Flavor Magazine Mar/Apr 2011

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Finally!

cultivating the capital foodshedseasonal | local | sustainable | artisanal

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Cheri & Martin Woodard Fine Country Properties

Cheri and Martin Woodard have a passion for marketing fine country properties in Rap-pahannock County. Buyers and sellers have discovered our talent for finding the perfect match of property and client. Because our outstanding advertising and marketing captures the essence of exceptional properties, we have attracted a wealth of quality buyers. For this reason, many sellers have requested that we handle their properties privately, with no adver-tising. Contact us for a tour of fine country homes, land and other intriguing properties.

WWW.CHERIWOODARD.COM [email protected] 540-987-8500Roy Wheeler Realty Co. Sperryville, VA 22740

mags.com MAR / APR 20114 mags.com 5MAR / APR 2011

28A New Frontier in Locally GrownIt’s a distribution warehouse, marketing department, sales team, community training farm, and center of innovation all rolled into one. How The Local Food Hub is transforming Charlottesville’s local food economy one delivery at a time.JULIE ULRICH

36Backyard AbundanceNew sustainable garden installation companies do the work and you reap the harvest in custom-built home vegetable gardens.NATALIE MESNARD

FEATUrESFind the table of contents for

Terroir, our drinks section,

on page 59.

28

WINE • FOOD • MUSIC • ARTISANS Loudoun Street Mall

Old Town Winchester, Virginia

Friday, April 23, 2010 - 3:00pm to 10:00pmSaturday, April 24, 2010 - 11:00am to 6:00pm

Keepsake Wine Glass and Tastings: $15.00 advance / $20.00 at the gate

2-day Tickets Available$5.00 Wine Garden PassChildren under 12- Free

Virginia Drinking Age: 21 (Proper ID Required)

83rd Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival®

Uncork The Bloom!

United Bank Bloomin’ Wine Fest

For info, tickets, and vendor applications, visit us at

THEBLOOM.COM

CoLUMnS

in EVEry iSSUE

DEPArTMEnTS

THE BUTCHER’S BLOCK

THE BUTCHER’S BLOCK

A M A R K E T B Y R W

1 6 0 0 K i n g S t r e e t , A l e x a n d r i a , V A • 7 0 3 - 8 9 4 - 5 2 5 3 • w w w . b u t c h e r s b l o c k r w . c o m

We are strong supporters of the slow food movement and our shop stocks from local farms such as Martin’s Angus Beef, EcoFriendly Farms, and Chapel Hill Farms.

BUTCHER SHOP • WINE SHOP • GOURMET FOOD SHOP

WOOD-FIRED PIZZA

AND A SIDE OF SUNSHINE We start with the finest Italian Caputo flour in a hand-thrown artisan crust, top it with the freshest local and imported ingredients, then bake it in a wood-fired oven for a uniquely delicious taste. Wood-fired pizzas are just the beginning. You’ll also enjoy a full menu of inspired salads, sandwiches, and entrées. Plus hundreds of draft and bottled craft beers, a couple of cask-conditioned ales, and an extensive list of local and imported wines. From a sun-side table in the great outdoors, there’s a lot to get fired up about at Fire Works!

2350 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA703.527.8700

201 Harrison St., SE, Leesburg, VA703.779-8400

www.FireWorksPizza.com


10 LoCAL GrAZinGS

Happenings on the Foodie Front…and Green Living From locally grown meat delivered to your gym, to planning ahead for pick-your-own berry pie and hand-crafted skin care using local honey, we’ve got the news for you.

18 FLAVor CAFÉ

Staunton GroceryFour years into his Staunton restaurant using the best the Shenandoah Valley offers, chef Ian Boden’s vision is now the industry standard.KIRSTEN PARMER

22 ArTiSAnS & EnTrEPrEnEUrS

Know Thy ButcherBlue Ridge Meats treats animals—and humans—right, and then produces some darn good steak. And chops. And burgers. And chicken. And lamb. And…PAMELA HESS

35 on LoCATion

FredericksburgFrom downtown to the countryside, Fredericksburg is fast becoming a mecca for locavores.JENNIFER PULLINGER

46 FLAVor CAFÉ

Black’s Bar and KitchenBlack’s Bar and Kitchen, one of four acclaimed restaurants owned by Jeff and Barbara Black, was using local ingredients long before it was popular. MELISSA FLYNN

26 rEBEL wiTH A CAUSE

Anthropomorphism on the FarmNewly hatched chicks can forswear food and water for three days, and everything else your dog and cat won’t tell you about being animals. JOEL SALATIN

52SEASonAL TABLE

Stepping into SpringThese seven recipes herald a new season with fresh greens, eggs, and mushrooms.SYLVIE ROWAND

9 From the Editor 57 The Guest List 79 Advertiser Directory & Recipe Index

Left to Right: Row 1: Rosemary Salem, Cuban Oregano, Pineapple Sage Row 2: German Winter Thyme, Silver Thyme, Curry PlantRow 3: Purple Sage, Green Santolina, Italian Oregano

22

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Cover photo by Molly M. Peterson. Herbs grown by Morningside Farm and nursery in Boston, Va.

R E D T RU C KB A K E R Y & M A R K E T

®

22 Waterloo Streetat Courthouse Square in

Old Town Warrenton, Virginia540- 347-2224

Ship nationwide atRedTruckBakery.comOpen Monday —Friday 6:30 am until 5 pm; Saturdays 7:30 am until 4 pm. Closed Sundays.

We ship NATIONWIDE! Visit RedTruckBakery.comWe ship NATIONWIDE! Visit RedTruckBakery.com

Take a short drive in the Virginia Piedmont and find outwhy The New York Times, Esquire and Southern Living

magazines are swooning over the Red Truck Bakery. We usethe freshest LO CAL and seasonal ingredients in our breads,pies, pastries, soups, sandwiches and other items. We’relocally owned, classically trained and not a franchise.Come taste for yourself —we’re just down the road.

HONEST FRESH & LOCAL

RedTruckBakeryFlavorJuly10_NewRedTruckFlavorHoliday09 1/28/11 12:15 PM Page 1

EDITORPamela R. Hess

editor-at-larGeJennifer Conrad Seidel

contriButinG editorSteve Tuttle

proofreaderLaura Merricks

art directorAaron Gill

director of photoGraphyMolly McDonald Peterson

aSSiStant photoGrapherLaura Merricks

art & production ManaGerAnnie Arnest

SUBSCRIPTIONS & ADVERTISINGA one-year, six-issue subscription is $32.

Send subscription and advertising inquiries to

flavor Magazine, inc.P.O. Box 100Sperryville, VA 22740

voice (540) 987-9299fax (540) 518-9190

info@fl avormags.comwww.fl avormags.com

Copyright ©2011 by Flavor Mag-azine, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permis-sion of the publisher is prohib-ited. Flavor is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and photographs.

PUBLISHERMelissa J. Harris

Senior account eXecutiVeErica Gentile-Hussar

account eXecutiVeSMaureen Alexander, Kerry Jo Brooks, Wendy Gray, Stephanie Williams

office ManaGerKim McKiernan

circulation & diStriButionAlex Harris, Christopher Harris

adViSory BoardMatt Benson, Marian Burros, Sherri Fickel, Stephanie Williams, Michel Heitstuman, Kevin Kraditor, Jim Law, Bernie Prince, Maggie Rogers, John Fox Sullivan, Chad Zakaib

Join us on facebook! Find a link at fl avormags.com

issue no. 15

Flavor is an independent, bimonthly publication and is not af� liated with any nation-ally franchised publications.

An old Saturday Night Live skit had Olympic skater Nancy Kerrigan riding in a parade in Boston while Adam Sandler jogged behind

her yelling, “how’d you get that jawb!?”It’s been a little like that for me since taking the editorial reins at

Flavor—every writer I know has asked me the same question, because it’s pretty much a dream to helm a gorgeous magazine with a strong editorial mission that requires you to drink copious amounts of great wine and eat delicious food produced and prepared by people who really know—and care about—what they are doing.

My answer: plain, dumb luck.I met Melissa Kane Harris, Flavor’s founder and publisher, at a farm-to-table dinner at

Ayrshire Farm in Middleburg in 2009. She was wearing a bright yellow vintage Lily Pulitzer dress. I grew up in Palm Beach County so felt an instant kinship. We chatted and she told me about her magazine. Adam Sandler’s voice rang through my head: how do I get that jawb?

When I got into my rented convertible that night to drive back to D.C., Melissa had slipped a pile of the latest issue of the magazine in my car. As it is for so many other readers, it was love at fi rst sight.

Fast forward about a year. After nearly 20 years writing and editing, I’d accepted a job on Capitol Hill. By November it had been eight months and I’d had quite enough of legislative sausage-making. Melissa and Jennifer Conrad Siedel, now our editor-at-large, e-mailed me. Did I know anyone who could be Flavor’s new editor? “Me,” I wrote back. Their response was, happily, swift and straightforward: “OK.”

I thank Melissa nearly every day for the opportunity she gave me—to discover and share with our readers the compelling stories behind the extraordinary people producing the food and wine between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake. When you know about them, it becomes almost impossible not to seek them out.

I defy any reader to fl ip to our back page and tell me they don’t want to go meet Connie Hicks and her pigs at Decca Farm. The good ones, the best ones—like Connie, and Joel Salatin, and Lois and Doug Aylestock and so many others in these pages—want you to visit.

I grew up Catholic, saying grace every night before dinner. With each passing issue of Flavor, I get more and more specifi c in my thanks.

Thank you for reading, please spread the word, and let me know how we’re doing. —Pamela Hess

from the Editor

Melissa J. HarrisPublisher

Pamela HessEditor

Rappahannock County

Sturdy of brick, with classic style and size, replace and comforting family spaces. A porch overlooking pond and antique barn, all upon a 14 acre knoll of magnicent trees and shrubs. $685,000

Splendid mountains surround a home of log and frame on the outskirts of a village fair. A perfect home for generations, with separate kitchens and accommodations for privacy yet togetherness. $495,000

A 15 acre farm of horses and extended family. Sunlit in-law suite walks out below. 5 stalls plus a 3 bay farm garage. Perfect location just minutes from Washington Va. $570,000

A kingdom for horses, with 18 acres fenced for beasts. Windows frame majestic mountains by this contemporary farm home with in-law apartment or stupendous recreation spaces.

$850,000

540-675-1373


local grazings

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local grazings

mags.com 11MAR / APR 2011

FArM-To…FiTnESS CEnTErTwo years ago Alison McConnell Pierce was a hard-charging fi nancial journalist, covering the Treasury Department and Congress by day and attending culinary school at night. She taught cooking, too, and found herself constantly asked for recommendations for sustainable sources of eggs and meat—and fi nally decided she should get into the business of brokering for the farms she promoted so often. the humble Gourmand Buyers club was born last year. The Alexandria, Va.-based service connects small local farmers with customers in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Customers place orders for 100 percent organically raised natural beef, pork, poultry, lamb, bison, elk, eggs, and dairy and their orders are delivered once a week to one of fi ve pick-up locations in D.C., Woodbridge, Arlington, and Alexandria (which all happen to be crossfit gyms, where Alison also teaches fi tness, cooking and nutrition.) Minimum order is $50. The Humble Gourmand will also deliver to homes and offi ces for a $15 fee. Look for products from Beechwood farm in Goochland, Va.; clark farm/Greenway Beef in Burkeville, Va.; hidden Springs farm in Hopewell, Pa.; J-Wen farm in Breezewood, Pa.; lancaster farm fresh cooperative in Lancaster, Pa.; Mt. Vernon farm in Sperryville, Va.; Smith Meadows in Berryville, Va.; and tom tompkins in Peach Bottom, Pa.

the humble Gourmand www.humblegourmand.com

TUrKiSH DELiGHTJust because it’s foreign doesn’t mean it can’t be local too. Dilek Kaygusuz – agricultural engineer, mother, and home cook—began selling her Turkish treats under the banner Borekg two years ago. She uses parsley, mint, peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers from her own garden in the summer, buys her eggs from Stauffers in Leonardtown, Md., and gets the vegetables and meat she doesn’t grow herself from local farmers markets. You can fi nd Dilek’s fare at the farmers market at unity of fairfax church in oakton from 10 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. Get a $1 off coupon for her food—including baklava, savory borek, lentil kofte, and red pepper spread—at her website. Place an order and pick it up at the market, or arrange delivery—free within 10 miles of Falls Church. Farther than that and a fee applies.

Borekg www.borekg.com

GET in MAH BELLy!Remember that 1987 Diane Keaton movie “Babyboom”? yummy tummy Baby Gourmet is like that minus reluctant motherhood, shoulder pads, and Sam Shepard. Erin Ritchey, now 27, wanted to give her baby boy something better than jarred baby food so she started making her own from 100 percent local produce, buying raw fruits and vegetables at Shenandoah Valley orchards and farms and cooking up purees in her Winchester kitchen, then freezing them into one-ounce portions. Now you can get in on it: just defrost what you need—no tossing out half-eaten jars of conventional baby food after a day in the fridge. And

AnD yoU THoUGHT ALL THEy ProDUCED in D.C. wAS HoT Air… Turns out they have honey bees too—and they’ll have more if you agree to share some of your accessible flat roof space. Bees all over the country have succumbed to Colony Collapse Disorder, a mysterious combination of parasites and diseases that resist chemical treatments used by commercial beekeepers. Working with boutique bee growers, dc honeybees is propagating disease-resistant local honey bees (derived from a Purcellville colony) and tending their hives. But the bees need a few more secure locations to call home.

That’s where your roof (and about $200) comes in. for a donation that covers the cost of a basic hive and a starter package of bees, dc honeybees will install, manage and harvest a hive on your flat, accessible roof top, adding additional colonies from splits off your initial donation. And don’t fret about liability: DC Honeybees covers the insurance necessary to be marching around on your roof in netted hats with bees buzzing all over the place.

dc honeybees www.dchoneybees.com/DC_Honeybees_Site/Home.html

ToP CHEF ConTESTAnT oPEninG iTALiAn rESTAUrAnT in D.C.’S CHinATownIn late April look for a new entry in D.C.’s happening Chinatown restaurant scene. top chef contestant and former executive chef of Jose andres’ zaytinya Mike isabella will open an Italian-inspired restaurant with a charcuterie bar and a wood-fi red oven. He will serve seasonal, artisanal pizzas and small plates that recall the food he grew up eating in his grandmother’s New Jersey kitchen. The wine list will feature Virginia labels, including Middleburg’s Boxwood estate Winery owned by the family of the late Jack Kent Cooke. The two-story restaurant will seat 150, with an additional 15 at the bar where prosecco will be served straight from the tap.

Graffi ato restaurant graffi atodc.com

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happeninGSon the Foodie Front

because it’s pure—and fresh—it tastes better than the shelf-stable baby foods we grew up on. She sells Yummy Carrots, Yummy Broccoli, Yummy Peas, Yummy Sweet Potato, Yummy Pumpkin (in season), Yummy Apples, Yummy Bananas, Yummy Peaches, and Yummy Pears. Yummy Tummy is available for sale exclusively at Midas touch health food store in Berryville, Va., but Erin will deliver private orders within a 30-mile drive of Winchester.

Midas touch midastouchhealth.com

yummy tummy Baby Gourmet www.yummytummybabygourmet.webs.com

local grazings

Thank you for supporting local farms!

w w w . T o i g o o r c h a r d s . c o m

750 South Mtn. Estates Rd. • Shippensburg, Pa 1725710

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fresh • all natural

toigo orchards

Celebrate Spring and all that it brings!

Toigo Orchards

Is this your cup of tea?

90.7 FMShenandoah Valley

103.5 FMCharlottesville

Overnight BBCEvening Classical

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90.7Shenandoah Valley

103Charlottesville

Overnight BBCEvening Classical

Weekend Folk

NPR News & NPR

Drink ina world ofnews and issuespeople and culture

wmra.org

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local grazings


wHy, yES, i woULD LiKE To PiCK My own ASPArAGUS (AnD rASPBErriES, BLUEBErriES, PEACHES…) Dan Gregg spent his summers working on his grandparents’ 800-acre family farm in Orange, Va., about an hour south of Washington, D.C. After college and a career in banking, he returned to the family farm and started a tree nursery on 50 acres to try to make the land profi table. Eventually the

family had to sell the massive homestead—but he purchased two farms 10 minutes away and got back to work. One successful landscaping and wholesale nursery business later, Gregg is now turning his 500-acre Grelen nurseryinto a family-friendly destination farm with1,000 raspberry, 6,000 blueberry, and 600 blackberry bushes ready to bear fruit this summer, along with a pick-your-own peach orchard. In 2012 he’ll add apples, Asian pears, cherries, mushrooms, and honey (presumably, that will be collected for you). Best of all, he has planted 1,000 asparagus plants, with 2,000 more slated to go in this year. The fi rst small crop will be available in 2012. (Asparagus takes its time.) It will eventually be a four-season farm

with tulips and peonies available in the spring, and cut-your-own and pre-cut Christmas trees, wreaths, and ornamental berries available during the holiday season. Grelen is already offering master gardening classes, and it will expand its program in the coming years to include an event space for book signings, and rehearsal dinners in its formal gardens. Gregg intends to show the county that farms and open spaces can be profi table…and get some local food into your meals while he’s at it.

