Avoiding Factory Farmed Foods: An Eater's Guide

Over at Fresh, guest blogger Nicolette Hahn Niman (wife of Niman Ranch founder Bill Niman and author of Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms) shares a comprehensive list of pointers for those interested in breaking free of the supermarket. Well worth a look.

Ohio River Valley Annual Barrel Tasting Tour November 28th

The following five Southern Ohio wineries will again team up for the third annual Ohio River Valley Barrel Tasting Tour on Saturday, November 28th.

Kinkead Ridge Estate Winery: Taste medal-winning wines and sample red releases directly from the barrel. Tasting fees $3 - $6. 10am - 6pm. 904 Hamburg Street, Ripley. Overflow parking at the large white building across the street. For more information, call 937.392.6077.

Harmony Hill Vineyards: Barrel sample 2009 Woodwind, 2009 Rubato, 2008 Rhapsody. Tasting fees $2 - $4. Noon - 6pm. 2534 Swings Corner-Point Isabel Rd, Bethel. For more information call 513.734.3548.

Burnet Ridge: Tasting fee $15. By appointment, noon - 5pm. 6721 Richard Ave, North College Hill. For more information or to make an appointment call 513.522.4203.

Henke Winery: Tasting fee: 5 wines for $10, includes cellar tour. Reservations required; noon - 6pm. Also offering brunch 11am - 2pm with a Brunch & Barrel Tasting Special. 3077 Harrison Ave, Cincinnati. For more information or to make an appointment call 513.662.9463.

Woodstone Creek: Tasting fees $1.50 - $3.50. 1 - 5pm. 361 Newton Ave, Cincinnati. For more information call 513.569.0300.

Here's a nice map of area wineries from Michelle over at My Wine Education.

College Hill Farmers' Market Moves Indoors For Winter

The Farm Market of College Hill is moving inside to the College Hill Coffee Company. Vendors attending will include:

• Madison’s Produce: Organic and local fresh fruit and veggies all winter
• Shadeau Bread: Gary Skitt will be selling bread and free range eggs
• Wooden Shoe Garden: David Rosenberg will have organic micro-greens
• Fab Ferments: Jennifer and Jordan will have raw organic fermented veggies
• Yoder Farms: Baked goods, and talk to Vern about his herd share

Thursdays 3 - 5:30 until the market moves back outdoors in the spring. 6128 Hamilton Ave. For more information, email David.

Thanksgiving Turkeys

You can still place an order for a fresh (never frozen), pasture-raised turkey from the following local farms:

Eaton Farm: Heritage breeds Bourbon Red ($100/bird) and Broad Breasted Bronze ($80/bird) will be delivered to Cincinnati on Wednesday, November 25th (the day before Thanksgiving) and will average 18-25 pounds dressed. Contact Elizabeth via the email link on their Local Harvest listing.

Green Acres: Turkeys will be available for pickup Wednesday, November 25th (the day before Thanksgiving) and will average about 20 pounds and sell for $3.99/lb. 8255 Spooky Hollow Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242 (Indian Hill). Call Peggy at 513 891-4227 or email her for more information.

Johnson Poultry: Pickups in Wilmington and Lebanon. $2.20/lb. For more information email Walter.

Tewes Poultry: The farm is located off I-75 at the Buttermilk Pike Exit in Northern Kentucky (about 10 minutes from downtown Cincinnati). Fresh turkeys are dressed out weekly, each Thursday through New Years, upon request. For Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, turkeys will be available for pick-up starting the Saturday before and up until the eve of the holiday. $2.00 lb. To order or for more information, call 859 341-8844.

Northside Farmers' Market Moves Indoors For Winter

Starting tomorrow (Wednesday, November 4th) the Northside Farmers Market will move inside to the North Presbyterian Church Auditorium at 4222 Hamilton Avenue (across from the Northside Library).

Fifteen vendors will provide various goods, including apples, cider, eggs, assorted meats, bread, autumn produce, honey, cheese, locally roasted coffee, micro-greens, and baked goods, including:

Backyard Orchards: apples, cider

Idyllwild Farms: autumn produce, salad mix, braising greens, herbs

Back Acres Farm: raw milk cheese, eggs, grass-fed beef, whole hog sausage, American lamb, poultry, and autumn produce

Shadeau Bakery: breads, pastries

Farmer Mike: autumn produce, salsa

Fab Ferments: organic, naturally fermented veggies, kombucha, beet kvass

Rising Sun Farms: honey, pork, greens, eggs, autumn veggies

Cluxton Alley Coffee Roasters: coffee beans, baked goods, coffee/tea

Organic Micro-Greens: assorted micro greens

Wind Dance Farm: herbs, greens, winter squash, apples

Village Green Gardens: greens, bread

Carriage House Farm: honey

Janelson Arts: jams, breads, cookies

North Presbyterian Church Auditorium at 4222 Hamilton Avenue on Wednesdays 4:00- 7:30pm from now until the market moves back outside in the spring. For more information contact Robin Henderson via email or at 513-591-0083.

