C'ville Entremom

Growing up, I never really thought about eating the right kinds of foods or the importance of knowing where those foods came from. Eating healthy and/or locally weren’t at the top of my list of concerns. That all changed during my pregnancy and even more so when I became a mom. “Pesticides,” “hormones,” “fresh” and “locally grown” were all of a sudden buzz words in my circle of mommy friends. The problem is, we don’t always know where to find the nutritious, locally grown/made foods…until now.

Natalie Russell and her husband fell in love with this area for its wineries, orchards and agriculture – all of which they love to explore – and, after becoming parents, became even more committed to buying local, safe, healthy foods (sound familiar?). As freelance magazine writers (she has written for Real Simple, Body + Soul and USA Weekend  and was once the managing editor of Martha Stewart Living), they decided to create a magazine dedicated to promoting local foods in the Central Virginia area. Edible Blue Ridge magazine features our area’s farmers, chefs, food artisans and activists. This summer’s issue, for example, features Perfect Flavor’s delicious elderberry ice cream, made completely from local ingredients. There also is a story about a couple of foodies in Nelson County who make artisanal vinegars using Virginia wines.

Edible Blue Ridge is available quarterly (seasonal) in more than 170 shops, restaurants and wineries in the area, including Whole Foods, C’ville Market, Feast!, Nature’s Child and Blue Ridge Eco Shop. And, did I mention it’s free?

Natalie, the mother of 2-year-old Sam and five-month-old Amelia, works from home along with her husband. The two of them split time between parental responsibilities and the business, although, like the rest of us, she still finds herself doing most of the writing while her children are sleeping.

This year, Natalie and her husband decided to join in on the local farming fun that they so often write about and grew a garden. But, it isn’t your average garden; their yard gets little sunlight so they had to be creative. They joined the Charlottesville Community Garden located behind Bodo’s on Emmett Street. According to Natalie, “it’s the most amazing collection of gardens thriving in the most unusual little spot – essentially under the 250 overpass.” Natalie and her family have grown sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes and lettuce, which little Sam likes to pick and eat straight from the ground (spray-free so this is okay!).

In addition to the magazine, they have a blog , which is accessible on the main home page. The blog features interesting foods and tablestuff, the happenings in the food scene around town and, the best part, some of Natalie’s family recipes. Bon appetite!

~Mary Beth Bowen

Share on Facebook

Tweet This Post 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 at 11:34 am and is filed under Food, Local Press, Local Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.