VABF Conference
The 23rd annual Virginia Biological Farming Conference starts today and there’s still time to register! This three day conference connects hundreds of farmers, industry professionals, gardeners, educators and eaters. With panels ranging from homesteading, to mushroom farming, to sustainable soil practices, there’s something for everyone. Tomorrow from 2 p.m. - 9 p.m., at the Hotel Roanoke, there will be a Taste of Virginia Expo that is open to the public. Local artisans will be selling their wares and it is the perfect opportunity to connect with those that grow our food. Edible Blue Ridge will be there with our library of magazines; meeting old friends and finding new stories to share with our readers.
You can register for a single day conference pass, the whole weekend or stop by for the expo. We hope to see you there.
EVENTS
Have an event you’d like us to share? Email: info@edibleblueridge.com
1.06-1.08 VABF Conference - Roanoke
1.06 First Fridays: Sawmills, Driftwood and Twigs - Harrisonburg
1.06 Silent Disco at Pro Re Nata - Crozet
1.08 Albemarle Ciderworks Wassail Celebration - North Garden
1.08 Paint & Sip at Hazy Mountain Vineyards - Afton
1.16 MLK Jazz Brunch - Blacksburg
1.20-1.29 Downtown Restaurant Week - Roanoke
1.28 Edible Landscapes for Virginia with Michael McConkey of Edible Landscaping
WHAT WE’RE COOKING
TAKE A HIKE BARS
If you’re looking to spend more time outside in 2023 and need something to fuel your next walk, run, or Triple Crown hike, this bar is the ticket.
Hubbard Peanut Company (Sedley, VA) and Big Spoon Roasters (Durham, NC) collaborated to bring their customers this small-batch, roasted peanut butter packed with high-oleic runner variety peanuts. We used this peanut butter as the base for our Take a Hike Bars: the perfect recipe when you want to log some miles and need to keep hunger at bay. Almonds, pecans, rolled oats and pepitas make this a nutrient dense, gluten-free snack and the slight sweetness from honey and cocoa butter ensure these no-bake bars will disappear from your pantry in almost the same amount of time as they take to make!
Ingredients
1 ⅔ cups rolled oats ⅔ whole almonds ⅔ cup whole pecans ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes ¼ cup pepitas ⅓ cup golden raisins 80 grams cacao butter (you can find this at your local coop or health food store) ¾ cup crunchy peanut butter ⅓ cup honey ⅓ cup chocolate chips Sea salt to taste
Directions
Line an 8” square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift bars out once they are set.
Pulse ⅔ cup rolled oats, pecans, almonds in a food processor until lightly chopped.
Pour pulsed mixture into a large bowl and add remaining oats, raisins, pepitas, and coconut flakes. Stir to combine and set aside.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt peanut butter, honey and cacao butter together. Stir to combine and then add the melted mixture to your dry mix. Add chocolate chips and stir until thoroughly combined.
Using a rubber spatula, pour mixture into your lined baking dish and press flat. Make sure the mix is compacted in the pan so bars will hold their shape when you cut them. Garnish with sea salt.
Place pan in refrigerator for 2 hours to allow them to set.
After 2 hours, remove pan from refrigerator and cut into bars. Store bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.
POEM OF THE WEEK
Winter Morning James Crews When I can no longer say thank you for this new day and the waking into it, for the cold scrape of the kitchen chair and the ticking of the space heater glowing orange as it warms the floor near my feet, I know it’s because I’ve been fooled again by the selfish, unruly man who lives in me and believes he deserves only safety and comfort. But if I pause as I do now, and watch the streetlights outside flashing off one by one like old men blinking their cloudy eyes, if I listen to my tired neighbors slamming car doors hard against the morning and see the steaming coffee in their mugs kissing chapped lips as they sip and exhale each of their worries white into the icy air around their faces—then I can remember this one life is a gift each of us was handed and told to open: Untie the bow and tear off the paper, look inside and be grateful for whatever you find even if it is only the scent of a tangerine that lingers on the fingers long after you’ve finished peeling it.
Thanks for subscribing and reading our newsletter. Until next time!
Eat Well,
Lisa
