They say you don’t want to see it made, but there’s nothing wrong with knowing where it comes from. This sausage came from Mandola’s Italian Market, at the Triangle in Austin. The cooks there make it themselves, using pork raised in Bryan. This variety, the traditional fresh, Sicilian-style one, is seasoned with fennel seeds so [...]
It’s the time of year for feasting, and if you read this blog, chances are you’re fortunate enough to be able feast – and to be choosy about what you eat, how often, and more. Of course, not everyone enjoys such luxuries. Luckily, great groups like Meals on Wheels and More make sure everyone gets [...]
Cabbage has tons of vitamin C. Its other qualities include a good shelf-life, diverse culinary applications, high yield in a wide range of agricultural conditions, and cash value – it brings in some 34 million dollars for Texas from only eight thousand acres each year. What doesn’t cabbage have? Sex appeal. Its most famous attributes [...]
Want to be a locavore gift-giver this holiday season? There are lots of ways to give local food. Local chocolates, for starters, are a no-brainer for loved ones everywhere. Driving out of state? Pick up a case of Texas grapefruit to give to your host. For an Austinite, visit the Austin Farmers’ Market information booth, [...]
En route to San Antonio earlier this month, I found a sunny side to an I-35 traffic jam in this gigantic rolling cow. It’s a mascot for Oak Farms, a Texas dairy that started up way back in 1908 in San Antonio. Today Oak Farms has dairies all over the state – but nowhere else. [...]
If the word “beets” causes you to conjure canned, pickled purple slices, try to suspend disbelief for a moment. Because beets don’t have to be that way. A fresh beet root, roasted and seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper, is a wonderful thing. Its greens can be eaten, too, prepared like any other [...]
Five local mixologists will face off tonight in the booziest part of Austin’s Eat Local Week: It’s the Drink Local Cocktail Contest with the Tipsy Texan himself, David Alan. Central Texas natives Dripping Springs Vodka, Lone Star Distillery, Paula’s Texas Spirits, Pepe’s Z Tequila, Treaty Oak Rum, Tito’s Vodka, and Savvy Vodka will all be [...]
This new guide isn’t about eating local, exclusively, but I was pleasantly surprised to find some great locavore resources when I cracked open a copy today. I’d expected a run-of-the-mill restaurant guide, but found a section called “Local Flavors” at the beginning of the book. These eclectic pages describe neighborhood bakeries, farmers’ markets, seafood markets, [...]
Texas is the country’s fifth-largest sweet-potato producer, with commercial production concentrated in the northeastern part of the state, and in Van Zandt county, especially. In 2005, more than 3,000 acres in the state were planted in sweet potatoes, for an annual cash value of nearly $10,000 dollars. Doesn’t seem like a lot of money? Well, [...]
Edible Austin magazine’s Eat Local Week kicks off Saturday with a whole host of locavore-loving events. There’s a farm tour by bicycle, a tea party, and a cocktail contest, just for starters. Proceeds will benefit Urban Roots. See this website for more details.
