Five Points Bakery: Being a locavore just got easier

This weekend was pretty darn exciting over on the West Side. Just a couple short blocks from my house Five Points Bakery opened its doors and sold out of bread within two hours. My boyfriend and I walked over today around noon and were lucky enough to snag a loaf for our late breakfast. It was delish.

Besides the fact that Five Points is owned and operated by a couple living a block away from the bakery, besides the fact that their bread is 100% grain and made from locally-grown wheat stone ground on site, besides the fact that Five Points partners up with the good folks at Promised Land CSA (my CSA!) to purchase their wheat and products--THEY OFFER A BREAD SHARE.

I am so out of control excited about this share.

Five Points is offering a 13-week, $65 bread share. They'll have four shares every year, one per season. The summer share offers a multigrain pan bread, a honey wheat loaf, a cinnamon raisin, and a specialty bread. You select the kind you want and stop by one of the pick-up locations every Thursday to take it home. You can also add muffins, cookies, and their house-made pizzas to your share as well.

As we walked home from the bakery today, Sean and I talked about the summer ahead and how easy it will be for us to eat local. Between our CSA share, our new bread share, and an endless supply of deer meat from Sean's brother (that's for him, I'm a vegetarian), we hardly have to grocery shop.

Now, on to the chickens...

Flapjack Fun

Yesterday morning, the Growing Green program of the Massachusetts Avenue Project hosted a Flapjacks for the Farm fundraiser at Trinity Church on Delaware. I went around 11am for the second seating of breakfast, and it was a great time. The sausage was provided by Spar's, my favorite local source for sausages (located on Amherst Street, between the Wegman's and Grant Street) and the pancakes were cooked and served by the young adults who are participating in the Growing Green program. They had blueberry, strawberry, chocolate chip, and original variety pancakes, as well as fruit and a variety of beverages. It was well-attended and the table I was sitting at (including Assemblyman Sam Hoyt--who also happens to be my boss--Michael Gainer of Buffalo ReUse, Kevin Connors and Aaron Bartley of PUSH Buffalo, and Kelly Ganczarz from the UB School of Urban Planning) had a lot of fun laughing and telling stories, but also talking about Buffalo's potential to really expand and promote urban agriculture. We also discovered that Earl Grey tea looks remarkably like maple syrup. Whoops.

They do great work in their community, and I encourage you to support them however you can. Here is a list of what Growing Green will be growing this year:

Basil, Beets, Roma Tomatoes, Onions, Green Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, Jalapeno peppers, Pickling Cucumbers, Broccoli, Sweet Peppers, Chives, Thyme, Sage, Carrots, Zucchini, Radish, Dill, Spinach, Potatoes, Collards, Blueberries, Strawberries, AND MORE!

Local restaurant week, get on it!

Sushi at Sea Bar in Downtown Buffalo
"Sush'" originally uploaded by Nick Sherman

I'm re-blogging this announcement from Edible Buffalo's site but I thought this event deserved as much attention as possible: Local Restaurant Week in Western New York.

Some of the best city and suburb-based restaurants are offering a "dining package" for only $20.09 per person the week of March 23-29, 2009. It's a great way to get out and try a new place (and for a great price).

Visit the event's website for a list of participating restaurants.

White Cow Dairy and Rene Russo at Wegmans

So, fellow Locavore blogger Ann and I went to an event this morning at the McKinley Wegmans today featuring Patrick, the farmer from White Cow Dairy, and Hollywood actress Rene Russo (Major League, The Thomas Crown Affair, etc). As we arrived we ran into Lisa Tucker of Edible Buffalo with whom I'd shared e-mails and a phone conversation, though we'd never met in person. We had a great conversation about some exciting local food things coming up (what I'm most excited about? maple weekend in March--check it out in the winter issue at http://www.ediblebuffalo.com).

Then Ann and I went over to the sampling area where Ms. Russo was greeting people and helping pass out samples of yogurt from White Cow. Apparently, she is a friend of Patrick, the farmer/owner of White Cow, and came out to Buffalo to help him promote the expanded sales of his yogurt at Wegmans. If you are a regular at the Bidwell-Elmwood Farmer's Market you have probably met Patrick before--a rangy, friendly guy who is very enthusiastic about his work at the dairy. Patrick's farm also produces maple syrup, though he is not the maple expert--he has an arrangement with his neighbors where they take on the maple syrup processing.

White Cow Dairy yogurt is delicious. Tangy, almost like Greek yogurt, and made in small batches in a variety of flavors. There is even a new flavor named in honor of President Obama. The yogurt is sold in glass containers, which helps keep the flavor fresher. The yogurt is sweetened with maple syrup from the farm.

