Food Notes

By The Daily Progress Staff

Published: September 2, 2008

Demonstrations in store at Monticello festival

The second Heritage Harvest Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Monticello’s Tufton Farm.

It’s sponsored by Monticello’s Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants in conjunction with the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange with major support from Whole Foods Market and Feast!

Demonstrations will include making a rain garden, saving seeds, growing heirloom vegetables, creating 18th-century potpourri and cultivating woodland medicinal plants.

Among more than 30 featured speakers and presenters will be rare-herb specialist Cyrus Hyde; gardener, writer and horticulturist Felder Rushing; medicinal plants expert Arthur Tucker; and Peter Hatch, Monticello’s director of gardens and grounds.

The festival will highlight the efforts of such nonprofit organizations as Piedmont Environmental Council, Virginia Master Gardeners, Wintergreen Nature Foundation and Seed Savers Exchange. Vendors participating in the event will include Integral Yoga Natural Foods, Rebecca’s Natural Food, Dewpoint Gardens, Mangham Farms, Twin Oaks Community Foods and the Farm at Red Hill.

Admission is free. Some workshops may require fees; information can be found at http://www.monticello.org. Tufton Farm is in Milton Road (Route 732) just east of its intersection with Route 53, about two miles from Monticello’s entrance. For details, call 984-9896.

Cigars and tastings are featured at Old Trail

Old Trail Golf Club will present the Old Trail Cigar and Tasting Event from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Old Trail Golf Pavilion.

Cigars will be rolled on site by expert Krystian Estevez of Miami Cigar Co. Dinner hors d’oeuvres will be prepared by Old Trail’s award-winning chef, Robert Venere. There also will be tastings of local brews from Blue Mountain Brewery.

Each guest will get a sample pack of cigars from Miami Cigar Co. and CVille Smoke Shop, valued at $59; a freshly rolled cigar prepared on site; unlimited tastings of Blue Mountain Brewery beers and ales; a dinner menu paired with and created for the beers and ales at the tasting; a coupon for a round of golf, compliments of Old Trail, worth $59; and assorted gifts from event sponsors.

Door prizes will include two hand-crafted humidors from Miami Cigar Co.

Admission is $100 at the door or $80 in advance. Supplies are limited. For details, visit wwwCVilleCigarEvent.com or call 981-4339.

Cooking School offers three new classes

Charlottesville Cooking School has classes coming up in sauces, fruit tarts and knife skills.

“Classic French Sauces 1’’ with Tom Whitehead begins 10 a.m. Tuesday. Vinaigrettes, flavored oils and compound butters are featured.

The cost is $45 for one session or $160 for all four.

“French Pastry: Classic Fruit Tarts’’ with Whitehead, an introductory course at 6 p.m. Tuesday, will feature three kinds of French pastry — pate brisee (classic pie dough), pate sucre (sweet pastry) and pate sable (sweet dough with eggs. The class will learn to make tarte au citron with an Italian meringue, an apple tart and a pear tart.

The class is $65.

“Beginning Knife Skills’’ with Martha Stafford is back at 6 p.m. Sept. 10. Students will learn to use fresh, local vegetables in

bruschetta with tomato and basil, tabbouleh and farmers’ market salad while learning good skills for more efficiency.

The class is $45.

Learn more at http://www.charlottesvillecookingschool.com or call 963-COOK.

Rockbridge Wine Festival will be at Lime Kiln

The Lexington-Rockbridge County Chamber of Commerce will present the 14th annual Rockbridge Wine Festival from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Lime Kiln Theater in Lexington.

There will be wines to sample from 13 regional wineries. The band Pop Rivets will perform on the outdoor stage. Foods will be available for purchase, and growers and providers from Rockbridge Grown will be on hand with products to sample and buy.

Tickets are $20, $15 in advance through Aug. 29. Designated drivers and guests younger than 21 will pay $10. A commemorative glass is included. For details, visit http://www.lexrockchamber.com or call (540) 463-5375.

It’s a ripe time to pick apples at Carter orchard

Apple picking is going on at Carter Mountain Orchard. Gala, Ginger Gold and Golden Supreme varieties are ready, and other varieties will ripen soon. Visit the apple availability chart at http://www.cartermountainorchard.com or call 977-1833.

The bakery is open. Look for peach and apple pies, cookies and ice cream. The new Wine Tasting Room and Wine Shop feature wines made from the orchard’s wine grapes. The country store also is stocked and ready. Apple-picking field trips may be booked for fall for preschool, elementary school, home school and day care students. Options include story times, hayrides, snacks and other options to suit your group. Visit the Web site to get details and register. Field trips are available Monday through Friday in September and October.

Apple picking at Chiles Peach Orchard will begin in October with Granny Smith and Fuji apples.

New at Chiles will be the Pumpkin Patch Adventure. There will be educational presentations, hayrides, pumpkin picking and apple cider. The event is offered Monday through Friday in October, and registration is available at http://www.chilespeach

orchard.com. For details, call 823-1583.

From staff reports