FOR “FOREST FOODIES”
photos by Ashlee Glen

What’s on the menu when you go camping? Are you content with a bucket of cold KFC for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Or do you prefer vacuum-packed, dehydrated veggies for an ultra-light soup? I’ve tried both extremes and honestly, the best option in my view is somewhere in-between. I like to make REAL nutritious food but without fussy recipes, perishable ingredients or a need for too much equipment.

Here are some of my favorites that you can try next time the woods are calling and you must go, whether it’s over a backyard campfire or on a backwoods trail.

Campfire Nachos
Nachos roasted over an open fire are simply delicious! They turn super crispy and take on a smoky, wonderful flavor that can’t be beat.

This dish is geared more toward the “backyard camper” than the thru-hiker because you’ll need a cast iron skillet. Plus, nacho chips tend to turn into nacho crumbs in a backpack, right?

The key to success is to wait until your campfire has died down enough that it will not burn the chips before the cheese has melted. If you do that, you’ll be amazed how special this surprising campfire treat can be!

Equipment:
Cast iron skillet
Aluminum foil

INGREDIENTS:
Corn chips, about half a bag
1 1/2 cups cheese, grated
(cheddar or Monterey Jack is safe up
to 12 hours without refrigeration)
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup black olives
(Kalamata tastes best), sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup spring onions, sliced thin
1 jalapeño, diced (optional)
Sour cream, for serving
(optional; requires refrigeration)

Directions:
After your campfire has started dying down (embers only), position two flat stones on opposite sides of the fire so the skillet (or grate, if using) can balance over the embers. Prep the nachos by adding half of the chips to the skillet and sprinkle over 1/3 of the cheese. Avoid cheese falling to the bottom because it tends to burn. Add the second layer of chips and sprinkle tomato, olives, onions and cheese and cover with aluminum foil.

Cook over fire for about 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Keep checking under the foil because temperature is unpredictable! Serve with a few dollops of sour cream and plenty of cilantro!

Penne Alla Backwoods

This is our go-to meal for longer hikes because it’s tasty, filling and fast! It’s also reasonably lightweight and portable. The key to bringing prepared pasta sauce is to transfer it to a leak/crush-proof plastic container. Most camping stores sell Nalgene food jars and they are great. The jars only cost a couple of dollars and last forever.

Equipment:
Hiking stove

For two hungry hikers:
Penne Rigate, three servings Water, in bottle or filtered from stream Alfredo sauce, one jar. My favorite brand is Newman’s Own. Fresh parsley, chopped or torn Salt/pepper, to taste

Directions:
Well, there’s not much needed in terms of instructions for this meal! Set up your camp stove, boil the pasta and drain off the water. Add the sauce, sprinkle with parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve! By the way, bringing fresh parsley and fresh ground pepper with you is easy and totally worth it.

Pro tips:
Bring a glass of wine to make this meal even more special! Most grocery stores sell very packable “juice-box” wines, and some are surprisingly good!

Overnight Oats
Few foods fill up and sustain like oatmeal. This recipe is a great option for hiking since it doesn’t require you to fire up your stove like regular oatmeal, but will fuel you for a long day of hiking. Just be sure to soak the oats in water, rather than dairy, to avoid any health concerns. Adding some peanut butter creates the same creaminess!

Two servings:
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup water
1/2 cup berries, dried fruits and/or seeds
Salt, a pinch
Peanut butter, one single serve container

Directions:
Mix all dry ingredients and water in a container that can be sealed tight enough to keep bugs out and leave overnight. Next morning, stir in fresh berries and peanut butter, if using it.

Trail Mix Balls
Trail mix (or granola bars!) is fantastic pocket-fuel for the journey, and it could not be easier to make. Mix some raisins, nuts and chocolate chips in a bag, and you have the carbs and fat you need on the trail.

This recipe for trail mix balls ups the ante a couple of notches, with fancier ingredients and upgraded presentation. Great for the “backyard camp” or paid campsite, but perhaps not ideal for the overnight hiker since they get sticky after a while.

