Picture this! Plum pitting & mead making

Theresa was among the volunteers who helped pit plums at New Day Meadery yesterday. Checking out her photos may just make you thirsty...for some of Indiana's only native mead, of course!

SFI Event: New Day Meadery Tour & Tasting

Come visit New Day Meadery, Indiana's only winery that specializes in handcrafted honey wines. Join other lovers of all things local in a guided tasting and tour. Learn about how meadmakers Tia and Brett craft their fine line of meads using only locally sourced fruit and honey, and taste styles both dry and sweet. We look forward to seeing you at the Meadery!

Time & Date: 3–5 pm on Sunday, September 21

Cost: $5/person (21 or over)

Location: New Day Meadery (701 South Anderson Street, Elwood, IN 46036) For directions, visit http://www.newdaymeadery.com/newdaymeadery/page/tasting.jsp

Please RSVP to slowfoodindy@gmail.com

If you're interested in carpooling, please let us know when you rsvp to the email address above.

Hands-on at the Meadery: You can help make plum mead! Tia and Brett of New Day Meadery just found out that they''ll be making plum mead this weekend and they REALLY need volunteers to pit plums on Saturday, September 20, starting Noon and Sunday, September 21, starting at 10 AM.

Like Tia says, "We really don't get much advanced notice when the fruit is ready from our growers. It takes A LOT of manpower to get these little guys pitted."

Contact Tia at tia@newdaymeadery.com if you'd like to volunteer!

Many thanks to all (even Ike!) for the Farm to Table Dinner at the Apple Family Farm

Neither wind nor rain nor Ike could dissuade the good times and good eats at the Apple Family Farm last weekend. Nearly 100 guests joined five local chefs for a tremendous meal of local ingredients inside the Apple Family Farm's century-old barn. Proceeds from the event will be used to pay the travel expenses of Slow Food Indy's delegates to Terra Madre, hosted every other year by Slow Food in Torino, Italy.

Many thanks to all the folks who cooked, served, cleaned, organized, donated, and--most importantly--ate!
Aaron Butts – Joseph Decuis
Regina Mehallick – R bistro
Greg Hardesty – formerly of Elements
Chris Eley – Goose the Market
Amanda Taylor – Ivy Tech Community College
Thom England – Ivy Tech Community College
The Apple Family of Apple Family Farm
Mass Avenue Wine Shoppe
Slow Food Indy & Ivy Tech volunteers
Lots of local producers including Balanced Harvest Farm, Walnut Grove Spring Water, Apple Family Farm, and Good Life Farms
...and all our guests.

If you'd like to share your pictures of the event, please add them to the Slow Food Indy flickr group.

Sept. 14 Farm to Table Dinner at the Apple Family Farm: A few spots at the table are still left!

Just a few spots at the table are still left for the Sunday, September 14, Farm to Table Dinner at the Apple Family Farm. Reservations are required -- save your spot today!

The menu below may make your mouth water, but it will also help send Slow Food Indy's delegates to Terra Madre this October. For more info on Terra Madre and the central Indiana farmers, chefs, students, and teachers attending the event in Torino, Italy, check out previous blog posts here.

Menu

(For alternative food requests contact Chef Thom England at chefthome2000@yahoo.com)

Crispy Gunthorp Farm Pork Belly, Kim chi Pancake, White Miso Caramel, Kumquat

• Aaron Butts – Joseph Decuis

Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup with Fromage Blanc and Indiana Caviar

• Regina Mehallick – R bistro

Spanish Tortilla featuring local free range eggs with Smokey Indiana Sweet Corn Salsa

• Greg Hardesty - formerly of Elements

Roasted Lamb Stuffed with Lamb

Blackberry-Persimmon Gastrique, Fennel Pesto

Sweet potato, chestnut honey, preserved lemon,

Beluga lentils, Swiss chard, country ham, ricotta cheese

Celeriac, gala apples, sweet onion, smoked almonds

• Chris Eley – Goose the Market

Jonathon apple cake with spiced apple chutney, rum crème anglaise sauce

• Amanda Taylor –Ivy Tech Community College

Wines will be sold at a nominal cost from a bar supplied by Mass Ave Wine Shoppe.

Eating local and green featured at indy.com

Check out Fed up with mass-produced food, more young urbanites decide to hit the dirt from indy.com on 3 September 2008 to read and watch video about eating local and green in central Indiana.