Botetourt County Recycling

Where to Recycle Paper, Plastic, and Tin Cans in Botetourt County:

Convenience Center: 259 Landfill Road

Breckinridge Elementary 331 Springwood Rd., Fincastle

Buchanan Elementary 255 Schoolhouse Rd., Buchanan

Cloverdale Elementary 833 Cougar Drive, Cloverdale

Colonial Elementary 2941 Webster Road, Blue Ridge

Eagle Rock Elementary 145 Eagles Nest Drive, Eagle Rock

Lord Botetourt High School Tinkermill Rd., off of Rt. 220, Daleville

Troutville Elementary 12 Barron Drive, Troutville

Tel: (540) 992-5111

Botetourt County, Virginia

Electronic Waste Collection Day in Botetourt County

Clean air, clean water, preserved woodlands …….

One person makes a difference by doing their part to recycle. When combined with the recycling efforts of many, we actively protect our environment for future generations and for its natural
inhabitants – our wildlife!

Please contact Botetourt County’s Division of Solid Waste if you have questions:

259 Landfill Road Troutville, Va 24175

Tel: (540) 992-5111

Fax: (540) 992-8340

Saturday, December 12th

12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Solid Waste Convenience Center 259 Landfill Road, Troutville

http://www.botetourt.org/

You CAN make a difference!

HOUSEHOLD ELECTRONIC RECYCLING

E-Waste also contains valuable materials such as gold,silver, copper, and plastic, so it makes good sense to recover these materials instead of throwing them away.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), consumers were expected to purchase 500 million units of consumer electronics in 2008.

U.S. households spend about $1,407 each year on hardware.

In comparison with many home appliances, life cycle energy use of a computer is dominated by production (81%) as opposed to operation (19%).

No commercial waste or commercial electronic items will be allowed at this event.


Please contact Botetourt County’s Division of Solid Waste if you have any questions.

259 Landfill Road

Troutville, VA 24175

Tel: (540) 992-5111

Fax: (540) 992-8340


Please limit your items to 75 pounds per piece for easier unloading, and remove all personal information from your PC and other data-collecting devices.

E-Waste Interesting Facts

• Americans own nearly three billion electronic products.

• Studies estimate that as much as 75% of old, used equipment is in storage, where it takes up space and becomes more obsolete and less valuable.

• Many people discard computers every three years.

• The average cell phone in the U.S. is replaced after just 18 months of use.

• Computer or television displays (CRTs) contain an average of six pounds of lead each.

Why should you recycle electronic devices instead of just throwing them away?

• It helps to preserve our natural resources.

• It keeps toxins, such as mercury and lead, out of the landfill.

• Recycling e-waste is the socially responsible thing to do!


Botetourt County is sponsoring a Household Electronic Waste Collection Day!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Solid Waste Convenience Center


Items that will be accepted from Botetourt County residents are:

Computers and monitors

Hard drives

Modems

Circuit boards

Sealed batteries (dry cell ONLY)

Transformers (without oil or
liquids)

Fax machines

Table-top copiers, printers, and
scanners

Cell phones

Stereo equipment

All associated peripherals

Wire / cable

Power backups

DVD players and VCR’s

MP3’s and DVR’s

Telephone equipment

Enhancing the Productive Capacity of Land through Whole-Property Planning

A post-Thanksgiving reminder of the presentation this Friday morning!

Sponsored by Catawba Landcare

Friday, December 4th 2009

9:00am

Catawba Community Center

For a second year, a group of students from Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources have worked with several volunteer landowners in the Catawba Valley to assess their goals and their properties to develop whole-property agroforestry plans. During this meeting on December 4th, the students will be presenting their land management proposals along with the cooperating landowners.

Last year, this project raised some great ideas and suggestions among landowners and the audience members who attended. It’s an opportunity to explore different options for your land, and to hear how students at Virginia Tech are working directly with the community.

Catawba Landcare is a group of committed residents and landowners in the Catawba and North Fork Valleys who care about our land, community, and economy.
We are organizing a series of meetings and workshops to share our stories and to learn from the experiences of our neighbors.
To learn more
Visit www.catawbalandcare.org

or contact Courtney Kimmel – cekimmel@vt.edu

Farmers' Market Gourmet

Farmers' Market -- Saturday, November 21

There will be a few farmers hangin' around Ikenberry's tomorrow morning. It will probably be a short market day. We don't guarantee everyone will be there early and stay until 1 p.m. If you need something come on over mid-morning.

Keltic Myst (Al the Soapman) will be there.

Buffalo Creek Beef will be there with a cooler full of beef.

Ginger Hillery (or a representative) will make an appearance with bread and other baked items.

Brambleberry Farm will bring eggs and greens -- chard and kale.

A new vendor will bring cedar wreaths and other natural items from her farm.

Ikenberry's is stocked with Fraiser Fir wreaths and other holiday items.

Pesticide Exec Nominated

2009 Sheep and Goat Short Course

Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009

Time: registration starts 8:00 a.m.

Place: WV State Fairgrounds, WV University Bldg., Lewisburg, WV

All interested persons welcome.

for more info, http://www.sheepwv.org

Botetourt Farmers' Market, Saturday October 24, 2009

Greetings! Full Circle Farm plans to be at the market tomorrow with
freshly milled whole grain breads and other goodies. It's the
perfect weather for spelt gingerbread! We also have a rye bread this
week made with caraway seeds.

See you at the market!

Ginger and the family at
Full Circle Farm, Botetourt

Dear Interested Citizens of Botetourt:

Some days there are just too many things happening and Saturday, October 24, is one of them!!

In addition to the Catawba Creek monitoring workshop scheduled from 10am-2pm on the grounds of Roanoke Cement, there's also a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day (http://botetourt.org/news_events/meeting_detail.php?event_ID=264) at the Solid Waste Convenience Center on Catawba Rd. from 12:30pm -4:30pm. Very convenient to go there after the water workshop!!

There's another very important event on October 24: the Botetourt Comprehensive Plan Forum #1 (http://botetourt.org/news_events/meeting_detail.php?event_ID=261) which will be held at LBHS from 9-11am and at JRHS from 1-3pm. It's very important for citizens to envision and comment how they would like Botetourt County to be in the next 5, 10 or even 20 years. This is your chance! For those attending the Catawba Creek workshop, I can only suggest being at LBHS right at 9am and staying for 40 minutes or so, before heading to the cement plant.

The second public forum (on December 5) will focus on identifying, evaluating and prioritizing implementation options for achieving the county's vision.

Please contact me if you need further info on any of these events.

Genevieve Goss

Farmers' Market October 17, 2009

Wayne will be representing Hillbilly Heaven this week. We will have Apple Bread, Zucchini Bread, Pumpkin Banana Bread. Sugar Free Apple Bread and Sugar Free Rocky Road cake. Golden Pumpkin Bread, our Cinnamon Buns, and Bulls Eye with our Blue Lemon Jam. Our Variety of Pickles and Jams. I will have some Green Onions, Parsley, Oregano and Basil. See you next week. Toni

Full Circle Farm will be at the market tomorrow with all our nice
Freshly Milled Whole Grain breads, pizza crusts and mixes. We will
also have some great treats like Spelt Gingerbread, made with 100%
whole grains, like all the rest of our goodies, and perfect for a
fall treat this weekend. Be sure and pick some up to enjoy with your
hot apple cider! We also have a new product: Almond Raisin Granola.

Our beef is in from the processor and we had some last night for
supper. Grass-fed and finished, delicious and good for you too!
Pick some up tomorrow.

Don't forget your early Christmas shopping! Locally grown wool
hiking socks are just the thing for that college nephew or niece.
Not to mention those poor hunters with the cold toes! Our Jacob
sheep make some nice and cozy socks.

See you tomorrow!
Ginger Hillery

Better Batter Baking will be there with:
*Chocolate Muffin Samplers (Banana Chocolate Chip, Cappuccino Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate Muffins with White Chocolate)
*Apple Streusel Muffins
*Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
*Scones
Order now for Christmas and the holidays! Our muffins make great gifts for teachers, friends and family.

Earl and I will be at the market tomorrow. We will have our freshly milled, whole wheat breads, some sweet breads and our individual, fresh apple , with rum caramel topping cakes. Lots and lots of freshly canned items. We will see you there. Earl and Linda

There will be many other vendors at the market, as well.

This weekend, it’s Apple Festival time at Ikenberry’s:
Local Artists, Photographers, Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch, Boys Scout BBQ, Pony Rides, Painted Gourds, Sterling Silver Jewelry, Chic-Fil-A, Southern Homes, Make your own Apple Butter, Live Band on Sunday.

From Commodity to Communities: Building Resilient Food System Networks for the Roanoke Region

Join us on Saturday, October 24th at Grandin Gardens, while we continue our efforts to activate our local food system.

Last May, Lynchburg Grows hosted Will Allen, a MacArthur Fellowship awardee and founder of Growing Power, Inc. to start a dialogue with local foods advocates from across the state about how to build our regional local food systems. The Urbiculture Foundation volunteered to host the Roanoke Regional conference this October. This is the result of our efforts.

Some of the things on the agenda are:

· Learn how Lynchburg started its first urban farm by its founder, Michael Van Ness. Lynchburg Grows is a 6.5 acre urban farm with 2 acres under glass. After reading in the Lynchburg News & Advance about the destruction of a vegetable garden at a local home for disabled individuals due to a miscommunication, the founding members of Lynchburg Grows came together to rebuild the garden. While working on the garden, the members decided to expand their mission to help all disadvantaged persons enjoy the healthy benefits of gardening and having access to such spaces.

· Talk with Christy Gabbard, the head of planning for The Catawba Sustainability Center. The center, which has been in the works for about a year, aims to be an example for landowners of the benefits of sustainable farming and the promotion of environmental stewardship in the community. Christy says, “one thing that struck me is that we talk about sustainability in each of our disciplines, but there's not really a place to showcase sustainability across disciplines." Catawba Sustainability Center is kicking off EarthWorks, a program designed to accelerate land-based businesses through a variety of services, including: low cost land-lease arrangements, aggregation space, access to larger markets, training, access to innovative technology and business planning support services.

· Rachel Theo-Maurelli will continue her efforts of facilitating an open forum, where we can share our ideas and come up with the next action steps to take. Rachel started a dialogue two years ago and has been progressing to this point. Some ideas that already have come up and which will be discussed are the Cleveland Ave Urban Farm, which is in the development stage; the Roanoke Community Gardens, which is in its second year and has recently received a CDBG from the City of Roanoke; and the local foods program recently started at Grandin Court Elementary. If you have any specific ideas you want to share at length, email Rachel: communityventures@cox.net

· The 2009 Food Security Conference Ron McCorkle will summarize the conference and share ideas applicable to our area, as well as national food policy. This year’s conference is about our philosophy of how food is perceived. Also, the conference will be talking about efforts to change the emphasis of federal farm policy, toward a more community-based and community-owned structure.

· Local Roots Café may have special items for us to purchase.

· Visit the Grandin Village Farmers Market before the conference. (8am-12noon every Saturday)

· After the conference, Celebrate the Grandin Gardens 350 Harvest Festival.

You are invited to share:

Apple Butter, Smoothies, Popcorn, and A Recycled Scarecrow making Contest!

You can make a scarecrow at Grandin Gardens or bring yours from home. Contest judging at 2 PM if you want to win a Beautiful Full harvest Basket!

MUSIC and presentations:

** "What is 350.org?" Chad Braby, Cool Cities

** Solar Ovens and “What can I do to make a difference", Katherine Devine and students

** Plowshare Peace and Justice Center info

The conference will be from 9AM until 12Noon on Saturday, October 24th at Grandin Gardens. To help pay for expenses, we are asking for a donation of $10, or whatever you can. Please invite everyone you think is involved with our local foods system, from seed saver to consumer and every piece!

Grandin Gardens (map it)
1731 Grandin Road,
Roanoke, VA 24015

Stream Monitor Training

Virginia to host Mid-Atlantic Grass Finished Livestock Conference, Oct. 23-24

Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation, Clemson Extension, and West Virginia University Extension Service have partnered to organize the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Grass Finished Livestock Conference. The two-day conference will take place at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Staunton, Va. on Oct. 23 and 24, 2009.
The theme of this year’s conference is “Merging the Art and Science of Grass Finishing.”

“This high-caliber conference will provide producers and agricultural professionals with science-based information about producing and marketing a consistently high-quality grass-finished product,” said Chris Teutsch, Extension forage specialist at Virginia Tech’s Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Blackstone, Va. “It will cover forage systems for grass finishing, alternative marketing outlets, small-scale processing facilities, healthy grazing systems, supplementation in pasture finishing, factors affecting meat quality, and genetics for grass finishing. It will also feature a meat cutting and cooking demonstration and a grass-finished success story from Yanceyville, N.C.”

Nationally and internationally recognized experts will deliver science-based information to producers and communicate the art of applying that science in the field:

Anibal Pordomingo of the University of La Pampa in Santa Rosa will talk about designing “forage chains” to meet the high nutritional requirements of finishing animals. He is both a university researcher and a grass-finished beef producer.

Denise Mainville, assistant professor of agricultural and applied economics at Virginia Tech, will present recent research addressing alternative markets for pasture-finished beef.

Joe Cloud of T and E Meats in Harrisonburg, Va. will discuss challenges and opportunities for small-scale processing facilities. He will provide conference participants with the unique perspective of a small-scale processor of grass-finished livestock.

Ed Rayburn, forage Extension specialist at West Virginia University, will talk about the ecology of pasture systems and how to build healthy grazing systems with strong nutrient cycles. He brings a unique perspective with undergraduate and graduate training in ecology, not forages.

John Andrae, forage Extension specialist at Clemson University, will tackle supplementation in pasture-based finishing systems and its impact on meat quality. He conducts pasture-finishing research in South Carolina and has a comprehensive knowledge of forage systems in the southeastern United States.

Susan Duckett, professor and endowed chair in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson University, will talk about factors affecting meat quality and health benefits of pasture-finished livestock. An internationally renowned meat scientist, Duckett has the ability to bring the biochemistry of meats to a level that producers and consumers can understand and appreciate.

Jeremy Engh of Lakota Ranch in Remington, Va., will discuss the importance of cattle genetics in grass-finishing systems. He not only produces and markets grass-finished beef but also hosts Virginia’s only forage-based bull test.

V. Mac Baldwin of Baldwin Family Farms in Yanceyville, N.C., will tell the story of his grass-fished beef operation and provide tips on marketing. Baldwin uses large framed animals that produce an exceptionally lean product. He direct markets this product to health-conscious consumers and has developed a wholesale marketing arrangement with a major retailer.

Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm in Swoope, Va., will provide a guided tour of his farm. A leader and innovator in the local food movement for decades, Salatin will discuss the various enterprises on his farm and his marketing methodology.

The early registration fee is $200 per participant and must be postmarked by Sept. 15, 2009. After that date, the registration fee is $300 per participant. Students qualify for a reduced registration rate. Make sure to register early as space is limited. A special conference rate for hotel rooms is available on a limited basis. To make room reservations, contact the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Staunton, Va., at 1-800-932-9061.

For more information or to register for the conference, contact Margaret Kenny at (434) 292-5331 or makenny@vt.edu.

Virginia Cooperative Extension (www.ext.vt.edu/) brings the resources of Virginia’s land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to the people of the commonwealth. Through a system of on-campus specialists and locally based agents, it delivers education in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, community viability, and 4-H youth development. With a network of faculty at two universities, 107 county and city offices, 13 agricultural research and extension centers, and six 4-H educational centers, Virginia Cooperative Extension provides solutions to the problems facing Virginians today.

Virginia Agriculture & Food Entrepreneurship Program—

A Two-Part Workshop Series Focused on Food Safety Regulations, Product Development, Business Planning & Local Marketing Opportunities

November 16 & November 23, 2009

Airlie Conference Center— Warrenton Virginia

$40 per day, $80 to attend both days

Scholarships are available based on need.

More information and complete resources are available online at: http://vagaf.blogspot.com/.

Notice that on November 16, Kate Fitzgerald from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is planning to present on the current status of food safety legislation in Congress and on November 23, Adam Diamond from the USDA is planning to discuss new local food research results and new local food distribution models.

Additionally, on November 23, Stacy Miller is planning to join us from the Farmers Market Coalition and we will have a series of topics related to farmers markets including speakers and panelist who are directly involved with organizing, selling at or analyzing farmers markets and other direct to consumer food outlets.

Botetourt Farmers' Market, Saturday October 3, 2009

Hillbilly Heaven will be at the market tomorrow with our Jams and Pickles, Bulls Eye pastries with our Raz-apple Jam, English Muffins Regular and Wheat, Sugar Free Carrot Cake, Sugar Free Apple Cake, Pumpkin Banana Bread, Apple Bread. Don't know if I'll get to the Cinnamon Buns or Crumb buns this evening. We'll also have our Japanese Eggplant and some peppers from the petite farm.
Wayne will be representing Hillbilly Heaven with our Organic Products. Hope everyone has a wonderful day at Ikenberry's I'll see you next Saturday. Toni

Yvette will be at the farmers market this Saturday. I will be in Richmond at a wine festival. She will bring three wines of her choice for tasting plus fresh made and canned Chardonnay juice. Marie, Virginia Mountain Vineyard

This will be White Oak Dairy's last weekend at the market this year. I will bring goat cheese, goat milk ricotta cheesecakes, and (hopefully) goat milk chocolate. -Anna Bedell

Earl and I will be at the market tomorrow with our Freshly Milled Whole Grain Breads. We will also have Lemon Curd, and Dill Dip. We will have a wide variety of jams, jelly's, pickles and some Hot Salsa. We will also have a couple of other nice little treats. We'll be lookin' for ya'all. Earl and Linda

Full Circle Farm will be at Ikenberry's tomorrow with our Freshly Milled Whole Grain breads and mixes, grass-fed lamb to go with that bread and some woolly hiking socks to wear while enjoying fall out on the trail! See you at the market! Hillery Family

Better Batter Baking will be there tomorrow with:
*Cappuccino Muffins - made with millet and sorghum flours
*Pumpkin Raisin Teff Muffins - made with teff, garbanzo bean and sorghum flours
*Chocolate Chip Scones - made with millet and rice flours
*Ginger Spelt Snaps
*Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
*Quinoa Pudding - warm and yummy, similar to rice pudding, but made with the complete protein grain quinoa
Wendy Hayth-Perdue
Baked goods made with alternatives to wheat!

Brambleberry Farm is throwing in the towel for this season, but remember that you can contact me and arrange to pick up eggs, chard, sweet and hot peppers, and squashes: brambleberryfarm@gmail.com You’ll have to miss me singing the lyrics to Michael Frank’s song: “When my baby cooks her eggplant, she don’t need no books. She has a sort of Gioconda kinda dirty looks… I can‘t reveal her name, but eggplant is her game.” Oh, well, your loss. Also, I’m not sure you should fall for the goat milk chocolate. Last week, “It got eaten” before it got to the market.

Good luck, Anna and Aaron. We’ll be thinking of you on Halloween. Congratulations to Amy Fenster and Patricia Whitt and their families!

Catawba Art Show

Gallery 108 in Roanoke is having an art show featuring the scenic Catawba Valley and the Catawba Sustainability Center from Oct 1-31. This Thursday, Oct 1 from 6-9 pm is the opening reception. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Catawba Sustainability Center.

Gallery 108 is located at 108 Market St SE, Roanoke, VA 24011.
For more information call 540 982-4278


Christy Gabbard
Director, Catawba Sustainability Center
- accelerating land-based businesses

Botetourt Farmers' Market, Saturday September 26, 2009

Saturday will be a lovely, rainy, cool day. Look for us up on the porch if it's raining hard.

We will have our freshly milled whole grain breads as well as some homemade honey and milk "white bread". We will have a good assortment of home canned fruits and vegetables. We will have extra quarts of tomatoes for those that find tomorrow to be a good "homemade Clilli day" great for the game! Earl and Linda

Rain or shine, Full Circle Farm plans to be at Ikenberry's tomorrow morning with Freshly Milled Milk and Honey Bread, Spelt Milk and Honey Bread, Pizza Crusts, Baguettes, Seedy Loaf and Spelt and
Rye Almond Raisin bread. We will also have some of our freshly milled whole grain pancake cornbread and brownie mixes.
Maybe you want to get some cornbread mix to go with Linda Ruggle's Chili! Perfect for fall! We will have our Locally Grown Wool Hiking Socks to keep your toes warm in the future months. Lamb and beef are at the butcher, aging as you read this email! Can't wait for some nice lamb curry and beef stew. Will keep you posted. Enjoy the wonderful soaking rains! We sure are glad to see water filling up the pond! Philip, Ginger, Thomas, Patrick, Maggie, Rose and Nora

White Oak Dairy will be there with goat cheese, goat milk ricotta cheesecake, and goat milk chocolate. -Anna

Better Batter Baking will be there with baked goods using wheat alternatives such as rice, millet and spelt flours, oats and flaxseed. Items use local dairy and produce, and include:
*Berry White Chocolate Scones
*Chocolate Muffins
*Apple Streusel Muffins
*Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Wendy Hayth-Perdue

Ed Collins is bringing gorgeous greens for cooking and tomatoes.

Brambleberry Farm believes that Equinox is the balance achieved when the winter squash and summer squash converge. We’ll have Hubbard squashes and those light green Costata summer squashes (which have decided they will just keep on producing, thank you.) Also on the table: sweet peppers and hot peppers, heritage tomatoes, beautiful mixed lettuces, chard, eggs, vinegars, and pickles. If you’re making chili, you’ll need plenty of red hot peppers, you can chop them up and add to cornbread. You can also buy some apple wine vinegar and some red hot peppers to make your own hot vinegar. Hot peppers can also be placed in good olive oil and aged for a week or two, then taken out to leave some really great oil for Asian stirfry. Another idea: string a bunch of red hot peppers and use as a garland for your Christmas tree! This could be a HOT new trend this holiday season.

Berry Ridge Farms will be there with Farm fresh free range eggs, Our Gluten Free Homemade Loaf, Gluten Free Banana Bread , Gluten Free Pound Cake. See you all there ! Thanks to all of those who have preordered your special items !!!!

Farming on A Few Acres

Hosted by
Virginia Cooperative Extension,
Botetourt, Craig, and Roanoke counties

Do you have small acreage, 15 acres or less? Are you interested in learning about agricultural options for that land? Then join us for a five consecutive Monday night series targeted at individuals who have small acreage and are interested in landbased business opportunities.

Topics include economics and marketing; goats, sheep, and poultry; greenhouse and nursery crops; vegetable production; and nontimber
forest products. $10 per person for the 5-night series.

Monday nights, 6 – 9 pm
October 5, 12, 19, 26, and November 2
Roanoke Higher Education Center
Downtown Roanoke
(Directions and parking instructions available at
http://www.education.edu/directions-parking.html)

For a registration form or for more information contact Sheri Dorn in the Roanoke Office at:
3738 Brambleton Avenue, SW
Roanoke, Virginia 24018-3639
540/772-7524 FAX: 540/776-7136
sherid@vt.edu
http://offices.ext.vt.edu/roanoke

Cultivating Sustainability Conference

Local Foods Workshops

It’s not too late to register for the local foods workshop scheduled for

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Mountain Run Farm
2734 Charlemont Road, Big Island, VA 24526 - http://www.mountainrunfarm.com/

The program begins at 9:30 a.m. and concludes at noon.

Your investment is $5 per person or $10 per family

To Register: Contact Bruce Jones at the Appomattox Extension office by calling 434-352-8244!

· The September 24 workshop will be held at Bedford County’s Mountain Run Farm which specializes in pasture-based meats. The session will focus on “Keeping you business and your customers safe.” The program includes:

o Dr. Martha Walker reviewing liability issues related to visitors on the farm.

o Bud Anderson, VDACS, will discuss rules and regulations governing direct marketing of food products.

o Dr. Rob Williams, VCE Specialist, will provide guidance on food safety and Good Agricultural Practices.

o Mountain Run Farm will share their experience in the local food business.

Remember another programs on Local Foods is planned for . . .

· October 29 at Black Eagle Farm in Nelson County where the discussion will relate to marketing and distribution models. Black Eagle has developed a diversified livestock operation that includes sheep, cattle, goats and organic eggs.

All workshops will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end around 12 noon.

A registration fee of $5 per person or $10 per family per workshop will be collected to help defray program expenses. For more information and to register, call Scott Baker, Bedford County Office, at 540-586-7675.

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Scott Baker, Bedford County Office, at 540-586-7675 during business hours of 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. *TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

September 12, 2009 Botetourt Farmers' Market

Greetings! Patrick will represent Full Circle Farm tomorrow with Freshly Milled Whole Grain breads and mixes. We plan to offer our Milk and Honey bread, Spelt Milk and Honey, Seedy Loaf, Baguette, Spelt and Rye Raisin Almond. Don't forget to check out our Locally Grown Wool Hiking socks!! Come check them out and pick out a pair for your eco-friendly hiker to stash for Christmas. Is it ever too early to shop for Christmas?? Beef, pork and lamb will be available next month. See you at the market! Ginger and the rest of the Full Circle Farm, Botetourt gang

Better Batter Baking will not be making it tomorrow (I forgot Virginia Tech plays tomorrow and so I didn't secure babysitting soon enough), but will make it next week.

White Eagle Ranch is in the rabbit business - both live and killed, freezer-packed - both are available right now. Alex & Nancy Kamwell

Earl and I will be at the market tomorrow with our freshly milled whole grain breads. We will have 14 Grain, Oatmeal, Flaxseed, and Cracked Wheat. We will also have some wonderful pumpkin bread with pecans and raisins. We will have a wide variety of jams and jelly's including Crab Apple Jelly and Grape and Black Cherry Jelly, and a good assortment of pickles, and tomatoes, and such. Looking forward to seeing you there tomorrow! Earl and Linda Ruggles

White Oak Dairy will be there with goat cheese and goat milk ricotta cheese cakes.

Little Wasprock Farms (formerly L and D Eggs - long story) will be there with fresh PEARS, pear honey, pear preserves, tomato pies, pound cake, pickles, jams and relishes!

Brambleberry Farm is getting time off for good behavior. If you need eggs, lettuces, chard or peppers, you can contact me at brambleberryfarm@gmail.com


Hillbilly Heaven is going to be there tomorrow. We will have our jams, pickles, Zucchini bread, Banana bread, Spiced pumpkin bread made with our first grown pumpkins, strawberry bulls eye, Oriental Peras Jam ( new ) ( I had too) : ), Fresh made hot pineapple jam ( thanks a bunch Donna for the sell out) of course our crumb buns and cinnamon buns if they raise. See you all there.

Hello All, Berry Ridge Farms will not be at the market on Saturday. We welcomed our 14th grandchild into the world,.so only special preorders and deliveries will be done Saturday, if you need something before next week please call 254-1689 or if you want something special for pick on the 19th let us know before Thursday. Thanks and have a great week !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-------------------------------

Congratulations, Berries!

This Week's Featured Market Vendors

When Philip Hillery graduated from Roanoke College, little did he expect that life's twists and turns would one day bring him back to the area. Hillery met his wife Ginger at Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Life then offered missionary work in Japan, a stint as a jail chaplain and five children. Seeking a simpler, more self-sufficient life, the Hillerys moved back to the area about five years ago, buying land in the Catawba Valley and creating "Full Circle Farm".

Joining Botetourt Family Farmers, Ginger brought baked goods made from freshly-milled, non-GMO wheat to the Botetourt Farmer's Market (held every Saturday from 8am-1pm or sell-out in Ikenberry's parking lot on US 220 north of Daleville) . Assisted by the children, she sold baguettes, milk and honey bread, pizza crusts and chocolate brioches, as well as meat from their own livestock. Daughter Rose even sold iced mint tea to thirsty vendors!

This year, Roanoke Natural Foods decided to create the 'Grandin Village Community Market' and Ginger was asked to bring her special baked goods there. This created a dilemma for her since she is a committed member of Botetourt Family Farmers. So, the rest of the Hillery family pitched in to help at the market here with son Patrick designated as the manager of their Botetourt 'operation'.

The baking process begins with son Thomas, 16 years old, rising at 3am on Fridays to mill the 80+ pounds of wheat, spelt and rye that Ginger uses for her bread baking. Even though he is not often seen at the market, Thomas is a very integral part of the operation. All of the children have learned responsibility and life skills by participating in the market. With fall approaching, the Hillerys will soon have their homegrown beef, pork and lamb available for sale at the market.

-- Genevieve Goss

Hello from the Blue Ridge Poultry Coop!

This season has flown by and the last of the chickens are ready to be processed! We will process on Friday, September 11. Chickens will be ready for pick up between 4:00-6:00pm on Friday. They will be sold whole for $3/lb. If you'd like to reserve chickens, email or call and let us know how many you'd like. Directions to the farm are below.

This has been a wonderful year for us and we thank you for your suport! We will begin processing again in the spring and will have turkeys for Thanksgiving next year! Keep an eye on your email for information about a winter farm buying club, and we'll send out an email in the spring letting you know when we'll have chicken again.

Thank you!
Angie and Patricia
www.blueridgepoultrycoop.com
540-966-0158

Directions to the farm:
Heading South on I-81

Take exit 162 (Buchanan)
Turn left onto Route 11 toward Troutville.
Go 3.2 miles to Route 606 (Blue Ridge Turnpike). Mill Creek Garage will be on the left.
Turn left onto Route 606, Blue Ridge Turnpike.
Go 1.6 miles to stop sign.
Turn right onto Nace Road and go less than 1/10th of a mile to bridge on left.
Turn left onto bridge at Bethel Road. Drive under rail-road trestle.
Entrance to Camp Bethel is .3 of a mile straight ahead. Drive straight past camp entrance.
Turn right into next driveway. We are the two story brick house on the left, 568. Drive around back.


Heading North on I-81

Take Exit 156
At end of ramp turn right onto Route 640, Brugh’s Mill Road, and go .2 mile to stop sign at Route 11.
Turn left onto Route 11..
Go approximately 2 miles.
Mill Creek Baptist Church will be on your left. Just across from the church turn right onto Route 606, Blue Ridge Turnpike.
Go 1.6 miles to stop sign.
Turn right onto Nace Road and go 1/10th of a mile to bridge on left.
Turn left onto bridge at Bethel Road. Drive under rail-road trestle.
Entrance to Camp Bethel is .3 mile straight ahead. Drive straight past camp entrance.
Turn right into next driveway. We are the two story brick house on the left, 568. Drive around back.

Botetourt Farmers' Market, Sept, 5, 2009

Hillbilly Heaven will be there with Pickles, Jams, Canned Tomatoes (New), crumb buns, cinnamon buns, bulls eye, and zucchini bread. I also have some garden beans, pineapple grape tomatoes, some spaghetti squash and basil. See you there! Toni Weaver

Berry Ridge Farms will be there till noon, as UVA football starts tomorrow !!!!!!!!!!!!! Go Wahoos!!!!!!!!!! We have our Gluten Free Homemade Loaf, Gluten Free Brownies, GF Cornbread, GF Banana
Bread, and GF applesauce bread. Come out and talk with us about our sugar free and alternative baked good items available. See you soon !!!!!!!! Teresa

Brambleberry Farm is bringing eggs, the last of the summer squashes (boo hoo), Kuri and Blue Hubbard winter squash, hot peppers, sweet bell peppers, chard, tender lettuce mix, green hops, pickles, vinegars, chocolate zucchini bread, pumpkin bread made with Kuri squash.

Greetings! Patrick is back in town (whew!) and will represent Full Circle Farm tomorrow with Freshly Milled Whole Grain breads and mixes.
Locally Grown Wool Hiking socks are in this week! Come check them out and pick out a pair for your eco-friendly hiker to stash for Christmas. Is it ever too early to shop for Christmas??
We have a new stone burr mill made by Meadows Mills! It uses pink balfour granite and mills at a very low temperature to preserve the nutrients of the whole grain. If you are interested in having flour or cornmeal milled to order, please let Patrick know. We will be happy to offer you freshly milled flours for your own wonderful recipes! And let me know if you would like some of our recipes to try for yourself!
Beef, pork and lamb will be available next month. See you at the market!
Ginger and the rest of the Full Circle Farm, Botetourt gang

White Oak Dairy will be there with regular are wasabi goat cheese.
-Anna Bedell

L and D will be there with pear honey, pear preserves, hopefully fresh pears, tomato pies, jelly and pickles!

Better Batter Baking will be bringing:
*Cappuccino Muffins made with local dairy and eggs
*Blackberry Buckwheat Quinoa Muffins made with local sorghum molasses and blackberries
*Teff Pumpkin Raisin Muffins made with local pumpkin (these are vegan)
*Peach Scones made with local peaches and dairy

*Apple Streusel Muffins - made with local Shenandoah apples, a variety I understand is not commonly grown anymore.

This Week's Featured Market Vendors

Familiar faces at the Botetourt Farmers' Market are Earl and Linda Ruggles, who sell seasonal produce, home canned goods, freshly-baked breads and handmade aprons and woodcrafts. Linda Ruggles comes from a family of 15 with parents who always had a garden and canned what they grew. Earl was raised in a gardening and canning family too. They've been married for 36 years and, not surprisingly, have been gardening for nearly that long. They find that working in the garden together gives them a chance to talk about what has happened during the day, to solve all kinds of problems and to share a good laugh.

The Ruggles joined the Botetourt Family Farmers at its inception and began selling at the first market with apple butter, baked goods and herbs. They have continued to expand their offerings and arrive early at the Farmers' Market, which is held each Saturday from 8am-1pm (or sell-out) in the parking lot of Ikenberry's on US 220 north of Daleville. Linda now has a USDA-inspected food license which allows her to sell in other businesses as well. She orders grains such as rye, barley, kamut, and spelt to mill into flour at home. She bakes specialty breads using local eggs and produce for sale at the market and, after the market ends in October, by special order at her home. Linda and Earl can be reached at 992-4579 or by email: countrycrafters@gmail.com.

Although this year's garden started out well, the Ruggles have been challenged by deer, ground hogs, and too-plentiful rain. In addition, they've had to travel due to the illness and death of loved ones. Still, with the incurable optimism of true gardeners, they've returned to the garden and market, willing to use what they have available and planning for an even better garden next year. Linda describes the Farmers' Market as vital to our community, benefitting both the vendors and those wishing to purchase fresh produce, local meats, unique items like soaps and candles, home-canned fruits and vegetables and specialty baked goods. She adds: "The market is also a fantastic meeting place for all of us to get to know each other and become neighbors and friends!"

Botetourt Farmers' Market Saturday, August 29, 2009

It's the last of the cukes and the beginning of the fall crops, come to the Botetourt Farmer's Market this week and find:

Greetings from Full Circle Farm!

We will be offering our Freshly Milled Whole Grain breads this week, Milk and Honey Bread, Spelt Milk and Honey, Baguette, Seedy Loaf,
Pizza Crusts and some sweet treats-no white sugar or white flour, of course!

We will be getting in our wonderful locally grown hiking socks next week. Be sure and think about Christmas presents for that eco-friendly hiker in your family. And come drive by the farm sometime to check out the source of your socks, cute Jacob sheep!

Beef, pork and lamb will be available in October.

See you at the market!
Philip and Ginger Hillery
TASTE AND SEE
Full Circle Farm, Botetourt

Better Batter Baking will be bringing:

*Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins made with spelt, ground oats and ground flaxseed
*Teff Pumpkin Raisin Muffins made with teff flour, brown rice flour, ground flaxseed and locally grown pumpkin (these are vegan muffins!)
*Flourless Lemon Cake made with garbanzo beans and local eggs
*Apple Scones made with local apples and dairy. Flour mix includes millet flour, brown rice flour and garbanzo bean flour.
*Peach Scones made with local peaches and dairy. Flour mix includes millet flour, brown rice flour and garbanzo bean flour.

Brambleberry Farm will bring eggs. two types of Mid-Eastern summer squash, red Kuri Japanese winter squash, a few cucumbers (bye, bye cucumbers!), sweet and hot peppers, vinegars, pickles, beans, a little chard (hello, chard!) and chocolate zucchini bread.

Beekeeping Course

Dear Catawba Friends,

There are still a few spots left in the Beekeeping Course this Saturday at the Catawba Community Center from 830-3 pm.

This informative workshop will cover many aspects of beekeeping. Topics include honey in all stages, from the bee to the jar; preparing colonies for winter; and the latest information on Nosema and Varroa mites. Hands-on activities include building bee equipment and field demonstrations. Wear comfortable walking shoes for the afternoon demonstrations.

The cost is $35 and it includes lunch.

The course description and registration form are attached.
If you have any questions feel free to give me a call at 540-767-6114.

This is going to be a great workshop.
Hope to see you there!
Christy


Christy Gabbard
Director, Catawba Sustainability Center
- accelerating land-based businesses
Virginia Tech
108 N. Jefferson Street, Suite 701
Roanoke VA 24016
(540) 767-6100
(540) 767-6110 (fax)

This Week's Featured Market Vendor

A recent addition to both the Botetourt Farmers' Market and the roster of certified Virginia dairies is White Oak Dairy.

The last four weeks, Anna Bedell of White Oak Dairy has sold goat cheese products at the Farmers' Market, held each Saturday from 8am-1pm (or sell-out) in the parking lot of Ikenberry's on US 220 N of Daleville. The dairy is located on the farm belonging to her fiancé's family, a farm which has been in the same family since the 1920s and was the dairy that supplied Covington with cow's milk. That dairy shut down in the 1970s and the land was leased for cattle. The farm and dairy are now back in operation as White Oak Dairy. Currently, their production is low enough that they are only selling from the farmer's market and off the farm. Next year they will be milking many more goats and will need to expand their market significantly. You can find out more about White Oak Dairy at their website: http://www.whiteoakdairy.com/

Anna Bedell graduated with a Wildlife Science degree from Virginia Tech which, while not directly agricultural, actually helps with the style of farming that she and her fiancé hope to do. Instead of conventional farming, they treat the farm more as a managed ecosystem. Their goal is to create a very diverse farm, with the dairy being only one part of it. They are currently looking into building an aquaponics system to raise fish and garden vegetables year round. Her fiancé uses his Math and Computer Science degrees in order to finance the farm, but he and his parents who live nearby are actively involved in the farm.

Anna learned of the Botetourt Farmers' Market when she attended a farm tour by Botetourt Family Farmer Donna Janeczko.

As Anna describes the market, " I really love the atmosphere of the farmer's market. Everyone, both farmers and customers, are incredibly friendly and welcoming." You are invited to attend a market soon to learn more about White Oak Dairy and the many other vendors who sell their wares.


--Genevieve Goss

August 22, 2009 Botetourt Farmers' Market

The weather is forecast to be cooler today, so come on out to the Botetourt Farmer's Market at Ikenberry's Orchard from 8:00am-1:00pm and enjoy the weather, fresh food and fellowship! You will find:

Earl and Linda will be bringing Freshly Milled Whole Grain breads. We will have a great assortment of freshly homecanned fruits and vegetables, as well as pie fillings, jams and jellies. We will bring some vegetables from the garden. Hope to see you there!

Greetings from Full Circle Farm!
We will have Freshly Milled Whole Grain breads like our Milk and Honey Bread, Seedy Loaf and Baguette along with our pizza crusts, perfect for a fast lunch using all your farmer's market veggies! Patrick is out of town this weekend so look for our breads at Brambleberry Farm's table.

Better Batter Baking will be bringing:
*Cappuccino Muffins made with local yogurt and eggs, and using sorghum and millet flours.
*Blackberry Buckwheat Quinoa Muffins made with local blackberries. Buckwheat and spelt flours are used as well as whole grain quinoa. Also, these muffins are made vegan.
*Wineberry and White Chocolate Scones made with local dairy and wineberries, and using millet and brown rice flours.
*Mini-Peach Pies using local peaches and dairy. Crusts are made with rice and sorghum flours.

White Oak Dairy will be there with goat cheese, dulce de leche and goat milk ricotta cheese cakes

Christy and Phil's berry farm will have peppers, squash, long island cheese pumpkins, berry cakes, tomatoes.

The Pickle Lady will have pickles available -- check Brambleberry's table.

Brambleberry Farm will bring eggs, what may be the last of the cucumbers, beans, beets, Red Kuri Squash, two types of Mid-eastern summer squashes, chilis, vinegars, pickles, chocolate zuchinni bread, and pumpkin bread.

There will be plenty of other vendors there, too!

This Week's Featured Vendors

Fincastle resident, Emily Field, is home for the summer from her studies at Marlboro College in Vermont. When her culinary talents produced far more jams and baked goods than her family could consume, she joined the Botetourt Family Farms group and began selling her creations at their weekly Farmers' Market, held ever Saturday from 8am until 1pm (or sell-out) in the parking lot of Ikenberry's on US 220 N of Daleville. At a recent market, she offered strawberry, blackberry and grape jellies, as well as peach and mocha coffeecakes, scones, bagels and sticky buns. Emily uses local eggs and organic milk in her baked goods. Since she will soon be returning to college, she encourages market patrons to stop by and sample her wares. She will be using her summer earnings to help finance her education.
_____________________


Recently celebrating his 86th birthday, Ed Collins may be living proof of what an active lifestyle and fresh vegetables can do for a person's health and well-being. As Ed tells it, he's been gardening his whole life. So, it's not surprising that he'd have a table full of beautiful tomatoes, squash and peppers at the Botetourt Farmers' Market. He raises vegetables at his home in southern Botetourt, where he lives with his wife, and still tends his own yard as well as his garden. He enjoys being at the market, as well as working outdoors, and invites patrons to stop by on Saturdays to taste the difference between homegrown and "store-bought" produce

August 15, 2009 Botetourt Farmers' Market Offerings

Come on out Saturday from 8:00 am-1:00 pm to the Botetourt Farmer's Market at Ikenberry's Orchard and find the following delicious farm fresh goodies:

-I will have Colby style goat cheese, goat milk soap, chocolate covered peanut
butter fudge (with goat milk), dulce de leche, and goat milk ricotta cheese
cakes. -Anna Bedell, White Oak Dairy

Full Circle Farm hopes to see you guys at Ikenberrys on Saturday morning with freshly milled breads, pizza crusts, mixes and other assorted goodies. Our meat is still happily grazing out in our wonderful pastures, but we hope to offer pork, lamb and beef before you know it (around October). Be sure and ask Patrick to show you a sample of our beautiful wool hiking socks. Locally grown hiking socks made from our sheep's wool. They are a beautiful dark gray, nice and thick. Perfect for gifts for those outdoors folks on your list. Pre-order now!

Hillbilly Heaven will be there with specialty jams-Hot pineapple, Hot orange, Black-pepper, Raz-apple, Blue-lemon, and peach, blackberry, and strawberry. We'll have pickles, Dills, sweet dills, spicy dills, sweet pickles, and crisp as ice. We will also have crumb buns, banana nut bread, zucchini bread, bulls eye using my blue-lemon jam (my grandmom’s recipe), and cinnamon buns. I have some spaghetti squash to sell also.

Unfortunately, Better Batter Baking will not be there tomorrow. I am, however, able to take orders for next Saturday or it can be arranged where items can be delivered earlier in the week. Just call or email me. 797-5926 or betterbatterbaking@gmail.com
Wendy Hayth-Perdue

Berry Ridge Farms will be there with our GLUTEN FREE BREAD, and any many other special offerings for the week !! Hope to see you all there!!

Earl and I will be at the market with Freshly Milled Whole Grain Breads, Fresh baked goods and home canned tomatoes, jams, jelly's, pickles, and lots more. See ya'all there! Linda and Earl

Hi everyone, I'll be there (my last week here!) with cranberry orange
scones, sticky buns, jams and jelly, lemon poppy seed muffins, and
chocolate bourbon cake. -Emily Field

We'll miss you, Emily. She's going back to school in Vermont.

Welcome! My husband, Al, "the soap man" will be at the Market Saturday, also. Please stop and say hi. Randee Mahon, Keltic Myst

Squash Central, uh - Brambleberry Farm - will bring eggs, summer squashes, Seminole winter squash, cucumbers, beans, vinegars, chocolate zucchini bread, and pickles..

Greetings from the Blue Ridge Poultry Coop!

Our pasture raised chickens will be processed on Monday, August 10th. They will be available for pick up on the farm from 4:00pm-7:00pm. These will be whole chickens, for $3/lb. If you're interested in reserving any, please send an email or give a call at 966-0158. We'll be sure to have them for you! Directions to the farm are below.. Thanks so much and enjoy this wonderful weather!

Warmly,
Angie and Patricia
www.blueridgepoultrycoop.com


Directions to the farm (568 Bethel Road Fincaslte, VA 24090):

Heading South on I-81



Take exit 162 (Buchanan)
Turn left onto Route 11 toward Troutville.
Go 3.2 miles to Route 606 (Blue Ridge Turnpike). Mill Creek Garage will be on the left.
Turn left onto Route 606, Blue Ridge Turnpike.
Go 1.6 miles to stop sign.
Turn right onto Nace Road and go less than 1/10th of a mile to bridge on left.
Turn left onto bridge at Bethel Road. Drive under rail-road trestle.
Entrance to Camp Bethel is .3 of a mile straight ahead. Drive past camp entrance to the next driveway on the right. We are the two story brick house on the left. Just drive around back!


Heading North on I-81



Take Exit 156
At end of ramp turn right onto Route 640, Brugh’s Mill Road, and go .2 mile to stop sign at Route 11.
Turn left onto Route 11..
Go approximately 2 miles.
Mill Creek Baptist Church will be on your left. Just across from the church turn right onto Route 606, Blue Ridge Turnpike.
Go 1.6 miles to stop sign.
Turn right onto Nace Road and go 1/10th of a mile to bridge on left.
Turn left onto bridge at Bethel Road. Drive under rail-road trestle.
Entrance to Camp Bethel is .3 mile straight ahead. Drive past camp entrance to the next driveway on the right. We are the two story brick house on the left. Just drive around back!

August 8, 2009 Farmers' Market Offerings

Greetings! Full Circle Farm hopes to see you at the market this
Saturday with freshly milled whole grain products like our Milk and
Honey Bread, Seedy Loaf, Spelt-Rye Almond Raisin, Pizza Crusts, Mixes
and other goodies. We are currently sold out of meats but plan on
having more available by September and October.

See you at the market!
Ginger

L and D will bring eggs, tomato pies, jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, potatoes, cucumbers, and yellow squash. See ya there!

Brambleberry Farm has eggs, tender yellow and purple beans, Mid-Eastern summer squashes, the first of the Winter Squash -- small pumpkins great for pies, all those weird cucumbers, which are great for salads and pickles, home-brewed peach and blackberry vinegars, bread & butter pickles, and fresh peach cakes. Color is the theme this week.

There will be chicken for sale.

Al the soapman from Keltic Myst will be there with his soaps and body products.

The Ruggles' will be there with their usual assortment of great foods.

Better Batter Baking will be there with:
*Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins (made with spelt, oats and flaxseed)
*Banana Zucchini Teff Cookies (some of these I made vegan)
*Wineberry and White Chocolate Scones
*Peach Scones
*Berry Cornmeal Muffins
All items using local produce and dairy!

Wendy Hayth-Perdue
Baked goods made with alternatives to wheat! -

...and as they say, "Much, much more...

This Week's Featured Market Vendor

From a family that has farmed for seven generations, Joan Potter knows the story of the continued progress which has led to the supermarket availability of most any food regardless of season. However, she welcomes a new "progress" which is moving us back to our agricultural roots. As her website attests: "People are learning that growing and buying food produced locally is far superior and more ecologically wise than buying food grown thousands of miles away."

Her family has been raising beef for over a hundred years. Choosing only the best of their calves, the Potters hand-feed and care for them in small groups, so as to observe each animal's health and performance. Raised on grass for most of their lives, they are moved to a large clean barn and barnyard for finishing. There, they are free to move from the barn to barnyard at will. Their finishing feed is a fresh and tasty custom mix of farm-grown silage, brewers' grain (hops and other byproducts of beer production) and pelleted corn.

Recently invited to the Botetourt Farmers' Market by market vendor and friend Amy Fenster, Joan has sold a wide variety of beef the last few Saturdays. More information is available at the farm website: http://www.buffalocreekbeef.com/. She can also be contacted at http://www.blogger.com/buffalocreekbeef@gmail.com.

August 1, 2009 Botetourt Farmers' Market

Berry Ridge Farms will be at the market this week! We will have our gluten free homemade loaf bread, gluten free brownies, gluten free banana bread and some other new offerings. Hope to see you all there. Ask about our new gluten free projects coming soon. See ya! Teresa

It seems to be peach week! L and D Eggs will bring peach cobbler, peach preserves, peach jam, spelt zucchini bread, farm fresh eggs, other jams and jellies (including sugar free varieties), pineapple rolls, fresh pesticide free vegetables, including cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, squash, and the last of the beets. I think there also will be some tomato pies!

Full Circle Farm hopes to be at the market with plenty of freshly milled whole grain breads and pizza crusts along with some delicious organic jams to go along with your toast.

Brambleberry Farm is bringing eggs, three types of cucumbers, pole and bush beans, two types of Mid-Eastern squash, chocolate zucchini bread, Bread & Butter Pickles, and peach wine vinegar.

Keltic Myst soaps and body products will also be at the market, as will several other vendors.

We’ll present the giveaway basket to last month’s winner: Rita Gilley.

Beekeeping Short Course

August 29th from 8:30 am - 3 pm at the Catawba Community Center and the Catawba Sustainability Center.

Topics include honey in all stages, from the bee to the jar; preparing colonies for winter; and the latest information on Nosema and Varroa mites. Hands-on activities include building bee equipment and field demonstrations, offered by your Catawba neighbor, Wes Barnes with Catawba Honey, at the Catawba Sustainability Center.

Space is limited so sign up early!

Christy Gabbard
Director, Catawba Sustainability Center
- accelerating land-based businesses
Virginia Tech
108 N. Jefferson Street, Suite 701
Roanoke VA 24016
(540) 767-6100
(540) 767-6110 (fax)

Featured Market Vendor

Without delving too deeply into the current films and news articles about commercial food production in the United States, it's safe to say that the average consumer may be looking for less industrialized methods.

Look no further than the Botetourt Farmers' Market, held every Saturday from 8am until 1pm (or sellout) in the parking lot of Ikenberry's on US 220 N.

Blue Ridge Poultry Co-op, a partnership between Botetourt residents Angie Lenoir and Patricia Whitt, features all-natural, non-GMO, pastured chickens.

The birds are raised in moveable pasture pens, providing constant access to sunshine, green grass and insects. They are supplemented with all-natural grain (free from antibiotics, hormones, GMOs and animal bi-products) and fresh water which makes them healthier and happier and ensures their superior taste and nutritional value.

Their cost per pound exceeds that of conventional grocery-store birds, but Blue Ridge Poultry Co-op chickens contain none of the 5 to 30% "solution" added to improve taste and storage. The local birds are so fresh, tender and full of flavor that they don't need it!

When factoring in the number of servings of high-quality protein and the quantity of delicious broth which can be made with the frame, these chickens are definitely worth the price. For more information, visit the Co-op's website: www.blueridgepoultrycoop.com/

July 25, 2009 Botetourt Farmers' Market Offerings

There are so many things to tell you about the Botetourt Farmer's Market this Saturday! Read on to find out all the exciting things happening at market this week. We'll be set up at Ikenberry's Orchard in Daleville from 8:00am-1:00pm (or sell out!)

-Bill Shaver, aka Pigman, who is a bit of a celebrity with the NC Outer Banks folks but nearly anonymous here, is going to do a cooking demonstration using the Blue Ridge Poultry Coop's chicken, Ikenberry's corn, and some of the great peppers being grown by members. We'll be able to provide samples for tasting!

-We're going to have a monthly drawing for a gift basket! There are Elizabeth Arden gift boxes, Brambleberry Farm soaps, and a CD of the Black Twig Pickers in the basket plus other goodies donated by the Botetourt Farmers.

-Christynphil Berry Patch will be at the farmer’s market this Saturday with the following products from their farm in Fincastle, Virginia..;
Fresh picked Blackberries
Squash
Fresh picked chives
Fresh picked Banana peppers
Blackberry and Red raspberry plants
Strawberry plants
PLUS….Fresh baked ANGEL BERRY COBBLER CAKE
(The family recipe is included with each cake sold)

-Brambleberry Farm will bring lots of pole beans and cucumbers, farm fresh eggs, Mid-eastern squashes, bread & butter pickles, and a surprise or two.

-L and D Eggs will be there with eggs, jams and jellies (including sugar free), beets, pickles, relish, spelt zucchini bread, tomoto pies, potatoes, squash, and - a new addition, homemade pumpkin rolls!

Buffalo Creek Beef will be there as well!

-Hi everybody,
I'll be there with caramel pecan cinnamon rolls, cinnamon raisin whole wheat bagels, plain bagels, oatmeal chocolate cookies, peach crisp, strawberry jam, blackberry jams, and grape jelly.
See y'all there,
Emily Field

-Blue Ridge Poultry Coop will have fresh, whole pasture raised chicken..

We hope to see you there!

Virginia FARM TO SCHOOL CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR august 4 in Franklin County

Virginia Cooperative Extension would like to invite interested individuals to a one-day conference, Cultivating Virginia’s Farm to School Program, exploring farm to school for Virginia's farmers, school systems, and youth. Farm to School brings healthy food from local farms to school children nationwide. This conference is scheduled for the Franklin Center in Rocky Mount, Virginia from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Franklin Center is located 50 Claiborne Avenue, Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151.

Participants will gather information on the Farm to School program, food safety/GAPS Certification, liability issues for food producers, and how to connect with school food purchase programs.

Your conference registration investment is $20 which includes lunch and conference materials. Register by Friday, July 31, 2009, by contacting the Virginia Cooperative Extension Franklin County Office at (540) 483-5161 or Tim Johnson at tlj05@vt.edu. Checks should be made payable to "VCE- Franklin County" and sent to VCE, Franklin County, 90 East Court Street, Rocky Mount, VA 24151.

Mid-Atlantic Grass-Fed Beef Conference

Deadline for registration is July 24!

August 11-12, 2009
Mid-Atlantic Grass-Fed Beef Conference
"Making Sense of Grass-Fed Beef"

Sheraton Imperial RTP
Durham, NC

The conference kicks off with a Pre-Conference Tour to Baldwin Beef, Rogers Cattle Company, and Triple B Farms. Conference sessions will address the economics of grass-fed beef, genetics, grazing management, processing, marketing, and the benefits of eating grass-fed beef.

For complete details, download the conference brochure and registration form on Cooperative Extension's Growing Small Farms website at http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/calendar.html.

Contact Sandy Maddox at 919-658-7682 for more information.

July 18, 2009 Farmers' Market Offerings

The Botetourt Farmer' Market will be bursting at the seams this week with live music, fantastic local food and fellowship! Bring your shopping bag and lawn chair!

We’ll have live music from 9-12 with The Black Twig Pickers performing. They are an energetic and passionate group that plays high energy Old-Time music. The market itself will be open as always from 8:00am till 1:00 (or sell out).

You'll find:

Christynphil Berry Patch will be at the farmer’s market this Saturday with the following products from their farm in Fincastle, Virginia.;
Fresh picked Blackberries
Fresh picked chives
Fresh picked Banana peppers
Blackberry and Red raspberry plants
Strawberry plants
Rustic wheelbarrow planters
PLUS….Fresh baked ANGEL BERRY COBBLER CAKE
(The family recipe is included with each cake sold)

Full Circle Farm hopes to have freshly milled wheat and spelt Milk and Honey Bread, Pizza Crusts, Spelt Almond Raisin, Seedy Loaf, Spelt Pound Cake, Seedy Crackers and our mixes.

Brambleberry Farm will be at the market with eggs, Middle Eastern summer squash, several distinct types of cucumbers, yellow and purple pole beans, chocolate zuchini bread, herbal soaps and wine vinegars.

Al Mahon will be there with his wonderful Keltic Myst soaps.

Blue Ridge Poultry Coop will be there with FRESH pasture raised whole chicken, just processed on the farm on Friday!

Better Batter Baking will be bringing:
*Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
*Mini-Peach Pies and Mini-Blueberry Pies
*Blueberry Scones and Peach Scones
*Vanilla and Chocolate Snap Cookies
-local products include Catawba blueberries, Fincastle peaches, Floyd County eggs and Franklin County dairy
-grains and flours used include spelt, sorghum, rice, millet, oats and flaxseed

We hope to see you all there!

Old Time Mountain Music - Botetourt Farmer’s Market July 18th

The Botetourt Farmer’s Market at Ikenberry Orchards is pleased to announce a special musical event Saturday July 18th.

The Black Twig Pickers will be playing their energetic, enthusiastic, and unique style of Old Time Mountain Music from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.

This group is a monthly regular at the Floyd Country Store concert series and Sing Out! Magazine notes: ‘The Black Twigs recapture the golden age of old-time music with all the spirit intact.’ Won’t you please come to Ikenberry Orchards and support the local farmers and growers of the Botetourt Family Farms group and the Black Twig Pickers as they preserve and grow this wonderful style of music.

Don’t be afraid to bring your dancin’ shoes!

This Week's Featured Market Vendor

BERRIES AND PEPPERS TO HIS HEART'S CONTENT


Retiree Phil Stoker loves fresh-picked berries, so he planted of a wide variety of bramble fruits----blackberries, red and black raspberries, loganberries and others. Apparently, he has a green thumb, because his expanding supply of established plants led to selling them at the Botetourt Farmers' Market this spring. New to Virginia seven years ago, his California background didn't prepare him for gardening in rocky clay. His first seedlings were planted in the native soil of his hobby farm north of Fincastle. As his gardening skills progressed, he began amending his soil to improve his berry plants. He also planted a 13-tree mini-orchard, ever challenged by ways to deter deer and raccoons. In his spare time, he and wife Christy maintain a long stretch of Adopt-a Highway for trash pickup.


Phil also loves hot peppers (and nothing as mild and mundane as a jalapeño!), so he began growing exotic varieties----such as Mayan Love, Zimbabwe Bird, Punjab, Japones, Wrinkled Old Man and Tepin. Originating in much hotter climates than Botetourt, these peppers require 4-6 weeks of 80 degree temperatures to germinate----a challenge he solved by germinating the seeds in his garage. Again, this prolific gardener brought his excess plants to the Botetourt Farmers' Market at very reasonable prices. Although he also markets his berries and other produce through Craigslist, he enjoys his time at the market (held every Saturday at Ikenberry's parking lot on US 220 N from 8am-1pm or sellout), looking forward to special events such as music by the Black Twig Pickers on July 18. Phil "the Berry Man" Stoker is also reachable at his farm at 884-3015.

Roanoke River Watershed -- Conference

The Upper Roanoke River Roundtable (www.upperroanokeriver.org) in partnership with Ferrum College is hosting a one-day conference on issues and trends in the Roanoke River Watershed on Friday, August 14 at Ferrum College’s new conference center.

The conference will include presentations on current activities, topics and trends related to:
· water quality
· water quantity improvements
· land management decisions
· state and local government decisions
· research and scientific discoveries
· volunteer and citizen initiatives
· Optional Bar-B-Q dinner in the evening, followed by music provided by a Crooked Music Trail band!

Please save the date and plan on attending! It will be a great opportunity to share ideas and concerns and to develop partnerships to help advance the environmental quality of life in the Roanoke River Watershed.

If you or your organization would like to make a presentation at the conference, or if you have questions, please contact Maureen Castern at mcastern@verizon.net.

Please forward this email to anyone who may be interested! Thanks!!

Maureen P Castern
1918 Cambridge Avenue SW
Roanoke, VA 24015
(540) 344-5286
mcastern@verizon.net

Starting a Food-Based Business

Virginia Cooperative Extension is pleased to announce an excellent opportunity for food-based business entrepreneurs . . .

Starting a Food-Based Business

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Spencer-Penn Centre, Alumni Hall

475 Spencer-Penn Road, Spencer, VA 24165


The conference is free, but registration is required.

To Register: Contact the Henry County Virginia Cooperative Extension office at 276-634-4650 or e-mail Donna Draper ddraper@vt.edu

The program (see below) will provide you with a list of topics and speakers. Please share this invitation with other entrepreneurs.