Core ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats, old fashioned
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
A pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
For rolling: sesame seeds, cocoa

Mix-ins of your choice
(should total 1 cup):
1/2 cup of seeds, such as flax, chia, pumpkin, sesame
1/2 cup of dried fruits, such as raisins, cranberries, dates, apricots or mangos

Directions:
Make ahead and mix all core ingredients, plus any mix-ins, in a food processor for about 30 seconds, then scoop and shape. Roll each with the sesame seed or cocoa coating—or, if you prefer, dip them in chocolate! These Trail Mix Balls stay good for two weeks if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can even freeze them for up to 3 months so they are ready when you go for that camping excursion.

“Baklad”
Baked Bananas with Chocolate

This was a favorite hiking dessert among me and my scout friends when growing up in Sweden. The name, “Baklad,” comes from combining the names of the two ingredients; banana and chocolate. It’s the perfect dessert after your camp dinner and essentially makes itself.

How’s this for easy:
3 bananas
1/2 cup chocolate chips (chips are less likely to melt during transport)
Aluminum foil, for roasting over the fire

Directions:
With a knife, slit the “inner curve” of a banana from top to bottom, about 3/4-inch deep. Push as many chocolate chips into the slit as you can. Wrap in foil and place in the outer edge of the burning-out fire. Bake until very soft, up to 30 minutes if your fire has died down a lot, and eat with a spoon!

SWEET, SAVORY, SPICY-AS-YOU-WANT-IT, TOMATO JAM IS AS DELICIOUSLY VERSATILE AS IT IS SIMPLE TO MAKE

As backyard gardens begin overflowing with sun-ripened beefsteaks and farm stands are boasting a rainbow crop of heirlooms and old favorites, tomatoes rightfully take center stage on summer plates. But what to do with that big basket of gorgeous—and sometimes delightfully ugly—fruits when you’ve drizzled balsamic glaze upon every imaginable variation of a caprese salad?

Sometimes the simplest preparation is the most delicious—and deliciously versatile. Sweet, savory, spicy-as-you-want-it tomato jam is the perfect example. A few basic ingredients slow-simmered in a single pot and you’ve captured summer in a mason jar. And, although farm-to-table seasonal beauties are best, the following recipe from cooking instructor Jacqui Renager is forgiving enough for even those suspiciously pink, mealy store-bought tomatoes available all winter long.

“This is a recipe you can whip up in no time and enjoy it all year if preserved by canning,” Renager says. “I prefer to leave the tomato skins on because it adds texture, and the acidity from the limes and clementines add the perfect brightness to balance out the sweet.”

Schmear the finished product on a right-out-of-the-oven biscuit and call it a great morning. Take avocado toast to the next level. Add dazzle to a grilled burger with a little tomato jam and smoked gouda sauce in place of the standard cheese slice and LTM. Pair it with pork, chicken, salmon or your favorite local BBQ. Generously top a wheel of brie with jam and bake for a quick and crowd-pleasing appetizer. Whisk it into a vinaigrette or add a dollop onto a freshly fried corn fritter. There are as many possibilities as there are tomato varieties.

Renager offers a few tips for success including choosing clementines over other types of oranges because they produce the most consistently plentiful sweet juice when squeezed and have less of the unwanted white pith when zested. She says “don’t get caught up in the small stuff” when chopping the tomatoes—it doesn’t matter how they look—but do use a serrated knife to make easy work of them.

Just as there are many varieties of tomatoes, there are plenty of variations on tomato jam. Change up the spice combinations or go skinless if you prefer a smoother texture. If you want a more jelly-like consistency, shorten the cooking time. Want more of a chutney? Add to the cooking time. Stir in crumbled bacon to take it over the top.

Dial back or turn up the heat to your liking with more or less jalapeños, pepper flakes or a dash or two (or 20) of your go-to hot sauce. However you make it, be sure to make enough to share with your friends and neighbors

BY LEONA BAKER, PHOTOS BY KATHY KEENEY

Tomato Jam

RECIPE BY JACQUI RENAGAR OF FUN IN THE KITCHEN WITH JACQUI (WWW.COOKINGWITHJACQUI.COM)

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds ripe local tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed clementine orange juice
2 tablespoons orange zest (for brightness)
1 tablespoon minced ginger or ginger puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeño or hot pepper stemmed and minced (seeded or not, your choice) OR 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. (Peeling the tomatoes first is a personal preference. Some like the skins in the jam, some do not.) Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture has consistency of thick jam, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then cool and refrigerate until ready to use or preserve in mason jars.

