Plates of plenty
The fifth annual “Plates of Plenty — Sharing Community Abundance” dinner benefiting the Longmont Community Justice Partnership will be held Sept. 10 at Ollin Farms.
The elegant farm dinner at Ollin, which is located near the intersection of North 95th Street and Pike Road in Longmont, begins at 5 p.m.
Guests will enjoy a meal prepared by Chef Dale Lamb in the relaxed, shaded setting of an old-growth cottonwood forest.
The evening will include a live auction.
Seating is limited. Tickets, which include a complimentary glass of wine or locally handcrafted beer, are $65 and are available online at www. lcjp.org or by calling 303-776-1527.
Twisted Pine grows southward
Boulder-based Twisted Pine Brewing Company has expanded its distribution to include New Mexico.
New Mexico marks the seventh state in which the Twisted ales can now be found. The distribution of Twisted Pine products will be handled by L&F Distributors, based out of Roswell, N.M. At least a half-dozen varieties will be distributed in New Mexico by the end of the month.
Calle McCann, sales representative for the brewery and a former New Mexico resident, says she is especially enthusiastic about how one particular Twisted Pine offering will be received.
“Our Billy’s Chilies will definitely find a lot of fans there,” predicts McCann, saying it will be a perfect fit in a state that is world-renowned for its cultivation of green chile, one of the ingredients used to flavor the ale.
In other Twisted news, on Friday, Aug. 26, the brewery will release its Black Swan Saison, a Belgium-style farmhouse ale with rich, black color and roasty maltiness. And this winter, the brewery will launch its Artisan Ale Series, a project intended to raise awareness of local artists through limited-release ales. Each month, beginning in January 2012, Twisted Pine will release a different bomber featuring art by a local artist. The beers and labels will be released the first Saturday of every month, coinciding with an art show in the brewery.
Those interested in submitting artwork for the Artisan Ale Project can email info@twistedpinebrewing. com.
More information on Twisted Pine can be found online at twistedpinebrewing.com.
Buying 10 percent local
Transition Colorado has issued a challenge to Boulder County residents to participate in a “10 Percent Local Food Shift Pledge.”
The initiative is being sponsored by the Boulder County Farmers’ Markets to connect more eaters with local growers and food producers, in an effort to strengthen the local food economy.
County residents are being asked to pledge to spend 10 percent of their food budgets with local sources. The money shifted to the local economy will be tracked to demonstrate the economic impact of food localization.
A website designed by Vancouver-based technology company Foodtree will allow for crowdsourcing of local food suppliers and works together with a mobile application to display images, text reviews and send descriptions of local farms, farm stands, markets and other local food providers.
People can take the pledge at Boulder County Farmers’ Markets and Transition Colorado booths or online at LocalFoodShift.com. The website will provide an interactive environment where eaters can learn where to buy local foods and how they can change their food-buying habits. The mobile iPhone app allows visitors to take photos of what’s fresh at the Boulder and Longmont farmers’ markets. They can then automatically upload their food finds along with information about sourcing, thus alerting others in real time to seasonal farm-fresh produce as it arrives at the markets. The first of its kind in the U.S., the mobile app is being beta tested in Boulder and Longmont, and can be downloaded free at Apple’s online App Store.
Once people take the pledge, they will receive a brief weekly email with a status report and a survey form asking key questions about their food purchasing progress.
BCFM and Transition Colorado are also designing a series of rewards and incentives for program participants.
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