A Honey of a Trip!

Local honey is the feature of the Local Farms - Local Foods roadtrip. Honey seemed to be everywhere when we stopped ..... maybe it's just a popular item for travelers. Our first picture features 2 local honeys that we found on Route 52 at Walker Mountain Lookout on the border of Wythe & Bland Counties in Virginia. Cove Springs Pure Honey comes from a local beekeeper in the valley stretching out below Walker Mountain in the Wytheville area. The proprietor of the Big Walker Mountain General Store said that the sourwood honey comes from beehives brought up on the mountain to collect from the sourwood trees. The hives are then moved back off the mountain.

The next picture of local honey comes from West Virginia. This beautiful display is on I-77 in Beckley, WV at Tamarack - The Best of West Virginia. Tamarack is a showcase for the display and sale of the products of West Virginia's artisans, specialty food producers, and craftpersons. If you're interested in supporting local products in West Virginia, this is a fantastic stop on your journey on I-77.

SURVEY SEZ !!!!

Here's an item of interest for farm growers ...... forwarded to me by another "local foods" supporter. This is a colorful & fun read!
It seems that for 2009, CHEFS will be surfing the "local" wave. And it's not just local veggies. Organic produce, new cuts of meat, artisanal cheeses, micro greens, free range, etc! There's room for everyone out there. If the chefs recognize it & want it, then farmers' market customers probably want your products and innovation too!
Stay tuned ..... LF&LF will be going on a roadtrip. I wonder what local goodness we'll find to share?

How's this for local ???

Look at this local food treat that I was given yesterday from a friend in Lawrence County. IED ---- you know who you are! This is a Maple Syrup Walnut Conserve made right on their farm. The maple syrup is from trees that they tapped and the walnuts are from their own walnut grove planted on the farm a while back. A few years ago, we got walnut husks from these same trees for use as a natural dye.
We couldn't wait to pour this over vanilla ice cream from Brunton Dairy!
Hey - speaking of local maple syrup, here are some regional maple syrup festivals listed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to check out.
At the Beaver County Maple Syrup Festival, you also have an opportunity to buy cornmeal, buckwheat flour, & wheat flour ground on site by Beaver County Conservation District volunteers to take home with you.
Try out some recipes here and don't miss enjoying maple syrup season!

Quick! Time to order seeds!

A quick post to get you to act quickly! Sheesh. Anyway, it looks like seed sales are up in this economy.
Doug Oster of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had this to say on Saturday .......