A Unique Way to Learn About Local
Food & Water Watch, a national consumer advocacy group, brought chef Rocky Barnette to Dallas recently to cook for Hannah King, the grand prize-winner of the Take Home Chef Rocky Contest. King’s You-Tube video was selected from among dozens of entries from across the country. Food & Water Watch’s Edible Eco Underground is an innovative new venture that aims to get people more involved with the purchasing, preparation and enjoyment of their food and to help consumers get the information they need to make healthy, sustainable eating choices. While in Dallas, Chef Rocky was joined by Edible staffers who lined up places to shop for local fare including the Dallas Farmers Market, Tom Spicer’s FM 1410 and Whole Foods Market.
Dinner Menu Included:
- Warm Potato Salad with Mustard and Chives
- Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes
- A Variety of Sautéed Squash with Goat Butter and Lime
- Green Bean Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette and Matsutake Mushrooms
- Cinnamon Roasted Acorn and Carnival Squash with Lime Zest
- Fresh Tomato Salad with Balsamic and Goat Cheese
- Pan Roasted Grass Fed Sirloin Dinner was served with Texas Wines:
- Inwood Estates Vineyard, 2007 “Cornelius”, 100 % Tempranillo
- Fall Creek Vineyards, Chenin Blanc
Watch the video of Chef Rocky & edible publisher Nanci Taylor at edibleecounderground.org/contest-winner
Canning Across America
Canning Across America is a nationwide, ad hoc collective of cooks, gardeners and food lovers committed to the revival of the lost art of putting up food. Their goal is to promote safe food preservation and the joys of community building through food. Publisher Nanci Taylor and edible Dallas & Fort Worth supporter Margie Haley recently participated in a Dallas class where they canned peaches in brandy and watermelon pickles. Visit their website to find out more about upcoming events. www.canningacrossamerica.com Hannah’s Off the Square, 100-Mile Dinner The 100-Mile Diet is a living experiment in local eating that can reconnect you with your food, your local farmers, the seasons and the landscape in which you live. Hannah’s Off the Square in Denton recently served up their 3rd annual
100-Mile Dinner. Chef Sheena Croft and Wine Steward Jason Lastovica say deciding on a menu is easy; just let the local offerings guide you. Visit their blog to connect with sources for their annual dinner. (hannahsoffthesquare. blogspot.com) If you don’t want to wait until next year’s event, consider dining with them at the restaurant or hosting your own 100-Mile dinner. To read more about the ultimate locavore challenge, visit the website 100milediet.org
or pick up the book by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon, The 100-Mile Diet. A sampling from this year’s menu:
- Poblano Pesto Roasted Chicken [Dominion Farms (Denison), Denton Farmers Market]
- Rosemary Roast Beef with Skillet Red Bliss Potatoes [Dominion Farms (Denison), McKinney Farmers Market]
- Purple Hull Peas with Snaps (J.B. Blalock, Denton Farmers Market)
- Pecan Butter Crust Blueberry and Red Wine Poached Pear Crisp (American Produce, Edom)
- Butter Roasted Shitake Mushrooms [Texas Organic Mushrooms (Denison), Good Luck Dairy (McKinney)]
- Pineapple Sage and Pear Roasted Ham [Dominion Farms (Denison), McKinney Farmers Market, pears courtesy of the good citizens of Denton, Texas]
- Lemon Balm Iced Tea (Chef’s garden, Denton Farmers Market)
- Brushy Creek Winery supplied the wine for drinking and cooking. (Alvord) Chef Croft hopes to incorporate more wild foods in next year’s dinner, such as the elusive morels from the Sherman/Gainesville area, yucca shoots, and burdock. At this year’s event, the diners received a parting gift of Red Crimson Okra fourth generation local seeds from the Chef’s own garden.
Hannah’s Off the Square
111 West Mulberry St.
Denton, TX 76201
940.566.1110
www.hannahsoffthesquare.com
Passionate About Their Garden
North Haven Gardens is the place to shop for garden supplies and plants. Locally owned and operated and a fixture in the garden industry since 1951 when Northhaven Road was nothing more than a county lane, the shop has stood the test of time and refocused its efforts to meet a community’s renewed interest in growing their own. On their website (www.nhg.com) you’ll find an extensive list of classes, workshops, seminars and events to keep you busy. Buy your plants and learn when and how to plant them. Buy your chickens and get your questions answered at their Backyard Chicken Sale, and for the holidays, buy your live Christmas tree to decorate. Their website also offers frequently updated information on seasonal planting and harvest.
North Haven Gardens
7700 Northhaven Rd.
Dallas, TX
214.363.5316
www.nhg.com
Edible Dallas & Fort Worth is a quarterly local foods magazine that promotes the abundance of local foods in Dallas, Fort Worth and 34 North Texas counties. We celebrate the family farmers, wine makers, food artisans, chefs and other food-related businesses for their dedication to using the highest quality, fresh, seasonal foods and ingredients.