Grelen nursery www.grelennursery.com

AnyBoDy wAnT A PEAnUT? When you’re out in Leesburg getting your antiques on, take the chance to stock your pantry with local peanuts, honey, grits, and fruit curds. Duck into the Very Virginia Shop in the downtown historic district. They also sell historic clothing and old-fashioned toys—a handy way to keep the kids distracted in an appropriately antebellum fashion if you happen to be going to a Civil War reenactment.

Very Virginia Shop www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Very-Virginia-

Shop/316359396375?v=info

LACToSE ToLErAnTparalegal and recent university of Virginia grad laura Smith took the summer of 2009 off from a law fi rm to teach in Switzerland, and two things became clear: she hated being a paralegal, and she really, really liked eating yogurt from the surrounding farms. During a stopover in London she stumbled upon a yogurt bar and her fate was sealed. She and her father David – a real estate agent—opened yola in December just south of Dupont Circle in Washington, featuring yogurt from local sources —Blue ridge dairy in Leesburg, VA, and trickling Springs creamery in Chambersburg, PA. a standout is Blue ridge’s Greek-style yogurt, which customers rated in a blind taste test as superior to the familiar fage brand by a vote of 99-1. Customers can build their own yogurt

parfaits with unlimited toppings, including jam from Big riggs farm in West Virginia.

Yola’s coffee and espresso bar featuring counter culture coffee is giving the local Starbucks—there are three within shouting distance—a run for their money. And checking all the green boxes, Yola is powered by solar energy (supplemented with offset credits when the sun isn’t up to the task).

yola (202) 223-0000 www.yoladc.com

307 main streetopen daily 10-6www.rhballard.com540-675-1411

Stay at Fountain Hall and explore historic Culpeper. Walk to superb restaurants and shops. Enjoy golf, cultural sites,

wineries, cycling and more.

www.fountainhall.com 800-29-VISIT [email protected]

Fountain Hall Bed & BreakfastCulpeper, Virginia

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS!Visit website for

and Anniversary Discounts.

Corporate rates available.

Celebrate Spring!Book online to receive a 10% discount. See

website for other specials and packages.

www.fountainhall.com800-29-VISIT

[email protected]

Fountain Hall Bed & BreakfastCulpeper, Virginia

Stay at Fountain Hall and explore historic Culpeper. Walk to superb restaurants and shops. Enjoy golf, cultural sites, wineries,

cycling and more.

ChipChip

Come Visit the SourceThe factory is open to the public, Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm. Call ahead for optimal fry-viewing times.

Route 11 potato ChipsMount Jackson, VA • www.rt11.com • 540-477-9664

The LOCAL

For store locations visit our websitewww.suriny-usa.com

A Simple Step to Better HeAltHOur unique refining process makes this the purest Rice Bran Oil in the market

Helps reduce Bad Cholesterol (LDL) & Triglycerides

Loaded with Natural Antioxidants (Vitamin E, Oryzanol, Phytosterols)

Light Oil, Less absorption and Enhances flavor

All Purpose Cooking Oil (Frying, Baking, Salad Dressings, Grilling)

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green grazings

mags.com 15MAR / APR 2011mags.com MAR / APR 201114

LoCAL BEAUTyYou’re accustomed to seeking out fresh, locally grown and crafted food and beverages to put in your body. zosimos Botanicals, a Gaithersburg, Md., company, offers a way to carry that thoughtful mindset to what you put on your body, too.

Zosimos Botanicals hand crafts cosmetics and skin care products using organic, cruelty—and Paraben-free ingredients. cosmetics are made to order in their 100 percent wind-powered Maryland facility so your makeup will be as fresh—and environmentally friendly—as your food. Most of the line is vegan friendly, too, though some products contain beeswax, silk, and honey—the last of which founder Linda Stein gets from Johnston’s apiary in frederick county, Md. The web page lists all the ingredients. The products are available for purchase on her website, though she is starting to place her line in local stores. They are currently available in Sam Wong Salon in Frederick, Md.

Stein, a former trademark attorney, author, and green activist, started the company in 2004 inspired by her sister, whose immune defi ciency required that a dermatologist make all her cosmetics and personal care products. Stein began mixing her own formulas and selling them wholesale and to private clients. In 2007 she made them available to the public.

zosimos Botanicals www.zosimosbotanicals.com

yoUr own GrEEn ACrES If you don’t get ‘llergic smelling hay, maybe you’d like to live on a farm for six months and learn the farming business? tricycle Gardens has the opportunity for you. It is accepting applications for an 18-month fellowship to live and work on a 550-acre sustainable farm on the western edge of Highland County, Va. Six fellows will be selected for the Route 250 fellowship, during which they will learn—by doing—all aspects of an agricultural operation from the ground up.

fellows will spend six and half months on the farm starting in May, living in rustic cabins among orchards, fi elds, rivers, and sugar maples, and studying ecology, bio-diversity, systems development, leadership, and innovative problem solving. After the growing season, fellows will then join Tricycle Garden’s Richmond operation, the Urban Ecology Lab, or a partner agency for the next year, receiving $1,250 a month. One fellow will head back to the farm to prepare for and lead the second class of fellows.

Tricycle Gardens helps low-income neighborhoods build food gardens in abandoned urban lots. It has four community gardens, three learning gardens, a green house, a half-acre urban farm, and a permaculture installation in partnership with the Science Museum of Virginia.

tricycle Gardens tricyclegardens.org/the-route-250-project

HoEVEEL iS DEZE TULP?!?If 17th Century Dutchmen could travel through time and then somehow this April get themselves to Brightwood, Va.—about 80 miles from DC and 30 from Charlottesville—their collective heads would explode: EcoTulip is holding its Organic Tulip Festival. the family owned business has a 10,000-square foot garden jammed with tulips and you can pick as many as you want for just $1 to $2 a stem; youth groups pick for less. First blooms are expected April 1, and the peak is expected April 9. They planted 60,000 bulbs, with 10,000 of them scheduled to bloom in late April. Bring your own bucket. Your tulips will need a drink on the drive home. Check the website for hours and dates.

ecotulips organic tulip festival (434) 242-6369, www.organictulipfestival.com

D.C. FArM MArKET in SEArCH oF LoCALLy ProDUCED MEAT, CHEESE, DAiry, AnD MUSHrooM VEnDorS Columbia Heights Community Marketplace, a producer-only market, is looking for vendors offering food grown or raised within 150 miles of Washington, D.C. For processed foods, 75% of ingredients must come from within this radius, and the vendor must have a business license and use a certifi ed kitchen to be eligible to sell. The market will be open May - December 2011, from 9am-2pm on Saturdays. Shorter winter hours will be announced. The marketplace is especially interested in grass-fed beef, poultry and goat meat, goat cheese, milk from free-range cows, and mushrooms.

columbia heights community Marketplace www.chfestivus.org

you are what you eat...

• Local and organic meat, dairy, and produce

• Gluten-free foods • Natural vitamins and herbal

remedies • Cruelty-free, natural bodycare

products

Barracks Rd. Shopping Center M-F 9-8, Sat & Sun 10-6 434-977-1965

www.RebeccasNaturalFood.com Find us on Facebook!

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24 Crows • Albemarle CiderWorks • Barboursville Vineyard • Best Cellars • Bethesda Co-op • Better

Thymes • Bittersweet Bakery • Blenheim Vineyards • Blue Ridge Country Store • Blue Ridge Meats •

Broadbranch Market • Butchers Block • Cardinal Point Winery • Chateau Du Reaux • Cheesetique

• Chester Gap Cellars • Copper Fox Distillery • Cowgirl Creamery • Cranberry’s Grocery & Eatery

• Cristina's • Delaplane Cellars • Downtown Wine & Gourmet • DuCard Vineyards • Eden's Natural

Market • Edible Landscaping • Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market • Farm to Family • Feast •

Frenchman's Cellar • Gadino Cellars • George Bowers Grocery • George Washington Hotel • Glen

Manor Vineyards • Greenwood Gourmet • Handworks • Hilltop Winery & Berry Farm • Home Farm

Store • Hume Vineyards • Integral Yoga • Jefferson Vineyards • La Fromagerie • La Taza • Let's Meat

on the Avenue • Lightfoot • Market Salamander • Market Street Wineshop • Marshall IGA • Midas

Touch • Mona Lisa • Mount Vernon Farm • Murphy's Beverage Co. • MOM’s Organic Market • One

Stop News • Organic Butcher • Philip Carter Winery • Politics & Prose • Polyface Farm Store •

Rappahannock Cellars • Rappahannock Co-op • Rebecca’s Natural Food • Red Front Supermarket •

Red Truck Bakery & Market • Red, White & Bleu • Relay Foods • Revolutionary Soup • R.H. Ballard •

Sara Schneidman Gallery • Seasonal Cook • Sharp Rock Vineyards • Sprout • Stonefire Kitchen •

Stonyman Gourmet Farmer • Sugarleaf Vineyards • T&E Meats • Tarara Winery • The Corner Store •

The Locke Store • The Olde Towne Butcher • Town Duck • United Newsstand • Very Virginia • Vino

E Formaggio • For a distribution map and complete list of retailers visit flavormags.com

Pork Pot Roast with Cellared Vegetables


flavor café

2 pounds pork shoulder, boneless½ pound slab bacon, sliced inch ¼ inch x ¼ inch lardons4 cloves peeled garlic1 sprig fresh thyme1 fresh bay leaf1 sprig fresh rosemary2 quarts homemade chicken or pork stock 1 large yellow onion, minced2 large carrots, peeled and cut into a large dice2 medium turnips, peeled and cut into a large dice (remove secondary skin, or they will taste bitter)½ pound whole shallots, root end trimmed½ pound fi ngerling potatoes4 tablespoons butter¼ cup sherry vinegar

To PrEPArE VEGETABLES: Toss whole peeled and trimmed shallots in olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast in 350 F. oven (approximately 10 minutes). Repeat with fi ngerling potatoes (approximately 30 minutes or until tender)

Heat a saute pan till warm. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add turnips and toss lightly.

Pour enough stock to cover vegetables half way. Gently simmer until turnips are tender, approximately 8 minutes. Separately repeat procedure with carrots, simmering approximately 10 minutes.

To PrEPArE PorK: Using a heavy-bottom brasier or Dutch oven slowly render the bacon lardon over medium heat. When crispy remove from the pan, leaving the fat behind. Reserve bacon for garnish.

Season pork shoulder liberally with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Sear pork over medium-high heat in the rendered fat till well-browned on all sides.

Remove pork from pot, reduce the temperature and add minced onion.

Cook onions till translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Deglaze pot with all but 1 tablespoon of vinegar, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to release all of the brown bits.

Place pork back into pot and add herbs. Pour in stock till it comes up half way on the pork. Cover and bring to a light simmer.

Place covered pot in preheated 350 F. oven. Turn pork every half hour until fork tender, about 2 hours.

When pork is done remove from pan and reduce liquid in the pot by half on the stove over medium-high heat. When sauce is reduced, whisk in two tablespoons of butter, then toss with cooked vegetables.

Place the pork on a platter and pour the reduced sauce and vegetables over. Garnish with bacon lardons.

It is the Staunton Grocery’s fourth anniversary and chef/owner Ian Boden is sitting at the wooden bar, the restaurant’s signature brick wall and chalkboard his backdrop. Boden has just

begun to dish about recent changes at the restaurant when his gaze shifts quickly to the front door. In a flurry of scarves, cold winter air, and buoyant laughter, the fi rst dinner guests of the evening, David and Anne Jeffrey, enter the restaurant. The couple greet the chef like an old friend, and rightfully so: they are the very same couple that first walked through his doors four years ago on opening night.

“We noticed the construction downtown and happened to be out for a walk that night. Boden’s mother invited us in,” they recall. Despite the fact that the dishes and pots and pans had not yet been delivered, Ellen Boden promised them they would be up and running that evening.

“We stayed for a drink, mostly just to be nice,” they explain, but after perusing the menu they decided to remain in their seats for dinner. Since that fi rst night, they have become two of Boden’s favorite and most frequent guests.

“It’s only fi tting that we come tonight,” the couple says.

Boden’s concept of a farm-to-table restaurant was a relatively new idea in the Valley when he moved back to the area after working in New York City for 10 years. His love affair with local and seasonal products began at Judson Grill in Manhattan and grew into a passion at the Greenwich Village restaurant Home, where he developed strong relationships with local farmers.

He saw the many similarities between the products available from the Hudson Valley in New York and the farms of the Shenandoah and found it odd that in such an agriculturally rich location, more restaurants weren’t serving local foods.

And so the Staunton Grocery was born, and the vision that Boden brought to the Valley has now become an industry standard.

“You won’t make it in this business if you don’t have some source of local food,” says Boden. “It’s no longer a trend, but an expectation.” That’s not to say it comes easily or without dedication. Boden laments not being able to use ingredients such as avocado and artichoke. He does bring in citrus from warmer climes; Boden tried to grow Meyer lemons himself to no avail. Small sacrifi ces, though.

Many producers grow specifically for him and other area chefs. Dishes highlighting a simple, perfect ingredient are even more central now than they were in the early days at the Staunton Grocery. “We were never overly manipulative with our food, even from

Staunton Grocery

On his fourth anniversary, a pioneer in the Shenandoah Valley farm-to-table movement

pauses to refl ect.

Kirsten ParmerPhotos by Molly McDonald Peterson

Chef Ian Boden is a pioneer in the local farm-to-table movement.


the start, but we continue to scale back and simplify our cooking techniques. Ingredients should speak for themselves,” says Boden.

His latest menu highlights items like roasted sunchokes—tender and golden brown with a sprinkle of sea salt—sautéed bitter greens with garlic and olive oil, and seared trout with sweet and mellow braised fennel and fi ngerling potatoes.

In an attempt to refine what exactly farm-to-table should be, Boden has also tweaked the style of the restaurant as a whole. Gone is the three-hour lavish and expensive meal that put the Staunton Grocery out of most people’s reach. Instead, a more casual approach and lower prices make good local food more accessible to everyone. A special bar menu of mussels, fi sh and chips, charcuterie, and burgers is extremely popular and has some patrons making reservations for a bar seat. The large glass window that once offered a static view into the kitchen has been replaced by a chef’s bar so diners can not only see their food being prepared, but interact with those creating it.

The main menu has a bistro feel to it. It is more extensive than the one conceived four years ago, but it is still tweaked almost daily to reflect what Boden dreams up and what’s available from his impressive list of local farmers and food artisans.

Some of his favorite producers include Harvest Thyme Herbs in Staunton, with whom he sits down before the start of each growing season to dream up what to grow and cook together. Baker’s Farm in Mt. Jackson provides “some damn good” Berkshire pigs, according to Boden, and a wealth of knowledge about farming practices. Rachel

Kirsten Parmer is a freelance writer, designer, and adjunct instructor. Previously, she was the food writer for Eightyone Magazine.

Staunton Grocery105 West Beverley StreetStaunton, VA

www.stauntongrocery.com

(540) 886-6880

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Effi nger in Middlebrook grows heirloom carrots and okra and more than six varieties of garlic. Elk Run Farms in Fort Defi ance supplies much of the more than 100 pounds of potatoes used each week to make hand-cut fries.

“Four years in is a great place to be, especially in this economy,” says Boden. He credits some of the Grocery’s success to consistency. He’s been in the kitchen since it opened and diners have come to know and respect both his food and his zeal.

Tonight’s anniversary is being celebrated with a very Southern tasting menu including ham salad with a sunny-side-up egg and salsa verde (aptly labeled “green eggs and ham”); fried rabbit over pimen-to cheese grits with giblet gravy; Berkshire pork and dumplings with winter root vegetables; and lemon icebox tart with crème fraiche ice cream—demonstrating once again that simple, fresh, and local can also mean delicious, amazing, and inspired.

Diners can watch the chefs at the open bar.

Seasonal menu using products from local and sustainable farms.

Featuring Polyface, BackField Farms & Planet Earth Diversified.

Creative, contemporary cuisine with service that is polished, knowledgeable, and friendly.

412 South Main StreetHarrisonburg, Virginia 22801

(540) 434-4464www.joshuawilton.com

Doug and Lois Aylestock on their 20-acre farm.

Every Friday Doug fills the case for

“Fresh Friday,” with hand-cut meats

from nearby farms.

Cotton the sheep “will never leave this house,” vows Lois.


o understand what makes Blue Ridge Meats special, start at the end of an animal’s life.

This animal, a small black heifer, backs into the only chute in the kill room. Her rump is where her head needs to be, so a Blue Ridge animal handler alights on the railing and clucks his tongue, gently urging her to turn. She circles obediently and places her head in the collar. It locks in place. Another handler smoothly presses a .22 bolt gun to her forehead and pulls the trigger.

