A Locavore's Guide for Day Tripping to Bluemont, Virginia

By Chelsea Moore, Photography by Yetta Reid. From our Spring Issue 2016.

There’s a little village nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains that is making a name for itself as a destination for wine and food lovers. Located in western Loudoun County, it’s home to a quaint village, expansive farmlands and stunning country views.

In the early 1900s Bluemont was the last stop on the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad, and was a popular destination for Washingtonians seeking to exchange city life and sticky summers for cool mountain air. With the development of air conditioning, Washingtonians had less need to seek shelter from summer heat, and Bluemont became a sleepy town. Whether you bring the family or seek a romantic getaway, a visit to the village of Bluemont will leave you refreshed.

Dirt Farm Brewing

A rustic farm brewery, Dirt Farm Brewing serves hand-crafted beer and savory treats. From IPAs to a Sweet Potato Stout and a Cherry Ale, Dirt Farm’s brewmasters aren’t afraid to experiment. Coming soon in 2016 are cucumber and apricot beers. As a farm brewery, Dirt Farm grows their own hops, and plays around with vegetable beers flavors. But beer isn’t the only thing they do well: When you visit, you can feast on their on snacks like flatbread pizza, nachos, pretzel bites and boiled peanuts.

Come for the farm-to-growler beer and stay for the incredible views of Northern Virginia.

Great Country Farms

One of the most popular U-pick farms in Loudoun County, Great Country Farms makes a fantastic family activity. In season, they have wagon rides, a catch-and-release fish pond, a cow pie putt putt, there really is something for everyone to enjoy. Just a short ride from DC, you can be on a farm with the full experience: feeding the farm animals, picnicking and picking your own produce. This is a great place for kid-friendly activities that parents will enjoy too. Be sure to stop by the farm market and pick up apple cider donuts and kettle corn, two favorites of local residents.

Great Country Farms grows 60–70 varieties of crops a year and they have a CSA program that was voted the Best of Loudoun in 2014 and 2015. Pick your produce up at the farm, or at one of the community group sites located throughout Northern Virginia.

Opening for the 2016 season on March 19, their spring U-pick crops are strawberries, cherries and black raspberries. Great Country Farms, 18780 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont, VA. greatcountryfarms.com

Bluemont Vineyard’s sweeping views and award-winning wines keep guests returning again and again. Their tasting room also sells charcuterie, cheeses and other local snacks to enjoy while sipping your wine. Be sure to make time to sit outside, the views here will leave you breathless. On clear days, you can even glimpse the Washington Monument.

As a farm winery, Bluemont Vineyard plays around with more than grapes, offering apple, peach, strawberry and blackberry wines—all grown at Great Country Farms. To honor their farm roots, they’ve even named some of their wines after farm animals and included drawings of the animals on their labels.

“I love the culture around wine, and the way it brings people together,” said Bluemont Vineyard Winemaker Jennifer Trovato Shailor. As a pet- and family-friendly venue, Bluemont Vineyard has certainly mastered the art of bringing families and friends together. The tasting room is open Wednesday through Monday, 11am to 6pm.

Bluemont Vineyard, 18755 Foggy Bottom Rd., Bluemont, VA. bluemontvineyard.com

Wild Hare Hard Cider

Blink and you’ll miss it—but you’ll be missing out. Located in an old mill, the 450-square-foot micro-cidery transforms heirloom apples from the Shenandoah Valley into unique drinks. The Wild Hare team produces four craft ciders, all of which are dry. The three classic blends are Hatch, Windrush and Hopscotch, the latter being the most popular thanks to its beer characteristics.

Up next for Wild Hare is a Cherry Cider, which will arrive in time for the Cherry Blossom Festival. As a dry cider, it’s made with cherries and GoldRush apples and infused with cherry blossoms.

Watch for Wild Hare to roll out their Lemongrass, Spanish-style, Elderflower, Rhubarb and Grapefruit flavors later this year.

“We’re not afraid to experiment, try different things and see what works,” said founder Jay Clement. The cidery is generally open on the weekend, but check for specific hours via their website or Facebook page.

