Citrus & Salad Dressing: Notes on food, cooking and life from Tricia's Kitchen
Written by Tricia Wheeler
This summer I did a cooking demo at North Market with Wayward Seed Farm. I served a pretty salad of thinly sliced watermelon radishes and baby turnips over mixed greens. I topped it with a salad dressing I whipped up that morning. The problem was I never wrote down the recipe. I cook by instinct. I taste and adjust flavors and seasoning. I rarely follow a recipe or remember what I added to make something memorable. I am the kind of cook who never makes the same meal twice.
While in the depths of dreary winter, we can escape the chill imagining a warm and bountiful spring in Central Ohio, one where fresh, locally-grown produce and markets abound, supplying seasonal fare to the community. A number of local programs help turn these visions into reality, bringing healthful foods closer and simplifying the process from farm to table.
By joining an increasingly popular Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA program, through a local farm, allotted portions of fresh vegetables, herbs and other food items can be enjoyed at regular intervals for a flat rate. Essentially a "share" of a farm, CSAs are like produce subscriptions to items a farmer might have freshest and most readily available. Typically, CSA produce bags are delivered weekly to corresponding drop-off points, usually at farmers markets or related businesses. There are often payment plans in place with options for varying subscription lengths available. Large CSA shares can be divided by families or neighbors, with some choosing to preserve or can items to last year round.
Below is an abbreviated list of CSA programs in the Columbus area:
Get to Know the Entrepreneur: The Rzepka Family of Beecology
Written by Claire Hoppens
Get to Know the Entrepreneur: The Rzepka Family of Beecology
At first, the Rzepka family didn't think much of the beehive a neighbor placed on their farmland. It wasn't until David Rzepka took responsibility for the hive that he learned to appreciate the intricacies of bees and their productive colonies. Fascinated, he studied beekeeping and became inspired to transform the fresh honey and beeswax his bees produced in a natural line of products for skin and hair care. Beecology was born.
Today, the entire Rzepka clan works to produce a healthy line of products including lotion, shampoo, conditioner, soap and lip balm, meant to nurture the body without artificial dyes, scents or colors. In particular, the shampoo and conditioner are made without sodium lauryl sulfate or paraben, opting for pure ingredients that are combined by hand in small batches. All Beecology products are labeled with a code that can be entered at www.SweetYear.org, where customers choose, based on personal preference, a charity to which Beecology will make a donation.
Here, Amy Rzepka shared with us some secrets to success in their products and a simple recipe for granola bars, a family favorite.
How long have you owned Beecology?
Six years
What do you like about running a business in Columbus?
David and I met at OSU, so Columbus has a special place in our heart.
What's the oddest request you've ever received?
A woman ordered a case of our Buzz Balm, lip balm to give to her boyfriend for Christmas; she said it was his all time favorite lip remedy.
Only good things come from a class featuring beer, meat and various combinations of the two. That’s exactly what resulted at last week's beer class, hosted by Edible Columbus Tricia Wheeler and joined by two gracious guests: Chef Susie Cork of Shaw’s Restaurant and Inn, and Matthew Barbee from Rockmill Brewery, both based in Lancaster, Ohio.
Susie Cork and her family have operated Shaw’s Restaurant and Inn for decades. Besides quaint rooms and prime location in downtown Lancaster, Susie runs a cooking school on site with ample classes for inn guests and locals alike. Her passion in the kitchen is undeniable and her support for local ingredients, commendable. One could carve the perfect weekend out a stay at Shaw’s complete with cooking classes, elegant in-house dining and local sites.
For Matthew, brewing organic beer in a restored horse stable on his parents farm wasn't always the intended life path. He began with a high powered career at a talent agency in Los Angeles before a visit back home sparked some ideas. Eventually, after finding the natural spring on his parent's property was a near match in profile to those of the famed Wallonia region in Belgium, Matthew began his pursuit of high quality, small batch beer. The rest is history.
The evening featured dishes from both Chef Susie and Tricia, most of which featured beer as a standout ingredient. Along the way, Matthew peppered in information about the history and brewing process of Rockmill beers.
Our dear friend and Edible Columbus writer Carole Amber has overcome immense tragedy in recent years. Now, channeling the resilience that saw her through the darkest hours, Carole will proudly release a children's book in loving memory of her son, TJ, who lived for 14 short, beautiful months - enough to inspire Carole and her husband Troy to live fully, love deeply and give thanks for every blessing that came their way.
The Gift of the Ladybug is built upon a vision that came to Carole on a most harrowing day. In it, she imagined parents - loving horses - and their ladybug child who lived a brief but brilliant life. Carole took comfort in the ideas, transforming them first into a story to read to her son and most recently, into a published children's book for all to treasure.
The official release date for The Gift of the Ladybug is this Saturday, January 28 -- TJ's birthday. Friends, neighbors and businesses citywide are coming together to support Carole and her story, hoping to sell 500 copies through Amazon at www.giftoftheladybug.com, both to honor TJ and to raise funds for the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, an organization working towards a cure for Leigh Syndrome, a rare disease that typically appears in infants.
