As we welcome spring, we also welcome our spring issue. The Home issue explores what it means to be connected to a place, a community, your heritage, and the land. Our guest editor, Susanna Byrd, reflects on home vs. domesticity and how it relates to her farm. Jen Naylor, affectionately named Mama Bird by her staunch following, encourages us to plant something, anything, that will nourish you. Contributor Heidi Chaya has a conversation with the legendary Ira Wallace about planting your spring garden and saving seeds for following seasons. While over in Harrisonburg, we learn how one population has shaped the dining scene in the Friendly City.
Our newest contributor SB Rawz shares the story of what it means to raise and harvest an animal within the space of your own backyard and our resident columnist, Christina Nifong, reflects on how a beloved natural area has changed over the years and her role in that change.
We celebrate the story behind our first Cook The Cover recipe winner. Prerana Jasti recalls how it wasn’t until she left her home in Texas for Roanoke, Virginia that she started preparing her mother’s recipes in a new city, with local ingredients.
And Charlottesville29 founder Simon Davidson shares memories of his good friend, restaurateur Wilson Richey: the legacy Wilson left and how he might spend a day dining in his beloved home of Charlottesville
As I read each article for the first time, I am humbled by the work of those who feed us and those who share their stories. With each issue I learn something — often many things — and I am continually reminded of the importance of shopping small and supporting local businesses.
Ready to read our newest issue? Find it at one of our 175+ partner locations.
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
3.22-3.24 Forest Farming Conference - Roanoke
3.30 Daze of Rose - Keswick
3.30 Easter Egg & Cork Hunt - Lexington
4.07 Bottling Workshop at Catoctin Creek - Purcellville
5.09-5.11 Biodynamic Beekeeping Experience - Floyd
North Garden Art Show at Albemarle Ciderworks
Albemarle Ciderworks is hosting a North Garden Art Show on the 30th of March at 7pm. The show will feature three talented female artists and will be dedicated to raising awareness for SARA (Sexual Assault Resource Agency) of Charlottesville, Virginia. The artists Lydia Dodson, Benita Mayo and Tori Cherry, will be donating artwork for a blind auction to raise money for the organization.
Tickets for the event are $75, with a portion of each ticket going directly to SARA. Guests will have the opportunity to engage with the artists throughout the evening, while sipping cider and enjoying light bites from Farm Bell Catering. Original art pieces will be available for perusal and direct sale from each artist. Tickets are available here.
MORE TO CHEW ON
Who makes the best chili crisp 🔥 and what should you use it for? - From EATER
🍺 a wild strain of yeast connects father and son - PUNCH
Bon Appètit names the 9 Most Creative Bakeries 🥮 in the U.S.
WHAT WE’RE COOKING
With rain in the forecast this weekend, we’re getting cozy and making roasted chicken quarters with an artichoke salad.
POEM OF THE WEEK
Today
By Billy Collins
If ever there were a spring day so perfect,
so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze
that it made you want to throw
open all the windows in the house
and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,
indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,
a day when the cool brick paths
and the garden bursting with peonies
seemed so etched in sunlight
that you felt like taking
a hammer to the glass paperweight
on the living room end table,
releasing the inhabitants
from their snow-covered cottage
so they could walk out,
holding hands and squinting
into this larger dome of blue and white,
well, today is just that kind of day.
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