Chicken-Keeping in Mariemont

The Village of Mariemont, which currently has no regulations concerning the keeping of chickens, is reportedly planning to consider the issue at tonight's Council meeting (Monday Nov 8 at 7:30). The Municipal Building is at 6907 Wooster Pike. If you're in Mariemont and you have any idea of EVER keeping chickens, this would be a very important meeting to attend. Right now chickens are legal. If you want to keep it that way, you need to let your Village officials know how you feel.

Tonight's agenda has been posted, and the issue of chicken-keeping is not on it. However, given that a city employee told me this would be discussed tonight, I think it's still important to attend. If the issue doesn't come up, bring it up during the portion of the meeting reserved for "Permission to Address Council."

I'll be there tonight!

Holiday Master's Canning Gift Basket Class

Sonya over at Jam and Jelly Lady in Lebanon has spots available in tomorrow's (Monday November 9th, 6:30 - 9:30) Holiday Master’s Canning Class.  Bring a small basket appropriate for two jars, and in class you'll make and fill the jars with with Holiday Chutney and Cran-Raspberry Jam and then make a wired ribbon bow and “stage” the basket for gifting. 

For more information call Sonya at 513.932.6470 or email her. 

Our Unplanned Hiatus

So sorry for the unannounced (and unplanned) hiatus -- I was crazy busy with Farmers' Fair 2009 and now with another project that will be ending soon. With any luck, I'll be back to posting sometime around mid-November!

Reusable Shopping Bags from Renewable Resources

I run a CSA type program called a Farm Share Initiative (okay it IS a CSA but I have found when you do a search on Ohio CSA you tend to get a lot of hits for Confederate States of America before Community Supported Agriculture and around here that could mean a lot of PU trucks arriving with full gun racks and confederate flags proudly displayed. Not exactly the crowd I want to attract). I started out the season back in April loading the members shares into non reusable plastic shopping bags (okay, these were all reused several times and came to me used but...). So I got to thinking about the whole carbon foot print thing and the huge and growing plastic island out in the Pacific ocean and decided I needed something other than the reused nonreusable plastic bags to pack the shares into.

I considered buying some sort of plastic tote-styrofoam coolers or storage boxes for the members. But here again this is using virgin plastic (and types that are not easily recyclable). Plus this would be an added cost to the farm which, while profitable (we keep out of debt and get the bills paid as long as we live simply and cheaply), is not raking in the bucks. I also considered buying shopping bags for the members but realized we all have too many such bags in our lives and many are not used.

So I hit on the idea of asking my members to supply their own bags. They could bring to the farm their reusable bags that they are not using. This has been a hit, over 75% of the members have supplied me with bags (I figure the other 25% are not complying as they do not read the weekly newsletters or they bring them but leave them in their vehicle as they would when they go shopping at the grocery store or farmers market, an all too common problem).

But I have noticed something about the reusable shopping bags, unless they are over 5 years old, they are made out of plastic. I think the Whole Foods bags are the worst, but Kroger and Wal-mart ain't much better. Most of the cloth bags I have received are from non food/grocery sources-libraries, universities, churches, etc.. I am assuming that these plastic bags are using recycled plastic, though I do not know this for sure. And if they are using post consumer plastic what % of this kind of plastic in the bags?

But the real question is what has happened to reusable shopping bags being made from natural sources like cotton, kenaf, bamboo etc.?

I know they are out there as the Oxford Uptown Farmers Market uses cotton bags as a premium for their Friends of the Market Program. So why don't the big corps use some truly renewable/natural material for the bags they sell to the public?

Farmers' Fair 2009 Sept 26 - 27 in Covington

Farmers' Fair 2009 will showcase local farmers and foods at their first-ever celebration of local foods Sept 26 and 27 at Greenup Street and Park Place in Covington.

Saturday evening 5pm-10pm is the kickoff celebration featuring samples of local foods prepared by local chefs, tastings of local beers and wines, and live music.

Sunday 11am-4pm is the farmers' market and more. Local farmers, growers, and producers will be selling locally grown and raised foods. The event will also feature tastings, educational exhibits including beekeeping, home brewing, composting, gardening, and more for adults and children.

The events are free and open to the public. Vendors are still welcome. For more information, visit the website at FarmersFair.org.