I Know Where to Get the Good Stuff

Jan 19, 2010 by

I never thought that going to a farmer’s market was unusual.  Both of my parents were avid gardeners, and whatever we didn’t raise ourselves, we’d buy from local farm stands.  Suffice it to say that I am more than a little geeked about how much of a destination our beautiful little burg’s markets are becoming, thanks to how Cincinnati is fostering a healthy population of food lovers, and a burgeoning locavore culture.  The historic Over the Rhine district, just blocks from downtown, features Findlay Market, Ohio’s oldest continuously operated public market.  If you have never visited Findlay, I strongly recommend you check them out!

Some of my personal favorites:  Kroeger Meats (no affiliation with the supermarket chain), for the tastiest, most interesting sausages in town; Herbs and Spice and Everything Nice, because this fellow KNOWS his spices, and won’t hesitate to let you sniff the quality for yourself; Dojo Gelato for the always-necessary treat for you after a shopping trip well shopped; and the farmers with their myriad of local goods will be coming back soon, some as early as next month!  There are a few of the neighborhood farmer’s markets still churning along, including my own beloved Northside Farmer’s Market (Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7:30 – currently at North Presbyterian on Hamilton Ave.), where I can still get not only locally raised honey, but local fresh eggs, pasture-raised chicken, beef and pork, organic microgreens, even apples… just a few of the things available in the dead of winter. Here is a listing from CORV for the local providers from the 2009/2010 season.

I cannot tell you how excited I get every time I see a fine dining establishment sourcing goods from local farmers… meaning I jump up and down and do a little dance!  The farmer I buy my honey from (Richard Stewart at Carriage House Farm, from North Bend, Ohio) at the Northside market also supplies more than a few of the finer local restaurants, including Chalk and Jean-Ro Bistro.  This past summer, I hooked up a downtown bartender friend of mine with cucumbers and nasturtium flowers from my own home garden for his fancy specialty cocktails.  This is more than just a fad.  Chefs are proud to tell their customers where the food they serve is coming from, and more and more people are finding out just how wonderful that food can be when it hasn’t traveled across the country, or across the planet to get to their plate.  I encourage you to try to buy one foodstuff from a local producer every shopping cycle. You will be pleasantly surprised by the quality and you will be supporting your local economy more so than spending exclusively at a big-box chain retailer.

Dark Martha

http://www.consciousurbanliving.com/

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Losing Cincinnati

Jan 18, 2010 by

The Cincinnati City Council did not renew the 22 year-old Cincinnati Arts Grant Program funding individual artists and art organizations.  The proposed monies for saving the program were a very modest $142,000.00.

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/council/pages/-3654-/ item #200900421.

As written by Tom Callinan of the Enquirer, “it is estimated that the neighborhood [Over-the-Rhine] is only two buildings away from losing more than 50 percent of its historic building stock.”

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100114/EDIT03/1170303

There is a common denominator:        US.

How much of Cincinnati must be lost before we hit bottom?  One hears much ‘hood’ bashing: Price Hill blames gentrification of OTR for an influx of crime, Northside will not visit downtown, OTR states the ‘burbs are full of sheeple’ and many believe Indian Hill is the first plowed on snow days.  These are actual comments heard in various places from various people and the year or season does not seem to matter…and I am a pot calling all the kettles black because I have done it myself.

…and we are still losing Cincinnati.

Brick by brick and vote by vote; every professional that migrates to Chicago, every musician that marches off to Austin, every new family that moves to West Chester equates a loss for our city.  In combination, this is scary.  Agenda 360 http://www.cincinnati360.com/ and Vision 2015 http://www.vision2015.org/ have addressed the loss and come up with some recommendations for stemming the tide.  Cincinnatians for Progress did a great job of educating the public on the real teeth of Issue 9.  http://www.cincinnatiansforprogress.com/Home.asp

Since Richard Florida’s first book in 2003, The Rise of the Creative Class, these are just some of the initiatives taken up by numerous nonprofits, civic organizations and political groups around the city.  All of this is good and applauded.

…but we are still losing Cincinnati!

It appears we lack a TRUE grass-root, citywide effort.  One not motivated by pet projects, politics, place, socioeconomic background, race, or ego where ordinary folks who are willing to donate their time and talent come together to form and work on a common, focused agenda.

Cincy Voices is a start to this grass-root effort in reaching across boundaries that have so long divided and are conquering our city.

OTR is the canary.  If OTR is not saved, then what hope is there for the rest of the neighborhoods?  We know what needs done thanks to the OTR Foundation (and the recommendations will help other neighborhoods); we must find a how.

http://www.otrfoundation.org/historic_preservation.php

http://www.otrfoundation.org/Part3PDF.pdf

This is a personal call to arms for me.  Ordinary citizenry may not have money, but we have numbers.  Let us find common ground and figure out how to use our numbers.

Classicgrrl

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