Wild Hare Hard Cider, 33735 Snickersville Turnpike #104, Bluemont, VA. wildharecider.com

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery

If you’re in the mood for adventure, spend an afternoon hiking on the Appalachian Trail—and be sure to visit the overlooks at Bears Den or Raven Rocks for stunning views of the Shenandoah Valley. When you’re ready for a rest, make a stop in Twin Oaks Tavern Winery for wine, food and beautiful hillside views.

Bring a picnic, your kids and your dog and enjoy live music each weekend. On warm days, cool off with their popular Spice Wine Chiller—an adult Slurpee—a unique blend of Zinfandel, Raven Rocks Red, mulling spices, cinnamon and sugar.

Or buy a bottle to accompany your picnic: Both their 2013 Chardonnay and Raven Rocks Red received gold medals from the Virginia Wine Lovers 2015 Wine Classic.

Twin Oaks Tavern Winery, 18035 Raven Rocks Rd., Bluemont, VA. twinoakstavernwinery.com

The Bluemont Store

Although the name and owner have changed, The Bluemont Store has been open since 1840. It’s nine miles to the closest grocery store, and locals enjoy the ease of dropping by to grab items for a quick dinner. This store sells a little bit of everything—and a lot of local products, including their own eggs and local grassfed beef and Trickling Springs Milk—and serves as a hub for community. Don’t forget their most loved item: hand-dipped ice cream! They also sell Guinea hens, “the best alarm system and tick annihilator on the planet,” but call ahead first. The store is open daily, from 6:30am to 7pm.

The Bluemont Store, 33715 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, VA. bluemontstore.com

End of the Road: Timber Pizza Plants Roots in Petworth

Words and photography by Kate Headley

The vehicle: an azure 1967 Chevrolet pickup truck, obviously named “Blue.”

The oven: a custom-designed dazzling copper wood-fired oven recently affixed to its new home in Petworth on Upshur Street NW.

The team: a classically trained Argentine chef, Daniela Moreira, and the owners Andrew Dana and Chris Brady, two DC–area natives with a bond rooted in a shared affection for pizza.

The genesis: Andrew and Chris’s mutual promise to leave their respective jobs at local startups to deliver the perfect pizza to the city they love.

These elements collectively form Timber Pizza Co.—executing an eclectic and fresh twist on our favorite Neapolitan dish since 2014.

Timber began with a dream and “Blue” hitched to a wood-burning oven-on-wheels at the USDA’s popular Friday market. It has since expanded to two other FRESHFARM Markets, the Georgetown University Farmers Market, collaborations with local coffee shops and restaurants, private events and, most recently, a weekend pop-up in Shaw at the former Blind Dog Café space.

And now, a space of their own: Timber’s own brick-and-mortar space will launch this spring.

The Timber team does not aspire to re-create classic Neapolitan pizza, but to offer a pizza that is contemporary while staying Neapolitan-ish. Toppings range from pulled pork and mango chutney to kale, squash and housemade maple ricotta. “We are trying to do something in between classic Neapolitan and classic NYC pizza. A little crispier … awesome cheese blends … we want the best of both,” says Andrew Dana.

Given its start at farmers markets, Timber’s philosophy centers on local and fresh ingredients. “We are always looking for new producers because we change our menu with the seasons.” Caramont Cheese of Esmont, VA; Prickly Pear Produce; Pleitez Produce; Dragon Creek seafood and Little Wild Things Greens are just a few of their not-so-secret sources for fresh pizza toppings. In fact, the owners met Chef Daniela at a farmers market. In her new role as Timber chef-in-chief, she continues to rely on local produce and, at times, uses it as a vehicle to infuse her Argentinian roots into new pizzas.

Timber Pizza is set to open at 809 Upshur St. NW in Petworth and plans to serve pizzas along with other tasty bites, beers, wines and cocktails. But fans of their mobile business-don’t worry. Dana said “The farmer's markets are core to our business and how we make and keep great relationships with local farmers and producers.”

