I have this vision of summer, wearing Bermuda shorts and boat shoes, grill fork in one hand, and an ice-cold beverage in the other. It could be pool side with family, or on a small back porch with a couple of friends. Perhaps you have a similar idea.

Let’s fill in a few food details. The burgers we are grilling are made from DLM Local Grass-Fed Beef raised by Jack Gridley’s son-in-law, Jed, on his farm just a few miles from here. Some grilled chicken would be nice too, specifically from Ed Hill and Family out of Xenia. For a side dish, we have Branstrator Farms fat spears of asparagus from Clinton County, brushed with olive oil and grilled. A Caprese-style salad glistens in the sun, featuring fresh DLM Handmade Mozzarella and tomatoes from Jon Paul and Megan at Orion Organics in Yellow Springs. Maybe my friends Brad and Penny from Cincinnati are there, and Penny has made the most delicious fresh slaw with cabbages and carrots from her backyard garden.

So we need some dessert, and topping the DLM Bakery’s Vera Jane’s Shortcakes are strawberries, red raspberries, and gorgeous black raspberries from the Stokes family in Wilmington, topped with fresh whipped cream.

Ok, before you rouse me out of my idyllic daydream of a perfect summer day, let me tell you that whatever the setting, you can always eat well, especially this time of year when you buy food produced by local farmers that we feature at DLM. In fact, I just polished off a burger of local grass-fed beef at my desk, sans boat shoes, right off the “Jack’s Grill” in our Meat department.

Buying and eating locally produced food has many benefits. For one, you know who you are buying from. Dorothy Lane Market has always and continues to be entirely locally owned and operated. And when you get acquainted with the farmers I’ve mentioned here and other local food folks like them, you develop friendship and trust, and you feel good about eating their food. We are blessed to live in an area with rich soil to produce food that has such good flavor! As we say in our mission statement, we want to make you happy with the food you buy here. Look for signs in the store that say “Local” and eat well all summer.

BTW, there’s still time to support your local farmers and sign up for our Local Food Club! Our early summer period begins June 7!

DLM has had the good fortune to have some wonderful people work here over the years. Back in August 1962, a young man from Mérida on the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico got a job at DLM as a carryout, making 75¢ an hour. Five years later we were fortunate enough to have his future wife work for us as a cashier.

Some of you have undoubtedly guessed that I’m talking about Produce Director José Manzano, and his wife Patty Manzano, Floral Manager at Springboro. They retired on April 30 after a combined 94 years of incredible service to DLM and its customers. They are moving to Florida to be with their daughter Christina, son-in-law George, and grandsons Miguel and George (Jorgito).

In every position Patty has held at DLM, she has put her heart and soul into it. After cashiering, she moved to the cash booth, Front End Manager, meat wrapper, deli counter, signage and décor, and finally to Gift Baskets & Floral Manager, where many customers have loved her talents as a floral designer. We’ve always shared the same sense of humor and have had many great laughs over the years. Not to mention all the times she’s brought me Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!

José started off as a carryout and has worked in just about every department. From stockman, Frozen Foods Manager, Dairy Manager, Front End Manager, Grocery Manager, to Produce Director, José has been instrumental in training many of our management and executive team directly under his wing. As Produce Director, his experience, highly organized nature, and passion for excellence are reflected in the beauty, selection, and quality of our fresh fruits and vegetables now at DLM. For decades he has sourced fruits and vegetables from local farmers. He has helped create close relationships with some of the finest growers in the United States, such as Stemilt and Driscoll’s, that we will cherish forever. He worked diligently to have DLM become the only organic certified produce grocer in the area. Not only will he be remembered as a talented Produce Director but also as a talented singer. Many of us fondly recall the times we heard him belt out You Are My Sunshine in our backrooms as well as at our staff parties.

Nobody loves good food and a wonderful meal better than the Manzanos, and we know they will always be on the hunt for great food in Florida. José and Patty have been the best of friends to all of us here at DLM. They are the “stuff” DLM is made of. Thank you José and Patty for giving your working life to Dorothy Lane Market. We will miss you and we wish you both the very best in all your endeavors—¡Una cariñosa despidida con nuestros mejores deseos!

P.S. Patty & José created this delicious recipe for Authentic Mexican Guacamole. Give it a try and let us know how you like it!

On Tuesday April 17, Teresa (Springboro Produce Manager), Michelle (Oakwood Produce Manager), Dennis (Produce Director) and I made a trip to visit Green Field Farms new facility in Wooster, Ohio. Green Field Farms is a Co-op of certified organic Amish growers & producers. They grow organic fruits and vegetables and produce organic eggs, cheeses, maple syrup, & goat’s milk. All of their co-op members use a horse & buggy as transportation & the growers use horses & plows to till their fields. These are some very hard working people.