There is a pop. Her body sags against the railing; she is instantly brain dead, although her heart beats a short while longer. Her eyeball is touched to confirm unresponsiveness.

The journey from straw-lined pen to death takes just seconds. It is marked by quiet respect – for the humans who carry out this bloody

Respect for animals, workers, guides Blue Ridge Meats

The Benevolent Butcher

work, for the customers who entrust them with their animals, and for the beasts themselves. Many walk into the slaughterhouse with names, straddling the line between pet and product.

Americans eat almost 200 pounds of meat per person every year. Most will never see an animal slaughtered. If they do, it will probably not be a kill like this one.

A nearby commercial slaughterhouse is capable of dispatching 1,900 head of cattle every day. The USDA’s humane guidelines allow them to use electric prods to force animals into kill tunnels where an electric shock or carbon dioxide gas is administered to render a state of “surgical anesthesia” en masse, before they are bled and butchered.

It is a grim process, and the hidden cost of eating meat.But there is nothing hidden at Blue Ridge Meats.

TPamela Hess

Photos by Molly McDonald Peterson

artisans & entrepreneurs

Every Friday Doug fills the case for

“Fresh Friday,” with hand-cut meats

from nearby farms.

Doug and Lois Aylestock on their 20-acre farm.

Cotton the sheep “will never leave this house,” vows Lois.


“We treat the animals with dignity,” says Doug Aylestock, who with his wife Lois opened the operation in 2006.

The butcher’s processing room is completely on view to passersby behind a plate-glass window; white-coated men expertly cut sides of beef into steaks and chops and roasts for some of the fi nest restaurants in D.C.

Customers and clients are welcomed into the kill room if they want to be there; Blue Ridge is proud of its work and the standards it adheres to, which exceed the USDA’s humane guidelines.

Blue Ridge processes a maximum of 20 animals a day.“I’ve been in other slaughter plants,” says Doug. “We’re not about

numbers.” Lois, a former cosmetics executive, won’t go on the fl oor during the

moment of a kill, though she is in and out of the room at other times. “I am the biggest hypocrite you’ll meet,” she says, acknowledging

the irony of a slaughterhouse owner who can’t bear witness to the death of an animal.

The kill is entrusted to Ryan Davidson, 20. He has worked at Blue Ridge Meats for eight months. He admits to it being “a little diffi cult” because he loves animals.

Some family and friends have given him a hard time for his work.“But it has to be done,” he says.He’s proud of what Blue Ridge Meats stands for.Those who criticize him “don’t know how their meat is raised, how

it’s handled, if it’s mistreated.”“I try to explain it to them, that at least if they bought it here, they

would know.”Ryan did not start on the kill fl oor. He was an animal handler,

tending the beasts in the clean outdoor pens where they are held for no more than 24 hours and often much less. Doug liked the compassion Ryan showed the animals and asked if he would take care of their fi nal moments.

“We’re lucky to have him,” says Lois. “It takes a really special person to do this job.”

“I’m lucky to be here,” Ryan says.Out of respect for each animal and the workers, the slick fl oor is

cleaned between kills.“I don’t like my boys walking around in it,” says Doug, the esteem

and affection he holds for his employees evident.A clean room reduces stress not just on the employees but on the

animals. It’s not just kind; heightened stress causes the animal to release cortisol and that affects the taste of the meat.

Blue Ridge Meats is a Certifi ed Humane retailer of locally raised hormone– and antibiotic-free beef, chicken, lamb, and fresh pork. Ham and bacon are smoked on site, and Doug hand makes more than 10 kinds of sausage.

Sides of beef are dry aged from two weeks up to 52 days, depending on the client’s wishes. Dry aging naturally tenderizes the meat, and it is an art; Doug watches the process closely because every side of

Blue ridge Meats2391 Guard Hill Road, Middletown, VA 22645

540-636-6050

www.blueridgemeats.com

Pamela Hess is the editor of Flavor.

beef responds to aging differently.Blue Ridge opens its doors every Friday—known

as “Fresh Friday”—to sell local-only products from farmers with whom Doug and Lois have strong relationships.

The ethics that guide the company emanate from Doug, a hunter since childhood.

“I’ve always had huge respect for animals. Animals are put here for a reason. Deer, bison, elk, sheep—they were put here to consume. But I’m a hunter, a conservationist. That’s what got us into humane slaughtering,” explains Doug.

Formerly the front man for a rock band and a demolitions expert, he has been cleaning and butchering deer for other hunters since 1983. He also apprenticed at Tyson’s Locker Plant in Tysons Corner, Va., learning his skills from master butchers.

Lois was originally a city girl from Annapolis.“I thought it was horrible to kill. I didn’t eat a lot of meat,” she says

of life before Doug. “My life went a totally different path.”In 1992 she began helping Doug market his Sterling, Va., deer processing

business; they were ultimately handling 1,500 deer annually. Life took another turn in 1997 when she and Doug bought 20 acres in

Berryville, Va., and Doug brought home three sheep as a gift, intending them as show animals. Sheep being sheep, their fl ock quickly grew.

They got one of their lambs processed, but Doug was unhappy with the quality of the butchering. He could do better. Blue Ridge Meats of Front Royal opened its doors in 2006.

“Today, we offer the best possible food from the best possible farms,” says Lois.

That includes their own, but Lois has put her foot down on at least three of her fl ock.

Mindy, Marlene, and Cotton will never leave her land.

General Manager Tommy Albright’s

grandfather originally owned the slaughterhouse; he

has worked on the kill fl oor for 20 years and

now oversees it.

The kill is entrusted to ryan Davidson, 20.

artisans & entrepreneurs

“It takes a really special person to do

this job.”

This is not a crowd; it’s a herd. Cows like it.

Never have so many people in a civilization

been able to be this far removed from their food

umbilical.

mags.com MAR/APR 201126 mags.com 27MAR/APR 2011

rebel with a cause

Anthropomorphism Against Farms

brought it up with Disney.I’m reminded of the lady who called

animal control about a friend’s work horses on a cold wintry day. The allegation: “They look cold.” Interestingly, the accusing neighbor had a duck pond, and that very morning her ducks were swimming on the pond—at five degrees! Animals have an amazing capacity to put on thicker coats of fur, hair, or wool for winter, then shed it off in the summer.

Some people sign petitions to criminalize shipping chicks in the mail. The reasoning goes like this: “I need food and water daily. These chicks spend up to three days in the mail. Therefore the chicks are being abused.”

Can you abide me some farm wisdom? A hen can’t lay more than one egg a day. A clutch is normally seven to ten eggs—that’s about all a hen can keep warm under her body at one time. It takes several days for her to lay that many eggs. She lays one the first day and goes to eat and put on extra weight. She lays egg two the second day, and goes and eats and puts on more fat. When she leaves the nest to eat, the eggs cool off and that retards the embryos’ development.

This ea rly forced developmental slowdown, caused by the hen gorging herself to gain weight for the multiday setting period, brings the first and last eggs laid to similar levels of embryonic development. With her clutch complete, the hen begins setting, losing weight, and almost never leaving the nest. Finally the first egg hatches.

If that first hatchling ventured out to get feed and water, the hen would be forced to choose between protecting the adventurous chick or continuing to set on the almost-hatched, critical-temperature dependent embryos still in their eggs. God designed the chicks, therefore, to go without feed and water for three days to let the siblings

hatch. Once all of them have hatched, the hen takes them to feed and water. Once the chicks have tasted their first feed and water, they need it several times a day. But this is nature’s protective plan for species propagation. Is that cool, or what?

Joel Salatin

After spending several days with Bath County animal control officers dealing with allegations of animal

abuse, I think it’s time to address the result of increasing societal ignorance about livestock. More and more, we farmers find ourselves explaining unbelievably elementary principles to people who cast anthropomorphism onto our farms.

At Polyface farm, the problem stemmed from a call to animal control officers because our herd of cows was clumped together in a tight group. The reasoning went like this: “I don’t like crowds, and that looks like a crowd. Therefore, it is abuse.”

Let me explain something about cows. They are herbivores. Herbivores are herding animals. They like crowds. Quit calling animal control.

Of course, our farm is singled out because we practice mob stocking herbivorous solar conversion lignified carbon sequestration fertilization—also known as biomimicry to naturalists who study bison, Cape buffalo, and wildebeests. The mobbing together is a primal instinct for survival against predators.

Unfortunately, most cows in America are not handled in a biomimicry model, but are spread out and actually damaging the pastures on which they graze. Along comes our farm with something that looks like what a herd of three million bison may have looked like on primordial North American plains, and we’re suddenly spending days with animal control officers and government veterinarians. By the way, all of these officials have given us an A-plus.

The high-ranking internationally acclaimed vet quipped as she left the farm:

“You don’t have an animal problem; you have a people problem.” Which is why I wanted to bring it up in a medium that people read. If it were an animal problem, I would have

or accident. But at least give the farmer the same courtesy and benefit of the doubt you’d want for yourself.

Beyond that, go visit a farm. And by the way, if a farmer won’t let you come and visit, you probably shouldn’t buy food from that farm. Integrity can only be hung on a framework of transparency. Now go feed some strawberries to your cat.

Lesson du jour: chicks are not humans. And in case you missed it, I didn’t mentioned how hens nurse their chicks. You see, a hen has six nipples tucked under her wings…

Today’s level of farming ignorance is unprecedented in history—including all time and all cultures. Never have so many people in a civilization been able to be this far removed from their food umbilical. I think it actually brings into question the sustainability of a civilization that has twice as many people incarcerated in prisons as it has people farming. But that’s another question for another day.

When the only connections people have to the living world is a pet dog or cat, it

skews their view toward animals in general. The fact that Americans spend more on pet veterinary care than the entire continent of Africa spends on human medical care should give us all pause.

Sometimes, on the farm, animals die. In that respect, animals are like humans. They don’t live forever. And sometimes farmers make mistakes, or have accidents occur that create a temporary, difficult situation. But I beg my non-farm readers: if you see something that doesn’t look right, be neighborly. Go over and talk to the farmer. You may find out you are ignorant. You may have seen something he missed and he’ll thank you for bringing it to his attention. And you may have seen a mistake

Internationally acclaimed farmer, conference speaker, and author Joel Salatin and his family operate Polyface Farms in Augusta County near Staunton, Virginia, producing and direct-marketing “salad bar” beef, “pigaerator” pork, and pastured poultry. He is also co-owner of T&E Meats in Harrisonburg.

Never have so many people in a civilization

been able to be this far removed from their food

umbilical.

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This is not a crowd; it’s a herd. Cows like it.


How the Local Food Hub is changing the food landscape of Charlottesville Julie UlrichPhotos by Laura Merricks


“As much as I enjoy working directly with each farm, it is time consuming,” says Judy Berger, the Nutrition Manager for JABA, a non-profit that serves 3,800 meals a week to area senior citizens. “The hub has simplified this process a great deal. Since they started, their produce selection has expanded and they have worked hard over the past year to understand our client’s meal preferences and assist us with more efficient purchasing.” And to her relief as a purchaser on a tight budget, “pricing is extremely reasonable.”

JABA’s experience is reiterated by other institutional buyers. “There are very strict guidelines that I must follow as to whom I may purchase from,” says Dale Haskins, the University of Virginia’s Medical Center’s Purchasing Manager for Nutrition Services, “which is why the Food Hub plays a valuable role for the job I do. They provide a central depot for local farmers wishing to sell to larger customers, which make it much easier to incorporate local food into our menus.” Indeed, one of the primary

surplus in a crop, others as a main method of marketing what they grow.” The prod-ucts the farmers bring range from fruits and vegetables to eggs, honey, and ground beef. Forty-five farms, all within 60 miles of Charlottesville, are now selling to the Food Hub. Most already report a 10% in-crease in sales to area restaurants, grocery stores, schools, and large institutions.

Bridging the gap Between LocaL grower and industry standardsConnecting buyers and sellers is no small feat. While it might seem logical for schools and hospitals located in a region ripe with fertile farmland to purchase food locally, the reality is that before the Food Hub was created it was virtually impossible. Imagine trying to find enough lettuce to feed hundreds of salad-eaters several times a day, every day of the week, for nine months of the year. Even if it could be sourced, driving out to multiple farms to pick up mass orders would just not be logistically feasible.

m o d e s t 3 , 8 0 0 - s q u a r e - f o o t warehouse in a business park outside of Charlottesvil le, Virginia, is quietly transforming the local food business.The nondescript building may seem at odds with the pictur-

esque farmers markets and community supported agriculture programs commonly associated with the local food movement. But what it lacks in charm, it makes up for in effect.

The non-profit Local Food Hub is a breakthrough in distribution, giving small farms a way to channel their produce and meats into new markets by combining their crops and connecting them with larger purchasers. It offers them a way to move beyond small—and time-consum-ing—direct sales.

One of several such operations starting around the country, the Food Hub accepts products from “gardens out of control to seventh-generation orchards,” says co-founder Kate Collier, the owner of Feast gourmet market. “Some use it to offload a

reasons for founding the Local Food Hub was to develop a local food supply chain compatible with the standards of a corporation like Aramark or SYSCO.

Large-scale operations require not just a high volume of food; they have expensive insurance requirements that small farmers just can’t meet—roughly $3 million per farm. The Hub covers that liability.

proactive pLanning (and pLanting)Collier learned through her work at Feast that farm operators and food service managers were not speaking the same language, and that growers were doing what all businesses do—competing directly against each other. To resolve this no-win game, the LocalFood Hub brings farmers together to coordinate planting schedules so that everyone’s tomatoes won’t be harvested in the same week. They also divide up markets so farmers can be assured of sales, and that in turn guarantees clients a dependable source of

produce rather than relying on a farmer here, a farmer there.

Brookville Restaurant chef-owner Harrison Keevil in Charlottesville buys 90% of his produce from the Local Food Hub, shaving hours off his food sourcing and getting “unbelievably fresh ingredients.” Produce is picked immediately before transport to the warehouse and is delivered within 24 hours to clients.

reaL and tangiBLe impactsIn their decades of farming, Whitney and Rosemary Critzer have taken all the usual routes to selling the produce from their fifth-generation Nelson County farm. They have sold directly to consumers at farmers markets and to small grocers, and opened their farm to pick-your-own customers. But the Critzers had no easy way to sell to a potentially huge market right in their own backyard: hospitals and universities. The Food Hub provided a “good opportunity to open up a market that was not available

ALuke Kidwell, Lisa reeder, Kate Collier, Abe Schenck

Farmers selling through the Food Hub see an average 10 percent increase in sales to restaurants, groceries, schools and large institutions.

Lettuce and other produce are pooled from multiple farms to sell in bulk to large institutions.

An industrial warehouse and van are the unlikely allies to Charlottesville-area farms.


much more than distriButionIf there is a revival ahead for local farm-ing, the Charlottesville area is well-posi-tioned to take part thanks to the Food Hub’s holistic approach. Not only is it providing economic entry to markets for local farmers today, it is also developing the next generation of growers.

Educational programs include hands-on workshops, apprenticeships, and

to us otherwise,” explains Whitney Critzer of Critzer Family Farm. “And as a result, we have expanded the growth of our crops considerably and hired more folks due to increased demand.”

The Food Hub’s triumphs have even exceeded Collier’s own hopes. “We aimed to purchase $195,000 in local produce from our farmers this year,” she says. “But we ended up being able to purchase more than $310,000. I fi nd this extremely encouraging.”

More numbers: a recent annual survey indicates that 100% of participating farmers will continue to sell their food through the Hub next year, and 83% found the wholesale prices good-to-excellent. This signals to Collier that “people now see it as part of their farm business plan.” To add to its list of achievements, the Hub has also donated more than 75,000 pounds of local produce to area food banks, kitchens, and homeless shelters, increasing access to fresh food for all of Charlottesville’s residents.

internships which provide opportunities to “experience farming fi rst-hand,” says Outreach and Communications Manager Emily Manley, and to “train and inspire new farmers.” She explains that the community-supported Educational Farm at Maple Hill in Scottsville is a key piece to their three-year strategic working plan.

Rocker Dave Matthews donated use of the farm to the Food Hub in March 2009. Local landowners with a longtime vision for a thriving community farm, the Matthews family felt that their mission overlapped well with the Food Hub, said Manley. Developed as a learning center, the Farm at Maple Hill teaches farming skills and organic growing methods to established and new farmers as well as local residents. Six acres are currently under cultivation on the 75-acre farm and a 3,000-square foot greenhouse offers much needed space for local farmers to grow seedlings. One quarter of all produce grown at Maple Hill is donated to food banks and soup kitchens.

The Food Hub’s

triumphs have

even exceeded

Collier’s own

hopes.

Farmers selling through the Food Hub see an average 10 percent increase in sales to restaurants, groceries, schools and large institutions.

Lettuce and other produce are pooled from multiple farms to sell in bulk to large institutions.