TO PRESERVE
Transfer the hot jam to your mason jars leaving 1/2 inch at the top unfilled. Wipe rims of the jars, cover with lids, and screw bands on until just barely tight. Put the jars on rack in a deep pot and cover completely with
water. Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, uncover pot, and allow jars to rest in water for 10-15 minutes. Remove jars from pot and allow them to rest undisturbed on countertop for six hours or overnight

As we bring you our 9th annual Lynchburg Restaurant Week, Aug. 1-8, 2020, we don’t want to ignore the elephant in the room—it hasn’t been a great year for restaurants. After COVID-19 restrictions shut down dining rooms in March, restaurants were able to gradually reopen in May and June. That means now, more than ever, these local businesses need your
support to finish the year strong.

We are thrilled to showcase 11 local restaurants for this year’s week-long Lynchburg Restaurant Week event. Each business has handcrafted a menu that showcases some of their best dishes—at a price you will really love. Flip through the following pages to see what’s cooking and start planning out your stops today.

USING SIMPLE INGREDIENTS TO CREATE DISTINCT FLAVOR PROFILES
Photography by Jenna McKenney

The art of cooking has just as much to do with your taste buds as your technique. According to Jason Arbusto, pro chef and culinary director at the Bluffwalk Center, the challenge is identifying “what goes with what to make it taste good.”

Enter flavor profiles: these are the “secret weapon” of flavor combinations (herbs, spices, etc.) that can take your home meal preparation to another level. “Flavor profiles will guide you to be more creative and venture out of your comfort zone while remaining fairly simple to prepare,” he says.

On the following pages, Arbusto will not only break down three distinct profiles but he will also show you how to use them in three tasty recipes. But don’t let that stop you from experimenting with his combinations in your own unique way!

Thai Flavor Profile

Four simple ingredients can turn your basic chicken salad into a flavor bomb: Mint, Cilantro, Basil, Lime Juice

INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl, combine 6 oz. of shredded chicken with a good pinch of rough chopped mint, cilantro and basil. Squeeze in lime juice and add olive oil,
salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Mediterranean Flavor Profile
Five simple ingredients can turn your Sunday Salmon or shrimp into something special: Capers, Lemon, Olives, Tomato, Parsley

Ingredients
6 oz shrimp
Cherry tomatoes
1 T capers
2 sprigs of rough chopped parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Place shrimp in an oven safe casserole pan. Add a handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half. Place in the oven for about 5-7 minutes at 350 degrees. Once finished cooking, add a little bit of fresh parsley. Crush the tomatoes up a little bit to create some juice. Baste the seafood and serve with all the remaining ingredients on top.

Israel / Middle Eastern Flavor Profile

Four simple ingredients can upstyle your next batch of roasted veggies: Yogurt,Pine, Nuts, Mint, Pomegranate Seeds

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
4-6 T yogurt
3 sprigs of chopped mint
2 T toasted pine nuts
2 T pomegranate seeds

INSTRUCTIONS
Peel and dice sweet potatoes. Roast in the oven for 25-35 min at 350 degrees. Remove and let cool slightly or serve cold as a salad. Spread a thin layer of yogurt on bottom of plate. Add sweet potatoes and top with mint, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds.

SIMPLY VANILLA GOURMET CHEESECAKES OUTGROWS HOME KITCHEN AND MOVES INTO BRICK-AND-MORTAR RESTAURANT

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUCAS MOORE

It all started with two broken legs. Jessica Kercher and her two-year-old daughter suffered the same injury in the same week. She wanted to thank a family friend for helping to take care of her daughter. With her husband out of town and no way to get to the grocery store, Jessica used what she had in the house to make one of the trickiest desserts: a cheesecake.

That family friend told a few people about the delicious cheesecake Jessica made, and word spread. Soon Jessica’s culinary skills were in high demand. Five years later, she owns Simply Vanilla Gourmet Cheesecakes, which grew from her kitchen to a new 1600-square-foot restaurant.