We got on the road at 7:45am for our 3 hour trip to Wooster. We met Aden Yoder (Director of Operations) & Larry Yoder (Sales Rep) at the new facility. Aden gave us a brief history of the co-op. Aden told us that in the past, 95% of all Amish lived or worked on a farm. It is now down to 15%. After many discussions, it was decided to try stopping and hopefully reverse this trend. In 2005 the co-op was formed. Aden said that they decided to pursue organic certification for two primary reasons. First, it is in their heritage to farm organically & second, if they grew & produced products conventionally with out the aid of machinery, that it would be difficult for them to compete with the big factory farms.

Aden & Larry then took us on a whirl-wind tour of three of their member farms. Our first stop was Raymond Yoder’s family farm. What a site! Low rolling green hills spotted with patches of brown, tilled soil. If you look closely at those brown patches you want to pinch yourself. It’s the 21st century and you see men plowing their fields with horses.

By my surroundings I may have thought I was in the 19th century. After the lunch Mary Yoder graciously served us, I strongly considered staying. What a spread! We had meatloaf, local chicken, local canned corn, mashed potatoes w/brown butter, homemade rolls, plus dessert (a choice of at least four kinds of pie).

After a lunch like that Aden wisely thought we would need some fresh air. Our next stop was the family farm of David Raber. Here we took a horse-drawn wagon tour. While their farming methods may seem to be 19th century, their thinking is definitely 21st. One of David’s jobs in addition to farming is interpreting soil analysis results of fellow farmers fields and recommending a specific organic soil amendment program.

Our last farm was that of Atlee Gingerich & family (no relation to Newt). Atlee’s family raises chickens that produce organic eggs for the co-op. Thirty-five hundred chickens is a lot of chickens! After the Gingerich family farm we headed back to the co-op’s new shipping facility. Aden showed us their new offices, the warehouse, & soil amendment buildings. The warehouse has three coolers, dry storage, & two truck docks. After touring the new facilities we hit the road……I can’t say I remember the whole trip back.

Being able to bring you such quality products from these hard working people make me proud to work for Dorothy Lane.

Ron Williams, Washington Square Produce Manager

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This is an interesting read I came across on food origins and labeling. I thought I’d share with you all. Let us know what you think!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/14/kobe-beef-scam-part-3-why-the-u-s-government-wants-you-to-buy-fake-foods/

Many of you have inquired about the differences. Here is a brief decription of each one and what makes it unique.

Vera Jane’s Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
This is our top tier oil. It is produced from olive groves in Tuscany, near the ancient hillside town of Lucignano. Vera Jane’s EVOO has a full bodied flavor with the distinctive peppery bite of Tuscan oils. We think its quality is on par with other estate-produced Tuscan oils, but at a lower price. We recommend it for drizzling as a finishing condiment on many dishes from pizza to steamed veggies to steak and seafood.

DLM Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Extra virgin oil made from Italian olives, but not necessarily from Tuscany. While it doesn’t have the complexity or elegance of Vera Jane’s EVOO, it is an excellent oil for everyday use such as making vinaigrettes and light frying. Also try adding in dried herbs, cheese, etc, to make your own oil for dipping bread.

DLM Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil in the Tin
This oil is certified organic, but may originate from other Mediterranean countries, depending on availability and price of organic oil. (Current crop is from Tunisia.) This is also a great oil for everyday use, especially if organic is important to you.

DLM Pure Olive Oil
A low cost oil produced from Italian olives, but is not extra virgin. It has good viscosity with a rather neutral flavor. We think it is best suited for sautéing and other applications in cooking and baking.

Dorothy Lane Market belongs to the Ohio Grocers Foundation Environmental/Sustainability Task Force. It is the one place we can sit down with our competitors and have a common goal of  helping make our environment better. To compost you need two things: a compost facility within a short drive and critical mass (enough businesses who are willing to compost so it is worth a hauler’s time to pick it up). Over the last several years Ohio went from two compost facilities up north to 19 all over the state.

During those three years, we waited and learned by going to task force meetings. When opportunity knocked, we were able to flip approximately 80% of our waste from going to a landfill to now 80% recycling in some form at our Springboro store. We have always recycled our cardboard, and a couple of years ago started recycling our plastic wrap. Now, using Springboro as our test store, we recycle paper, plastic bottles, pop cans, and any plastic container that has the numbers 1–7 posted on it. We then compost the rest, and average over 15 tons of compost a month. This used to go to landfills.

If you go back into one of our departments today there will be four bins; one for recyclables, compost, plastic wrap, and trash. A lot of habits had to change, but everyone was happy to do it because of the end result. Now that Springboro is done we hope to move on to Washington Square and Oakwood in the future.

