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January 17, 2013

Local Growers’ Guild Presents Bike to Barns!

The Local Growers’ Guild is hosting Indiana’s first annual Bike to Barns event on Sunday, June 9th. Bike to Barns invites cyclists of all ages and skill levels to bike to farms in Monroe, Owen, and Brown counties during this day-long event. Funds raised will support the Local Growers’ Guild, a cooperative of farmers, retailers, and community members dedicated to strengthening the local food economy in southern Indiana through education, direct support, and market connections.

The ride will start at Binford/Rogers School at 9am.  Check-in opens at 8:15am and riders will be released in waves. Riders can choose from three different routes, a 6 mile “Urban Fruit Route” in the City of Bloomington, a 35 mile “Seed Route” through Brown County, and a 70 mile “Root Route” in Monroe and parts of Owen County.  Participants will meet the growers, have a chance to ask questions about their sustainable farming practices, hang out with farm animals, and learn about local food sources that Southern Indiana has to offer.

Registration is $50 for adults and $15 for children (13 and under).  With registration, all participants receive a free Bike to Barns event t-shirt and the option to purchase a bike jersey. Participants will raise pledges from family and friends to support the Local Growers Guild as well. All participants will benefit from discounts at Nick’s English Hut and Upland Brewing Company, and prizes will be awarded to top fundraisers. A celebration party will be held after completion of the ride, with refreshments and entertainment.

To register or make a pledge for this event, view the routes, and learn more about the event, visit www.localgrowers.org/b2b. If you have any questions about the Bike to Barns event or the Local Growers’ Guild, please contact LGG Manager Megan Hutchison at localgrowers@localgrowers.org. Information about all Local Growers’ Guild activities can be found online at www.localgrowers.org.

We couldn’t have made this happen without our generous sponsors.   Please visit them and thank them for their support of the LGG!

Nick’s English Hut
Upland Brewing Company
Bloomingfoods Market & Deli
Bikesmiths
Farm Bloomington
Vibe Yoga
Cardinal Stage Company
Bloomington Playwright’s Project
The Comedy Attic
Bloomington Clay Studio
Nature’s Crossroads Seed Company
Chomp
Revolution Bike and Bean
Sunny Branch Farm

LGG Features Grower Members in Online Videos

LGG talking with WFHB about new videos!

The Local Growers’ Guild is pleased to announce the release of LGG On the Farm, a series of videos spotlighting grower members and their farming practices.  The videos were shot on-site at each farm and focus on a particular aspect of growing food or caring for livestock.  The videos provide useful information and resources for a new farmer, an experienced grower interested in expanding or diversifying their operation, or a community member with the desire to learn more about the ways that sustainable products are grown and raised in Indiana.

The end of each video includes contact information and ways to learn more about the grower and the work that they do.  The videos focus on diverse aspects of farm life, from animals to vegetables to flowers.  In one video, Farm Manager Candace Minster, at the White Violet Eco-Center discusses the advantages and technical aspects of seed saving, and in another, Larry Howard at Maple Valley Farm discusses the logic behind his decision to experiment with multispecies grazing.  Another set of growers give insight into the ins-and-outs of selling at a local farmers’ market.  Others explain their methods for seed-saving, bee-keeping, growing mushrooms, and extending the season. The growers featured in the videos hail from as far south as Jasper to as far north as St. Mary-of-the-Woods, providing an accurate representation of the Southern Indiana foodshed and the diversity of farming methods that can be employed here.

The videos can be found on the Local Growers’ Guild website, http://www.localgrowers.org/lgg-on-the-farm-videos/, where visitors to the site can also read the LGG blog, keep updated on upcoming Guild events and meetings, and download the Local Growers’ Guide, a comprehensive compilation of sustainable farming, gardening, and food-related resources.

The Local Growers’ Guild seeks to create a local food system that provides quality food to communities through direct markets and retailers, preserve the viability of family farms, improve the quality of life for growers, make food issues visible, and promote practices that preserve and protect the Earth.

Upcoming Local Food Events!

We sure do have an exciting local foods community with all of the upcoming events on the calendar.  There’s something for everyone!

Are you interested in figuring out why your favorite plant turned an odd color?  Visit the Monroe County Extension open house and learn about all their resources for growers and gardeners.

Is sauerkraut, kombucha, and raw milk in your house?  Maybe you want to stop by the Weston A. Price Potluck this week and exchange cultures and ideas on traditional foods.

Are you interested in seeing more small sustainable farms in Monroe County?  Local government is interested in learning how their planning and zoning rules can be inclusive to home-based sustainable farm businesses.

If you’re more of an educator, but still a foodie, the Bloomington Food Policy Council Education Committee is looking for new members and ideas on spreading the local food message.