Jessica has always had a passion for culinary arts. After receiving a degree in hospitality management, she worked for Sodexo at Liberty University. Jessica left that position to start a family—and ultimately found her dream job. “I always felt like there was something more,” she says. “I loved talking to people, I loved customer service, and I loved the art form of pastries themselves.”

One of the first things Jessica did was come up with a name for her new business. “From the very beginning, it had a name. It had a brand. The brand spoke for itself. Simply Vanilla came from the fact that it came from one recipe, one idea. A simple idea,” Jessica says.

She secured food safety certifications to make cheesecakes in her kitchen. Then the Kercher family moved from Lynchburg to Forest to a home with a bigger kitchen—and the business grew from there. “I would wake up at 2 or 3 in the morning and I would bake until my kids had to go to school,” Jessica says. “So I knew I had a certain timeline. Eventually that timeline went all night.”

She sold out of pop-ups at River Ridge and partnered with other restaurants like Bean Tree Café and Mission House Coffee. As her cheesecakes gained even more popularity, she decided to bring on a team and pursue a brick-and-mortar store. In August 2019, they signed a lease and built their restaurant in a brand-new shopping center just off Route 221 in Forest.

When you walk into Simply Vanilla Gourmet Cheesecakes, you will see a display of 12 to 15 different cheesecake flavors. A four-inch cheesecake is $10. They also make quiches, scones and other baked goods from scratch, plus a different soup each day. Jessica wants customers to think of this as a meeting place—where you can eat lunch and get something sweet for dessert.

You can also order ahead, a popular choice around the holidays. And in February, Simply Vanilla debuted a new two-bite cheesecake option called “petites.”

Jessica says their top seller is the White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. She sees a lot of customers try that on their first visit, then come back for something more adventurous, such as the Grasshopper or Red Velvet.

Her team put in a lot of work making sure the restaurant would be a success. They even visited pastry shops in France, taking notes on how they displayed their products. “It is a show when you walk in. It is an experience beyond the taste of the products,” Jessica says. “It is a full package deal when you walk in here.”

Simply Vanilla is a true family affair. Jessica’s husband Ahron Kercher (a nuclear engineer) is the technical expert. Travis Burckhard is the executive chef and his wife Donna is the marketing director. They have big plans for 2020, including the launch of a website where you can place online orders. Jessica says the next step is to offer made-to-order sandwiches and salads.

The team of 12 employees is going to keep testing out new offerings for customers. “The good thing about the business is that we get to play a lot more. We get to try different flavors, we get to play with different savory products,” Jessica says.

Making a cheesecake takes time—and patience. “There’s a reason why people stray away from cheesecake. It is very temperamental,” Jessica says. “It does require a specific process to keep it consistent.”

The team at Simply Vanilla Gourmet Cheesecakes is happy to do that work for you.

Simply Vanilla Gourmet Cheesecakes
1381 Crossings Centre Drive, Suite C, Forest, VA 24551
@SimplyVanillaGourmet on Facebook
Mon.-Wed. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. • Thurs. & Fri. 7 a.m.-6 p.m. • Sat. 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

SIMPLE AND ENDLESSLY VERSATILE, THIS RECIPE COULD BE THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF A STRESS-FREE WEEKNIGHT DINNER PARTY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY RJ GOODWIN

The best parties are the fun ones—the ones you leave with a smile on your face. But if you are the host, there can sometimes be too much to do to enjoy your own event. Take heed—these three tips for stress-free party planning will help you relax and enjoy the night:

1. Weeknight over weekend. Everyone’s weekends are so busy that scheduling becomes a nightmare. Why not pick a weeknight when more of your guests are available? Since nobody expects you to take the day off to cook and clean, expectations are automatically lower, and by having people over on a weeknight, they tend to say goodnight faster.

2. Keep the guest list small. The best parties are often the smaller ones, giving you a chance to have more interesting conversations and get to know your friends on a closer level. Inviting 4-6 guests is a good number for that, without too much work involved.

3. Cook only one thing. It’s tempting to try too hard and attempt more dishes than you should. Keep the menu simple, but make things festive by serving in nice dishes. Plan to make only one thing yourself and assemble the rest. For instance, the recipe below for a savory Dutch Baby makes for a fun, dramatic (but quick) main course. Serve with a Spinach-Strawberry salad and some good ice cream with store-bought pound cake for dessert and you have a party!