An industrial warehouse and van are the unlikely allies to Charlottesville-area farms.


The Local Food Hub(434) 286-2176

www.localfoodhub.org

University of Virginia Medical Services(434) 924-2449

www.virginia.edu

JABA(434) 817-5234

www.jabacares.org

Critz er Family Farm(540) 456-4772

www.critzerfamilyfarm.com

Brookville restaurant(434) 202-2791

www.brookvillerestaurant.blogspot.com

a modeL For othersThe Local Food Hub’s mission is to create an economically strong and secure regional food supply. That means continuing to weave local farms back into the entire marketplace, from farmers markets, CSAs and restaurants, to groceries, schools and hospitals. Spreading the mission—and the wealth—is next.

“By 2012, we will have three solid years under our belt and real data to help us successfully create a replicable model for other communities,” said Manley.

rocker Dave Matthews donated use of the Educational Farm at Maple Hill in Scottsville to the Food Hub in March 2009.


F r e d e r i c k s b u r g

With Civil War sesquicentennial commemorations cropping up across Virginia this year, there’s no better time for a weekend getaway to Fredericksburg. Most know

of the city’s historic role in “The Late Unpleasantness.” What you may not know is how well Fredericksburg deserves its reputation as a hotspot for locavores. Indeed, one of the city’s historic-district jewels has earned a rare distinction: Epicurious.com recently named Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen on Charles Street one of “The Top 10 Farm-to-Table Restaurants” in the U.S.

If Poppy Hill is packed the day you’re visiting, simply head down the street to another favorite, La Petite Auberge on William Street, known for its French and regional fare comprised of seasonal, locally grown produce. For some post-meal rest and relaxation, and for the full Fredericksburg area experience, check in at La Vista Plantation, a bed and breakfast located near the sites of some of the Civil War’s most famous battles. In the morning, innkeepers serve guests a hearty breakfast that includes fresh eggs from hens that freely roam the property.

Start day two at Hartwood Winery, a short 10-mile ride from Fredericksburg. Make sure you sample the Rappahannock Red, which the vintner has been producing for 35 years. For more home-brewed beverages, duck into Lee’s Retreat at the Blue & Gray Brewing Co., where you can find beer brewed on site, Virginia wines, and weekly food specials often made with fresh ingredients from nearby farmers.

Before your Fredericksburg jaunt wraps up, pop into Bistro Bethem on William Street. Its menu features a range of locally sourced ingredients, including eggs, greens, vegetables, and herbs. Bistro Bethem diners can also enjoy rabbit, pork, and turkey from local farms.

If it’s seafood you prefer, get some Chesapeake Bay crabs to steam at home at B&G Seafood Market off Route 3. You can also stock your pantry at Miller Farms Market in Locust Grove. It’s worth the side trip through the countryside to load up on wildflower, tulip poplar, and Dutch clover honeys; Highland County maple syrup; lamb from Retreat Farms in Rapidan; and grass-fed bison from Brookneale. In April, Miller will offer a freshly picked mesclun mix, and with the kick-off of the growing season in May, strawberries—the ideal way to savor your sojourn through the historic Fredericksburg region.

Jennifer Pullinger

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Don’t go to Fredericksburg just for the history; go to find out what makes its local food scene one of the most buzz-worthy in Virginia.

City Known for Civil War Past Reinvents Itself as a Destination for Locavores

travel

Jennifer Pullinger, a freelance writer in Richmond, Virginia, has been following food culture since 2001, when she worked with Rachael Ray to secure her first appearance on NBC’s “Today Show” and her first meeting with The Food Network.

poppy hill tuscan Kitchen1000 Charles Street

(540) 373-2035 www.ciaopoppyhill.com

la petite auberge311 William Street

(540) 371-2727 www.lapetiteaubergefredericksburg.com

la Vista plantation Bed & Breakfast4420 Guinea Station Road

(540) 898-8444www.lavistaplantation.com

Bistro Bethem309 William Street

(540) 371-9999 www.bistrobethem.com

hartwood Winery345 Hartwood Road

(540) 752-4893www.hartwoodwinery.com

B & G Seafood Market4901 Plank Road(540) 548-3474

www.bandgseafood.com

Blue & Gray Brewing co.3300 Dill Smith Drive

(540) 538-2379www.blueandgraybrewingco.com

Miller farms Market12101 Orange Plank Road

Locust Grove, VA (540) 972-2680

www.millerfarmsmarket.com

La Vista Plantation Bed & BreakfastMiller Farms Market Bistro Bethem

Lewis’s backyard farm and orchard in Sperryville, VA


natalie Mesnard

Backyard AbundanceGarden installation companies transform

Virginia backyards into sustainable ecosystems

Is your backyard begging to be transformed? New companies

all over Virginia want to turn your sunny space into a beautiful and functional vegetable garden, starting you and your family on the path to fresh, home-grown produce and a thriving relationship with the land. They provide vegetable garden consultation and installation and maintenance services for those with the interest but perhaps not the time or knowledge to start gardens of their own. These businesses turn your backyard into a minifarm, maximizing vegetable production and encouraging the development of a sustainable ecosystem. Here, meet the pioneers of sustainable garden installation: energetic, progressive, inspired individuals who believe transforming backyards is the fi rst step in transforming lives.

He has lived in Flavor’s hometown of Sperryville for all of his 67 years, tending a large farm patch nearly every day of that.

Mr. Lewis works his 150 by 50 foot garden every day from late February to late November, canning and freezing as he goes and stepping into the grocery store for not much more than meat. He’s known to show up at friends’ homes with his extra fruit and veggies—and there can be a lot of it. The garden was designed to feed his parents and 10 brothers and sisters, all but one of whom were born in the old school house that still stands on the property.

He’ll start planting peas, potatoes, carrots, onions, and greens—mustard, collard, turnip, and kale—on Feb. 20 if the ground is dry enough. Then come beets, broccoli, caulifl ower, Brussels sprouts, sweet corn and Silver queen, red peppers, orange peppers, green beans, lima beans, tomatoes, cantaloupes, watermelon, and cucumbers. And that’s just in the garden. He has an orchard and grows peaches, cherries, apples, pears, plums and walnuts.

He mulches in the winter with tree and bush trimmings, plants and plows under cover crops to feed the soil, and while the weather is still frigid he scoops up a neighboring cow’s manure with a pitchfork for spreading in his garden. But he’s not above a little 10-10-10 fertilizer, either.

His advice: plant in full sun—no shade. Plant what you like to eat, because tending a garden this size is a full-time job, so there needs to be a delicious payoff. And if you’re having trouble with birds, hang some broken motor belts on the fence. They look like snakes and the birds will eschew your patch for one less threatening. –Pamela Hess

Thomas Lewis, extreme home gardener

Mr. Lewis’ early carrots graced Flavor’s debut cover in 2008.

Lewis’s backyard farm and orchard in Sperryville, VA

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HOME GARDENERS DON’T COME ANY MORE SKILLED THAN THOMAS LEWIS.

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The Grow Company offers not just gardens but complete landscape designs.

“We’re helping people plan, design, and start their own custom-fit version of a sustainable garden.” – Sean Sheppard, Backyard Farmer

“We didn’t want to leave out people who needed our services but couldn’t afford them.” – Sam Pierceall, C’ville Foodscapes

THE Grow CoMPAnyThe Grow Company can do just about anything with your backyard, from organic fruit and vegetable gardens to greenhouses, chicken coops, rain barrels, and even beekeeping boxes. “Communities are moving in a direction where ideas of sustainability and ‘locally grown’ are more than just romantic concepts,” says Cabell Cox, who started the business in 2009 with partner Hunter McPadden. The Grow Company serves customers all over Central Virginia. “We came close to having more work than we could handle this past year,” says Cox, “but a busy year is a good year and we had a lot of happy clients.” Because several members of the group have backgrounds in landscape architecture and construction, the Grow Company also provides holistic landscape design. “We are more than just an organic gardening company,” says Cox.

C’ViLLE FooDSCAPES“We wanted to create excitement about growing your own food,” says Sam Pierceall, one of the four founders of the collectively owned and operated C’ville Foodscapes, which provides consultation, installation, and garden maintenance. In future years, the group hopes to run a CSA supplied by excess produce from a network of backyard gardens. In partnership with Charlottesville’s Quality Community Council (QCC) and supported by donations, C’ville Foodscapes also installs free gardens for low-income individuals and families. “We didn’t want to leave out people who needed our services but couldn’t afford them,” says Pierceall. Living the eco-friendly tenet it preaches, the crew bicycles to job sites in the city.

“Communities are moving in a direction where ideas of sustainability and ‘locally grown’ are more than just romantic concepts.” – Cabell Cox, The Grow Company

BACKyArD FArMErSean Sheppard and partner Tim Adkins have been changing the landscape of Richmond for the past two years through Backyard Farmer, installing residential and commercial farms, gardens, orchards, greenhouses, and compost facilities. Backyard Farmer acquired two major clients last year: the University of Richmond, which hired them to install a robust composting operation, and Whole Foods, for which it is developing and maintaining a farm on 37,000 square feet. “Everyone wants to do the same thing,” says Sheppard, “to use their land a little bit more fully.” Backyard Farmer also offers courses on at-home sustainable agriculture, hoping to encourage the Richmond community to take food growing into its own hands.

“They don’t hurt as much as the ceramic.”

Imagine an Urban Garden

Shortly after selling my farm and moving to the big city, I lamented to my then prospective girlfriend that spring just wouldn’t be the same without newborn lambs to tend, tractors to fix, or vegetables to plant. Seeing me eye her deck railing and assuming I was calculating the distance to the ground, she distracted me by asking if I could help her plant an edible landscape on her terrace, reminiscent of the gardens from her native Italy. A row-crop farmer, I was skeptical that anything could grow in Dupont Circle. I could not have been more mistaken.

Dating back to the hanging gardens of Babylon in 604 B.C., a successful container garden can be managed by the blackest of thumbs provided a few simple rules are followed.

Container choice is limited only by your creativity, whether buying an ornate pot from a garden center or a coffee can rescued from the recycling bin at work. But your selection must support the weight of wet soil, have adequate drainage, and be large enough to allow the chosen plant to grow and thrive. Radishes and lettuces can be grown in shallow containers with six inches of soil, while peppers and tomatoes should be grown in five-gallon pots. Potting soil can be purchased from your local garden center. Check the bag; some contain the nutritional requirements for vegetables during the entire growing season.

Watering, an absolutely essential task for a flourishing container garden, is the bane of busy people. Consider a water bulb to guard against a forgetful drought.

Plant what you find tasty or visually pleasing. Either seed it directly in the pot, or (easier) plant a seedling. Choose a smaller, stouter seedling rather than one that is large and leggy.

Finally, your containers need at the very least five hours of direct sunlight daily. Though leafy greens can tolerate some shade, fruiting vegetables and root crops need strong light to flourish. Potted plants that need a lot of light can be moved to follow the sun as the season progresses.

My friend and I used these techniques faithfully. We planted with abandon, joyful at introducing new life to the concrete jungle. Grand dinner parties were planned around the cornucopia harvested from our labor. I watched as tomatoes (in proper five-gallon buckets) set. Basil erupted from a hand-painted coffee can. Delicate tendrils of cucumber vines crept up lattice. I dreamed of basil pesto, fresh marinara, and a caprese with fresh mozzarella from the Dupont Circle farmers market, salivating every time I

tended our urban minifarm, knowing that my sweat would eventually pay off.Lo, much like Adam, I was cast from my own Garden of Eating before I had a chance to

savor any of those tomatoes—though a few were thrown at me. The lessons learned were huge. Container growing is an easy way to get your feet wet. No matter how uninspiring your garden space, you can establish an intimate connection with the food you eat. And finally, always buy plastic pots: they don’t hurt as much as the ceramic.

Michael Clune


United States of Food gardens are already growing when they are installed.

UniTED STATES oF FooDUnited States of Food, true to its name, hopes to expand out from its Virginia home and stretch across the country, offering easy garden installation and other garden supplies to anyone with an interest in growing produce at home. Based out of Lanexa, this company focuses on pre-built raised-bed gardens, available for purchase on the company’s website, unitedstatesoffood.com. “The garden arrives complete and growing,” says Shane Emmett, one of United States of Food’s two founding members. Customers in Virginia can order online and expect a crew to arrive soon after to assemble and plant the chosen garden. People from other regions can order shippable garden accessories, such as a portable poultry mansion, a wooden cold frame, and soon, an indoor aquaponics unit. The company will be expanding into the greater D.C. area in partnership with the online local produce club, Arganica. “I think this year is going to be the year that everyone gets into gardening,” says Emmett.

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Blue ridge Backyard Harvest can help not just with gardens but backyard chickens too.

BLUE riDGE BACKyArD HArVEST Expertise in chicken keeping is one of many services provided by Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest. One of its two founders, Guinevere Higgins, started CLUCK—the Charlottesville League of Urban Chicken Keepers. Higgins emphasizes the importance of small livestock in the cycle of soil nutrients. “Chickens are the missing link,” she says. “They’re important in developing a resilient system.” Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest also offers consultation, installation, and maintenance of vegetable gardens, raised-bed construction, pest control, and mushroom cultivation and rain barrels. “Rainwater harvest is something we really stress to our clients,” says Higgins. In 2010, the company installed a rooftop garden for Charlottesville’s Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. “Even if you feel like it’s not in your budget, talk to us,” says Higgins. “Everyone deserves the opportunity to have a garden.”

Backyard farmer: www.backyardfarmer.us

Blue ridge Backyard harvest: www.blueridgebackyard.com

c’ville foodscapes: cvillefoodscapes.com

the Grow company: thegrowco.com

united States of food: www.unitedstatesoffood.com

“Everyone deserves the opportunity to have a garden.” – Guinevere Higgins, Blue Ridge Backyard Harvest

“I think this year is going to be the year that everyone gets into gardening.” – Shane Emmett, United States of Food

bellemeadeschool.org/[email protected] 540-987-9748Teacher - Lynne [email protected]

Belle Meade Early Childhood Program

For boys and girls ages 2 ½ through kindergarten. Children share discovery and delight in the outdoor natural world of the farm as well as in the classroom in a gentle, supportive, child-centered environment. Through exploration and balance of teacher-guided and self-selected activities we encourage creativity, self-confidence, respect for self and others. Monday & Thursday, 9am to 1pm. Bring lunch, water, and snack.

Early Childhood ProgramFor boys and girls ages 2 ½ through kindergarten. Children share discovery and delight in the outdoor natural world of the farm as well as in the classroom in a gentle, supportive, child-centered environment. Through exploration and balance of teacher-guided and self-selected activities we encourage creativity, self-confidence, respect for self and others. Monday & Thursday, 9am to 1pm. Bring lunch, water, and snack.

bellemeadeschool.org/earlychildhood

lunch, water, and snack.

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www.glenmanorvineyards.com

Caren Wilson is an experienced liscensed master esthetician with a holistic philosophy. She focuses on the medical aspect of skin care and corrective makeup, offering real solutions

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Grilled shrimp with avocado, a dish improvised by Black


Jeff Black has established a small restaurant empire in the D.C. area, using local ingredients before it was the fashionable thing to do.

If you are wondering where the D.C. restaurant scene is headed, you should probably talk to Jeff Black—the chef and head of a local restaurant empire that includes BlackSalt Fish Market and

Restaurant, Addie’s, Black Market Bistro, and Black’s Bar & Kitchen.Staking a place in the affluent D.C. suburbs? Check—15 years

ago. Green energy? Yes—100 percent wind power in the sleek Black’s Bar and Kitchen, a Bethesda restaurant rebuilt from the ground up with recycled materials. Sourcing locally? Done. A pioneer in the area, in fact.

Black was once going to be a financial planner. He had worked in restaurants since he was 13, but stepped out of the kitchen in his 20s, donned a tie, and accepted a job in finance.

He hated it. “I went to lunch one day, threw my tie out the window and never

went back. At that point, I decided I was going to get serious about

Black’s Bar and Kitchen

the restaurant business. I enjoyed it and I was good at it,” said Black.Four hugely successful restaurants later, and a fifth on D.C.’s hot

14th Street in the works, Black remains committed to local sources of food. He’s no hippie—it’s all about business.

A few times every year, Black takes employees out to visit some of the local farms where they source ingredients for the restaurants, including Northern Neck Fruits and Vegetables in Hague, Va. and Even’ Star Organic Farm in Lexington Park, Md.

But he insists he didn’t jump on the “buy local bandwagon” as part of a publicity stunt. He began using it with the creation in 1996 of Addie’s restaurant in Rockville, his first place.

“We always did it because local food just tastes better. I never did it because of hype or carbon footprints. I was doing it because I felt like I was getting a better product.”

He continues, “one of the best compliments I ever received in

Melissa FlynnPhotos by Molly McDonald Peterson

Jeff Black oversees an expanding empire of acclaimed restaurants that rely on local farmers.

cassis sorbet with spun sugar

Grilled shrimp with avocado, a dish improvised by Black

flavor café

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my life I got recently from one of the farmers I use (Brett Grohsgal of Even’ Star Organic Farm) who said, ‘You know, Jeff Black was doing this when it wasn’t fashionable.’ I’ve been buying from him for 15 years.”

