Don't forget that Hope Artiste Village Farmers' Market is open tomorrow

I went to the Farmers' Market at Hope Artiste Village a couple of weekends ago, and it was spectacular. Talk about shades of Asheville, N.C.! (For those of you who are not familiar with Asheville, think hippies mixed with yuppies and quite a few vegan / gluten-free restaurants)

ecoRI has a great newsletter

Great family event

Farmacy herbs

Schartner Farm's table was busy

This vendor had GF pork and boar sausage

Fresh veggies from the farm

Farmstead artisanal cheese

Langwater Farm veg stand

The girls from EvaRuth's

Lots of samples to try at EvaRuth's table

Jens Retlev of Jens & Marie

Jens Retlev making veggies burgers

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Food trucks are right outside on the street

I went at the invitation of Jens and Marie's, a local company based out of Hope Artiste Village at 1005 Main St. in Pawtucket. Jens and Marie's produces veggie burgers, and they were offering samples of their newest product, a gluten-free vegan burger made with black bean and sweet potato.

I've never had a veggie burger before, so I didn't know what to expect. Obviously, it doesn't taste like meat. The burger patty is a generous 3.75 ounces, and it is cooked from frozen. Just heat it through for a few minutes on each side. The black bean taste is bold, sweetened slightly with the sweet potato. Two patties cost $5. The folks there are really friendly, and seemed to enjoy talking shop with the customers.

The market has a wealth of amazing produce, as well fresh fish, organic beef and poultry, herbs, handmade soap, artisan cheese and so much more! One vendor had pork and boar sausage that was organic, GF and nitrate-free. EvaRuth's had a table of GF goodies with samples to try.

If you have a chance, you should visit. It's open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. They accept SNAP/EBT, Fresh Bucks, cash, WIC fruit & veggie coupons, and credit cards. They even have a place where you can drop off your veggie scraps to be composted!

Two free GF cookbooks on Amazon, and one surprise

Amazon has two GF coobooks. Now, when things are free on Amazon, it may last only a day, so move your tail feathers and download your copy of the e-book now. If you don't own a Kindle, no worries. You can download Kindle for PC or Kindle for Mac, and read it on your computer.

Here are the links and cover art:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006X37X1C?tag=kiq-free-e-20

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006V7F9NO?tag=kiq-free-e-20

 

 

 

 

 

Not for free, but for $4.99, an interesting and timely surprise:

http://www.amazon.com/Gluten-Free-Taste-Turkey-ebook/dp/B00A01CR7S

 Enjoy your holidays.

Jens and Marie will be at Hope Artist Farmers Market with samples of their GF veggie burgers

Jens and Marie contacted me last night to let me know that they will be at Hope Artiste Village Farmers Market on Saturday to share samples of their newest GF product, the Southwest Black Bean and Sweet Potato Veggie Burger. The new veggie burger is all natural, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. They are selling the 3.75-ounce burgers in a two-pack for $5. They say that they are great "cooked from frozen."

Jens and Marie have office space in Hope Artist Village, 1005 Main St., Pawtucket, site of the Farmers Market. For more information, call 475-9991, or visit www.jensandmarie.com.

Here's a link to their sales sheet, with ingredients and nutritional info. I asked about the maltodextrin in the burgers, and its source is corn, not wheat.
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0ByxePbK9bdxnazg0dWlKSzhLZ3M

Hope to see you at the Farmers Market tomorrow.

Hold the phone...there's a delay in the opening of the new Johnston location of EvaRuth's Bakery

Just got an email from EvaRuth's Bakery, saying that they would have to delay the opening of the Johnston store. I'm at their Middletown location at least twice a week, so I'll keep you posted as to when they will open at their new location on Hartford Avenue in Johnston, at the site of the former Sugarbird Bakery.

EvaRuth's is opening another location!

And I've got the scoop!

Friday, Nov. 16th is the "Soft Opening" of the new location at 2842 Hartford Ave., Johnston - the same location as the former Sugarbird Gluten-Free Bakery. They will be open Thanksgiving week, Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., then they are taking a few well-deserved days off. Regular hours will be Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The phone number of the new location is 864-1287.

Come on out and check out the new digs, and don't forget to stock up on supplies for Thanksgiving before they go on their short break!

