Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 18, 1992 TAG: 9203180013
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TONI BURKS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
This first-time effort will be April 25-26 at Simeon Vineyards near Charlottesville and will feature demonstrations, wine tastings, mushroom-enhanced foods, arts and crafts, music and other family-style entertainment.
Instead of a variety of edible wild mushrooms, though, the star at this festival will be the shiitake which is grown by some 150 producers in the state. In fact, Virginia growers produce about 225,000 pounds of log-grown shiitakes which are sold primarily to restaurants, health food stores, food co-ops, gourmet shops, farm markets and supermarkets.
There'll be a cook-off at the festival, too, with six restaurant chefs from Central Virginia preparing dishes with woodsy, meaty shiitake mushrooms, with recipes for the dishes available to festival-goers.
Admissions are $10 for adults, which includes a souvenir wine glass and wine tastings; $5 for children 12 and up; $3 for children 2-11 years of age; free for babes in arms.
The festival is sponsored by the Appalachian Mushrooms Growers Association, Simeon Vineyards, Rebec Vineyards of Amherst and Afton Mountain Vineyards in Afton.
Maple festivals are spring traditions, too, and there are two nifty ones nearby. The Highland Maple Festival has its second weekend Saturday and Sunday in Monterey. There'll be foods (check out the mountain trout), music, crafts, music and activities for children. Tours of maple sugar camps, the Maple Museum and gift shops are of interest, too. Call 468-2550 for more information.
The Whitetop Maple Festival is Saturday and Sunday and again March 28-29 at Whitetop and Mount Rogers. Arts, crafts, music, tours, storytelling and yummy pancakes are on the agenda. For information, call 388-3283 (mornings).
These festivals are geared to the harvest of the slightly sweet, watery sap of sugar maple trees. The sap is then boiled down to produce pure maple syrup, which is not to be confused with pancake or table syrups. Home economists at Borden's, which supplied the following recipe, point out that 40 gallons of sap are required to produce one gallon of pure maple syrup.
Apple maple pie
Pastry for 2-crust 9-in. pie
2 to 3 lbs. all-purpose apples, cored, pared and sliced (about 7 cups)
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
3 to 4 Tbsps. cornstarch
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 Tbsps. margarine or butter
In a large bowl, combine apples with the 1/2 cup maple syrup, cornstarch, raisins and nuts. Toss to blend well. Turn into pastry-lined 9-in. pie plate. Dot with margarine or butter. Cover with top crust. Cut slits near center of top crust; seal edges and flute. Bake in 375-degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender. Brush remaining 1 Tbsp. syrupo over top of pie. Continue to bake 5 to 10 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
\ MARKET SHOPPING Pansies love cool temperatures. So do broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower plants. Naturally, these items are the big draws at the Roanoke City Market, and now's the time to plant them. There are onion sets, seed potatoes and berry canes, too, which can be planted whenever the soil is workable.
Tomato plants are available, too, but gardeners should be prepared to take their chances with them and the weather.
There's a good selection of perennials, all cold-hardened so that they're used to temperatures and can take just about anything from Mother Nature. Potted azaleas, bulb gardens (with tulips, daffodils and fragrant hyacinths - individually or a combination of the flowers), pocketbook and primrose plants, geraniums (they still need protection from the weather) and shamrocks are in good supply.
Apples, shiitake mushrooms, apple butter, honey, dried apples, freshly grated horseradish, turnips and greens (cress, spinach and kale especially) are among the food items. Brown eggs, country-cured meats, spice and herb blends and flavored vinegars are available, too. Strawberries, sweet spring onions, green beans, asparagus, pears, citrus and tomatoes are coming from warmer growing areas.
This recipe spotlights several products that can be found at the farmers' market.
