Showing posts with label shockoe bottom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shockoe bottom. Show all posts
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Shockoe Bottom in Photos
I just got a new camera (Canon Powershot SX100is - 8 megapixels, 10x real zoom with 3x digital zoom) which I am in love with. As an homage to my new camera, here are a few photos of Shockoe Bottom, one of my favorite Richmond areas.
17th St. Farmers Market
Thursday the 17th marked the 2008 opening of the 17th Street Farmers Market. While I didn't make it to that first day open, I was able to spend an hour enjoying the outdoor market today. At 75 and sunny, today was a beautiful day to wander around Schockoe bottom and talk with local farmers and artisans.
The market wasn't as crowded as it is later in the season by either vendors or buyers, but the extra space and time meant that today's market felt almost like a family affair. Those who were there got to chat while enjoying not only an outdoor market but a musician whose piano playing was amplified throughout the market space.
I bought a dozen fresh brown eggs and a jar of homemade copper kettle cooked apple butter.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
The Brunswick Stew Festival
Last year I didn't read Mark Fenske's blog until it was too late. This year I was prepared. After a year of curiosity about Richmond's Brunswick Stew Festival, my hunger for knowledge and for stew was satisfied today.
The Brunswick Stew Festival is held in the 17th Street open-air marketplace in Shockoe Bottom. For one day, stewmasters from across Virginia get together to compete for the honor of being the best Brunswick Stew makers in the state. Before moving to Richmond, I had never heard of Brunswick Stew. As someone who grew up in the Midwest, your typical chili cook off (complete with freshly shot venison) is more my speed. But as someone who desperately wanted to participate in (and win, though I didn't really cook at the time) a chili cook off as a kid, I felt called to the Brunswick Stew Festival from the moment that I heard of it.
By the time I arrived at the festival, some of the more popular or less prepared stew makers had already run out. But for a dollar a cup I was able to taste stew from a few different vendors. Quite good. What is Brunswick Stew, you ask? About.com informed me of the following:
"According to one story, Brunswick stew was named for Brunswick County, Virginia, where in 1828 Dr. Creed Haskins of the Virginia state legislature asked for a special squirrel stew from "Uncle Jimmy" Matthews to feed people attending a political rally. Brunswick, Georgia residents claim their stew is the original. It's just as likely the stew - at least a very similar version - was created much earlier. With the original ingredients of game (usually squirrel) and corn, and long simmering over an open fire, it's typical of early native dishes.
Brunswick stew is now most commonly made with chicken, or a combination of several meats, which might include rabbit, beef, and pork. Onions, corn, and tomatoes are usually included, and many recipes call for lima beans, peas, and/or okra."
In addition to the actual stew, I was impressed by the festival as a whole. The sunny day and the promise of great food pulled in quite a few people, several bands, a petting zoo of sort and even a unicycle-riding man who juggled flaming batons while talking to his audience via wireless mic. While I didn't walk away from the festival with a quart of my own, I really enjoyed seeing people walk around downtown Richmond throughout the day clutching multiple quarts.
The Brunswick Stew Festival is held in the 17th Street open-air marketplace in Shockoe Bottom. For one day, stewmasters from across Virginia get together to compete for the honor of being the best Brunswick Stew makers in the state. Before moving to Richmond, I had never heard of Brunswick Stew. As someone who grew up in the Midwest, your typical chili cook off (complete with freshly shot venison) is more my speed. But as someone who desperately wanted to participate in (and win, though I didn't really cook at the time) a chili cook off as a kid, I felt called to the Brunswick Stew Festival from the moment that I heard of it.
By the time I arrived at the festival, some of the more popular or less prepared stew makers had already run out. But for a dollar a cup I was able to taste stew from a few different vendors. Quite good. What is Brunswick Stew, you ask? About.com informed me of the following:
"According to one story, Brunswick stew was named for Brunswick County, Virginia, where in 1828 Dr. Creed Haskins of the Virginia state legislature asked for a special squirrel stew from "Uncle Jimmy" Matthews to feed people attending a political rally. Brunswick, Georgia residents claim their stew is the original. It's just as likely the stew - at least a very similar version - was created much earlier. With the original ingredients of game (usually squirrel) and corn, and long simmering over an open fire, it's typical of early native dishes.
Brunswick stew is now most commonly made with chicken, or a combination of several meats, which might include rabbit, beef, and pork. Onions, corn, and tomatoes are usually included, and many recipes call for lima beans, peas, and/or okra."
In addition to the actual stew, I was impressed by the festival as a whole. The sunny day and the promise of great food pulled in quite a few people, several bands, a petting zoo of sort and even a unicycle-riding man who juggled flaming batons while talking to his audience via wireless mic. While I didn't walk away from the festival with a quart of my own, I really enjoyed seeing people walk around downtown Richmond throughout the day clutching multiple quarts.
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