Maryland Seafood Season Rocks

Sponsored by Balducci’s By Jason Miller, Corporate Chef, Balducci’s

Growing up on the Eastern Shore, our family ate a lot of Maryland seafood. Crab, fish, oysters and clams were all central ingredients for our family get-togethers. And over the years, I’ve landed a lot of what we brought to our table. I’ve been a crabber and fisherman since I was a boy and love getting out on the Chesapeake, chasing whatever is in season. Early spring brings a short, sweet season of yellow perch, then shad and finally, around April, trophy rockfish season starts when the biggest and baddest stripers come into the bay. You may know it as striped bass, but whatever you call it rockfish is a delicious local fish: light, delicate and easy to prepare.

One of the quickest ways to get a rockfish dinner to the table is to serve it with a meunière sauce. Basically a brown butter sauce with lemon, parsley and chives, it’s one of the simplest sauces there is. The trick is getting the skin on the fish crispy and keeping the butter from getting too brown or the sauce from breaking.

Rock Fish à la Meunière

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 filets (6–8 ounces each) Maryland Rockfish

¼ cup flour

1 teaspoon each salt & pepper

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¼ pound cold butter, cut into cubes

2 large shallots, sliced thin into rings

2 garlic cloves, minced

Juice from 1 lemon

2 ounces Balducci’s Sauvignon Blanc

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chives, sliced thin

1 pinch flakey sea salt / finishing salt

Combine the flour, Old Bay, salt and pepper into a small mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Season the rockfish on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge rockfish in the seasoned flour SKIN SIDE ONLY.

Heat a nonstick sauté pan over medium to medium-low heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the rockfish to the pan SKIN SIDE DOWN. Note: Make sure your pan is not too hot. You want it hot enough so that the fish will not stick, but not so hot that when you add the butter it will burn. You should hear a soft sizzle!

Cook fish for 2–3 minutes, then add roughly ⅓ of the cubed butter to the pan and watch the heat. The butter should just brown, not burn. Continue cooking the fish skin side down. You want the fish to cook 90% on the skin side; this will give you nice crispy skin. When it looks fairly well cooked through, carefully flip filets and finish in pan. Remove fish filets and let rest until served.

Add shallots and garlic directly to the browned butter in the pan. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine first, then lemon juice; let cook for about a minute. Add parsley and chives.

While stirring rapidly with a wooden spoon, and shifting pan on and off the heat, slowly add the remainder of the butter. At this point you do not want the pan sauce to boil; it will break. Once butter is emulsified totally, remove from heat, season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately by plating fish, top with pan sauce and season fish if desired with the finishing salt.

Balducci's: Imagine a market where taste comes first, above all else. A place where the produce is hand-selected, where meats are prime cuts, and the fish is flown in fresh from the wharves. Imagine restaurant-quality prepared foods, the finest imported cheeses and other delicacies, and a variety of meats roasted and smoked in the Old World tradition. But it's no figment of the imagination; this market is Balducci's, serving food lovers for more than 100 years. Shop at locations in Bethesda, MD, Alexandria, VA and McLean, VA. balduccis.com.

Not Just Kidding: What the Viral Power of Goat Snuggling Taught Me

By Gail Hobbs-Page as told to EdibleDC. Photography by Justin Ide.

After running a small farm-to-table restaurant at a local inn in Nelson County, I stopped cooking and started Caromont Farm in 2007. Since then my head and heart have been immersed in trying to make great cheese in the state of Virginia. We now tend over 150 goats, chickens, cows, peacocks and guard dogs, not to mention numerous interns and employees.

For the past two years, through our farm market community, I’ve done a call for volunteers to help out during kidding season. With a herd the size of ours we have more than 90 baby goats starting in early February, more than we or our mama goats can handle.

This year, we used our Facebook page to recruit volunteers, which got the attention of our local CBS affiliate reporter, who came out in early January to talk about our need for goat snugglers. The one-minute segment aired on January 8, and while that day my life as a farmer continued, little did I know that my world was going to change. During dinner, I started getting texts from friends telling me that I was “trending.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure what that meant, but my assistant, Izzy Zechini, who handles Caromont’s social media, explained that our story was going viral and that thousands of people had “liked” our Facebook page. Overnight, more than 2,000 people from all across the country had signed up to volunteer.