Spinach salad with pears
2 firm pears, cored and cubed
1/2 cup vertically sliced sweet green onions
1/4 cup julienne-cut sweet red pepper
2 Tbsps. olive oil
cup white wine vinegar or herb-flavored vinegar
4 tsps. sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
6 cups torn fresh spinach
1/3 cup crumbled crisp-cooked bacon
Saute pears, onion and red pepper in olive oil just until crisp-tender. Stir in vinegar, sugar, lemon peel and thyme. Cook 1 minute. Pour over spinach in salad bowl. Toss. Sprinkle with bacon. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
\ CELEBRATE We're in the middle of American Chocolate Week, meaning that chocoholics have a perfectly good reason to indulge in their favorite things. The salute, running through Saturday, is the brainchild of the Chocolate Manufacturers Association of the U.S.A. - who else?
\ CONTESTS There are several, and the time to be creative is now.
Main dish recipes that spotlight eggs are eligible for the Virginia Egg Recipe Contest. There are adult and teen divisions, with winners of each getting cash prizes ($200 for adults, $100 for teens) and the opportunity to advance to the National Egg Cooking Contest that offers a top prize of $4,000.
The entry deadline is May 31. Send as many recipes as you wish (all on separate sheets of paper with name, address telephone number and division) to Virginia Egg Council, 3401 West Ridge Road S.W., Roanoke, Va. 24014.
\ Mott's Miracle Makeover Recipe Contest is seeking low-fat/fat-free dessert ideas that substitute applesauce for butter, oil and shortening in the these categories: Great Cakes, Best Breads or Muffins, Cookies and More.
Four first prizes will receive $500, kitchen appliances and a two-day trip to New York for the taste-test finals. One grand prize winner will be chosen from the four finalists for an expenses-paid trip for two to a spa and fitness center in Florida. In addition, there'll be cash awards given to four second place winners and aprons to 25 third place winners.
The entry deadline is May 31. An official entry form with complete rules is available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Mott's Miracle Makeover Recipe Contest, 1500 Broadway, 25th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10036.
Anything but guacamole is eligible as an entry for a recipe contest sponsored by the California Avocado Commission and McCall's magazine.
Appetizers, salads, side dishes, sandwiches and desserts are the categories. Recipes must be original and unpublished. To enter, send the recipe with your name, complete address and telephone number written on a 3x5-inch piece of paper to McCall's California Avocado Recipe Contest, P.O. Box 2921, Grand Central Station, New York, N.Y. 10169. The deadline is March 31.
Three finalists will be selected to compete in the Great Avocado Cook-off in New York for the grand prize of $5,000.
\ FREEBIES If you're fiftysomething and interested in eating healthfully and staying fit, you'll want a brochure that's offered by the Quaker Oats Co. The publication covers a variety of nutrition topics and offers shopping tips and recipes that feature Kretschmer wheat germ. For a copy (and a sample pouch of the wheat germ), send name and address to Life Begins at 50, P.O. Box 530, Dept. N, Barrington, Ill. 60011.
Prune puree can be substituted for butter, margarine and oil to reduce the fat content in some baked goods by 75 percent to 90 percent. That, in turn, decreases calories and reduces cholesterol. A brochure from the California Prune Board tells you all about it. For a copy, send a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to Lowfat Recipes, California Prune Board, P.O. Box 10157, Pleasanton, Calif. 94588-0157.
Imperial Sweet Onions from California are coming to market now, and the commission that represents the onion growers is offering a recipe leaflet. For a copy, write Sweet Imperials - Prize Winning Recipes, 444 S. 8th St., Suite B-2, El Centro, Calif. 92244-3575.
Recipes that feature apricots and apricot products are available by sending a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to California Apricot Advisory Board, Dept. N-A, 1280 Boulevard Way, Walnut Creek, Calif. 94595.
Recipes featuring pearl barley are available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Barley Recipe Offer, W. 905 Riverside, Suite 501, Spokane, Wash. 99201.
Recipes spotlighting Wishbone Healthy Sensation! reduced-calorie dressings are available by sending a stamped, sefl-addressed envelope to Healthy Appetite Guide, P.O. Box 1214, Grand Rapids, Mich. 55745-1214.
Low-calorie recipes with celery as a main ingredient are available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to American Celery Council, Box FR, 928 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Recipes and serving ideas using pita bread are included in a leaflet that's available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Quick & Easy Recipes, Kangaroo Brands Inc. 7620 N. 81st St., Milwaukee, Wis. 53223.
by CNB