About 60 percent of the menu at Black’s Bar and Kitchen uses products found within the Mid-Atlantic region. One of the standouts is the Randall Lineback beef sourced from Chapel Hill Farm in Berryville, Va. “The beef has a naturally occurring nuttiness that you only find in properly raised and aged beef,” Black says.

He uses locally raised whole calves “tail to snout.” Depending on the day or week, the menu may feature loin chops, steaks, veal breasts, brisket, meatballs, or burgers.

The raw bar, properly buried in ice, recently featured small crisp oysters from Virginia’s Ware River. Cooked seafood is also a standout. Addie’s mussels burst with garlic and tomato. Waiters return again and again with baskets of French bread to sop up the sauce.

Black’s commitment to high-quality, local, seasonal ingredients is what he believes gives them longevity. “Restaurants in Bethesda come and go, but we keep on keeping on.”

STArT ‘EM yoUnGBlack learned his trade at the Culinary Institute of America where he met his wife, Barbara; she co-owns the four restaurants. After graduation, they headed to Washington, D.C., and he went to work for Bob Kinkead at 21 Federal, followed by Jean-Louis Palladin and Roberto Donna at Pesce. It was here that Black learned the business skills he needed to open his own restaurant.

“I wanted to do the cooking as well as the books, the inventory, the back office stuff—everything,” he says.

FroM THE GroUnD UPJeff and Barbara opened Addie’s in the mid-‘90s, ignoring naysayers who said a small restaurant out in Rockville could never work. But the Blacks saw the landscape of dining in the D.C. area changing. “The people who support the restaurants live out in the suburbs—let’s bring the cooking to them,” he thought.

Addie’s was a success, and soon Black was working on his second venture in a previously occupied restaurant space in Bethesda. Unlike Addie’s, with its low-key atmosphere, off-beat décor and unadorned tables, Black’s Bar and Kitchen aimed for a different vibe. “With Black’s, we wanted tablecloths, a big bar, a raw bar—everything we couldn’t offer at Addie’s,” Black says.

The restaurant featured a menu of seasonal, organic and local fare with a focus on seafood, as well as organic meats and an impressive wine with more than 300 labels. Unfortunately, the space Black purchased was in dire need of a renovation.

He closed the place, stripped it down to the bones and rebuilt it nearly from the ground up using recycled materials. It is now powered entirely by wind energy. Black’s Bar and Kitchen reopened in 2006 and has been one of Bethesda’s top-rated restaurants ever since.

After Black’s Bar and Kitchen and Addie’s, Jeff and Barbara opened

BlackSalt, the much-loved and acclaimed seafood restaurant and fish market in upper Northwest D.C. Then came Black Market Bistro in Garrett Park, Md. Black tries to stop in the kitchen of each restaurant every day to fine tune and troubleshoot. And he’s not slowing down—he’s got a new place in D.C. that should be open this summer, and plans to open a restaurant in Northern Virginia within two years.

It is a grueling pace. “It was very challenging, but very rewarding. It’s amazing when

you test yourself that hard how gratifying it is.” “I’m not one of these guys who jumps into a restaurant to make

a lot of money and then run away. I don’t think anyone who puts their name on a business should ever think that way,” says Black.

flavor café

In 2 tablespoons cooking oil, gently saute garlic, shallots, tomatoes, and chili flakes. When shallots start to become translucent, add mussels.

Sauté mussels for approx. 2-3 minutes, add chicken stock and butter, then cover pan with a lid. When mussels have fully popped open, add lemon juice directly into broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finish with parsley. Discard any mussels that have not opened.

lb fresh mussels, uncookedtablespoons garlic, chopped tablespoons shallots, choppedchili flakescup peeled, seeded and diced tomatoescup chicken stockcup cold butter tablespoon fresh lemon Juice tablespoons cooking oilParsley, choppedSalt and Black Pepper

1 2 210 ¼ ½ ½ 1 2

Black’s Bar and Kitchen7750 Woodmont Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814

(301) 652-5525

www.blacksbarandkitchen.com

Addie’s restaurant11120 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852

(301) 881-0081

www.addiesrestaurant.com

BlackSalt restaurant and Fish Market4883 MacArthur Boulevard Washington, DC 20007

(202) 342-9101

www.blacksaltrestaurant.com

Black Market Bistro4600 Waverly Avenue Garrett Park, MD 20896

(301) 933-3000

www.blackmarketrestaurant.com

Find recipes for Tataki of randall Lineback with Ponzu at flavormags.com.

ENHANCED

Black’s Bar and Kitchen runs on 100 percent wind energy.

Addie’s Mussels— Black’s Bar and Kitchen


At Planet Earth Diversifi ed we grow ‘year round’ in fully heated hi-tech greenhouses and also in lower tech hoop houses, with intensive raised bed fi eld culture the entire frost-free season.

Winter happens. Farmers keep going.

at opening day for the farmers markets. Throughout January and February, farmers just keep going: knock the ice out of the water troughs, feed the animals, tend the seedling crops, and prepare for the coming growing season. March brings the promise of warmer sunny weather and crop sales that will pay back the investment of the prior months. Full-out planting and seeding commences. The first sunny warm day elicits happy cries of “Spring!” but every

farmer knows it still gets cold at night, and here in central Virginia there might be a killing frost all the way into May.

What to do? The farmer just works harder. While the off-farm economic entities do their best to shift financial uncertainty to others, the farmer just gets up earlier in the morning and invests more time and capital. True to form as stubborn farmers, we built several new hoop houses this winter to jumpstart our growing season and protect tender new plants from the

inevitable freezing nights ahead.The USDA and NRCS offer grants for

the construction of hoop houses and record keeping to help determine the impact of this practice on farmers and conservation. It is refreshing to see our government reaching out to help the small farmer. Contact your local NRCS offi ce to see if you might qualify. We did not wait for a grant—we just built it.

For now, our winter greens are coming

back to life and the efforts of our January planting in the hoop houses are blooming into a full harvest. While we grow some delicate crops like tomatoes and cucumbers in high-tech fully heated greenhouses all year, the lower-tech hoop houses—just plastic sheeting and sunlight at work here—provide just enough frost protection so my overeager burning desire to plant as soon as possible does not end in certain crop loss. Hoop houses speed the production of hardier greens, onions, radishes, beets,

Michael Clark, Planet Earth Diversifi ed

Along the Mid-Atlantic a thing called “winter” happens, sometimes mild, sometimes harsh. There

is a benefit to our food system as frozen cropland reduces some insect populations, and snow will bring needed moisture and nitrogen from the skies. Cities seem to get befuddled by snow and shut down. Citizens rush to the megastores to purchase supplies. Your local farmer already has those supplies in place. He plans ahead for the eventuality

and makes the investment before the storm hits. This happens a lot in farming—prior planning and investment months in advance to grow an uncertain crop for an uncertain market to fulfill the needs of risk-averse, fi ckle, and ever-more-frugal customers.

Farmers must be either really tough or just downright stubborn as they won’t let frozen ground, snow, or a bad economy prevent them from having those beautiful baby carrots and piles of fresh spinach

enough to stop building the latest megamart complex to sell cheap imported products and choose instead to build and support more sustainable small family farms?

kohlrabi and other plants. Berries, baby ginger, and edible f lowers get an early start in a larger roof-vent house that will maintain production with natural ventilation throughout the summer. But as time and money are in short supply, the hoop house is a good alternative for some crops. Here we are planting some baby

chard plugs into prepared beds in one of the walk-in hoop houses. All this effort and investment is expended so you are greeted at those fi rst farmers markets of the new year with great and fresh local produce.

Hoop houses extend the season, and that helps create a more secure local food system and gives farmers some way to generate

income from vegetables and greens when the ground is still frozen. This is a good thing—but I am concerned that all this season extension might unintentionally provide refuge for insect pests.

The new brown marmorated stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys) have become a real problem for many of us—you might remember them overwintering in your house! They seem to be frost proof, as not many were killed by the winter freezes—maybe their stink juice is their antifreeze? I don’t mind their smell as much as the damage they cause, so I do not hesitate to employ the original thumb and forefi nger organic pest control method at nearly every meeting I have with these little buggers.

Perhaps if we produced more of our food in our local community, we might reduce the accidental imports of foreign pests like these stink bugs into our local ecosystem. I wonder if as a country we will ever be smart

tales from the fi eld

Photos by Leslie Jenkins rele vant to text:Hoop House scenes, Michael portrait,Photos by Michael Clark: stinkbug

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Michael Clark, the proprietor of Planet Earth Diversifi ed, has been growing in the central Virginia area since 1975. He dedicates unre-lenting effort “growing the fi nest quality and fl avor year round” for the customers and con-sumers who know the difference that local farms and food contribute to the community. When he is not farming he hosts Meet The Farmer TV and is a frequent speaker at alter-native and small family farming conferences.

Hoop houses extend growing seasons.

Stink bugs have survived winter’s freezes.

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Green Salad with Duck Fat-Fried Potato And Eggs

Sautéed Mushrooms with Virginia Ham

Butternut Squash yogurt Parfait

ricotta & Berry Jam Tart

Berry Jammy Semifreddo

Green Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

Quiche Morsels

March and April seem worlds apart: March still firmly in winter, April teasing of spring…today mildly sunny, tomorrow blustery. No matter, we hunger for fresh asparagus

and perfumed strawberries. Yes, in warmer years asparagus send a few shoots up in early April (or a farmer who cleverly uses cold frames may bring some spears to market), but their season really starts in late April for us…and we have to wait until late May for strawberries.

So what’s a local cook to do? We continue to rely on the hardy greens, roots, and storage crops that got us through winter. For local fruit we still depend on apples picked last fall, canned fruit, jams, frozen berries—or winter squash (botanically speaking, a fruit after all).

Yet tender delicate spring salads are growing exuberantly again. Endlessly varied greens can become the foundation of the meal. Spinach, mustard, or escarole are robust enough to eat with bacon, potatoes, and eggs still sizzling from the skillet, but baby lettuce should be dressed simply with a little oil and vinegar and maybe a few slivers of good cheese. Make a green salad without a single lettuce leaf: spinach, sorrel, escarole, arugula, mache, watercress, baby beet leaves, and mustard all bring their unique fl avor and beauty to the plate.

The Mid-Atlantic produces mushrooms, either cultivated (from the ubiquitous white mushroom to the shiitake and the oyster) or wild. For a few weeks starting in April the beloved morel is available to those who know where to look. And of course, spring is time to celebrate the magical egg, a symbol of birth and fertility so ancient that its origins are lost in prehistoric times—perfect, since spurred by the lengthening days hens raised without artifi cial light are laying well again!

When April fi nally explodes in bright yellows, soft pinks, lurid magentas, and purple-blues, I yearn for freshness and color on my plate too. And I want it fast because I’ve got other things to do. These seasonal recipes take advantage of eggs, dairy, greens, jams, winter squash, and mushrooms.

APPLES • ArUGULA • ASiAn GrEEnS (TATSoi, PAKCHoK, MiZUnA, PUrPLE MUSTArD) • BEETS • CiLAnTro • CArroTS • CELEry rooT (CELEriAC) • CoLLArD

DAnDELion GrEEnS • Dry BEAnS • EnDiVE • ESCAroLE • GrEEn onionS • KALE • LAnDCrESS • LEEKS • LETTUCE • MACHE • MiCroGrEEnS • MorELS • MUSHrooMS

MUSTArD GrEEnS • nUTS • onionS • PArSniPS • PArSLEy • PEArS • PoTATo • PUMPKin • rADiCCHio • rADiSHES • rAMPS • rUTABAGA • SHALLoTS

SorrEL • SPinACH • SUnrooTS (JErUSALEM ArTiCHoKE) • SwEET PoTATo • SwiSS CHArD • TUrniPS • TUrniP GrEEnS • winTEr rADiSHES • winTEr SQUASH

in SEASon

Green Salad with Duck Fat-Fried Potato and Eggs 54Green Salad with Baked Goat Cheese 54

Quiche Morsels 55Sautéed Mushrooms with Virginia Ham 55

Butternut Squash yogurt Parfait 56 Berry Jammy Semifreddo 56 ricotta & Berry Jam Tart 56

FroM winTEr inTo SPrinG (oF GrEEnS, EGGS & MUSHrooMS)

seasonal table

Sylvie rowand of Washington, Virginia, grows, forages, and preserves food; cooks for others; and teaches the pleasure of growing your own food and eating seasonally through workshops and her blog, www.laughingduckgardens.com

Sylvie rowandPhotos by Molly M. Peterson

mags.com MAR /APR 201154 mags.com 55MAR /APR 2011

Green Salad With Duck Fat-Fried Potato And EggsWhile salad greens are available all winter long, local April salad greens picked shortly before you buy them have a delicacy and vitality that are particularly welcome at this time of the year, and that cannot be matched by greens fl own or trucked in. Eggs—far from the bad rap they have received—are a tasty protein, full of vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids especially when laid by a pastured hen allowed to exercise and eat grass and insects. Such an egg refl ects its terroir just as much as wine can! A couple of impeccably fresh pastured eggs on top of vibrant spring greens is “fast food” fi t for a queen. The classic recipe uses poached eggs, but fried eggs shorten the process for this one-pan meal.PER PERSON FOR MAIN COURSE OR 2 PEOPLE AS APPETIZER

mixed salad greens (quantity depends on your appetite; I generally use 2 handfuls for a main course per person)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 to 2 tablespoons duck or goose fat (more as needed)

one medium, already cooked, sliced potato (Yukon Gold or fi ngerlings as well as true new potatoes are all good choices)

¼ garlic clove (green germ removed if any), very fi nely minced.

2 eggs, preferably from pastured hens

1 tablespoon olive oil

Wash and dry greens thoroughly. Arrange them on a dinner plate.

Whisk together vinegar and water in a small bowl and set aside.

In a thick-bottom frying pan (preferably cast-iron—do not use non-stick as it will not crisp the potatoes properly), melt the duck fat over medium-high heat. Add the sliced potatoes in a single layer and fry until golden brown, carefully fl ipping once or twice. About 30 seconds before removing the potatoes from the pan, sprinkle them with garlic and carefully stir without breaking the potato slices. Transfer the potatoes and garlic to the plate on top of the salad, forming a pleasing pattern. Repeat as needed if the potatoes don’t fi t in the frying pan in one single layer.

Add a little more fat to the pan if needed and cook the eggs sunny-side up. Carefully transfer the eggs to the salad plate.

Turn the heat off. Pour the vinegar/water mixture into the pan (watch out, it will steam) and scrape all the attached bits at the bottom of the pan with a wooden or metal spatula. Reduce slightly (there should be enough residual heat for that). Drizzle on top

of the eggs.Drizzle each plate with olive oil and serve

with fresh crusty bread to mop the yolks and the dressing. A light red wine or dry rosé won’t hurt either!

Green Salad with Baked Goat’s CheeseThis is another classic recipe easily put together at the last minute (if you omit the optional step of marinating the goat cheese). Fresh bread crumbs are vastly better, but you can use packaged bread crumbs or croutons in a pinch. But what you must use is fresh soft goat cheese—easy enough to find at farmers markets, specialty shops, and even some supermarkets, since we have so many fresh goat cheese makers in the Capital foodshed including Firefl y Farms, Cherry Glen, and Caromont Farm, as well as countless others. Look for cheese, sometimes called chevre or crottin, without any fl avoring or coating. SERVES 2 AS LIGHT MAIN COURSE, 4 AS APPETIZER

1 4-oz log of fresh goat cheese

peppercorn, freshly ground

¼ teaspoon thyme leaves

Olive oil to marinate

¼ cup parsley leaves, chopped

salad greens mix, washed and dried

2 slices of rustic bread, from a large boule- type loaf, for making breadcrumbs

4 slices of baguette or one large rustic loaf slice, cut in 4 pieces slightly larger than the goat cheese rounds

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the vinaigrette dressing

If you are marinating the goat cheese, use the marinating oil to make the dressing.

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (or walnut, pecan or grape seed oil)

Slice goat cheese into four even rounds. Dust the rounds with black pepper and sprinkle with thyme. Cover with oil and marinate at least two hours up to two days (if more than two hours, refrigerate and remove from the fridge an hour before baking to ensure the oil liquefi es again).

P rehea t t he oven to 375F. Wh i l e preheating, toast the bread slices on a baking sheet slipped into the oven. Remove the small ones as soon as dried out (these are the croutes) but bake the larger ones until pale golden. Let cool for a few minutes.

Drizzle olive oil over the croutes (leave them on the baking sheet).

Pulse the other slices in food processor until big crumbs form. Add parsley and pulse again until you have fi ne crumbs. Transfer to a small bowl. Gently lift the goat cheese rounds from the oil (reserve for the dressing). If you did not marinate the goat cheese, brush the rounds with olive oil. Gently press each round into the parsley/crumb mixture until completely coated. Arrange each round on a top of a croute.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes until the croute edges are brown.

