The Weblog
The local foods movement is alive and well in Champaign County! Here are some updates on other projects while we finalize our virtual market:
Local Producers Map:
Our local producers map is ready for publication and you will soon be able to find it on gochampaign.com. Copies will be distributed around the community, in the local telephone book, and other “hangouts”. The guide lists the location and contact information for nearly 50 local producers within our county. The map was a project of the Local Food Council and printed with the help of some local sponsors including the Monument Square District, Champaign Bank, the Community Improvement Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and others. It is a great start to finding a local source for Champaign County’s finest!
Valley View Woodlands! Much Excitement!
Valley View Woodlands is releasing our 2023 maple syrup production to the market. It was a challenging season because of the early warmup at the beginning of February and an early end to our season the first week in March. We tapped our trees on February 2, a new record early date for us. Our number of gallons produced was slightly below our average over previous years.
We were able to make some golden syrup with our first sap run, followed by amber. In the later part of the season we made syrup that was very dark with robust and smooth flavor. Choose your favorite—golden, amber, or dark—it’s all delicious and a fantastic accompaniment for yogurt, smoothies, pancakes, waffles, cocktails, pies, BBQ sauce (see recipe below).
We accept what Mother Nature gives us each year. And while the amount of syrup we produced this year is not all we hoped for, we are releasing it exclusively to our market members for a week before wider distribution. We are grateful to the support the members have shown us over the years.
Thank you,
Shary and Marc Stadler
Valley View Woodlands
Valley View Woodlands No Cook BBQ Sauce
½ cup Valley View Woodlands maple syrup (we like to use dark)
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons A-1 sauce
Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste
Simply stir and serve!
(Think ribs, sloppy Joes, chicken, chops, pulled pork, brisket)