LocavoraCinciPalooza at Mercantile Library

As part of their Hearth & Home series, the Mercantile Library (414 Walnut Street, Cincinnati 45202) is offering LocavoraCinciPalooza, a panel discussion on local food. Mary Stagaman, founder and board chair for The Corporation for Findlay Market, will moderate a panel including Chef Jono Fries of Boca Restaurant Group, “Cincinnati Magazine” food writer Donna Covrett, Turner Farms Garden Manager Melinda O’Briant, writer for Robert Parker’s “Wine Advocate” David Schildknecht, and yours truly. Mon, Mar 23rd at 6:30 PM in the Merc's Reading Room. $10 for members; $15 for nonmembers. For more information, call the Merc at 513.621.0717.

Lamb at GreenAcres Monday

GreenAcres will have fresh lamb on Monday; call or email Peggy at 513 891 4227 to place an order.

Nose-to-Tail Dinner at JeanRo Bistro

JeanRo Bistro (413 Vine St. 45202) is offering a Nose-to-Tail dinner (an idea popularized by Fergus Henderson's Nose to Tail Eating) Monday February 23rd at 7pm.

The 8-course prix fixe menu offers an opportunity for the adventurous eater to try some dishes that don't often appear on local menus:

Veal Sweet Bread Torchon
Sauce Gribiche, Celery Leaf Salad

Lamb Heart
Roasted Golden Beets, Apple Quince Puree, Lovage Herb Salad

Corned beef hash of Corned Beef Tongue
Pommes Lyonnais, Red Wine Poached Egg, Bordelaise

Brined and Roasted Pork Belly
Spiced Oat Meal, Henderson Compote, Rioja Reduction

Fennel Sorbet

Lamb Brain Ravioli
Sage & Parmesan Butter, Lemon Zest

Hay Scented Ham
Bacon Broth Roasted Enoki Mushrooms, Baby Carrots, Scallions, Crispy Pigs Ear

24 Hour Braised Beef Short Rib
Sautéed Bone Marrow, Wheat Berry Risotto, Parsley Salad

Smoked Honey Gelato
Spice Cake Foie Gras Cotton Candy

8 courses for $80, with wine pairings $120. For reservations, call 513.621.1465

More CSAs

If you haven't yet joined a 2009 CSA, here's an update to our earlier post.

Farm Beach Bethel
May through mid-October
Pickup: Hyde Park Farmers' Markets (Sun 10 - 2)
Work and no-work shares available
Home delivery option available

Fox Run Farm
May - September
Pickup at farm and locations in Northern Kentucky and Hamilton Co, OH
Home delivery option available
Email for more information

Mudfoot Farm
May 15th - Oct 30th
Pickup: Northside and other Farmers' Markets
Extended season shares available
Email for more information.

City Cellars Wine Dinner featuring Just Cured

Michael Brown of Just Cured will be the featured chef at City Cellars' (908 Race St, 45202) next Wine Dinner on Friday, February 27th from 7 - 10pm.

Michael's menu for the evening:

• Roasted beet and goat cheese salad
• Risotto with asparagus and asparagus puree
• Just Cured half smoked salmon cooked sous vide, wild mushroom and cabbage sauté, pinot noir butter sauce
• Milk chocolate pretzel tart

(A vegetarian substitute will be available for the salmon course; be sure to advise City Cellars when making your reservation.)

Price per person is $35; wine and beer can be purchased from City Cellars at retail prices. For more information or to make reservations, call 513.621.9463.

Slow Food Cincinnati's Sugaring Tour & Maple Syrup Tasting

Slow Food Cincinnati is offering a tour and tasting of Clough Valley Sweets' (5531 Clough Pike, 45244) maple sugaring operation the afternoon of February 28th. The tour will start at 3pm (exact and is free, but space is limited and you do need to reserve your spot.

Fresh Beef at Green Acres Next Week

Greenacres (8255 Spooky Hollow Rd, 45242) will have fresh pastured beef next week. To place an order email Peggy, and she'll notify you when she has an exact pickup date.

They also have frozen items: turkeys at $2/lb while they last, soup hens at $1.99/lb, ground beef ($30/10lb), sirloin tip roast ($8.99/lb) and rump roast ($7.99/lb.)

Lamb will be available later this month.

Maple Syrup Making at Cincinnati Nature Center

Cincinnati Nature Center is offering interactive Maple Syrup Making sessions February 14th, 21st and 28th at Rowe Woods (4949 Tealtown Rd. in Milford, 45150.) Drop by any time between 9am and 4pm to watch the process of making maple syrup from sap. Sap collecting maple hikes start at the Sugar House at 10am, 11am, 1pm, and 2pm. CNC members free, nonmembers pay daily admission.

They're also offering a class class called Backyard Maple Sugaring: A Hands-on, How-to Workshop from 2 - 4pm February 14th at at Rowe Woods for those who would like to learn how to sugar from their own trees. The class will cover small scale maple syrup making including selecting trees, tapping, sap collecting, sap storage, boiling and canning. Spiles (tree taps) are available for purchase. $5 members, $8 nonmembers. To register, visit their website.

Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System

Raj Patel will speak about his book, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System in a free-to-the-public lecture at Hall Auditorium on Miami University's campus in Oxford, Tuesday Feb 10th at 7pm.

Maple Syrup Festivals

There are multiple maple syrup festivals in the area in the next few weeks.  Here are a few:

Hueston Woods Maple Syrup Festival
College Corner, OH 45003
March 7th, 8th, 14th & 15th
Admission: $5 kids, $6 adults
Pancake breakfast, demonstrations, sugar bush tours.

18th Annual Indiana Maple Syrup Festival
Salem, IN 47167
Feb 28th & March 1st, 7th & 8th
Admission: free
Pancake & waffle breakfast, sugarbush tours, demonstrations, live music.

National Maple Syrup Festival
Medora, IN 47260
March 7th, 8th, 14th & 15th
Admission: $4 kids, $8 adults
Live music, demonstrations, maple syrup bake-off, maple syrup taste-off, pancake breakfast.  We're not sure what makes this festival the "National" maple syrup festival and suspect many Vermonters would be surprised to learn it's in Indiana.  Perhaps it's just a marketing breakthrough, but if so they get points for pure hubris! 

If anyone knows of other local(ish) maple syrup festivals, let me know and I'll post them!