In 72 hours, our story had been picked up everywhere from The Washington Post to the Huffington Post to an ABC news segment that got 64,000 shares.

We obviously couldn’t accommodate all the people who wanted to be goat snugglers, so we thought, “Why not have a farm open house event and call it Goatapalooza?” We posted the event on Facebook and once again received an outpouring of interest. Thousands of people signed up as interested—more than we could ever host. So we put Goatapalooza on hold and set to figure out how to manage this tsunami of interest in baby goats and visiting our farm.

And it’s not over. We are continuing to book national stories and VIP visits with photo opportunities. Which is wonderful, and of course, as a cheesemaker I hope it will help us sell some cheese.

But clearly, our farm life in Virginia has touched something beyond just curious interest. There is a real and profound need out there to be with these baby animals. This experience has made me reevaluate a lot of things—and ask myself is there something bigger than cheesemaking and goats going on here? Clearly people need to snuggle goats more than the goats need snuggling.

One thing that has really touched me have been hearing from people who are suffering or dealing with major trauma. I’m talking about people who are terminally ill, women who had been beaten or raped, really sad problems. I’ve prioritized these folks to get in for a goat snuggling experience, to let them connect with the goats. And it is gratifying to see the positive effect on their lives and the happiness it brings.

And this has made me think about the piece of land for sale next to my farm—could it be an expansion of our farm that is totally devoted to goat therapy? Do I have it in me to run another crowdfunding campaign? And does it have anything to do with farming and cheese?

I don’t know. But, had we not “gone viral,” I would not have seen this as a potential path nor connected with people who would so greatly benefit from spending time with baby goats.

The viral experience has connected our sweet farm with the bigger world and has shown me that beyond seeing where their food is made, people want to come out to Caromont because they see it as a place of peace, safety and love. For me, being among the farm animals, being outdoors, making cheese—it’s my everyday life. But I know when the big world seems crazy, like during the Paris attacks, being at home on the farm feels safe and centering.

I’m feel lucky to have had the experience of going viral and our heads have definitely been spinning as we contemplate what’s next. But at the end of the day, I do know this: The internet can buzz all around us, we’re still going to be old-fashioned farming in Esmont, VA.

Caromont Farm is located 23 miles south of Charlottesville, Virginia, in the heart of Virginia’s Piedmont region. We produce both fresh and aged cheeses using milk from Gail Hobbs-Page’s herd of Alpines, Saanens, and La Mancha goats. Caromont’s cow’s milk cheeses are produced from milk sourced from Nathan Vergins’ herd of grass fed Jerseys at Silky Cow Farm in nearby North Garden, Virginia. Their cheese was featured in our 2015 Holiday Issue. For information, go to caromontcheese.com

Spring Ramp Pesto

Recipe and photos by Raisa Aziz, EdibleDC contributor

Spring is here! The market is filled with greens and pinks and light yellows. I can smell lilac and a hint of spring onions as I walk through the stalls. It's pretty joyous after months of bundling up and eating root vegetables at every meal.

It's also time for ramps. Somewhere between a leek and spring garlic, ramps have a fairly short season and are usually hand foraged, so it's best to enjoy them while you can. Ramps have a unique strong oniony garlicky flavor making them an excellent base for pesto.

My recipe for ramp pesto is light on the garlic and heavier on the lemon, perfect for a perfect spring pasta or on a pizza or flatbread. Pesto can also be frozen, so it's a great way to save the flavor of ramp season for later.

Spring Ramp Pesto

One bunch ramps, loosely chopped (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup unsalted cashews 1/2 cup pine nuts 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 lemon, squeezed 1 clove garlic Salt and pepper, to taste

Toast nuts in a saucepan on medium heat, moving frequently, for about 2-4 minutes until lightly golden. Set aside. Place nuts, olive oil, cheese, ramps, lemon juice and garlic into a food processor. Pulse in bursts until smooth. You may need to use a spatula to move the mixture around a few times so there are no big chunks in your pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse once more. Spoon pesto into a jar with a tight lid. Add a thin layer of olive oil to the top to prevent browning. Refrigerate and use within a week. You can also freeze the pesto in an air-tight container.

