Food & Artisan Fair at Taste of Dine Originals
This Thursday evening, Dine Originals presents their annual and beloved "Taste of Dine Originals" food and wine event. From 6-9:30pm, guests are invited to sample food from 50 participating restaurants, sip wines from 30 vineyards, beers from 2 craft breweries and spirits provided by our handful of talented micro-distilleries.
Edible Columbus is excited to be hosting our first Food & Artisan Fair at the Taste of Dine Originals event. We are presenting 20 local vendors and their wares, all of whom play an important role in our food community. We've selected businesses, dairies, farms and organizations that deserve to be recognized for their talent and high-quality products. Guests can stop by each of the vendor booths, learn more about the products and sample to their hearts content.
The Flavors of Spring
Just as farmers markets begin to trickle back in our calendars and we look forward to the earliest of spring vegetables, the talented Tricia Wheeler put together a lovely class celebrating the flavors of the season.
The vegetarian menu celebrated the best and brightest of the spring harvest thus far. The centerpiece? An enormous bag of savoy spinach freshly plucked by the farmers at Wayward Seed. Tender spinach leaves bolstered a snappy veggie saute in the second course, retaining their deep color and rich flavor throughout the sear.
Tricia also sourced radishes, spring onions and peas from H&W Organic Farm's at the Olde Worthington indoor farmers market, which ran through last week. (The indoor market resumes on the first Saturday in May.) H&W grows a variety of vegetables in greenhouses during months of in-climate weather, including our selection. Check out the posted link to see which markets H&W Organic Farm will visit this summer and what we can expect in their harvests.
Murders, accusations... and a hearty slice of Camembert.
Local author Daryl Wood Gerber, penning under the name Avery Aames, combines her zest for writing and passion for food in "The Cheese Shop Mystery Series," set in the bucolic (and fictional) town of Providence, Ohio, where dairies are plentiful and drama is abundant.
At the center of the action lies protagonist Charlotte Bessette, proprietor of The Cheese Shop. Finding herself entangled in endless mystery, shocking murders and budding romance, Charlotte balances her business while searching for justice in the not-so-quiet farm town.
Recipes are included in every book, offering a bit of inspiration for fellow cheese lovers and adventurous cooks. Avery also contributes weekly recipes to the Mystery Lovers' Kitchen blog.
Below, Avery shares her journey from acting to writing, and reveals how Ohio has been influential in her creative process. Bon appétit!
All About Salmon
Fresh off her return from Edible Institute, the annual Edible Communities conference in California, Publisher Tricia Wheeler hosted a cooking class all about sustainable salmon.
The fish, known for its pink hue and glowing health properties, can cause some confusion at the seafood counter. Farm-raised or fresh? Wild Alaskan? And what's a sockeye? Were these the things on "Deadliest Catch"?
With sustainability at the forefront of our purchasing and eating decisions lately, Tricia made sure to provide some tips for buying the freshest, safest and most environmentally-sound salmon on the market. She then turned that salmon into two beautiful and versatile dishes, great for family meals or dressed up for entertaining.
Get to Know the Beverage Artisan: Jeff & Gina Kirby of Powell Village Winery
When Jeff and Gina Kirby's enthusiasm for fine wine had them hand-squeezing grapes and stocking barrels in their basement, it was clear an expansion was immienent. Guided by a passion for the northern Columbus suburb of Powell and a passion for wine-making on a local level, the Kirby's decided to launch Powell Village Winery & Tasting Room in December of 2011.
Since then, the Kirby's have continued to turn hard work and quality ingredients into small-batch wines they are proud to share with the community. The urban winery runs happy hours every Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 to 7pm, where any glass of wine on the menu is $4. Regular, drop-in hours are available Tuesday through Saturday. View a full list of wine offerings here, or learn about opportunities to rent the entire winery for a private function or party.
Below, Jeff and Gina share some insight on their go-to drinks, food pairings and a favorite recipe for BBQ ribs, perfect for summer grilling.
What is your business?
The Powell Village Winery & Tasting Room, located right in downtown historic Powell.
How long have you been in the business?
We opened our doors December 2, 2011, so roughly 3-1/2 months.
Where do you like to go for a drink?
City Folk's Farm Shop
Whether your gardening prowess covers a handful of potted herbs or spans acres, a new store in Clintonville offers tools, products and advice fit for any growing enthusiast.
City Folk's Farm Shop opened its doors to public yesterday, though the official grand opening is slated for Earth Day week, starting April 16.
Founder and shop keeper Shawn Fiegelist hopes not just to provide green-thumbs with organic seeds and soils, natural fertilizers and tools for the spring gardening crush, but to create an all-inclusive destination for year-round home and garden activities. In addition, experts and urban gardeners will lead classes at City Folk's Farm Shop throughout the year, including some on backyard chickens and homesteading with children, already listed on the calendar of events.
Shop, Eat & Celebrate Local
The farmers market at Easton Town Center is gearing up for a second year of success.
2012 vendor registration is open now to interested applicants who still have time to apply for spaces before opening day on June 7. Like last year, the market will be held every Thursday from 4-7pm, featuring an array of fresh produce, plants, artisanal products and crafts.
Some changes are in store for the farmers market this spring, including a new, more central location at the Easton Town Square, located between Brio and Barnes and Noble. Central to the new space, dancing fountains will be in full force for younger market visitors, who can also take part in regular kids activities and cooking events.
This year, the Easton farmers market welcomes aspiring chefs from the Bradford Culinary School, a local culinary arts program held in partnership with professionals from the Columbus Culinary Institute. Expect demonstrations, a chili cook-off, gluten-free recipes and lots of locally-sourced ingredients.
Thurn's Meats Class
Most noticeably, the class attracted an unusually high ratio of men to women. The place was packed with guys, ranging from longtime customers to newcomers intrigued by the local and legendary meat purveyors.
The Thurn's class also marked the first time one could smell a class from the parking lot, as aromas wafted from the smoke house into our hair, clothes and cars. The smell would stick for a while too, reminding participants for days to come of their enchanting experience among the meats.
Perhaps the most exciting landmark was the tour itself - a first for Thurn's Speciality Meats. Never in their 125 year history (126 this Easter) had Thurn's opened up their facilities for public viewing, making our visits all the more exciting.
Cheese Class with Canal Junction
Here in Columbus, we benefit from close proximity to ample farmland and talented agriculturists all across the state. Our farmers markets are flush with fresh produce and handcrafted artisanal foods are not only easy to stumble upon, but even easier to become fast favorites.
There's no better way to spread the word about great, local eats than by inviting the source to an Edible Columbus cooking class to share their stories and, in this case, inundate us with as many fresh cheese varieties as possible.
Brian Schlatter from Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese produces some of the state's finest cheese. His products have quickly become an area favorite, making appearances on pizzas, cheese plates and shelves around town - even picking up a 2012 Good Food Award for their Charloe cheese earlier this year.
Spring CSA Subscriptions
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: