LoMo Market travels in a truck pulling a refrigerated trailer, making established stops in various neighborhoods around the Research Triangle in North Carolina.

Open up the trailer and it’s a full on-store. It partners with local farmers and producers, helping to expand the reach of small family producers and make it more convenient for people to get fresh foods.

You won’t find your Ho-Hos here. Only fresh, organic foods. The trailer is lined with fresh produce, fruit, jams, packages of ground grits and pancake mix, hot sauce, preserves, eggs, fish, and even flowers.

Each item is marked with the farm from which it originated, so you know exactly where it is from.

A wonderful bonus for me (not only is it in my neighborhood – check out their site to see if they are coming to you and if not, make a request!) is that they also carry Spread Cheeze. As some of you know, I have limited my intake of dairy, become a full convert to almond milk, and now found this wonderful cheese made of almonds and cashews. I have tried ones in stores and never liked them. They tasted…like cardboard. Spread, locally-owned, was started by a woman who just wanted a good-tasting non-dairy cheese. Warning: it’s addictive.

Welcome to the neighborhood, LoMo! Hope this takes off across the country.

I have to admit that I failed at a few of these! Check out their whole site as it is packed with useful information.

Try it yourself.

Taken from the Thermomix UK Website

When I say magical machine, I mean magical.  This is no fancy blender with a high ticket price, this machine weighs, cooks, chops, crushes, emulsifies, whips, mixes, steams, blends, kneads, grinds simmers, grates, mills, and the list goes on.  My friends in Madrid have four kids and quite a small kitchen so the Thermomix is literally a lifesaver for them.  It is compact and covers the need for a blender, a juicer, a food-processor, a slow-cooker, a bread-maker, a coffee grinder, a grater, and an electric whisk! (phew, try saying all that in one breath)  My friend was able to throw in all the ingredients for a lunch-time soup, set the timer, head off to grab a shower and get ready, and the machine took care of preparing and heating the soup.  All she had to do was serve it onto the soup bowls piping hot!

The downside of this machine seems to be the cost which is around the £800/$1,300 mark (give or take as that info is also really hard to find), but when you consider the benefits, I would say it is ideal, especially for apartment life where space is limited.  It also definitely seems to be the ideal companion for young families where time and hungry voices are always a challenge.

Here in the U.K, their main site is http://www.ukthermomix.com/, and here is their main official international website where you can inquire about availability in other countries http://www.vorwerk.com/thermomix/html/.  I know that it is now available in the U.S. and Canada.

If any of you have any direct experience in using this machine, I would be very interested in learning more about your experiments cooking with it.

Their first documentary, Wok Next Door, is about the magic that happens when the smells of good food and a simple knock on the door leads to a deep friendship and realization of the smallness of the world. Check out IndyWeek’s great write-up.

Wok Next Door from Independent Weekly on Vimeo.

Currently in production is a piece about coffee and the weekly tastings of Counter Culture (remember, my camp coffee adventure?)

Vittles’ fiscal sponsor, the Southern Documentary Fund, promotes documentary projects within and about the American South that have national or international significance. How cool is it to tell such beautiful food stories?

Growing consumer interest in local farm products can be seen at various farmers markets across the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill). Market patrons are provided the unique opportunity to meet the farmers that grow their food and ask questions about their farming practice. However, they are seldom given the chance to go behind the scenes and truly understand what motivates these farmers to be stewards of our lands and our food supply. A Farming Way of Life raises awareness about the connection between local foods and the families that grow them while providing inspirational stories for future farmers who may want to own and run a farm of their own.

With the help of the United Arts Council and the Regional Artists Project Grant Program I (the mastermind behind this series, Mr. Brad Herring) was able to show how dedicated our local farmers are in providing for their families and our community and remind viewers that farming is more than just a historical practice; it’s alive and vibrant.

A Farming Way of Life – Whitted Bowers Biodynamic Fruit from Brad Herring on Vimeo.

Feature photograph credited to Whitted Bowers Farm: http://www.whittedbowersfarm.com/Site/Photos.html#3

Full Disclosure: Jonathan Bloom was my first follower on Twitter.  He’s also given me plenty of suggestions for visits on my Food Fighters tour.  But, that’s not why I like him (although, I’m not going to say it hurts his status).  No, I’m impressed by Bloom because he’s passionate about his topic.  He’s studied it inside and out, spending more than a year of his life working in the “field” for research.  Considering his passion, that’s not always easy.  Because his passion is… garbage.

Ok, it’s not just any garbage.  It’s food waste, in particular.  Bloom is an expert on it.  In his 2010 book, American Wasteland (coincidentally to be published in paperback this week), he fills over 300 pages talking about the edible goods we Americans pitch.   That discarded food waste would be about one quarter to one half of all food produced or approximately 197 pounds of food per year-or if you want it in dollar amounts (and be honest, you totally do) about $160 billion dollars lost in tossed food, according to Bloom.

American Wasteland covers many aspects of waste from farms in fields due to lack of harvesting to misuse and misunderstanding of food in school cafeterias, homes, grocery stores and restaurants.  The book also gives you good reason to care about all this waste.  Besides the obvious connection of wasted food and hunger in America, it details the dangers of landfills (the 2nd leading source of methane emissions) and gives strong environmental, moral and economical reasons why food waste is wrong.

Best of all, Bloom proposes solutions.  These ideas span from ways to cut waste at home to ideas for the commercial and governmental sectors of America. He evens lays out a model for reducing food trash based on the example of our Motherland, Great Britain. In the final pages, he details links to various resources to help the reader follow up.

Not since reading Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma have I been struck by my lack of knowledge about something which should be glaringly obvious.  That leftover pasta or bruised tomato that isn’t as enticing to eat as its untouched, unblemished brethren has to go somewhere.  And thanks to American Wasteland, I’m certainly thinking a lot more carefully about where it will end up.

For more on food and waste, check out Leva’s article.

American Wasteland is available in hardback and paperback at Amazon.com and other national retailers.  You can also read more about Jonathan’s efforts at www.wastedfood.com .

For the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to attend the “Best Of Washington” event hosted by Washingtonian magazine and, this year, livingsocial.  The event celebrates the annual “Best of” edition to the magazine that features everything from “Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches” to “Best Local Beer” to “Best Gluten-Free Cupcake”.  Restaurants set up stations and serve (and sometimes even prepare) food and drinks that represent their “title” in the magazine.  It’s best to wear something elastic and comfortable shoes as party-goers lap the area multiple times collecting food samples and sipping beverages.

This year’s theme appeared to be summer- with pinwheels and bright, vibrant colors transforming the already gorgeous National Building Museum.  (Last year’s theme was “Big Top”.  It was clever, but the decoration, tents and games threatened to crowd out chefs and diners.)  Almost 70 restaurants, breweries and confectionaries were represented.  The event also included a silent auction to benefit the Leukemia&Lymphoma Society as well as games for those who needed to take a breather from all the consumption.

Some of my favorite samples this year were:

• Level in Annapolis, MD: Bison Tartare with Agave Chipotle (pictured)
• Redwood in Bethesda, MD: Green Gazpacho with Maryland Crab and Melon (pictured)
• Ris in the West End of DC: Key-Lime Cheesecake (my single favorite of the night…shiver-inducing deliciousness)
• Restaurant 3 in Arlington, VA: House-cured Bacon on a stick (tasted like the bacon that sits on your pancake plate soaking up the juices…a big hit)
• Estadio/Proof- both in DC: First, a tuna-stuffed deviled egg, and later in the evening, a mini BLT.  (I might be biased…Proof is one of my favorite DC restaurants.)

          Does your area sponsor a tasting event like this?  Tell us!