Just in time for the flu season, the LGG is hosting their next potluck on growing and using medicinal plants.  Traditional medicine can be expensive and tends to just treat symptoms.  Bring a dish and join the conversation on widely used medicinal plants that you can grow yourself or find from a local grower.

See our events calendar on the right hand side to learn more about these and other events!

Harvest Dinner Wrap-Up

Thanks to everyone who came out last night to break bread with friends and support the LGG at our Annual Harvest Dinner.   We were asked a lot about the dishes during the dinner, so we thought we would post the menu online if folks want to try to recreate the dish for themselves.   We’ve also included links below if you’d like to enjoy a meal at each chef’s home base!

Alisha Mustafa, Mustafa Pie Co.
Appetizer- Oktoberfest Beer, Creekbend Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Mini Shepard’s Pie with an herb potato crust filled ground beef, turnips, onions, with parmesan cheese. Pickled beets and a chive and parsley oil drizzled on the side

Alan Simmerman, Bloomingfoods
Salad- Harvest Ale, Creekbend III 2011
Greens salad with apple cornbread and roasted squash

Damian Esposito, Indiana Memorial Union
Soup- Pilsner, Creekbend Traminette 2011
Traditional Pozole of pork, hominy, onion, garlic, dried chilies, and cilantro

Seth Elgar, Upland Brewing Company
Main Course- Double Dragonfly IPA, Creekbend Chambourcin 2010
Fall mash of potatoes and squash, braised greens, and smoked WE Farm pork shoulder in a braised beef shank demi

Vegetarian Dish: Fall mash of potatoes and squash, braised greens, topped with a swiss chard cake stuffed with Capriole chèvre and a roasted beet beurre blanc

Jeff Grossnickle, Chocolate Moose
Dessert- Bad Elmer’s Porter, Creekbend Late Harvest Vignoles 2008
Valentine Hill Farm Organic Bavarian lemon pound cake with a scoop of Chocolate Moose local pumpkin ice cream

Harvest Dinner sponsors included Upland Brewing Company, Oliver Winery, Cartridge World, Brown County Coffee, Indiana Memorial Union Catering, Master Rental, and KRC Catering.

Big thanks to our growers who offered donations:

Fields of Agape
Freedom Valley Farm
Glorious Day Lily
Harvest Moon Flower Farm
Heartland Family Farm
Homestead Growers
Hoosier Billy Farms
LIFE Certified Organic Farm
Lost Pond Farm
Moon Valley Farm
Musgrave Orchard
Olde Lane Orchard
Living Roots Ecovillage
Renaissance Farm
Sage Gardens
Sun Circle Farm
The Chile Woman
Valentine Hill Farm
WE Farm
White Violet Center for Eco-Justice

Tickets on Sale for Annual Harvest Dinner!

The Annual Local Growers’ Guild Harvest Dinner – an elegant five-course meal featuring locally-grown food prepared by talented local chefs – will take place on Thursday, October 25th, at the Upland Brewery Banquet Facility at 6 pm. As a one-of-a-kind fundraiser for the Local Growers’ Guild, the Harvest Dinner brings together local farmers, chefs, and community members to enjoy a five-course meal prepared by local chefs. After receiving the food donations from local growers, each chef takes on a particular course (appetizer, salad, soup, entrée, dessert), which is paired with a wine (from Oliver Winery) and a beer (from Upland). The food comes from area growers and highlights Indiana’s abundant in-season harvest and serves as a backdrop for growers and the community to come together and support each other in building up the local food economy.

100 percent of the proceeds benefit the Local Growers Guild in its mission – strengthening the local food economy through education, direct support, and market connections.

This year’s Chefs include Seth Elgar from Upland Brewery, Damian Esposito from the Indiana Memorial Union, Jeff Gross from Chocolate Moose, Alan Simmerman from Bloomingfoods, and Alisha Mustafa from Mustafa Pie Co.

Harvest Dinner sponsors include Upland Brewing Company, Oliver Winery, Cartridge World, Brown County Coffee, the Indiana Memorial Union, and KRC Catering. Big thanks to our growers who have offered donations:

Fields of Agape
Freedom Valley Farm
Glorious Day Lily
Harvest Moon Flower Farm
Heartland Family Farm
Homestead Growers
Hoosier Billy Farms
LIFE Certified Organic Farm
Lost Pond Farm
Moon Valley Farm
Musgrave Orchard
Olde Lane Orchard
Oliver Winery
Renaissance Farm
Sage Gardens
Sun Circle Farm
The Chile Woman
Valentine Hill Farm
WE Farm
White Violet Center for Eco-Justice

Type of Ticket

LGG Members $68.00 USD Non-Members $75.00 USD Table for 10 $675.00 USD