Meanwhile, in a large salad bowl, whisk vinegar and oil until well blended. Toss with the greens then distribute the salad evenly among the plates. Top each with the hot goat cheese croutes as they come out of the oven. Serve immediately.

Quiche MorselsThese one-bite morsels use almost the same ingredients as quiche—except for butter. They are much faster to prepare than a quiche and can be done in a time crunch so they are a perfect dish for brunch, a cocktail party, or to throw on top of a green salad for a light supper. Best of all, you probably always have the main ingredients (eggs, milk or cream, and fl our) on hand. Only a small amount of fi lling is needed and it is an excellent way to use left-overs; think spinach, cooked Swiss chard, ham, sundried tomatoes, pork roast, sautéed mushrooms etc. Use no more than two ingredients for the fi lling. As far as cheese, a Tomme-like cheese such as Meadow Creek’s Appalachian, one of Keswick Creamery’s cheddars or Pecorino-like Stony Man from Everona, would certainly work—to name just a few of our suitable local cheeses. YIELDS 24 MORSELS (USING ¼ CUP MUFFIN PAN)

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup fi nely chopped fi lling such as ham & spinach or sautéed mushrooms & pork roast or cheese!

5 tablespoons fl our

2 cups whole milk (or half & half, or a combination)

salt & pepper to taste

5 eggs

½ cup grated fl avorful hard or semi-hard cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.Butter two 12-mini muffin pans. Drop 2 teaspoons of fi lling in each mini-muffi n.Put fl our, salt and pepper in a medium-sized bowl with a well in the middle. Slowly pour in the milk, constantly whisking by hand to ensure a lump-free batter. Add the eggs,

one at time, whisking well after each one to ensure they are well incorporated. If you prepare the batter in advance, whisk briskly again just before pouring to incorporate the fl our which otherwise settles at the bottom of the bowl.Fill the muffin tins with batter almost to the top. Top with the hard cheese (about 1 teaspoon each). Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until partially brown on top and puffy. Don’t be disappointed when they defl ate shortly after you take them out. It’s not you. They will defl ate… but they’ll still be tasty.

Sautéed Mushrooms with Virginia HamAny mushroom is suitable for this recipe (even the ubiquitous white mushroom), but it’s a fabulous one to make in April when the morels literally spring from the forest fl oor! Growing wild in the Appalachian woods and abandoned orchards, morels “hunted” by foragers are found at some farmers markets and specialty shops (see Flavor April/May 2009 issue for an article on morel foraging). When selecting mushrooms, pick unblemished ones without dark edges or soft spots. They can be cleaned with a brush, damp towel, or under a gentle shower. If very dirty they can be dunked very briefl y in a bowl of water, swished around for two seconds, lifted, deposited on a clean towel and patted dry. They should never be left to stand in water, however. SERVES 4 TO 6

1 pound mushrooms, such as oyster, shiitake, morels, or even white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (morels should be halved or quartered lengthwise)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

¾ cup dry white wine

¾ cup heavy cream

3 oz shaved Virginia ham

¼ cup packed parsley leaves, very fi nely minced

Heat up a deep cast-iron skillet until very hot. Add olive oil and butter. As soon as butter foams, add to mushrooms in one generous single layer. Do not overcrowd: work in batches if necessary (use more oil/butter if necessary). Fry until the mushrooms start to give up their liquid, shrivel and brown (brown shiitake, white, or oyster mushrooms will take longer than the delicate morels—don’t let the morel shrivel!). Add the wine, scrape the pan to remove stuck bits, add the cream and the ham. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once in a while.

Available throughout the Mid-Atlantic in

Whole Foods Markets, Farmer’s Markets,

Fine Grocers & Cheesemongers

www.fireflyfarms.com

Maryland’s Premier Cheesemaker

seasonal table

Hundreds of amazing local, organic & artisanal foods to choose from.

Home-delivered.

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mags.com MAR /APR 201156

Sprinkle parsley over the mix 5 minutes before the end.

Serve over polenta, barley, pasta or other starch to absorb the cream sauce—or with lots of bread.

Butternut Squash Yogurt ParfaitThis is a pretty and colorful recipe adapted from one I saw on Frontier Natural Food Co-op’s web site. It’s a simple technique. Simply layer lightly sweetened fruit puree or sauce with yogurt and top with crunchy granola. Vary the fruit as the seasons change and you can always produce a healthy fruity dessert or breakfast dish. It’s worth seeking out yogurt from a local creamery if you do not make your own. Use vanilla or maple yogurt if you prefer, but adjust the quantity of honey. Local honey is also easy enough to procure—but watch out: some of the larger producers are based locally but send their hives far away to pollinate crops. Hardly a local proposal!SERVES 4

1 ½ cups fresh butternut squash purée*

1 tablespoon very finely chopped candied ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 tablespoons mild honey (or more to taste)

1 ½ cups plain yogurt

½ cup granola

Whisk the butternut purée with ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, and honey until well mixed (or use the food processor). Warm the honey slightly first if it is too hard to whisk in.

Use four attractive glasses. In each glass layer butternut purée and yogurt. Repeat. Top with granola.* To make fresh butternut squash purée: halve and cut the squash in large chunks. Steam for about 15 to 20 minutes (or bake in an oiled dish at 400F about 20 to 30 minutes) until tender. Let cool until you can comfortably handle, then scoop out and discard the seeds. Scoop out the flesh, discarding the skin, and process in food processor until smooth. Set one cup aside for the recipe above and reserve the rest for another use such as soup or gratin. The puree freezes well for longer storage.

Berry Jammy SemifreddoThis bare-bones semifreddo (the word means “half frozen” in Italian) inspired by the original Italian dessert could not be simpler: all that’s needed is a jar of jam and whipping (heavy) cream. With so many local jams available (not to mention your own, right?), it’s easy enough to pick a full-sugar berry jam redolent of summer.

If the jam has whole fruit chunks, pulse it in the food processor until fairly (but not totally) smooth. While magnificent with raspberry, blueberry, or raspberry jam, this semifreddo turns into a remarkable treat when made with chestnut jam—if you were fortunate enough to have collected chestnuts and turned them into jam last fall. SERVES 6 TO 8

2 cup heavy (whipping) cream

1 cup berry jam

Whip the cream using a hand-held mixer. Start the mixer on low and increase the speed until stiff peaks form—about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not overbeat.

Whisk the jam in a separate bowl. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the jam until blended. Pour into a freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight.

You can scoop out the semifreddo and serve it just like ice-cream, although it is naturally softer than ice-cream. Sandwich it between two sugar or chocolate cookies or two tuiles for a hand-held frozen dessert. You may also freeze it in a loaf pan (line the pan with freezer paper first), invert and unmold it, then slice it like a cake.

Ricotta & Berry Jam TartBerry jam tarts don’t stay around very long. They are so very pretty with their shiny, intensely f lavored filling that people can’t help themselves but reach for another bite. Be warned, though: it’s critical to make the pastry shell ahead of time for that flaky incomparable unforgettable crust. So plan ahead. There must be plenty of time to rest and chill the dough. Once the dough is baked, the tart is a cinch to make. And since you can make and freeze shells ahead, why not make a bunch of them when you have the time to freeze and use as needed? Seek out ricotta from a creamery near you (or make your own) and use your favorite berry jam.

One baked and cooled pastry shell *

Ricotta cheese

Your favorite berry jam

(Amount will depend on your tart size)

Preheat oven to 375F.Spread a layer of ricotta cheese evenly

in the tart shell, followed by a layer of jam (about the same amount as the ricotta). Bake 20 to 30 minutes for small tarts, 35-45 minutes for large ones—until the jam bubbles.Let cool. Enjoy.

*Pastry shellPrepare the day or several hours before as the pastry needs at least 1 hour of rest before rolling and at least 30 minutes in the freezer before baking. It also needs to cool after baking before the filling is added. Otherwise it will be soggy.

FOR A 9-INCH TART

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick) -- not too cold, but not at room temperature

1 cup flour plus some for dusting

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 to 3 tablespoons ice water

FOR 11-INCH TART, increase the proportion to ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter and to 1 ¼ cup plus one heaping tablespoon for the flour. Add an additional teaspoon of sugar.

Cut butter into small pieces.In a bowl mix flour, salt and sugar. Add

butter and work it into the flour, rubbing it between your fingers until the mixture looks like cornmeal and the dough is starting to hold together. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and work it into the mixture just until the pastry is blended and sticks together when you press it. You may not need to use all the water. I usually need just 2 tablespoons.

Shape the dough into a ball. Place into a clean bowl and cover with a wet-and-wrung clean kitchen towel. Set aside for 1 hour (up to 2) so the dough has a chance to absorb moisture.

Lay a sheet of parchment paper on the counter and dust with flour. Top with dough. Roughly shape the dough in your tart pan shape (i.e. flatten into a disk if using a round pan; shape into a log and flatten if using a rectangular one; divide if making tartlettes.) Dust the dough with flour. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Roll with rolling pin until slightly bigger than your pan plus the depth of its sides. Remove the top layer of parchment paper. Lift the dough and bottom parchment paper and carefully flip so that the parchment paper is in on top. Lower the dough into the tart pan and press gently through the paper to fit the pan. Remove paper and crimp and trim the dough as needed.

Freeze for 30 minutes or up to overnight. Prick the bottom all over with a fork. Bake in preheated 375F oven for 20 to 30

minutes until the shell is set and lightly colored.Let cool completely before putting filling in.

(Note: You can freeze the pastry shells at this point for later use; there is no need to thaw before you add the filling and bake).

seasonal table

Melissa Harris and Gina Chersevani

Joan Nathan and Melissa Harris

Greg Nelson and Arbo

Garret Fleming, Kathryn Little, William ArtleyMelissa Harris and Gina Chersevani

Pam Hess and Robert Egger

Cesare Lanfranconi, Shannon Overmiller, Kiyona Phillips

Jeff Faile and Owen Thompson

Kate Emanuel, Cathy Sulzberger, Joe Perpich

Joan Nathan, Alice Waters, Jose Andrés

Greg Nelson and Jose Cunningham

Slash and Sami K, Lynzi Elizabeth Stevens, Wil Lash

Robert Wiedmaier, Anne Brody Cove, Larry Cove and Benjy Stephanie Williams and Zsa Zsa

Carla Hall and Meg Steele Harrison, Todd and Ellen Grey Kathy Wilmot and Sassy, Kristi Jelsing and Bella

mags.com 57MAR / FEB 2011

D.C. Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table Saturday Night SipsJanuary 22, 2011

Photographer: Molly M. Peterson

Greg Nelson and Jose Cunningham hosted this fundraiser for the D.C. Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table in their stately Dupont Circle home. The event featured cocktails from top mixologists and nibbles produced by chefs from some of D.C. and Northern Virginia’s most celebrated restaurants—and the chance to meet locavore legend Alice Waters of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse.

Washington Humane Society Sugar & Champagne AffairFebruary 1, 2011

Photographer: Meg Steele

The Washington Humane Society’s 10th annual dessert and champagne reception at the Ritz Carlton hosted by Chef Todd and Ellen Gray of Equinox Restaurant was attended by hundreds of animal lovers—and their dogs—to honor the Washington Humane Society’s law enforcement officers, animal control officers, and humane educators.

guest list

Joan Nathan and Melissa Harris

Greg Nelson and Arbo

Garret Fleming, Kathryn Little, William ArtleyMelissa Harris and Gina Chersevani

Slash and Sami K, Lynzi Elizabeth Stevens, Wil Lash

Robert Wiedmaier, Anne Brody Cove, Larry Cove and Benjy Stephanie Williams and Zsa Zsa

Carla Hall and Meg Steele Harrison, Todd and Ellen Grey Kathy Wilmot and Sassy, Kristi Jelsing and Bella

Pam Hess and Robert Egger

Cesare Lanfranconi, Shannon Overmiller, Kiyona Phillips

Jeff Faile and Owen Thompson

Kate Emanuel, Cathy Sulzberger, Joe Perpich

Joan Nathan, Alice Waters, José Andrés

Greg Nelson and Jose Cunningham

OPEN WED-SUN AND ALL

MONDAY HOLIDAYS 11 AM-6 PM

(434) 984-4272www.SugarleafVineyards.com3613 WALNUT BRANCH LANENORTH GARDEN, VA 22959

Monticello's only winery to be served in the White House for the Governors Ball!

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURE

COLUMNS

70 winEMAKEr’S noTES

How a corporate refugee who started his palate on Boone’s Farm came to own a vineyard and now stands on the precipice of his fi rst estate redJIM DOLPHIN

60 FLiGHTS

Happenings in Local Wine, Beer & Spirits

62 iMBiBE

The Starr Also RisesMark Thompson’s big little brewery in Crozet rakes in awards.EVAN WILLIAMS

72 DrinK SEASonALLy

Robert Kruger of Julep’sA scientifi c mind updates the julep with smoked sea salt and tobacco essence. The result is pure Virginia.JOHN HADDAD

78 PAirinG

Reds and Whites for Lamb, Greens, and Fresh PeasSelecting wine to complement spring’s delicate offerings NEAL WAVRA

66

Underrated Norton fi nds a home at Chrysalis Vineyards

Defying critics, a Virginia vineyard owner embraces a true American grape.WALTER NICHOLLS

74 GrowinG winES

What cooking can teach a winemaker about his craft.JIM LAW


70 winEMAKEr’S noTES

How a corporate refugee who started his palate on Boone’s Farm came to own a vineyard and now stands on the precipice of his fi rst estate red.JIM DOLPHIN

PHOTO OF CORKS TAKEN AT DELAPLANE CELLARS BY

MOLLY M. PETERSON

60 FLiGHTS

Happenings in Local Wine, Beer & Spirits

62 iMBiBE

The Starr Also RisesMark Thompson’s big little brewery in Crozet rakes in awards.EVAN WILLIAMS

72 DrinK SEASonALLy

Robert Kruger of Julep’sA scientifi c mind updates the julep with smoked sea salt and tobacco essence. The result is pure Virginia.JOHN HADDAD

78 PAirinG

Reds and Whites for Lamb, Greens, and Fresh PeasSelecting wine to complement spring’s delicate offerings. NEAL WAVRA

66

Underrated Norton fi nds a home at Chrysalis Vineyards

Defying critics, a Virginia vineyard owner embraces a true American grape.WALTER NICHOLLS

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURE

COLUMNS

74 GrowinG winES

What cooking can teach a winemaker about his craft.JIM LAW


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MEr

riC

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Mo

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Do

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flights

“3”…A SinGULAr SEnSATionIt may already be too late to lay your hands on some, but three of Virginia’s top vintners—Matthieu Finot of King Family Vineyards, Jake Busching of Pollak Vineyards, and Emily Pelton of Veritas—have joined together to create “3,” an experiment in collaborative winemaking. It goes on sale March 3 only at the three vineyards for $33 a bottle. Expectations are high, as the Meritage blend features King Family Merlot, Veritas Petit Verdot, and Pollak Cabernet Franc—one varietal from each vineyard’s best 2009 barrels. But just 150 cases are available, so hightail it.

Veritas Vineyard and Winery www.veritaswines.com

polllak Vineyards www.pollakvineyards.com

King family Vineyards www.kingfamilyvineyards.com

SToCK yoUr CELLAr wiTH PATriCiA KLUGE’S winEDrink like a billionaire – or at least enjoy the fruits of her post-divorce labor. Patricia Kluge’s table reds are selling for as little as $35 a case. That’s right, just under $3 a bottle. Patricia Kluge’s travails as a real estate developer and winery owner have been followed closely by the Virginia elite since she opened Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyards a decade ago after her lucrative divorce from John Kluge. Now that she has defaulted on an almost $35 million Farm Credit loan, her remaining wine stock of 12,000 cases has been opened to all at fi re sale prices. A wine auction at a storage facility in mid-December failed miserably, with some cases selling for $2 or $3 before it was shut down. Only liquor-licensed bidders were allowed. The wine was later moved back to the Kluge “farm shop,” where it is now on sale. Another ABC-licensed auction is scheduled for April, according to Bill Shmidheiser of the overseeing law fi rm Lenhart Obenshain.

Until then, all comers can buy the steeply discounted wine at the wine shop, a few miles from Monticello.

Prices look like this: (as of January)—Albemarle Simply red, the vineyard’s table red, sells for $35/case for the 2003 vintage, $40 for 2004, and $50 for 2006. (A bottle of the 2006 was spotted at a supermarket recently priced at $16.99)—Kluge Estate new world red, the premium wine, sells for $100/case for the 2004 vintage, $115 for 2005, and $150 for the 2006.—No whites or sparklers remain in stock.

You don’t have to be a University of Virginia math doctoral candidate to fi gure out that this is an incredible bargain.