Ann and I had the chance to talk with Rene Russo for a few minutes and she seemed truly delighted to be in Buffalo, despite the cold. She said it was a nice break from LA. A really pleasant and lovely woman, and nice to see her putting some star power behind a Buffalo-area product that she believes in.


Here are some pictures from this morning's event:

Patrick, farmer and yogurt genius

Rene Russo

Lisa Tucker and one of the interns from Edible Buffalo

Grass Fed Beef

While shopping at Wegman's on Friday night I noticed that they now have a more prominent section devoted to organic, free range, and grass fed meats. I was planning to make an asparagus and beef stir fry on Friday night so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to finally try grass fed beef. Up until then, I had not been able to find it in too many places locally without going seriously out of my way (which I usually don't have time to do).

The stir fry recipe I used came from a great new cookbook--Bon Appetit magazine's Fast, Easy, Fresh Cookbook. Loads of simple recipes and the first large, mass-market cookbook I have seen that highlights local food, CSAs, and the importance of eating fresh/seasonally. The section on vegetables is even divided up by season. Basically, the recipe called for toasted sesame seeds, red onion, asparagus (frozen, as it isn't really available fresh this time of year--though it will be soon!!), and thin slices of sirloin in a hoisin sauce. Simple and delicious--probably took me about an hour to make from slicing everything to toasting the sesame seeds to making the brown rice on the side. Both my husband and I agree it was a hit. I only wish I'd taken a picture to post.

I had expected grass fed beef to taste significantly different from corn-fed. It seemed to me that the differences were more subtle, but also delightful. Perhaps it was also because I used sirloin, but the meat was much more tender and had more flavor than the corn fed, but in a subtle way. In an odd way, it actually seemed more like eating actual MEAT, if that makes sense. Dan and I eat a good amount of bison meat (bison tacos are amazing, as are burgers--though the meat is so lean and tender it takes a bit more work to turn them into patties) and I think the grass fed beef was closer to bison meat than to the more typical beef we are used to. It was expensive, but definitely worth it.

Does anyone know of a good local producer of grass fed beef and free range chicken that is easily available? I know there are a few suppliers in Chautauqua County, but are there any closer? Or any retail outlets that offer the locally grown?

Come Apple Picking With the Locavore Crew

The writing crew here at Buffalo Locavore (Whitney, Kirk, Ann, Brian, and me) are going apple picking.

We will be meeting at Bidwell Parkway next to Talking Leaves at 2pm on Saturday, October 25, 2008 and carpooling up to Murphy Orchards to pick apples and learn a little about our region's Underground Railroad history. You can find out more about the orchard here.

Leave a comment if you plan on joining us so we can get a rough head count. Hope to see you there!

Start Your Chili Right with Growing Green

I recently received an e-mail from the delightful Zoe Hollomon of the Massachusetts Avenue Project announcing a fun event at the Amherst Street Wegmans this Sunday. Please see Zoe's message below, and turn out to show your support if you can!

"Greetings from Growing Green! Growing Green Youth will be at Wegman's on Amherst St this Sunday October 12th from 11am-2pm to promote their Amazing Chili Starter for the fall and winter months. So if you haven't stocked up on your comfort foods for the cold months please come by this Sunday to Wegman's on Amherst, ; we'll have samples of our Amazing Vegetarian Chili with roasted sweet potatoes- if you havent tasted it yet its Yummy!. We'll be in the Natures Market Section in the rear of the store near the deli. If you love our Amazing Chili or prefer something else please look at our alternate recipe ideas and get experimental for your taste buds! Growing Green really appreciates your support of a youth run, eco-friendly, local food business. "

Local Favorites

So far, we have mostly discussed local foods in terms of produce grown locally and used in homemade dishes. This is, of course, at the core of the local food movement. However, I think it is also important to highlight food businesses that are locally owned. So, here are a list of some of my favorite Buffalo-centric food outlets (minus restaurants):

Spar's Sausages (If you have never been to this delightful little shop on Amherst St, near Grant, you are seriously missing out. They have a great selection of Hungarian delicacies in the grocery part of the store, and a wonderful variety of homemade sausages.)

Fowlers Chocolates (I know there is a big debate about the best of the local chocolatiers, and we do have great selection between Parkside Candies, Watsons, Choco-Logo, Niagara Candy, etc but I think Fowlers just tastes creamier and richer somehow).