Check out the Providence Journal's "Food" section today...

The Providence Journal "Food" section has a half-page filled with an article on a local GF cookbook author, as well as a couple of her holiday recipes. Flip the page over, and there is a half-page of advertisements for GF stores.

When I worked at the Journal, I had the opportunity to introduce the Local Classified staff to the wonderful world of Gluten-Free. When I landed in the sales department after a layoff and reorganization, Sales Manager Charles Mathis took a chance on me, and on an idea of mine: gluten-free themed pages for his block advertising. After two or three successful pages had run, my luck ran out and I was laid off in June 2011. But apparently, the legacy lives on, since the ProJo is still occasionally doing GF-themed ad pages, and Food Editor Gail Ciampa is still including content for celiacs. Thanks to Chuck Mathis, for taking a chance on me, and to Gail Ciampa, for continuing to include content for people with food allergies.

Here's the link: htmlhttp://blogs.providencejournal.com/arts-entertainment/lifestyles/food-dining/2012/11/enjoy-it-all-without-gluten.html

Do you have any special GF recipes you like to make for the holidays? How do you handle visiting relatives? Are they understanding and cooperative, or do they make you feel like you are overreacting? What do you do to protect yourself when you are eating out at a restaurant for the holidays? Share your experiences with us.

That's all for now. Eat safe...

Just a few quick thoughts...

ANOTHER RESTAURANT WITH GF OPTIONS

One of the photographers at the Newport Daily News told me that he went to Dan's in Exeter for lunch the other day, and the waiter told him that they had a gluten-free menu. I checked online, and they do have some GF options, though I didn't see a specifically GF menu. If any of you out there have tried Dan's, let us know what you thought about it. 

TESTING GF BEER

I've been trying some GF beer lately, and last week one of the NDN staff left me a surprise - a 12 oz. bottle of Green's Dubl Dark Ale was on my desk when I came in. After I asked who the beer fairy was - he wasn't impressed by my remark - he said that he found it in a liquor store in Newport. Since he writes a beer column for the Newport Daily News, I guess he was doing research...yeah, research, that's what I'll call it! Anyway, my thanks to Gary. I've recently tried New Planet 3R Raspberry ale, Dogfish Head Tweason'ale, Green's Dubl Dark Ale and New Grist beer. The hands-down winner, for my taste buds, was the New Grist. I've tried Redbridge before, but it's not my cuppa. Everyone has different tastes, and I'm no gourmet when it comes to beer. I haven't had it much. So try a few GF options, see which you like, and share it with us.

DEADLINE TO PLACE HOLIDAY ORDERS WITH A&J, EVA RUTH'S

The deadline to place holiday orders for pies, cookie trays, loaf cakes, muffins and biscotti for the holidays from A&J Bakery  and EvaRuth's is Saturday, November 17, 2012. Email me if you are interested, and I'll forward you a coupon for $1 off a pie or $3 off a cheesecake.

Pumpkin Streusel Muffin from EvaRuth's

Hoping to get more time this week to post. Feel free to email me with any questions or comments. I'd love to hear how you handle Gf for the holidays. And don't forget: send me your Christmas wish lists for Santa. I'm still collecting ideas for a GF Christmas gift list

Eat Safe...

If Hurricane Sandy wiped out your GF food supply...there's help available...

The Westbay CAP Marketplace gluten-free program is up and running

The Westbay Community Action Program launched a gluten-free food pantry for people with celiac disease this year, serving the Warwick, West Warwick and East Greenwich communities.

If you have lost all you GF food due to a power outage, you should apply to the West Bay Cap GF Food Pantry. They provide emergency food assistance on a one-time basis, and you can apply to the program to see if you qualify for food assistance on an ongoing basis.

In order to participate in the regular, ongoing gluten-free program, you will need to bring a doctor’s note or a note from a registered dietitian to the Program Service Office, certifying that you have celiac disease or a gluten allergy . Once you are enrolled in the program, you can come to the Marketplace once a month and receive a choice of foods labeled gluten-free, as well as meat, pre-made salads, etc. that the Marketplace may have available.  For more information, call 732-4660, Ext. 140, or visit 211 Buttonwoods Ave., Warwick.