8:45 a.m. Welcome...................................... Mark Stroud, City Council, City of Martinsville

Debra Buchanan, Henry County Board of Supervisors

Mary Jordan, Spencer-Penn Centre



9:00 a.m. An Entrepreneur’s Perspective...................... Paul Hooper, Hooper Foods, LLC



9:15 a.m. VDACS: Helping Small Business.............................................. Bud Anderson

Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services



10:00 a.m. Health Department Regulations Governing a Food Establishments

Sharon Ortiz-Garcia, MPH, West Piedmont Health Department



10:45 a.m. Break



11:00 a.m. Business Planning for a Small, Food-Based Venture

· Lisa Fultz, Martinsville-Henry County EDC FastTrac Entrepreneurship Program

· Tiffany Underwood, Executive Director, West Piedmont Business Development Center

· Ben Bowman, Director, Culinary Arts Program, Patrick Henry Community College

· Robert Donnan, Community Development Consultant, EDC



11:45 a.m. Taking a Product from Recipe to Retail: Resources for Small, Value-Added Food Product Development

Joell Eifert, Laboratory Specialist Senior Virginia Tech Food Science and Technology



12:30 p.m. Lunch sponsored by

Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation



1:15 p.m. Marketing Resources for Small & Micro Food Ventures

................................................................................................. Theresa Nartea

Marketing & Agribusiness Extension Specialist

Virginia Cooperative Extension

2:00 p.m. Panel of Success

Derrick Beverly and Darla Main Scheider



3:00 p.m. Tour of Spencer-Penn Community Kitchen

July 11, 2009 Farmers' Market Offerings

Happy July 11th. There are rumors of blackberries abounding in the area! Here’s what will be at the Botetourt Farmers’ Market this morning:

Earl and I will be bringing, new potatoes, squash, green onions, bell peppers and cabbage.
We will also have freshly milled whole grain breads, and lots of home canned jams, jelly's, preserves and such. We will also have a few sweet treats. See ya' all on Saturday.
Earl and Linda

Berry Ridge Farms will see you all at the Market, we will have our GLUTEN FREE Bread, GLUTEN FREE Corn Bread, GLUTEN FREE APPLESAUCE BREAD and many other goodies. Remember if there is something there you would like or need special give us a call to secure a order to make sure we have it for you as all items are made special just for you !!!!!!!!!!!

L and D Eggs will be there with spelt zucchini bread, raspberry cobbler, lime pickles, sweet pickle relish, dill pickle relish, jams and jellies, new potatoes, beets and eggs. See ya there!

Emily Field: I'm bringing cookies and cake and scones (all made with your fabulous eggs!) as well as some jam and jelly (not made with your fabulous eggs.)
See you then.

Better Batter Baking will be bringing:
*Mini Apple, Peach and Rhubarb Pies with Rice/Sorghum Crust
-made with local produce
-most are made with local butter and I have a few that are butter-free
*Flourless Chocolate Cake
-this week using local duck eggs
*Cappuccino Mini-Muffins
-using local eggs and goat yogurt
*Apple-Oat Streusal Mini-Muffins
-local apples, dairy
*Cherry-Quinoa-Buckwheat Mini-Muffins
-organic cherries in the centers
-sweetened with molasses and sucanat
-no dairy/eggs this week

Full Circle Farm will be offering freshly milled Milk n Honey bread, Spelt Milk n Honey bread, Seedy Loaf, pizza crusts, Spelt Almond Raisin bread, Spelt pound cakes, and some of our freshly milled But They're Good for You Brownie and Pancake mixes. See you there!
Ginger and Patrick Hillery

Brambleberry Farm will send tender pole beans and cucumbers, perfect for pickling.

Keltic Myst will be there with natural soaps and body products

This Week's Featured Market Vendor

VEGETABLES---FRESH FROM THE GARDEN


Randy Deel lives on a working farm on Blue Ridge Turnpike east of Fincastle.

Besides raising beef cattle and alfalfa hay, his father always kept an acre garden. After his father's death in 1989, Randy continued with the cattle and hay farming and has expanded the garden to an acre-and-a-half.

New to the Botetourt Farmers' Market this year, his garden offerings reflect the best of what the season has to offer---spring peas, beets, cauliflower, green beans, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini and tomatoes. Deel's fruit trees provided tasty sweet and sour cherries at a recent market, some of which ended up in homemade cherry pies and preserves offered by fellow vendor Linda Ruggles.

Doing all the gardening work himself, Randy Deel tries to pick his produce as close to market time as possible for freshness----even to the point of picking peas in the rain! He finds it gratifying to see his customers pleased with the quality of his produce and enjoys the time spent at the Botetourt Farmers' Market which is held in the parking lot of Ikenberry's on US 220 north of Daleville each Saturday morning from 8am until 1pm or sellout.

"Relay for Life" Benefit at Blue Ridge Vineyard

Blue Ridge Vineyard

Saturday July 11th, 2009

6:00 – 9:30 PM Rain or Shine

Benefit for “Relay For Life”

All proceeds from sales of food (hotdogs, salads, baked goods, drinks, etc.), Relay related clothing, 50/50 raffle and other items go to Relay for Life
Friendly, leashed dogs, and children and minors welcome.

No outside alcohol allowed (ABC regulations)

Complimentary wine tastings (over 21 years of age)

For more information contact:

blueridgevines@ntelos.net

www.blueridgevineyard.com
540-798-7642

At the Farmer's Market

Happy 4th of July! We're all geared up to supply your family and friends a fantastic 4th of July feast at the Botetourt Farmer's Market! Come out Saturday from 8am till 1pm (or until we sell out) and you'll find:

Keltic Myst soaps and bath & body products.

Brambleberry Farm is bringing the last of the asparagus for this year, red and black raspberries, pole beans, three types of cucumbers, eggs, and red, white, and blueberry muffins. There may be a bottle or two of blackberry, apple, and peach wine vinegar and herbal soaps as well.

Full Circle Farm will be offering freshly milled whole wheat and spelt
burger buns, milk and honey
bread, pizza crusts and pastured pork.

Berry Ridge Farms , hopes to see you all !! We will have freshly baked GLUTEN FREE Homemade bread, GLUTEN FREE Cornbread, GLUTEN FREE Biscuts, GLUTEN FREE banana bread, and GLUTEN FREE applesauce bread, and several new items !!!!! We will also have fresh picked beans, and cucumbers.DON' T Forget if there is something you would like to have made just for you give me a call !!!!!!!!!

Better Batter Baking will be bringing:
*Mini-Apple Pies
*Apple Muffins
*Flourless Chocolate Cake
*Vanilla and Chocolate Spelt "Snap" Cookies

Blue Ridge Poultry Coop will have pastured chicken frozen whole, quartered, boneless skinless breast, wings, and legs. We'll also have eggs from Arcadia Farm.

If you're grilling for the 4th, you can have true HAMburgers and buns, cucumber salad with homemade vinegar dressing, and a variety of baked goodies. We hope to see you at Ikenberry's Orchard!

Virginia Grown Recipe Contest

COMPETITION INVITES ORIGINAL RECIPES FEATURING LOCAL VIRGINIA GROWN INGREDIENTS

Share your favorite recipe using locally grown, produced and processed Virginia products and you could be a winner. The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) is challenging all Virginians to eat local. “But don’t stop there. We would like to know how you prepare fresh Virginia fruits, vegetables, poultry and seafood; what you make with Virginia dairy products, eggs and honey; how you use local Virginia-made condiments, relishes, sauces and nuts,” said VDACS Commissioner Todd P. Haymore.

Send VDACS the original recipes you used to prepare your favorite locally grown, processed and produced Virginia products along with a photo of you and/or your completed dish for a chance to win one of two Virginia Grown/Virginia’s Finest prize packages, one for adults and one for kids up to age 12. VDACS will post eligible recipes and photos on the Virginia Grown Web site at http://www.virginiagrown.com/. The winners will be chosen by random drawing from all eligible recipe/photo entries received by VDACS through August 15, 2009. No purchase necessary to win. Find the entry form and complete rules and details at www.virginiagrown.com.

“When the food you buy comes from local farmers, producers and processors, you are getting a superior product and you are also supporting Virginia agriculture, the Commonwealth’s number one industry,” Haymore commented. “Virginia’s working farms keep the state’s economy strong, provide greenspace and help maintain the high quality of life enjoyed by all Virginians. Choose outstanding Virginia Grown products wherever you shop and help support local Virginia farmers.”

For centuries, great cooks have been inspired by the variety and quality of local Virginia fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, seafood, dairy products, beverages, condiments, honey, herbs and more. Today, with more than 170 farmers markets, numerous roadside stands, pick-your-own farms and orchards, it’s easy to find the freshest and best from Virginia’s local farmers, producers and processors. Check VDACS’ Virginia Grown Guide online at www.virginiagrown.com for a listing by county or city of places to find seasonal selections.

Whether it’s that delicious squash recipe you always take to potlucks, a cherished chicken version that’s been passed down in the family, or a cheese soufflé recipe you have just invented, VDACS would love to include it along with a photo. E-mail your recipes and photos to EatLocalVa@vdacs.virginia.gov or mail them to Eat Local Recipe Contest, VDACS, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond VA 23218. The drawings will be held no later than Friday, August 28, 2009.