Cafe Davis Planning 2008

It may not seem like it, but Cafe Davis will be here pretty soon! This year's theme is eating locally, so I am going to try and be more focused on blogging regularly... including giving sneak peeks into the planning process.

For those of you who don't know, Mike and I (FINALLY) bought a house and moved over Christmas. The new house has a tiny, but highly functional yard, and we've made a decision to commit to primarily organic, edible landscaping. I say "primarily" because I do want to put in some foundation evergreens, and last I checked pine trees aren't really edible. I am looking into edible alternatives, though, so we'll see what turns out.

So, what does all of this have to do with Cafe Davis? Well, we're hoping that we can provide much of the Cafe Davis bounty from our very own yard. What we can't get there, we will stroll down to the Farmer's Market or find other local providers. It's going to be a challenge, but one that I think will help us think about where we fit in the global food distribution chain and also about the impact that something so simple as a dinner party can have on the environment.

My bit of Cafe Davis planning for today was buying some heirloom seeds from the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Mike and I were introduced to this group at an heirloom farming event we attended in the fall at Monticello. The Seed Exchange sells heirloom and open-pollinated (non-hybrid) seeds, and emphasize plants that will grow well in the Mid-Atlantic region (check them out at the Seed Exchange). The Monticello festival included extensive taste testing opportunities, and I found an amazing heirloom ground cherry (related to the tomatillo, I think) called Cossack Pineapple. They look like tiny yellow cherry tomatoes, but taste remarkably like pineapple. Both quizzical and yummy. So, I bought some seeds (certified organic, too, by the way) today - I don't know what I'll do with them, but I'll be on the lookout for a good heirloom recipe to go with my heirloom crop. I also got some other seeds too - yellow pear cherry tomatoes that should be great in salads, or maybe on a tart or pizza; white wonder cucumbers - a pre-1925 Southern heirloom cucumber that is solid white and great for slicing; and Rouge Vif D'Étampes (Cinderella) pumpkin - a French heirloom that arrived in the US in the 1880s. Obviously the pumpkin won't be ready in time for Cafe Davis, but hopefully it will by this year's incarnation of the Murder Mystery Dinner Party and we can have some tasty pumpkin pie.

That's that for today... if anyone out there reading this has ideas for heirloom or seasonal recipes you'd like to share, feel free to send them my way! I'm excited about what lies ahead!