Loading ...Fresh & Local at the Farmstand
Posted by Kirsten Henri on February 15th, 2008
Will you be food shopping this weekend? If you’re interested in doing it in a fresh-and-local fashion, the Fair Food Farmstand is the place to go.
They’re stocking some interesting new local cheeses that we had the opportunity to sample yesterday, including a “blue cheddar” that marries the savory and stinky qualities of both varieties of cheese, plus a mild, addictive “Telford Tomme” both from Hendrick’s Farm in Telford. Local cheeses haven’t been quite up to snuff, at least compared to the other milk products that come from Pennsylvania cows like this and this, but Sarah Cain, co-manager of the Farmstand, tells me that’s all about to change, based on her recent visit to the PA State Agriculture conference. Local farmers are hiring cheese consultants (like this guy) and learning the finer points of artisan cheesemaking.
If you’re dying to snap into a Slim Jim, but are grossed out by what might be inside, you could give one of their new organic beef sticks from Countryside Organics in Quarryville a shot – they’re made from grass-fed animals and are nitrate-free.
Fair Food Farmstand [White Dog Community Enterprises]
Related Tags: cheese, Fair-Food-Farmstand
February 16th, 2008 at 10:55 am
If the views of today’s culinary students offer clues to the culinary trends of tomorrow we can expect considerations of sustainability to play a major role in tomorrow’s menus. A new survey of its students that found the chefs of tomorrow want to serve more globally diverse dishes and conduct business in a more environmentally sensitive manner.
Nearly all the responding students (97%) said environmental responsibility will play some role in their culinary careers and more than half said environmentalism is “very important”. Knowing a food’s origins and supporting local farmers was also fundamental.
Three out of four are interested in including locally supplied ingredients in their repertoires and more than half want to include organic foods in their ventures.
If the survey is a good indicator, we can expect the influences on future menus will come from an excitingly diverse array of cuisines, including Spanish, French, Italian, South American, Thai and Mexican. Adventurous chefs, flavorful food, and a healthier environment are a future we should all embrace.