Dutch Baby
Makes 4-6 servings per “baby”
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 45 min

INGREDIENTS
3 extra large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2+1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur brand)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

RECIPE PREPARATION
Place a 12” cast iron skillet in the oven and heat to 450 degrees. Let skillet heat up for 20 minutes while you prepare the batter.

In a regular blender, blend eggs until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add milk and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and blend for another 10 seconds. Add flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper and blend just to combine.

Remove the skillet from oven and carefully pour remaining 1 tablespoon of butter into it and swirl quickly to coat. Before the butter burns, pour the blender-batter into the skillet. Bake until settled in the middle and puffy and brown around the edges. Don’t worry if one side is taller than the other; that’s part of the fun (and it will sink down, somewhat).

TOPPING IDEAS
A Dutch Baby lends itself equally well to both savory and sweet toppings without changes to the recipe. It’s a blank canvas for being creative! Here are some of my favorites:

• Mascarpone, berries and powdered sugar (great, make-ahead dessert!)

• Mozzarella, pepperoni and basil (add topping and then bake under broiler for a few minutes to melt cheese)

• Thinly sliced gravlax, sour cream and dill (trust me, it’s delicious!)

• Sautéed kale, crispy bacon, and shaved Parmesan (I like green curly kale because it’s very mild)

4 Soul-Warming Recipes That Won’t Ruin Your Diet

Laura Miner has come a long way since her cash-strapped days of college, when she recalls calling her Italian grandmother to get some help in the kitchen.

“I would be like, ‘Grandma, I have a can of beans, and some broth. What can I make?’” she laughs.

Now, the Lynchburg resident, also known as “Cook at Home Mom” on her blog and Instagram, has developed a strong following for her healthy, crowd-pleasing recipes. She started the blog as a hobby in 2014 right after moving to Lynchburg.

“I didn’t even know people made a job out of Instagram or their blogs at that point. I didn’t even know people took pictures of food professionally!” she says.

Also around that time, Laura decided to try the Whole30 diet to see if she could clear up some health issues. “I struggled with inflammation and rosacea. Just not feeling well. After doing Whole30 I felt so much better, so it changed the way I cooked a lot,” she says.

Laura groups her recipes into categories from Whole30 to Paleo to Gluten-Free—some even meet multiple requirements! But she doesn’t let diet restrictions limit your choices. Many of her recipes are what you’d call satisfying “meat and potatoes” dishes (her husband’s preference). And, as a mom of three kids under 6, she’s also a big fan of the Crock-Pot or Instant Pot.

Here, Laura shares with us a few of her favorite “tried and true” wintertime meals. “It’s cold and dreary. I think we all look towards comforting foods at this point!” she says. “But they are healthy. You will still get those happy feelings without indulging in things that are going to make you feel bad.”

Find more of Laura’s recipes on her blog: cookathomemom.com. For each of the following recipes, you will also find instructions for how to make these dishes in both the Crock-Pot and Instant Pot.

Classic Pot Roast

Swedish Meatballs

Chipotle Barbacoa

BBQ Chicken & Ranch Sliders

Aji Brings Ramen, Sushi and Much More to Lynchburg’s Downtown

Located in the heart of Lynchburg at 908 Main Street, Lynchburg’s newest Asian restaurant, Aji Ramen and Sushi, is certainly filling a void in the downtown area.

The eatery opened in August and, since then, has been impressing customers with its authentic and exotic cuisine.

Owner Eric Wu was born in China but always had roots in the Lynchburg area. Before returning to Lynchburg to open Aji he was struggling with a grueling schedule at a Chinese restaurant in Winchester. Tired of working for someone else and having to spend so much time away from his sons, Wu decided it was time to come back home to the Hill City.

Eric and his wife, who shares a background in the restaurant industry, say they chose Downtown Lynchburg because it was lacking the Asian cuisine he was eager to share with locals. The restaurant’s name, Aji, stems from a special person in their life named Carolyn Roberts. “She used to come to our buffet restaurant and we became like family members. l really appreciate her like a mother so we named the restaurant Aji, which means mother in our language,” he says.

