, sideyards and even rooftops.
Click here to read about Allen on the MacArthur website or go to www.growingpower.org to find out more on his organization. Also, for more on urban ag generally, go to www.cityfarmer.org or www.ruaf.org, the website of the Resource Centers on Urban Agriculture and Food Security. |
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Keep eating local!
Sincerely,
Renee and Kristi
Local Mix
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Do you have the fall issue of Edible Chesapeake magazine? It's out this week, with stories about heritage turkeys, Asian vegetables, growing a winter garden and more!
Edible Chesapeake is the quarterly journal of the local food scene in the Chesapeake Bay watershed - southern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, and eastern Virginia. Click here for advertising information. |
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This issue of Local Mix is sponsored by
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