March 24 • DLM Springboro
11 a.m. – 4 p.m. • FREE
We are excited to announce the date for our 10th annual Health Fair. Join us for a day of fun, relaxation, sampling of healthy food, and educational seminars on Saturday, March 24 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at our Springboro store.

Premier Community Health, a nonprofit organization which is part of Premier Health Partners serving hospital partners in the Dayton and Cincinnati communities, will be offering the following free services on the mezzanine: blood pressure, non-fasting finger stick to test cholesterol/HDL/blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c for those who are diagnosed diabetics, colorectal kits, and Derma Scan for detecting facial skin cancer.

Medical students from Wright State University will be checking eye pressures and visual acuity. There will also be local holistic and complementary health practitioners giving demonstrations. Everybody loves getting a free mini-massage or reflexology session.

Company representatives from our supplement and natural body care lines will be in the Healthy Living department giving away samples and sharing product information. Carlson, Garden of Life, Woodstock Farms, Redd Remedies, John Masters, Frownies, Derma E, Enzymedica, and many more will be represented. Many of these product lines are on sale this month.
Join us in the Community Room for the following informative seminars:

The Skinny on Fats
11 A.M. Lori Kelch, MS
Lori Kelch, MS is a Nutrition and Wellness Educator with certification in Holistic Nutrition. With over 18 years experience in the natural products industry, she has developed an expertise in whole foods nutrition, the role of essential nutrients in health, and nutritional supplements. Lori is currently an instructor at Antioch University Midwest, teaching a class entitled “Nutrition and Fitness Issues”. She will discuss how we came to view fat and cholesterol as a cause of chronic disease, and which fats are truly beneficial and why (you may be surprised!).

Syntropy Energetics
1 P.M. • Darin Stahl
Darin is a martial artist, body worker, and subtle energy practitioner. A licensed massage therapist, Darin has studied a wide range of therapeutic modalities and life practices, including Primal Reflex Release Technique, subtle energy work, Biodynamic Cranial Touch, Dhanda Yoga, and Heart Centered Meditations integrating them in what he calls Syntropy Energetics. Darin will discuss this integrated treatment approach with a focus on Primal Reflex Release Technique, a new technique to the area that utilizes reflex responses to turn off pain in the body.

Raw Solutions for a Bad Gut
3 P.M. • Bruce Topping, Educator, Garden of Life
Bruce has been involved in the alternative medical community his entire life, running health food stores, speaking for support groups, conducting seminars for chapters of the Weston Price Foundation, and being an activist for small and local agriculture. Bruce will discuss how raw probiotics can help reduce inflammation and make digestion easier for Celiacs and anyone with poor digestion. Members of the DLM Gluten-Free Food Lovers’ Club should find this topic very beneficial. Visit
C. A. Diltz, who leads this support group, at her booth for more information on the club.
See you there!

Food marks the seasons and the celebrations of the year which attract family and friends to bond together. Corned beef and cabbage is a part of the Irish food culture. Today more people in the U.S. eat this meal on St. Patrick’s Day than in Ireland. Whether they do it as a nostalgic reminder of their Irish heritage or just to try and capture some of that “luck of the Irish”, they are enjoying great food. Once again we will be making our own corned beef. Choice cuts of DLM Natural Beef Brisket have been brined in pickling spices and topped with a blend of peppercorn and bay leaf to give you that traditional taste. Cooked long and slow till fork tender, the meat will retain a pink color even after cooking due to the curing process fixing the pigment of the meat. The smell of this meal slow-cooking with cabbage will give any man, Irish or not, a healthy appetite.
Flat-cut Corned Beef Brisket made with DLM Natural Beef $6.99 lb

Spain, a sun-drenched land that evokes thoughts of bulls, art, siestas, and treasured architecture. But I cannot think of Spain without thinking of Sherry, olives, Tortas de Aceite de Ines Rosales, olive oil, Marcona almonds, and, of course, cheese and wine! Neighboring Portugal has its fair share of rustic but exceptional food and drink. Here are some of our favorite things to enjoy from the Iberian Peninsula.

CHEESE

Monte Enebro
This complex goat cheese is made from pasteurized milk inoculated with the same mold used to make Roquefort, which adds to its complexity and distinctive appearance. It is slightly sharp, rich, creamy, and delightful when paired with olives and a fresh crusty bread from our Bakery.

Drunken Goat
That’s what you get when you take a lovely, firm goat cheese and immerse it in red wine! Not too mild, nor too strong, this goat cheese from the Murcia region of Spain is soaked in red wine two or three days, giving the outside of the cheese a thin purple rind. A real crowd pleaser, it has a slight sweetness and it’s perfect paired with Marcona almonds, chorizo, and a Garnacha.