“Wine which was selling for $300 a case a year ago is now selling for $110 a case, and wine which was selling for $150 a case is now selling for $50 a case. We have had folks drive up from Richmond and buy 20 cases at a time,” Shmidheiser told Flavor.

If you go: The Kluge Estate farm shop is about a 10-minute drive from Monticello; follow the signs to 100 Grand Cru Drive, Charlottesville. – Sandy K. JohnsonKluge estate (434) 977-3895 www.klugeestate.com

BArrEL TASTinGSMake reservations now for Glen Manor’s fi rst-ever barrel tasting and pre-release sale on April 2 and 3 of its 2010 red wines, which the Front Royal vineyard promises will be a blockbuster vintage. You can also sample its 2009 Petit Verdot—but don’t plan dinner around it. It is heading back to the cellar for additional aging before it actually changes hands. You’ll also get to taste Glen Manor’s fi rst vintage of Late Harvest Petit Manseng, its 2009 Cabernet Franc, and its 2008 Hodder Hill. White lovers don’t despair—the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc will be poured as well. Tickets are $30.

If the barrel tastings don’t sate you, Glen Manor and Linden Vineyards are teaming up with the Inn a t Vaucluse Spring to put on separate wine dinners in March. The dinner costs $98.50 a person and requires a two-night stay at the romantic hideaway. Glen Manor Vineyards www.glenmanorvineyards.com

linden Vineyards www.lindenvineyards.com

inn at Vaucluse Spring www.vauclusespring.com

STArr HiLL MonTiCELLo BEErThird President and Piedmont native Thomas Jefferson may have been a famously failed vintner, but the man could brew up a beer. Starr Hill Brewery in Crozet has teamed up with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation to produce wheat beer inspired by the one Jefferson brewed and drank at nearby Monticello. Monticello Reserve Ale uses a combination of lightly hopped wheat and corn, and some of the grains are harvested from the president’s own estate. It debuted in mid-February, and has been dubbed the offi cial beer of Monticello. It’s for sale in 750ml bottles and only at Starr Hill’s tasting room and at Monticello.

Starr hill www.starrhill.com

thomas Jefferson foundation www.monticello.org

in local wine, beer & spiritshappeninGS

Scott and Becky Harris (opposite) send leftover mash to a nearby cattle farm and used barrels to a local brewery.

Scott and Becky Harris (opposite) send leftover mash to a nearby cattle farm and used barrels to a local brewery.


imbibe

Evan WilliamsPhotos by Laura Merricks

For Mark Thompson, owner and brewmaster, the impetus behind Starr Hill Brewery has never changed even though it’s expanded well beyond its modest beginnings. “We’ve always

been driven by our vision, our mission: sharing the gift of great beer,” he says during a tour of his sprawling frozen-food-processing-plant-turned-brewery. While Starr Hill is finding tremendous success in markets up and down the East Coast, it’s clear that the explosion of the brand from a Charlottesville storefront has been an organic process—one that hasn’t threatened that mission statement.

LiSTEn To THE MUSiCAfter some time on the West Coast apprenticing and learning the craft and business of brewing beer, Thompson—a Virginia native—returned home in 1999 and founded Starr Hill Music Hall in Charlottesville. He brewed beer on site and served it at the attached restaurant/bar and concert venue. Legendary acts played the music

hall, and it soon became known as a destination for both music and beer lovers alike.

Before long, Starr Hill’s beers were popping up all over the music scene. “Music and beer go hand in glove together,” says Thompson.

“If you go to a music festival, more than likely, you’re going to have a beer.”

“We don’t ride bikes, we don’t hug trees, but we do music really well” is the brewery’s unofficial motto.

Though the music hall shut down in 2007, the nexus between Starr Hill beer and great tunes lives on at the Jefferson Theater and the Charlottesville Pavilion. It’s also served at music festivals such as Bonnaroo and FloydFest.

in PUrSUiT oF GrEATnESSMark’s recipe for success is his unrelenting focus on making

the best beer possible, and sharing that beer with as many people

How Mark Thompson of Starr Hill Brewery shoots for the stars from his big little brewery in Crozet.

Grand Ambitions, Grounded Roots

Mark Thompson teamed with the C-ville Candy Company to create a Starr Hill chocolate brittle that features his Dark Starr Stout.

The beer is brewed and bottled in an old ConAgra plant in Crozet, Va.

Starr Hill is growing peppers for its own chili beer, soon to come.


imbibe

Evan williams is a self-avowed beer geek and avid homebrewer in Charlot-tesville. He is also part-owner of the Wine Guild (www.wineguildcville.com).

as he can. “We try to make our best beer tomorrow, not yesterday,” he says. That approach has obviously paid dividends, as the brand is tackling markets from Florida to Maryland. Even early on, the beers were recognized by national judges as world-caliber and the medals piled up. Today, its Dark Starr Stout remains the Great American Beer Festival’s most honored dry stout in the country. Thompson’s vision of bringing the gift of great beer to the people has led Starr Hill to an old processing plant

Starr Hill Brewery5391 Three Notched RoadCrozet, VA 22932

(434) 823-5671

www.starrhill.com

anymore. We have aspirations of becoming a regional if not national beer brand, so it’s perfect,” says Thompson.

LoCAL rooTSWhile the brewery focuses on expanding its distribution, Thompson has never lost sight of his roots.

He is partnering with several local artisans to develop a bevvy of beer-related creations. Together with the C-ville Candy Company, they’ve created a Starr Hill chocolate brittle that features Dark Starr Stout in the recipe. At Virginia Vinegar Works, there’s a

“Starr Hill Amber Ale Vinegar;” Sweet Melissa’s Herbals has a line of soaps using his spent grains, hop oils, and even beers. In the brewery, Thompson has an indoor hydroponic garden set up with the help of Fifth Season Gardening in Charlottesville to grow a host of different peppers to use in his upcoming “Homegrown Chili Beer.”

“I’ve got that mindset of ‘local.’ It’s who I am, it’s what I do,” Thompson says.

In addition to its year-round lineup, Starr Hill

currently is offering several new and unique beers worth diving into in the tasting bar at its

Crozet location:

Smoke Out: While the Germans have strict laws regarding what their brewers can put in their beer (water, grain, hops, yeast), there’s nothing that says that they can’t smoke the grain that goes into that beer. For centuries, the Bavarian city of Bamberg has been the home to a smoked lager called Rauchbier. Smoke Out is Starr Hill’s go at this style, and it’s an exercise in intensity. If you’re not used to the taste it can be quite a surprise, but give it some time and you’ll warm up to the smokiness. With big malt and a soft, creamy mouthfeel, it’s the perfect winter/early springtime brew. It pairs well with many powerfully flavored dishes from Bavaria and Mexico.

Double Platinum: This “double” IPA is bursting with crisp bitterness, intense malt, and bright hop fl avor. With more than three times the IBUs (measure of bitterness) than the year-round Northern Lights IPA, it packs quite a punch, but its malt backbone keeps it from taking all the enamel from your teeth. This recipe features a relatively new American favorite in the hop department, Simcoe, which imparts strong citrus and pine notes across the palate. It is best on its own, or try it with native-spicy Thai dishes.

Cryptical: A deep, dark, roasty beast of an American Imperial Stout, the Cryptical is surprisingly balanced, and hides its 7.5% ABV devilishly well. Up front, it immediately kisses you with fresh coffee, chocolate, and a tight hop bitterness, then its full-bodied, velvety texture seems to envelope your tongue and never let go. It fi nishes with roasted barley and toffee with a touch of earthy hop fl avor to sew it all up. A big beer, but a very balanced, satisfying beer at the same time.

in tiny Crozet, a town of about 2,000 west of Charlottesville.

The storefront brewery in Starr Hill couldn’t keep up with demand so when the opportunity to lease the old ConAgra plant in Crozet presented itself in 2005, the choice was obvious. The building is almost tailor-made for brewing on a large scale, with a complex physical infrastructure in place and plenty of room for expansion and experimentation. It even has a tasting bar.

“They don’t make buildings like this

Another local alliance: Sweet Melissa’s Herbals soaps feature Starr Hill’s spent grains, hop oils, and even beers.

Brewmaster Mark Thompson says local is “who i am, it’s what i do.”

www.barboursvillewine.com 540.832.3824

PA L L A D I OR E S T A U R A N T

540.832.7848

1804 540.832.5384


Going Native: A Norton Conquest

This photo courtesy of Chysalis Vineyards

Despite the critics, a Virginia vineyard owner embraces a true American grape.

Walter NichollsPhotos by Molly McDonald Peterson

70 Devon cows will provide fresh milk for estate-made cheeses.

Heritage-breed chickens freely roam the property.

“…what a cool mission to be the evangelist, the cheerleader for this standard bearer.” Sixteen shelter

rescue dogs protect the vines, which produce award winning wines.


an invitation goes outMcCloud opened a small tasting room and patio in the summer of 2001, where her guests could enjoy gorgeous views of her vineyard and the hills beyond. The sipping public has made the journey to Chrysalis in droves—as many as 1,000 show up on a busy summer weekend. Today, in fair weather, tastings are conducted outdoors under five tented pavilions. There are plenty of picnic tables. But no need to drag along a basket: In-house chef Hump Astorga offers sandwiches, cheese plates, and artisan breads.

Chrysalis’ top sellers are Sarah’s Patio White, a crisp, fruity, 100% Vidal Blanc with hints of pineapple and grapefruit, and Sarah’s Patio Red, a young, 100% Norton, which is rosé-like. (Sarah Girtrude Lynn, a mid-1800s farm resident is buried with headstone in view just off the tasting room patio.) The list of restaurants that sell Chrysalis is short but impressive: Blue Duck Tavern, Clyde’s restaurants, and The Inn at Little Washington.

McCloud has stopped submitting her wines to competitions, saying: “Does anyone buying a wine really care about medals?” Nonetheless, she is particularly proud of two she won in 2009: the Chairman’s Award at the Riverside International Wine Competition for the 2007 Barrel Select Norton, and a gold medal at the San Diego International for the 2005 Norton Locksley Reserve.

Chrysalis Vineyards owner, Jennifer McCloud could rightfully be called the Queen of Norton. A full 40 of her 71 acres of vines, near the town of Middleburg in Loudoun County, are devoted to the little-recognized North American native Norton varietal—by her

account, the largest planting in the world. But when it comes to this vigorous cultivar and the inky, earthy red wine that is squeezed and fermented from its fruit, McCloud says that competitors have less flattering things to say.

“I’ve been ridiculed, eyes have rolled, and I’ve been called an oddball going after a native grape,” says McCloud. She powers a pickup truck up one side of her hilly, gorgeous Locksley Estate and down another, passing a herd of 70 Devon milking cows, a like number of free-ranging heritage-breed chickens, and finally her trim vineyards, guarded by 16 roaming dogs.

“The way I look at it, there are two ways to go. You can follow the marketplace or lead the marketplace,” says an unwavering McCloud. “I‘d rather make the world’s best Norton than just another Cabernet.”

reinventing a LiFeSixteen years ago, she was a Miami-based entrepreneur who for the previous 20 years had built a variety of businesses including a successful computer hardware/software company. Flush with capital from its sale, she was eager for change—a new life in a new place. “I knew I loved wine and I wanted to be in the country,” she says. And then came Norton.

In 1995, McCloud attended a conference of the American Society of Enology and Viticulture in Charlottesville. She stepped into a seminar on “Alternative Varieties,” conducted by Dennis Horton, owner of Horton Vineyards in Orange County. She learned of Dr. D. N. Norton of Richmond and his search in the early 1800s for a hearty, native grape hybrid which would produce drinkable wine.

“I’d never even heard of the Norton grape and it blew me away when I tasted it,” she recalls. “Wow. It was really unique and fruit forward. I thought to myself, what a cool mission to be the evangelist, the cheerleader for this standard bearer.” In 1997 she purchased the 209-acre Locksley farm—now 412 acres. “It’s some of the prettiest land in the world.”

“I was pounding posts before I moved into the house.” She brought on board award-winning winemaker Alan Kinne to produce the first vintages from purchased fruit.

After three trips to Spain, her initial plantings included Spanish vinifera varieties, such as Albariño, Tempranillo and Graciano, and French varieties, including Petit Verdot, Tannat, Fer Servadou, and Petit Manseng. There was room for traditional Chardonnay and popular Viognier. As she added acreage, there was more room for Norton.

To maintain her position as a top Norton producer, McCloud and Kinne have established a soup-to-nuts set-up for expansion of Norton wines. She sells other vineyards fruit and bulk wine, and at any one time there are up to 10,000 Norton vines propagating in a greenhouse on the property. Most grape varieties root easily, but Norton requires that its roots are warm and tops are cool so the canes will not break into premature bud.

“…what a cool mission to be the evangelist, the cheerleader for this standard bearer.” Sixteen shelter

rescue dogs protect the vines, which produce award winning wines.

70 Devon cows will provide fresh milk for estate-made cheeses.

Heritage-breed chickens freely roam the property.

I f you enjoy good wine, Tarara’s Vine Club is for you. Join us by June 1st for a special introductory offer. TheVineClub.com

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reaching For sustainaBiLityBy year’s end, McCloud hopes to open a new, two-story, 9,000-square-foot Chrysalis headquarters, which will rise on a hilltop over Route 50. Gates are in place for the winding drive.

In addition to wine tasting and sales, the rustic wood and stone building will house a creamery producing a variety of cheeses made with milk from her Devon cows, a bakery turning out artisan breads made with local wheat, and a charcuterie section offering sausage and cured hams. (Yes, pigs are in the plans.) With a nod to her tech background, McCloud is exploring the latest technology for wine service and product displays, using touch screens and audio/visual presentations.

“To make modern agriculture sustainable, we must attach value-added to our raw agriculture commodities,” says McCloud. “That way, we give the savvy consumer a reason to come on out and buy it.”

At Chrysalis, fi xings for dinner, accompanied by a bottle of hearty Norton, will be just a few clicks away.

Chrysalis23876 Champe Ford RoadMiddleburg, VA 20117

(540) 687-8222

www.chrysaliswine.com

walter nicholls is a former staff reporter for the Washington Post. A native Washingtonian, he has written about farms, food markets, and restaurants for 21 years. He resides both in the Georgetown section of Washington, and on an historic homestead in Rappahannock County, Virginia. Find him at walternicholls.com.


of the sophisticated bars of New York, Kruger has brought some Big Apple magic south.

The focus of his cocktail menu is local and seasonal—and organic, when possible. “I don’t have a specifi c schedule for making changes to the menu,” Kruger explains. “I do it when product availability and personal inspiration dictate.”

Julep’s gets as much produce as possible from local farms. Kruger especially likes to work with the urban farm at Bainbridge operated by Tricycle Gardens. “More than just buzzwords, ‘local and seasonal’ go hand in hand in the development of exceptional beverages and cuisine and ensures using ingredients at their peak.”

In addition to several new takes on the traditional julep, Kruger’s menu includes such interesting ingredients as red beet gastrique, rhubarb bitters, huckleberry extract, and port-infused pumpkin syrup.

Kruger has imported another New York concept to Richmond—the speakeasy. If you show up after 10, look for the mint leaf on the side door, and be sure to know the secret password (hint: it’s a cell phone number. Sussing that out is up to the reader. Give the restaurant a call before you head over). You’ll gain entry to an exclusive, dimly lit oasis that’s one of Richmond’s best watering holes.

Julep’s Kruger breaks new ground in mixology

John HaddadPhotos by Double Image Studio

Not Your Grandfather’s Julep

Good bartenders can mix a decent drink and lend an ear. Great bar tenders, however, a ren’t

satisfied with what’s been done before. They search out new ingredients and innovative combinations and constantly evolve their craft. Bobby Kruger is one of the greats, and has turned Julep’s restaurant in Richmond into one of Central Virginia’s most interesting bar experiences.

A scientist at heart, Kruger was studying for a degree in biomedical engineering when he took over the reins of the cocktail program at Julep’s three years ago. A student

drink seasonally

Julep’s 1719 East FranklinRichmond, VA 23119

(804) 377-3968

www.juleps.net

Tricycle Gardens2107 Jefferson Avenue Richmond, VA 23223

(804) 231-7767

tricyclegardens.org

John Haddad is a food writer in Richmond and vice chair of Slow Food RVA. Find him at www.epicuriousity.net, @Epicuriousity on Twitter, or slowfoodrva.org.

Spray a chilled julep cup with the tobacco essence. Add the rosemary, salt, bitters, and port and muddle them together. Add the whiskeys, and top with crushed ice.

ounce Rittenhouse Ryeounces Four Roses Small Batch Bourbonounces Feist 1997 Vintage Portdashes Fee Brother’s Aztec Chocolate Bitterssmall pinch smoked sea saltsprig fresh rosemaryspray tobacco essence

10.750.5

2111

The Professor’s Julep

Add all ingredients to an ice-fi lled shaker, shake for roughly 20 seconds.