For three weeks every July, Washington, DC, becomes a citywide venue for the Capital Fringe Festival.  The event’s self-described mission is to “connect exploratory artists with adventurous audiences”.  Hundreds of performers in dozens of shows take to various locations around the DC Convention Center to perform exciting and original theater.  At the center of it all is “The Gypsy Tent” where theater-goers can grab a beer, a light snack or even prosecco on tap!  This is theater that appeals to a young, energetic crowd.

In the same Gypsy Tent, you can catch the Tactile Dinner Car, a performance of banished? productions.  Under the open air tent, a chef and “servertron” will delight the senses with conceptions of the “futurist” cuisine envisioned in the the 1930s.  This conceptualization required separation of hunger and nourishment from pleasure in dining, small portions to discourage a sense of “fullness” and postponement of satisfaction.  And, of course, the 1930s vision of future food required flashy technology and shiny kitchen toys.

With tongue firmly in cheek, the Tactile Dinner Car brings each of these envisionments to life as the audience uses tickets (an entry fee gets you 10) to “buy” various futuristic cuisines.  A favorite was the “Sushi Injecture” described as “wonderfully liquid, magically sushi”.  The show is interactive making it not only different each time, but as fun to watch as it is to participate.  In the end the audience might be glad the future of food a la the 1930s did not come to fruition, but just as relieved that banished?productions Tactile Dinner Car did!

Typically, I spend most of the DC summer cursing the heat and humidity, dodging tourists and doing a whole lot of grumbling about “actually living here”.  (True Story: During Cherry Blossom season, I actually tried wearing a whistle when I ran on the National Mall to clear a path through the crowds.  However, the Capitol Police didn’t find this cute.  So, I had to stop.  Can’t fight The Man.)  This year, instead of being annoyed that my regular jogging route is jammed with gawkers staring at old monuments, I’ve taken the attitude of “if you can’t beat ‘em…”.  Thanks in part to Michelle Obama’s focus on healthy eating, this summer is the perfect one for a food lover like me to be a Tourist in My Own City.  I kicked off my summer of DC sights last week at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.  This food-centric, hands-on event happens every year and features three focal points around which eating, entertainment and crafts/trades revolve.  Columbia, the Peace Corps (celebrating 50 years) and Rhythm&Blue/The Motor City are the highlighted areas for 2011.  Here’s a glimpse.

Hurry! You've only got 5 more days to catch this year's exhibits and activities!

I was astounded by the authenticity of the Festival.  Almost all the demonstrators are from the areas represented- many have translators on hand to facilitate the face-to-face interactions that make this an amazing event.

The Columbian industries and crafts exhibits were so colorful!

The Peace Corps' tents featured countries they've been stationed in but focused on areas of Southeast Asia and Western Africa. Kids can look, touch and even help with the crafts being demonstrated.

Besides crafts and skills unique to the countries, cooking demonstrations happen almost hourly.

Columbian Food Demonstration: Ssshhh, translator! Be quiet so I can practice my Spanish!

Peace Corps Cooking Demo Schedule: Only drawback- health code prevents tastings! Boo!

The Festival is flanked by the Smithsonian museums as it sprawls down the National Mall.  The smells of the food tents drift from the Capitol Building to the Washington Monument.  How could you resist stopping? Each of the food tents features not only regional cuisines but also beers unique to that area!  Cheers!

After all that eating, it’s time for some activity!  Cultural music and dancing can be found throughout the festival.  People are frequently dancing barefoot in the grass under the shade of tents or in the center of the aisle in the musical arenas.

Finally, I was so pleased to see that there was nary a fast or junk food item in sight.  Instead, fruit booths and fruit drinks were set up at periodic intervals.  Plus, there was a free filtered water bottle refill station!  So eco-conscious!

I left the Festival not feeling the slightest bit annoyed by crowds.  Instead, I felt an unfamiliar emotion about my city.  Don’t quote on me this, but I think it maybe just might have been…pride.