Oh, this rain! As much as we needed a good soak, — and I know my garden will be bursting with new growth next week— it’s hard to find motivation when everything is wet, gray and the damp creeps across floor boards and through windows.
Still, tomorrow I will wake early, put on my raincoat and boots and head to a farmers market. It’s the end of June which means farmers have spent all week harvesting despite the wet and cool temps to bring their bounty to market. For many farmers and makers, their one-day-a-week market is the sole opportunity to sell their perishable goods. So, browse the guide in our summer issue to find your local market, pull out your market basket and umbrella, and help support our network of markets and makers this weekend.
Welcome to the Edible Blue Ridge newsletter that brings you food stories from our region and beyond. You're receiving this email because you've purchased a magazine subscription—thank you!—or you signed up via our online form. If you need to opt out at any time, there's a link at the bottom. We're glad you're here.
Thanks for reading, happy eating, and enjoy your weekend,
Lisa - Publisher & Editor
EVENTS
Have an event you’d like us to share? Email: info@edibleblueridge.com
6.24 Use Your Yard for Food & Medicine - Salem
6.24 James River Batteau Festival - Lynchburg
6.24 Grilled Cheese & Beer Pairing @WildManDan Brewing - Afton
6.25 Yard Bull Meats Sausage Masking Class - Roanoke
6.25 Cider & Yoga at SageBird - Harrisonburg
6.26 Microgreens Farmer Meetup - online
6.26 Shoemaker Winer Dinner - Lynchburg
*EDIBLE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT*
VABF June Policy Update - by Mark Schonbeck
Protect Funding for USDA Research into Climate Impacts on Agriculture
VABF joins 50 other organizations in signing letter to House Appropriators
As the climate crisis unfolds, increased federal investment in research at the intersection of agriculture and climate will play a critical role in empowering organic and regenerative farmers to thrive and to become part of the solution, and in protecting the livelihoods of all farmers and food security across the US. Yet, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture drew up a proposal that would slash discretionary funding for USDA programs by 30% ($8.2 billion), would eliminate “funding for climate hubs and climate change research” and for “conservation equity agreements,” and would rescind $500 million in Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy development projects.
And we are fighting back. In a June 9 letter delivered to House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Andy Harris and Ranking Member Sanford Bishop, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and 50 other food, farm, conservation, and rural development organizations including VABF urged them to protect publicly funded agriculture research, especially funding for USDA’s innovative climate change research.
Take Action - especially if you are in Ben Cline’s Congressional District
Rep Ben Cline (R-6th District in VA) serves on the House Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee. If he is your congressman, call his DC office at (202) 225-5431 today to urge him to support full discretionary funding for agricultural research and renewable energy projects, especially for the USDA climate hubs, climate change research, and Inflation Reduction Act funding for Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP) projects.
MORE TO CHEW ON
Can co-ops serve their entire communities? Civil Eats reports
🍹 Kick up your cocktails with kombucha - PUNCH
How to feed an army: did you know many now-common processed foods were invented by the military? - Atlas Obscura
🍎SNAP Benefits 🍎 have changed, will this cause a spike in food insecurity? - Modern Farmer
WHAT WE’RE COOKING: Tomatillo Guacamole
As you make your Independence Day plans, we have a bright, tangy tomatillo guacamole which comes together with minimal effort. Although avocado prices have fallen since last year, they are still a high commodity item. The addition of tomatillos (perhaps from your own garden) helps lessen the cost of this dish and gives the creamy guac a boost of acidity that makes for a zesty taco topping or appetizer.
Ingredients:
2 large avocados
4 tomatillos, quartered
3/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 bunch of green onions, ends trimmed and roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon hot sauce, to taste
Instructions:
Slice avocados in half, remove the pits and scoop them into the bowl of a food processor. Place remaining ingredients in bowl of food processor, cover, and pulse to combine. Serves 4-6
POEM OF THE WEEK
What Is June Anyway?
By David Budbill
After three weeks of hot weather and drought,
we've had a week of cold and rain,
just the way it ought to be here in the north,
in June, a fire going in the woodstove
all day long, so you can go outside in the cold
and rain anytime and smell
the wood smoke in the air.
This is the way I love it. This is why
I came here almost
fifty years ago. What is June anyway
without cold and rain
and a fire going in the stove all day?Looking for our Summer Issue? Order an annual subscription for $28 and have it mailed right to your door. Or, find it at one of these businesses who offer it as their gift to you. You can also read the whole issue in a flip-through digital edition (plus our archive).
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