Coinga Mahón D.O. Curado
A cow’s milk cheese from the Mediterranean island of Menorca, Mahón is ripened in underground caves and has an intense, slightly salty flavor. Best served on a cheese plate or melted on a hamburger, and paired with a dry rosé or Sherry.

Montelarreina Manchego
Aged to perfection for 10-12 months, this cheese has the typical texture of a Manchego but is even smoother and creamier. The best of its category, drizzle a touch of quince paste on a slice of the cheese for a real treat. If you want nirvana, add a touch of Serrano ham and a glass of Tempranillo.

Casa de Mendivil Velho
We fell in love with this cheese at the Fancy Food Show this winter in San Francisco! Velho, meaning old and a designation given to cheese aged at least 90 days, is quite flavorful, refreshing, and reminded us a lot of the wonderful Portuguese wine Vinho Verde.

WINE

Protocolo 2009 Tinto
Made from 100% Tempranillo grown at high elevation, it is reminiciant of a soft Côtes du Rhône that is perfect for an everyday dinner wine. Black cherry and plump plum fruit abound here, and it has a touch of herb and tannin in the finish lending it well to grilled meats. $8

Sierra Sol Tempranillo
From the Spanish vineyards of Dayton’s own Dr. Juan Palomar. This blend of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot is medium bodied, well balanced, and a superb food wine! $9 save $3

Veleta Nolados
Dr. Palomar has made a beauty of a wine here! A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, with a bit of Tempranillo, meld together very well to make a rich yet balanced wine that is drinking extremely well. Perfect for robust food pairings. $18

Veleta Tempranillo
This Spanish wine is awesome! Rich and deeply layered with black cherry, plum, and cassis fruit with nuances of leather, cedar, licorice, tinderbox, and sweet vanilla/oak. $15

Balnea Verdejo Blanc
A beautifully crisp and dry wine from the region of Castilla y León, Rueda, it is estate grown organically, hand harvested, and a tremendous value. Full of bright lime and grapefruit flavors, it is perfect with a delicate fish dish, salad course, or on its own. $10

Botani 2008 Moscatel Seco
A really unique white wine, Botani is light, but quite flavorful, and can hold up to bold dishes. It is made with Muscat of Alexandria, and in the nose through mid palate your senses make you think it would be sweet but it finishes extremely clean and quite dry. It is perfect paired with sushi, simply prepared shrimp, or a cheese plate. $15

Parmigiano-Reggiano Extra
This extraordinary cheese comes from the milk of cows who eat foliage from the rolling hills near Modena, Italy. It’s made traditionally with only local milk. The cows are never treated with antibiotics or growth hormones. We’ve visited the farm a couple of times, and we think it is the best grana cheese ever! We were won over by its beautiful texture and flavor. Eat it by the chunk, grate it over pasta and salads, and use it in your cooking. Making soup? Don’t forget the rind. Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds are great for flavoring stocks, pasta water, soups, and sauces. Use them the same way you would use a bone or stock vegetables, and remove them before serving. They will impart that one-of-a-kind flavor that is sure to please!

Fontina Val d’Aosta
The original, famous Fontina, named after the valley from which it comes, is one of the heralded cheeses of Italy. Rich, smooth cow’s milk cheese with a golden brown rind and a mild, nutty flavor, coupled with the fact that it easily melts, makes it perfect for nearly any use. This is a cheese that is particularly good with Nebbiolo wine from Piedmonte.

Taleggio
This semi-soft cheese from the Italian region of Lombardy gains flavor, and accompanying odor, as the cheese ages…but oh, what flavor! The crust is pinkish-gray, and the paste is white, supple, and fruity. Taleggio is an amazing cheese for a dessert plate or with salad greens and a wine such as a Dolcetto or La Barbera.

La Spinetta 2008 Barbera Ca d’Pian
100% Barbera, this wine is dark in color and quite full bodied with tons of black currant, blueberry fruits, and that wonderful Italian acidity! A great food wine that pairs easily with red meats and strong cheeses. $30

La Spinetta 2006 Vingneto Starderi Barbaresco
A huge wine, this is 100% Nebbiolo from the Starderi vineyard in Neive, the most famous area for growing Barbaresco. It is deeply complex with blackberry, black cherry, licorice, oak, and a long, long finish. This wine is drinking really well now, but will easily last 30 years. It is best paired with grilled food, lamb, or wild game. We also have the 2006 Vingneto Valeirano and 2006 Vingneto Gallina Barbaresco available. Each of the three are $90 save $30.