Strain into an ice-fi lled Collins glass and garnish with a piece of candied ginger

ounces Hendrick’s Small Batch Ginounces Fernet Brancaounces Canton Ginger Liqueurounces Cinnamon Simple Syrupounces Blackberry-Thyme Gastriqueounces fresh lime juice

1.50.250.250.250.250.25

Flowers in Her Hair

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One of the most frequent questions that I’m asked in our tasting room at Delaplane Vineyards and Cellars is, “Why did you get started in the winery business?” My usual answer (and it’s true!) is, “Because I’m a complete idiot!”

It all started in the summer of 1974 when I was twenty-something and became good friends with a business colleague who, because he had been an exchange student in France, knew something about wine. Under his infl uence, I started drinking 1970 and 1971 Left Bank reds (Medocs). These were not First Growths but were nevertheless drinkable reds that could be had for $3 to $4 a bottle. Anything over $4.50 was considered “special.” These were worlds from the Boone’s Farm Apple and Strawberry Hill wines that I had grown accustomed to in college.

Over the next 20-plus years, my corporate career blossomed and so did my appetite for decent wine. My life changed in the 1980s when I tasted a Silver Oak Napa cabernet. My cellar grew with every annual trip to California wine country. I subscribed to the Wine Spectator and Parker’s Wine Advocate, reading anything and everything I could about wine. Even my social life was starting to revolve around wine. I couldn’t get enough.

In 1998, I signed up for a two-day winemaking class with The Master, Jim Law of Linden Vineyards. That fall, I bought some freshly pressed Virginia Chardonnay juice, and then visited my local home winemaking store for the necessary supplies. I was ready to go. While

that fi rst wine wasn’t exactly Grand Cru, it was drinkable. I was hooked! At the end of that year, I lost my job. Together with a fellow unemployed wino

we started looking for wineries and wine (but not necessarily in that order). We took Tony Wolfe’s seminar on vineyard site selection and visited as many potential vineyard sites and as many Virginia wineries as we could. We also drank a lot of wine. We joined the Virginia Vineyards Association and met a number of growers, many of whom I still have relationships with today.

I continued to make wine at home, always from grapes, never from kits. Whenever something went wrong, I did a lot of research to fi nd out what had happened. Included in that research were numerous emails and conversations with Jim Law. I’m sure that I was a gigantic pain in the neck, but Jim always answered my questions, no matter how dumb they were. (Thank you, Jim).

Finally, by 2004, I started to feel like I had a clue. I entered a Cabernet Sauvignon in the amateur competition at the Virginia State Fair and won fi rst place in my category. While I continued to search for a small vineyard of my own, I fell into the management of an existing three-acre vineyard near Leesburg. Doug Fabbioli had previously managed the vineyard, so I visited him at his home/winery and he kindly set me on my feet just in time for bud break 2005. I also took photos of the individual vines to Linden Vineyards to get some input from Jim Law. I was getting hopelessly sucked-in, deeper and deeper.

Fabbioli referred me to Mark Malick, a real estate agent who also owned a four-acre Viognier vineyard. Mark and I spent countless days in the car looking at potential vineyard and winery sites. Finally, in April 2006, at the peak of the real estate bubble, we submitted a contract on a 32-acre property. It was rejected. So was the second. Seven months later the third contract we submitted was accepted and the land—now Delaplane Vineyards and Cellars—was mine.

Jim Law graciously walked the property with me, noting that the site was probably better for reds than whites. That was music to my wine-soaked ears. Next, at Jim’s recommendation, I hired Loudoun County-based soil scientist Alex Blackburn, who gave me a combined soil and topographical map plus a long report that concluded the soils are “well-drained.” This was and still is some wonderful information.

Next, I retained Lucie Morton, a well-known viticultural expert, who recommended various clones and rootstocks for the Bordeaux reds and Petit Manseng that I intended to plant. Low-vigor rootstocks were chosen to help mitigate a serious problem in the East where the combination of deep, fertile soils and plenty of rain typically results in vines that, like the Eveready Bunny, just want to keep going and going (growing and growing). We ordered vines—43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot 18% Cabernet Franc and 7% Petit Verdot—and I hired Mike Newland, a local winegrower and vineyard consultant. Mike and his crew laid out the vineyard according to Lucie’s parameters—there would be seven feet between rows and four feet between vines to promote vine competition and reduce vigor. The vines came in early April 2008, and it took a large crew—including volunteers—to get them in the ground.

Last fall, two and a half years after our initial planting, hundreds of vineyard man-hours and many, many thousands of dollars later, we harvested our fi rst crop. As I write this, we have 12 barrels (just under 300 cases) of our fi rst estate red. Not all of this will make it into our fi nal blend, but based on what I’m tasting, we’re going to have some pretty good wine when it’s released sometime in late 2012. I can’t wait.

His magnifi cent obsession…and some great wine

Jim Dolphin is the owner, winemaker, and winegrower of Delaplane Vine-yards and Cellars in Fauquier County, Virginia.

Jim Dolphin

Jim Dolphin

winemaker’s notes

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What preparing dinner has taught me about making wine

Why I Cook

a winemaker’s important decisions are made within a time span of several days—from the decision when to pick to how long the juice will ferment. By tasting the grapes and observing skin and seed color, by using all senses, a game plan evolves as to how the wine will be made.

The same is true in the kitchen. Crunchy, freshly picked green beans from the garden need little help from the cook, but tough stringy ones that have been hiding in the refrigerator for days need more intervention with other ingredients and more time on the stove. Think about tomatoes, corn, and asparagus. An experienced cook knows how to do as little as possible when the ingredient shines, but also how to enhance when necessary.

When the right grape is grown in the right

place, by the right person, winemaking is amazingly simple. When the grapes are not in natural balance, then winemakers shift gears and intervene.

The most common seasoning in the kitchen is salt. Too little, and the food is bland. Too much, and that’s all you taste. Just the right amount brings out the maximum fl avor of the dish without tasting salty.

Oak is a winemaker’s salt. A Chardonnay or red wine made skillfully in oak has more texture, complexity, and integration than a wine made in stainless steel. The type of oak, age of the barrel, and amount of time the wine spends in wood all have a bearing on oak integration in wine. And like salt, the best oak is the oak you can’t taste.

Lees is the winemaking term for the yeast sediment that settles in a tank or

Jim Law

I have no memory of not cooking. Early in life, watching my mother prepare meals was pure entertainment, and once

my motors skills developed, I became her occasional sous chef. Chopping and sautéing onions was my first great culinary feat. Cooking provides me a daily therapeutic sense of accomplishment. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized how much it contributes to my winemaking skills.

Cooking and winemaking have so many parallels that I cannot comprehend a vintner who does not cook. Experimenting with the blending of fl avors and textures in the kitchen has resulted in many epiphanies related to winemaking. A winemaker gets but one harvest a year. Opportunities to learn and fi ne tune are endless in the kitchen.

Early on, my cooking experiences revolved around recipes, and my purchases strictly followed an ingredient list. Over time, following recipes reminded me too much of college lab. It wasn’t fun. I was imitating someone else’s creativity. This was science-based cooking with measurements, timers, and thermometers. I wasn’t learning, enjoying, or relaxing.

Eventually I got comfortable creating a simple meal around one or two ingredients. It made me more aware of techniques and fl avor pairings. I was using my senses.

So how does this relate to winemaking? There are two schools of winemaking philosophies: science-based vs. palate-based. I am much more comfortable with palate-based winemaking for the same reason that I stopped following recipes in the kitchen.

Winemaking involves one ingredient: grapes. That one ingredient is incredibly complex. Variety, soil, vintage, and vineyard management all have a profound infl uence on its fl avor and texture. Most of

in minutes for corn purchased out of season. Similarly, the greatest challenge of good

winemaking hinges on understanding the relationship between time, temperature, and the style of wine to be produced. Flavor and tannins are developed from contact with the grapeskins and seeds before, during, and after fermentation. Time (from five days up to 30 or more days on the skins) and temperature (a cool 70 F or a hot 90 F) both play a major role in extracting the best from the grapes.

Most of my important winemaking de-cisions come while tasting the grapes and imagining how I can bring out their best attributes and maintain balance in the re-sulting wine. Texture and fl avor clarity in a wine—or a dish—come from experience and confi dence.

barrel after fermentation. Wines aged on their lees (“sur lie”) gain palate weight and a certain yeasty, bread-dough perfume and fl avor that contribute to complexity. If the lees is of poor quality (resulting from rot or a stressed fermentation), a wine aged sur lie can have an unpleasant aroma or taste of boiled cabbage, dirty socks, or rotten eggs. The winemaker’s art is to understand how much lees infl uence (if any) is benefi cial to a given wine.

In the kitchen, my lees equivalent is truffle oil, asafetida, or fish sauce. If you smell these from the bottle they are, frankly, disgusting, but adding just the right amount at the right time gives a dish subtle complexity.

Experienced cooks know to slowly braise a lamb shank, but quickly sear a loin. Blanching vegetables then giving them an ice bath keeps them green and fresh. Cooking time is measured in seconds for fresh picked in-season corn on the cob and

Winemaker Jim Law is the owner and wine-grower of Linden Vineyards in Fauquier County.

JEr

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An

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Oak is a

winemaker’s salt.

A Chardonnay or

red wine made

skillfully in oak

has more texture,

complexity, and

integration than

a wine made in

stainless steel.

growing wines

The winemaker at work.

692 Federal Street | Paris, VA 20130 | 540.592.3900 www.AshbyInn.com

Join us in Paris for one of our upcoming Wine Dinners!

Copain ~ Thursday, March 10

Linden Vineyards ~ Thursday, April 7

Multi-course meal prepared by Chef Tarver King, with wine pairings for each course.

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crisp acidity and displays citrus, grass, and mineral flavors, so serving the lamb in a salad is best. Braise the neck or ribs in an herb-infused broth, let cool and then pick the meat from the bones. Toss the meat with fresh spring greens and bias-cut peapods and dress with herb vinaigrette. Since the meat has been cooked through and the fat rendered out, it will not overshadow but will contrast well with the wine’s bright acidity. One of the wonderful occurrences in food and wine pairing is that when acidity is matched with acidity, they cancel each other out on the palate. So, when preparing the vinaigrette for the salad, think of the wine as part of the vinegar requirement for the recipe. A typical vinaigrette calls for one part vinegar to three parts oil. In this case, use one-half part vinegar. The wine will lend

the other half, and both the wine and the dish will benefit from its brightness. The greens and peas will echo the grassy flavor of the wine, but you should also add tender herbs like basil, tarragon, and mint. These herbs contain the same compounds on

a molecular level that are found in sauvignon blanc. When paired together, it is like reuniting two old friends after many years. The result is a harmony of flavor.

Also try sauvignon blancs from Glen Manor and Veritas Vineyards.Boxwood Winery, “Topiary,” Loudoun County, Va., 2008

Topiary is patterned after the prototypical Saint Emilion-style wine of Bordeaux. The blend is made up of cabernet franc, merlot, and a touch of malbec. This blend creates a full-bodied wine with medium acidity and dark fruit, a pleasant vegetal flavor, and notes of toast which result from the influence of French oak. To balance the tannin of this wine in its youth, prepare lamb chops rubbed with thyme and rosemary. Cook them to medium-rare and observe how the drying effect of the tannins dissipates when the two join on the palate. With the tannins in check, the other flavors of the wine will shine through. Support these flavors with peas sautéed in butter and barley cooked with some red wine and lamb stock. The result will be a spring marriage of food and wine worth celebrating.

Also consider other blends from Barboursville, Linden Vineyards, Delaplane Cellars, and Glen Manor Vineyard.

Neal Wavra

With the advent of spring, the earth’s life force becomes visible on the surface. After a season of inward reflection, springtime offers

new, tender, aromatic, sweet life. In the garden or field, young greens pierce the soil, delicate in their structure but vibrant with sweet herbal flavors. Pea vines shoot, and tendrils, buds, and pods result. If spring needed a business card it would surely be a peapod.

In the pasture, sheep graze on grasses bolstered by spring rain, and lambs siphon shots of nourishing milk from their moms. These vernal offerings trigger an almost Pavlovian response, and is no doubt why celebrations in the spring so often involve lamb, young greens, peas, and herbs—whether you will prepare an Easter feast, celebrate Passover, or invite friends over to delight in the newfound warmth of the afternoons. These are the ingredients that were longed for and noticeably absent over the dormant winter.

There are two approaches to bringing together spring foods and wine. One starts with the food and the other with the wine. If your tradition involves a roast leg of lamb carved ceremoniously at the table, you will start with the dish and find the wine. On the flipside, if you went out to the Virginia wine country with your sweetheart over the St. Valentine’s Day weekend and brought home a few selections from some winery visits that you wish to showcase for your friends and family, then you will start with the wine and tailor the dish to it. Let us presume the latter is the case. After all, the wine in the bottle is unchangeable—but the dish you prepare is not, and can be adjusted to better suit what you plan to drink.

The following is a selection of wines found within the foodshed and a description of a meal made up of the iconic spring ingredients above suited to each. Here are a few guidelines to follow: First and foremost, pair food and wine of equal intensity. Next, address the structure or tannin and the acidity of a wine. Finally, complement or contrast flavors. While there is nothing wrong with drinking a full-bodied, tannic red wine with an herb salad if that is what you enjoy, such a wine will overshadow the greens. Likewise, grilled chops cooked medium-rare will overpower a crisp, light-bodied white. Linden Vineyards, “Avenius Vineyard,” Sauvignon Blanc, Fauquier County, Va., 2009

Given the guidelines I just laid out, the idea of serving a sauvignon blanc with lamb might seem off base. This wine is light bodied with a

neal wavra is the sommelier and innkeeper of the wine country destination The Ashby Inn & Restaurant located in Paris, Virginia.

How to select wine to go with spring’s delicate offerings

Vernal Variations and Their Vino Counterparts

pairing

If spring needed a business card it would surely be a peapod.


American Shakespeare Center, 21

Apple Blossom Festival, 4

Arganica Farm Club, 55

Ashby Inn, 77

Barboursville Vineyards, 65

Belle Meade, 2

Belle Meade Child Program, 41

Bread & Brew, 13

Butcher’s Block, 6

Cardinal Point, 33

Carter and Spence, 31

Catoctin Creek, 72

Chester Gap Cellars, 44

Cowgirl Creamey, 49

Delfosse Winery, 42

DuCard Vineyards, 73

Ellwood Thompson’s, 54

Equinox, 3

Farm Wineries Council, 51

Firefly Farms, 55

Fountain Hall, 14

Front Royal Visitor’s Center, 45

Glen Manor Vineyards, 44

Grelen Nursery (Pick Your Own), 12

Grelen Nursery (Tree Care), 41

Happy Cook, 31

Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market, 20

Iron Bridge Wine Company, 17

Jefferson Vineyards, 58

Joshua Wilton House, 20

Laughing Duck, 70

Makeup Serenity, 44

Marcel’s, inside back cover

Mas, 25

MJM Photography, 77

inside front cover Mom’s Market,

Morningside Farms and Nursery, 45

Mountain Massage, 44

Occasional Caterers, 39

Pride of the Plains, 45

Rappahannock Farm Tour, 44

Rappahannock Tourism, 42

Real Estate III, 9

Rebecca’s Natural Foods, 15

tataKi of randall lineBacK With ponzuBlack’s Bar & Kitchenflavormags.com

porK pot roaSt With cellared VeGetaBleS Staunton Grocery page 19

addie’S MuSSelS Black’s Bar & Kitchen page 48

Green Salad With ducK fat-fried potato and eGGS page 54

Red Carpet Wine Tours, 61

Red Fox Inn, 72

Red Truck Bakery & Market, 8

RH Ballard, 14

Route 11, 14

Roy Wheeler, 1

Shenandoah Growers, back cover

Staunton Visitor’s Center, 42

Sugarleaf Vineyards, 58

Sunset Hills, 71

Surin Bran Oil, 15

T&E Meats, 20

Tarara, 71

Three Fox Vineyards, 44

Toigo Orchard, 13

Toliver House, 75

Trickling Springs, 49

Tuskies, 6

Veritas Winery, 8

Virginia Beach Tourism, 42

Wine Kitchen, 65

WMRA-NPR, 12

Green Salad With BaKed Goat cheeSe page 54

Quiche MorSelS page 55

Sautéed MuShrooMS With VirGinia haM page 55

Butternut SQuaSh yoGurt parfait page 56

Berry JaMMy SeMifreddo page 56

adVertiSer directory

recipe indeX

index

ricotta & Berry JaM tart page 56

floWerS in her hair Robert Kruger, Julep’s page 72

the profeSSor’S Julep Robert Kruger, Julep’s page 73

mags.com MAR/APR 201180

long finish

Connie Hicks of Decca Farm is a fifth-generation farmer in Albemarle County. She raises Tamsworth and Gloucester Old Spot pigs on 70 acres along the Mechum River, where the animals forage for acorns, berries, hickory nuts, and roots.

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”

-Sir Winston Churchill

READERS ARE INVITED TO SUBMIT THEIR PHOTOS TO [email protected]

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