 Food Critic Recommends!
I have found the best butter and crackers in the world! And they are both made in Georgia.
By Jan Walsh
On a search for crackers without seed oils, I discovered Georgia Sourdough Co. Sea Salt Crackers. Although I have found a few others without seed oils, this is the best of the best. The crackers are made using the same starter that has been used from the beginning. Handmade from scratch the crackers are rolled, baked and sliced into crackers each shaped as unique as the next. They are not too thick, not too thin, and boast beautiful aromas and fulfilling flavors of sourdough.
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 Holiday Market 2023
Shop online for local food and beverage.
From gift certificates to local restaurants to local products and services, shop Birmingham Restaurants Holiday Market. The market helps local food and beverage vendors to share their products and services. And it helps foodies find the perfect gift online. Birmingham Restaurants Holiday Market will be open online annually from Black Friday until December 31, for those who procrastinate.
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 Hot and Not
Jalapa Jar is now available locally and found in Jan's pantry.
By Jan Walsh
I have been waiting for this day for some time. Tasting TBL and Frenchie's Chef Tyler Lyne's Jalapa Jar, his fresh line of salsas are now available at local Whole Foods Market!
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 Farm Finds
Farmer Noah brings his bounty to my door weekly.
By Jan Walsh
Living an organic life is not easy. But having my own farmer helps. I am a patron of Rora Valley Farms and its Farmship program.
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 Inaugural Wine Dinner
Blueprint on 3rd’s first wine dinner benefits TumTum Tree Foundation.
By Jan Walsh
This weekend is TumTum Tree Foundation’s Wine Auction Weekend 2018. The Foundation enriches the lives of Alabama’s children who face life-altering and life-threatening illnesses. Over 29 years, TumTum Tree Foundation has donated over $11 million to Alabama children’s charities. And the TumTum Tree Wine Auction is the longest-running charity wine auction in the United States devoted to raising money for children’s charities.
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 The Market at Pepper Place’s farmers offer CSA delivery year-round.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau GustafsonI spend most Saturday mornings at The Market at Pepper Place. I know whose products are Non-GMO and chemical free, even if they are not certified organic, which I much prefer. And among them, I also know who has the best heirloom tomatoes, blueberries, watermelons, lettuces, etc. Having talked with these farmers for 17 years, and having researched and written about them and their products in this column for three years, I have gotten to know some of them well. When I ask how it is going, they answer me truthfully.
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 Order wild caught, pasture raised, and from organic purveyors.
By Jan Walsh I don’t do fast food or eat out at places that are laden with GMOs. But even in locally owned, chef-driven restaurants, I have found GMOs in the most unexpected places. And much like food packages that do not label GMOs, restaurants are not going to brag about them on their menus either.
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 America’s most popular beverage is unexpectedly complex.
By Jan Walsh Photography by Beau Gustafson I grew up drinking water from the tap. I also drank from the water hose on a hot, summer day. But I no longer drink tap water because I do not know what is in it.
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 Papa Vince brings organic, Sicilian foods to my table.
By Jan Walsh Photography by Beau Gustafson Papa Vince learned the art of making Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) when he worked as an apprentice for the Knight of De Stefani at the Medieval Castello of Rampinzeri, Santa Ninfa, Italy. Under the knight's guidance, Papa learned that the secret of a great EVOO is in the moody, but extremely generous olive trees. If cared for properly through their lifetime, they would consistently deliver the sweetest harvest, which yields extraordinary EVOO.
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 Does your wine offer hints of glyphosate?
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
Think buying organic food was a challenge? Try buying organic wine, but not until you read this article—because it will help.
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 My dogs deserve organic food and Miss Coco’s One Lucky Dog treats.
By Jan Walsh Dog Photography by Beau Gustafson My mission for my family to eat Non-GMO and organic includes my Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Thus they are not fed any GMOs knowingly. I know where my food and my dogs’ food and treats come from, and prefer locally made or made in my own kitchen. I trust and buy Idie Hastings’ new line of dog treats, Miss Coco’s One Lucky Dog. And I buy organic foods, such as organic, local pasture raised chicken, eggs, and organic vegetables, which I supplement with organic dog foods.
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 Savannah Bee’s honey and beeswax products are healthy and sustainable.
By Jan Walsh Photography by Beau Gustafson Bees are in trouble. Honeybees, bumble bees, and other native bees are disappearing at alarming rates. Pesticides are weakening their immune systems. Honeybees contribute to one of every three bites of food we eat. More than $19 billion of crops each year are pollinated by bees. And $150 million of honey is produced in the U.S. annually.
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 Weeks Bay Plantation’s organic blueberries satisfy pre season cravings.
By Jan Walsh
Blueberry season can’t come early enough for me. Every spring I savor strawberries as I look forward for the first local blueberries to appear. But this year I got lucky. Before the local blueberries were in early season and ready to be picked, I found Weeks Bay Plantation’s blueberries in May.
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 Rora Valley Farms products fill and refill my pantry.
By Jan Walsh Photography by Beau Gustafson Rora Valley Farms is a family farm located near Goodwater, Alabama. It is operated by Noah and Dorothy Sanders along with help from their young sons, Enoch and Patrick, as well as other family members, who also live on the family property. From fresh fruits and veggies, pasture raised chickens and eggs, to sprouted breads, Rora Valley Farms is one of my best, local Non-GMO resources to keep me stocked. I first met Noah at Pepper Place Market. I always ask questions of the farmers whom I buy from and was impressed with him and his Non-GMO, sustainable farm products.
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 Sprouted foods are historic, healthy, and flavorful.
By Jan Walsh Photography by Beau Gustafson Food has become complicated. Seeds have pesticides (GMOs) in their DNA, which were put there in laboratories not on farms. And some of what we are fed is not even food, although it looks like food. I do not believe that seeds need scientists or that nature intended for our food to be made in a lab. So I refuse to knowingly eat GMOs (GMO labels would help) and any “foods” that are flavorless and lacking in nutrition. In my ongoing search for organic and wholesome foods, sprouted foods are among my favorites for both their flavor and health benefits.
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 Himalayan crystals are the purest salts on earth.
By Jan Walsh
Photography by Beau Gustafson
Salt is a necessary ingredient in life. All humans and animals require it to survive. Himalayan Salt contains the same 84 trace minerals and elements found in the human body, including sodium chloride, sulphate, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Given its cellular structure, it stores vibrational energy. And the salt’s minerals are (colloid) so small that our cells can easily absorb them.
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