Springfield Locavore

January 10: Seminar, "Buy Local - Eat Healthy"

On Saturday, January 10, there will be a seminar sponsored by the Illinois Vegetable Growers Association, the Illinois State Horticulture Society, the Illinois Herb Association, the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the University of Illinois Extension.

The seminar, "Buy Local - Eat Healthy", will include information about using locally grown produce.

The presentation topics will include:

• Differences in Illinois apple varieties and their uses
• Cooking gourmet cuisine using local produce (Michael McGreal, Chairman of the Culinary Arts Department, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL)
• Cooking with edible flowers (Carol Schlitt, Food and Nutrition Specialist, University of Illinois Extension)
• Pairing wines with food (Dan and Cris Willet, Willet's Winery and Cellar, Manito, IL)

In addition to the presentations, you'll be able to meet local growers.

• Where: Crowne Plaza, Springfield, IL.
• When: Registration and exhibits open at 8am, presentations begin at 9am.
• Price: $45 (includes lunch)

On the 3 days before the seminar, January 7-9, the annual Illinois Specialty Crops and Agritourism Conference will be held in the same location.

Additional information is available at the Illinois Specialty Growers Association web site.

(Hat tip to the Illinois Stewardship Alliance!)

Two Events This Weekend: Meet Your Local Producers, plus Local Harvest Fundraiser Dinner

Just a reminder, as I mentioned earlier, that the Illinois Stewardship Alliance will be holding their 2nd annual Meet Your Local Producers farm expo and holiday market this Saturday, November 22, 2008, 10 am - 3 pm, in the Illinois Building of the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

I had said that I would definitely be making it to this year's event. As I write this, I'm not sure whether that will be the case. We've removed the lovely purple shag carpet in our son's bathroom, exposing plenty of mold and rotten subflooring, which we've replaced. We're pretty much down to the final steps before we lay down the vinyl tiles -- just in time for my dad to come visit us on Sunday! So it remains to be seen whether I'll make it out there this weekend.

In addition, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance will be holding a Local Harvest Fundraiser Dinner that evening, at 6:30 pm at Maldaner's Restaurant in Springfield. Visit their web site for more details about the dinner.

Meet Your Local Producers 2008

The Illinois Stewardship Alliance will be holding their 2nd annual Meet Your Local Producers farm expo and holiday market on November 22, 2008, 10 am - 3 pm, in the Illinois Building of the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

I wasn't able to make it to last year's event, but will definitely be there this year! This is basically a "one day only" farmer's market with an emphasis on talking to the vendors.

"Meet Your Local Producers" is a free event that will connect you with local producers who raise beef, poultry, eggs, produce, cheese, honey, wine and more. They will teach you about their methods of production, the products they carry and where they are available. Consumers will also have the chance to try samples and purchase food for the upcoming holidays. Retailers will have the opportunity to network with the area’s producers and source fresh, nutritious food for resale in their markets.

Vendors:

• Apple Creek Herb Farm (Waverly)
• Beauregards Farm (Williamsville)
• Collver Family Winery (Barry)
• Greenthoughts Garden (Virden)
• James Family Farm (Sherman)
• Jefferies Orchard (Springfield)
• Midwest Meats Inc. (Pana)
• Prairierth Farms (Atlanta)
• Ropp Jersey Cheese (Normal)
• The Lazy T (Dawson)
• VanHoff Farm (Easton)
• Veenstra’s Vegetables (Pana)
• Zillion’s Chili Bowl Chili (Springfield)
• Zoey’s Herb Farm

In addition, there will be numerous presentations throughout the day, including information about food preservation (both storing winter root vegetables and canning); heritage crops and the Slow Food movement (presented by Deanna Glosser of Slow Food Springfield); Illinois wines; and citizen activism (presented by Lindsay Record of Illinois Stewardship Alliance and Carrie Moorman Smith of Food Not Lawns Springfield).

For more information, visit the Meet Your Local Producers page at the Illinois Stewardship Alliance.

I'll be sure to drop by to chat with Andrea of James Family Farm (who has the best fresh eggs I have found, as well as a wonderful blog!), as well as check in with Ropp Jersey Cheese to check on the status of the butter they're hoping to have soon!

Final Local Flavors Dinner

Lindsay of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance sent out an email reminding everyone that the final dinner in the Local Flavors series is tomorrow. These dinners, sponsored by Buy Fresh Buy Local Central Illinois, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and Downtown Springfield, Inc., have been held each month on the first and third Thursdays. They feature local food and provide a nice (but expensive!) way to eat out and still be a locavore.

The final dinner will be held on November 6 at Ross Isaac. Call Ross Isaac at (217) 744-7677 to make a reservation.

Appetizers:

• Tempura Veggie Satay (Sate) with Mandarin Soy Aioli
• Naked Chili Relleno with Roasted Pumpkin & Queso Sauce

Entrees:

• Veggie Lasagna with Homemade Pasta over Mushroom Ragout
• Asian Stir-fry of Spinach and Slow, Spice Roasted Beef over Basmati Rice                  
• Roasted Broccoli Rabe with Quinoa and Hollandaise Sauce

Dessert:

• Crème Brule (made with local eggs)

There will be additional Local Flavors dinners next year. Assuming that we aren't moving again, I hope to be able to make it to at least one of them!

One change I would like to see for next year is more information about the food. What ingredients are actually local and specifically where did they come from?

For example, the first entree in the menu above is "Veggie Lasagna with Homemade Pasta over Mushroom Ragout". What ingredients are local? The veggies? The wheat used to make the pasta? The mushrooms? Which farm did the veggies come from? Veenstra? Seaney? Hill Street? Live Springs? Bear Creek? Lazy T?

It's these details that I think would help emphasize the local in Local Flavors.

Lindsay of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance sent out an email reminding everyone that the final dinner in the Local Flavors series is tomorrow. These dinners, sponsored by Buy Fresh Buy Local Central Illinois, the Illinois Stewardship Alliance and Downtown Springfield, Inc., have been held each month on the first and third Thursdays. They feature local food and provide a nice (but expensive!) way to eat out and still be a locavore.

The final dinner will be held on November 6 at Ross Isaac. Call Ross Isaac at (217) 744-7677 to make a reservation.

Appetizers:

• Tempura Veggie Satay (Sate) with Mandarin Soy Aioli
• Naked Chili Relleno with Roasted Pumpkin & Queso Sauce

Entrees:

• Veggie Lasagna with Homemade Pasta over Mushroom Ragout
• Asian Stir-fry of Spinach and Slow, Spice Roasted Beef over Basmati Rice                  
• Roasted Broccoli Rabe with Quinoa and Hollandaise Sauce

Dessert:

• Crème Brule (made with local eggs)

There will be additional Local Flavors dinners next year. Assuming that we aren't moving again, I hope to be able to make it to at least one of them!

One change I would like to see for next year is more information about the food. What ingredients are actually local and specifically where did they come from?

For example, the first entree in the menu above is "Veggie Lasagna with Homemade Pasta over Mushroom Ragout". What ingredients are local? The veggies? The wheat used to make the pasta? The mushrooms? Which farm did the veggies come from? Veenstra? Seaney? Hill Street? Live Springs? Bear Creek? Lazy T?

It's these details that I think would help emphasize the local in Local Flavors.