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Raisa Aziz (@raisaaziz) is a food stylist, photographer and writer in the DC area. When not cooking, baking or eating, you can find her bopping about town in search of local adventures.

The Skinny on Asparagus

By Eugenia Bone, author of The Kitchen Ecosystem, special to Edible Communities

When my son was very young he was a binge eater. One fall he ate tomatoes and apples. Just tomatoes and apples. The following winter it was ground beef. But after a full Spring of his eating pretty much nothing but baked asparagus, which he nibbled from top to bottom, I became exasperated and asked his doctor if these eating habits were going to cause malnutrition or…or what? But Dr. Heiss put my worries aside. He said the whole idea of a daily food requirement was bogus (and some say a government-supported fiction perpetrated by the food industry lobby), and that a good diet only makes sense from an annual perspective. Over the course of a year, at the rate my son was going, his diet was perfectly fine. I started to think about this, and how much sense it makes in terms of eating seasonally. What nature wants us to do is binge on fresh, regional foods at their nutritional peak. How much nutrition are you getting from asparagus picked in Chile in December and shipped thousands of miles? Better to eat and preserve them now, while the wild (well, not exactly wild, as Asparagus officinalis are feral: they’re escaped domestic asparagus) and cultivated asparagus are in their glory.

Wild asparagus grow pretty much all over the country. You’ll find them along fence lines, ditches, and roads; though avoid roadsides where you suspect there may have been weed spraying. Once you locate a patch you’ll be able to harvest these perennials every year. (It’s easy to locate a patch before everything starts greening up as they stand out from other weeds. For guidance, check out http://hungerandthirstforlife.blogspot.com/2014/03/identifying-year-old-wild-asparagus.html) The tender shoots or spears come up in the spring, and as the temperature warms, the plant become ferny and bushy, eventually producing little red berries (which are inedible). Wild asparagus can be anywhere from a foot high to as tall as you, and the spears can be stringy and tough, but the flavor! It was wild asparagus that opened my mind to the byproducts that could be made with asparagus.

Cultivated asparagus are sold thick and thin, and vary in color from white to green to purple. White asparagus are blanched by mounding earth around the plant to protect it from the sun. Interestingly, people either seem to love them or hate them. (I love them poached in stock, with sautéed morels on top.) Thick asparagus come from older plants or early harvests, and thin asparagus come from younger plants or later harvests, as the new asparagus shoots become thinner as the season progresses. (By the way, the distinct smell of your pee after eating asparagus is a result of metabolizing certain compounds in the asparagus. The younger the asparagus you eat, the stronger the smell.)

I prefer thick asparagus as the texture holds up better under cooking and canning, and I like the purple cultivars the most, as they are especially sweet and tender, though if you pickle them they stain the vinegar purple. It’s okay. Weird, but okay. Look for firm stalks with tight tips. Once the buds start to open the spear quickly becomes woody. Store asparagus in a jar of water in the fridge as you would cut flowers. If you ask me, they’re just as beautiful.

You don’t need to peel asparagus unless the stems are tough, and then, only the lower half of the asparagus. So how much of the spear to use? You can use it all. To trim asparagus, either peel the tough end, and cut off the dry tip, or snap the spears. Hold the ends of the asparagus and gently bend. It will break at the point where the tender part of the asparagus ends. The tougher end of the spear has plenty of flavor, and can be used to make an aromatic stock. You can use the stock many ways: as a soup base (it’s a fabulous base for fish soup), as a poaching liquid for fish, to make risotto, and to cook spaghettini.

Cooked with fish or eggs, pickled and used in place of capers in dishes like Chicken Piccata, poached and dressed with homemade mayonnaise, or simply baked and drizzled with oil and Parmesan cheese, asparagus are a real seasonal treat. I pig out on them when they are in, especially in conjunction with other spring foods, like lamb, morel mushrooms, and soft shell crabs, and vegetable plates with artichokes, peas, and ramps. Not only are they delicious, but I know binging is the best way to access their great nutritional profile. At least, that’s what the doctor told me.