Their menu offers a large variety of ramen—which Wu describes as a very popular Japanese noodle soup. The pork- and vegetable-based broth cooks for 10 hours and serves as the base.

Varieties include beef, miso, and chicken.

The sushi at Aji is made from fresh fish that’s flown in three times a week. While sushi lovers can find traditional rolls and sashimi on the large menu, Wu offers exciting combinations such as the Mango Spring Roll with shrimp, crabmeat, and mango wrapped in rice paper instead of the usual seaweed wrapper.

If you’re looking beyond sushi and ramen, there is something for everyone from the pineapple fried rice, General Tso’s Chicken, and kimchi to the Tom Yum soup, various curries, and hibachi dishes.

Wu is accustomed to working with customers who have dietary restrictions and allergies—he welcomes everyone to come and give them a taste or a sip. In their “cozy corner” spot, they serve beer, wine and saké. Finish your meal with tasty (and often hard to find in our area) mochi, a Japanese dessert that consists of a ball of sticky, sweet rice dough filled with creamy, delicious ice cream.

Aji Ramen and Sushi
908 Main St, Lynchburg, VA
(434) 845-2816
ajiramenandsushi.com
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Closed Sunday

Photography by Jenna McKenney

Forget the organic food aisle. Natural goodies are available for the taking in our local wilderness.

For many, the end of summer signals the end of the growing season. Spades and gloves go sadly back into the tool shed, and the green thumbs among us long for spring. As cool weather settles in, and winter gives pause to production and growth, it’s easy to feel separated from our environment. However, life does not stand still after the arrival of the first frost. Quite the contrary, it is a time of continued harvest and discovery, and when I find the greatest affinity with my Blue Ridge Mountain home through wild foraging.

Wild foraging is identifying and collecting the edible plants that grow naturally in the forests and fields around you. For the better part of human history, people relied on their natural environment to sustain them. In many parts of the world, hunter-gatherer societies still exist, and for those folks, foraging for food is just a part of daily living. Here in America, with the advent of grocery stores and DoorDash, foraging for wild edibles is a great way to reconnect with the earth and participate in a tradition with deep roots here in Appalachia. I hope you enjoy going along with me on one of my journeys and, ultimately, are inspired to take one of your own.

Word to the Wise: Before we go on, it’s very important to note that eating plants growing in the wild can be very dangerous if misidentified. If you have even the slightest doubt about whether what you’ve found is edible, complete additional research to ensure proper identification before consuming.

A Walk in the Woods

Early on an autumn morning, when fog still blankets the troughs and peaks of the Blue Ridge and the bitter chill of the night hasn’t yet dissipated, there is a quiet, tender magic over the landscape surrounding my home in the mountains of Bedford County. The scent of wood smoke and loamy earth fills your lungs and charms your senses. This is my favorite time to be out in nature, and one of the best seasons for foraging.

With my leggy hound dog Atlas in tow, we set off first into the forest. Even through the winter, birds chirp and small things scurry, and the dappled sunlit paths are deeply tranquil. This time of year, tree nuts are the stars of the show, and we’re keeping our eyes trained to the both the understory and the ground, where many delicious nuts have fallen. We’re in stiff competition with the birds and rodents who are also looking forward to snacking on these treats.

Hickory nuts are a wild treasure. A cousin to the pecan, they are sweet, meaty, and packed with calories. I love the earthy smell of the hard, outer husks, which by now have turned a tannish brown. The ones we want are partially open, and the husks are easily peeled off. The nuts are then very similar to walnuts and will need to be cracked in order to get to the meat, divided neatly into chambers. I’ve got my heart set on baking an old-fashioned hickory nut cake, so I collect as many as I can find.

As we go, I like to make note of the maple and elderberry trees I spot, which will be tapped for syrup toward the end of winter. But we keep on, because a favorite find of mine waits just down the trail—the Allegheny Chinquapin. A type of chestnut, the Chinquapin is more disease-resistant than the American chestnut, which is now endangered and very difficult to find healthy. The fruit is enclosed in a prickly burr that will stick your fingers if you’re not careful. Gently remove the husk, and the nuts themselves have a smooth, dark shell, and resemble an acorn. Once cracked open, the meat inside is creamy light in color and quite tasty. According to lore, John Smith was the first European to make record of the Chinquapin in 1612, noting that the Native Americans greatly valued the nut. Eat them raw right where you find them, or bring them home for easier processing.