Costanzo's Rolls (How on earth they make these taste so good is beyond me, but roast beef just isn't right without them.)

Federal Meats (Great customer service. Wish they had more free-range and grass-finished products.)

Sweet Tooth (My vote for the best desserts in town.)

and it wouldn't be Easter without a butter lamb from the Broadway Market (and I am not even Polish).

What are some of YOUR favorite local spots to bring home treats for your table?

Must read: Wednesday's "Dining In" serves up some news on Wegmans

I try to pick up the New York Times on Wednesdays because it is on those days that the "Dining In" section is published. I like "Dining In" because it covers food-related stories from a variety of perspectives: profiles on chefs and farmers, reports from New York's Greenmarket and other markets throughout the country, local and national food trends, and, of course, a fair share of recipes.

Last week's offerings (I know, I'm late) included an article on how Supermarkets are adapting to demands for locally grown food. It seems like the increase in gas prices and the growing awareness of "local food politics" have created a perfect storm for local growers, many of whom sell directly to supermarket chains.

Our own local giant was featured in the write up and, for those of us keeping track of this sort of thing, comes across as a leader of the pack:

Wegmans Food Markets, a 71-store chain based in New York with locations in
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia, has been buying from local farmers for the last 20 years. Today it has 800 farmers and has also experienced
a 20 percent increase in sales of local produce over the past year. “There’s a
real emotional connection with local,” said Dave Corsi, vice president for
produce.

Mr. Corsi said that in order to buy from local farms, the chain had
to stop acting like a chain. “We don’t control these relationships centrally —
the produce manager in each store does this directly,” he said. “We only guide
the stores.”

I didn't know much about Wegmans' local food practices beyond the fact that they do a good job of carrying it. I was pleased to learn that the relationship between grower and buyer seems to remain as human as possible (you can learn a bit more about the Buffalo-area farmers on Wegmans' website) and I'd like to know more about the effect this sales increase will have on their non-local produce sales. It wasn't clear if Wegmans cut--or will cut--the amount of non-local produce it buys in light of these new figures.

Also mentioned in the Times article is Wal-Mart's recent steps towards buying local food. This development sort of makes my head spin since the corporate culture runs opposite to what I appreciate about eating (and buying) local but hey, I guess it's a good development?

Anyway, check it out and cheer for the last line of the piece: "'It’s going to be a way of life,' said Matt Seeley, vice president for marketing of the Nunes Company, which sells Foxy brand vegetables. 'I don’t think there is any turning back.'"

PS: Give Hawthorne Valley Farm a high-five for milling their own flour. Dante Hesse, also mentioned in the same piece, is a HVF alum.

Promised Land CSA: the details

My house, in which there are roughly four adults living, decided to split a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share from the Oles' Farm this season. Every Tuesday we pick it up at the nearby Massachusetts Avenue Project and divvy up the bag between our two apartments.

We joined a bit late and while the CSA is on Week 10, we just got our third batch of fresh veggies. Last night my boyfriend and I were remarking on how it's sort of like a miracle: every week our fresh veggie supply is replenished and we don't have to think about it.

That miraculous first week: peas, spinach, chard, carrots, garlic scapes, & lettuce!

I'll be blogging more about my CSA and its offerings, as well as some history of CSAs, as the season progresses, but here are the details for those of you interested in joining*:

• It's called Promised Land CSA and all the food is grown in Alden, New York by the Oles family. Their farm is about 40 acres large, with 15-20 acres being used for production. The remaining acres are given a rest with cover crops. The Oles use organic farming practices and you can read more about their history on the Promised Land CSA website.
  
• Just $250 gets you 25 weeks--that's ten bucks a week smartypants--of fresh, locally-grown veggies plus the occasional fruit offering. They also include fresh herbs!
  
• Most CSAs don't offer fruit in their vegetable shares but Promised Land gives you limited fruit (like this week's blueberries) with the option of buying an separate fruit share. The Fruit Share runs for 20 weeks and is $200. We just joined the fruit share, yum.
• Like most CSAs, you pick up your share at designated site each week. What I liked about this CSA is that it didn't require that members drive to the farm to pick up the produce on a rotating basis. I'm a busy lady and I love that they deliver.
  

*I don't think Promised Land is offering any more shares this year but there might be another farm willing to take on some stragglers. You can find links to other area CSAs here.

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Buffalo Locavore. This blog will be a forum to share information on eating local, including reviews of locally-sourced restaurants, farmers' markets, CSAs, community gardens, recipes for seasonal produce, and what is growing in backyards across Buffalo.

Stay tuned for more soon!