Shaved Asparagus, Pea, and Pea Shoot Salad

I have served this surprisingly rich salad as a second course after a pasta dish, on top of a piece of broiled fish, and garnished with croutons: they’re all good! When choosing pea shoots, look for small pale leaves with plenty of thin, curling tendrils. Avoid large stemmy pea shoots, which are tougher. But if you do find them in the market with very long stems you can cut the stems off and throw them in the stockpot. Save the asparagus ends or peels for Asparagus Stock (below).

SERVES 4

1½ cups shelled fresh peas (about 1 pound in the shell)

12 thick spears asparagus, trimmed (as described in text above)

1 large garlic clove, smashed and peeled

½ teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 whole anchovy (see Note), chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ pound pea shoots

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

In a pot of boiling water, cook the peas until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Using a very sharp knife (or a mandolin if you have one) cut the asparagus into very thin slivers on an angle. Raw asparagus must be very thinly sliced to be palatable.

Rub the garlic clove around the inside of a wooden bowl. Add the mustard powder and lemon juice. Mix until the mustard powder dissolves. Add the anchovy and combine well.

Add the oil, mixing all the while. Add the peas, asparagus, and pea shoots and toss in the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss with the Parmesan cheese.

Note: I prefer whole anchovies cured in salt, which you can find in Italian markets. Soak them for 10 minutes to remove the salt, then rinse and fillet them. You don’t have to get all the bones, just the spine.

Asparagus Pesto

This puree is great to have on hand. It makes an excellent sauce for broiled fish or for pasta or ravioli, or a poached egg on an English muffin. With added cream and seasoning, it’s also perfect as a warm soup. It is not thick, but loose and light. To make this pesto more robust, add 1/3 cup pine nuts to the food processor. Save the asparagus cooking water and ends or peels for Asparagus Stock (recipe below).

MAKES 1 PINT

1 pound asparagus, trimmed (as described in text above)

1/3 cup pine nuts (optional)

2 garlic cloves, sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Salt

Cut the asparagus in large pieces and place them in a large pot. Add just enough water to barely cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and boil the asparagus gently until they are fork-tender, about 10 minutes for slender asparagus, longer for thick ones. Reserving the cooking water, drain the asparagus.

Place the asparagus in a food processor along with 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water and the garlic. Add the pine nuts, if using, the oil, lemon juice, and salt to taste and pulse to combine. If necessary, add a bit more cooking water to get a smooth pesto.

The asparagus pesto holds in the freezer for 8 to 12 months. Add salt and pepper as you use the pesto (seasoning loses its oomph when frozen).

Spaghettini with Asparagus Pesto

SERVES 4

If you have asparagus pesto on hand you always have a quick dinner. This pasta dish is elegant, beautiful as a first course or a light dinner. For an extra savory dish, cook the pasta in chicken broth (see side bar). You can also jazz up the garnishes: try sautéed shrimp, a dollop of homemade ricotta, or chopped fresh chives, or a combination.

¾ lb spaghettini 1 heaping cup asparagus pesto (recipe above), warmed Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese for garnish

4 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over a high heat. Add the spaghettini and cook until al dente. Drain. In a large serving bowl toss the pasta with the asparagus pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with the grated cheese and breadcrumbs.

Eugenia Bone is a cook and author whose stories and recipes have appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country including The New York Times Magazine to Saveur, Food & Wine, Gourmet, Fine Cooking, The Wine Enthusiast, Martha Stewart Living, and The Wall Street Journal, among many others. She is the author of 5 books, among them Italian Family Dining, and Well Preserved: Recipes and Techniques for Putting Up Small Batches of Seasonal Food (nominated for a James Beard award); Mycophilia: Revelations from the Weird World of Mushrooms, and The Kitchen Ecosystem: Integrating Recipes to Create Delicious Meals. Visit Eugenia's blog, TheKitchenEcosystem.com.