Nuts are a wonderful cold weather snack, but as we near the edge of the woods, we’re on the lookout for the final fruit of the season. Persimmons are sour and astringent when picked early, but if enjoyed after a winter’s frost, they are sweet and sticky, and taste like something right out of summer. They are somewhat easy to identify, as there aren’t many tree fruits available in colder seasons. The tree is relatively small, has a simple leaf, and deep, tightly spaced ridges on the trunk. The uglier the fruit, the sweeter it will taste, so we’re going for the wrinkled, gooey ones, while the ones found on the forest floor are a perfect treat for Atlas. The fruits will be golden-orange in color, and about the size of a golf ball. (Later, I’ll dig out my Foxfire books to find the persimmon bread recipe I’ve dogeared, but you can find great ones on the internet.) These fruits are also made in jams, sliced into salads, and frequently fermented into beer. Or they can simply be eaten raw!

As we near the fields and edge spaces, we’ve got our eyes on a different prize. Now planted with rye, the scrubby field behind my home was once a stand of mixed hardwoods. It was logged 15 years ago, and now it is a gold mine of volunteer species—species that tend to appear first in the process of natural regrowth. I often fuss about the weedy, bushy poplar trees and the wild blackberries that claw my legs, but there are some real treasures to be found here. Among them, rosehips. These can be found on cultivated roses, but the invasive multiflora rose grows wild, and produces them just the same. A small red berry with a crown on top, you’ll want to pick the ones that are soft when squeezed between the fingers. The thick, thorny brambles can be frustrating, but persistence is rewarding, because rose hips are a medicinal foragers dream, packed with Vitamin C. In the old days, they were essential for winter survival and helped to stave off scurvy in mountain communities. Now, they are great for fighting off winter colds and flu. Rosehips are best utilized when dried and worked into tea blends.

As the day slowly warms up and other projects call me home, there’s one more late autumn treasure I’m looking for. The Jerusalem Artichoke is often found in fields and along roadsides. The yellow flower looks like a cross between a sunflower and a daisy and blooms very late in the year. They made beautiful cuttings last month, but now I’m looking for what’s left of the woody, hairy stalk. Dig gently below the base of the stalk, and you’ll find knobby, thick root tubers. These are nature’s free potatoes and can be prepared exactly as such. They are textured more like a sweet potato, and my husband and I love to slice and fry them in a little butter and garlic or bake them for a tender dinner side dish.

Now home we go, with a basket loaded down with a wild, late season harvest. The hemlock and white pines along the way make for nice winter wreaths, and I may cut a few branches. There’s never really any telling what we‘ll find on a foraging outing. Sometimes, the nuts take a back stage to more medicinal roughage—other times, the birds and squirrels have beaten us to the punch. Either way, there are few things more rewarding than a cool, refreshing walk in an autumnal Virginia forest.

Redefine “Fast Food” with These Healthy, Local Options

Between holidays, homework and hectic schedules, it can be hard to maintain a balanced diet—especially while on the go. The good news? There are healthy, delicious food options available all throughout our fair city—and you don’t have to make reservations at these fast casual spots. Skip the drive thru and trust us; these tasty treats are worth the walk inside.

Crisp
Crisp, now with a new menu, is the place in town for a made-to-order salad with fresh ingredients. Head to either of their two locations at lunchtime and be prepared for a line out the door. What you may not know is Crisp also serves made-from-scratch soups—perfect for chilly fall or winter days—to enjoy either alongside your salad or on their own. Some favorites are taco, black bean, and French onion. Pro tip: take your soup over the top with croutons, shredded cheese, and tortilla strips.

1124 Church St., Lynchburg
or 18013 Forest Rd., Suite A-01, Forest
www.crispsaladandjuice.com

Tahini’s
As the temperatures drop, nothing will warm you up more than a Mediterranean spiced chicken kebob from Tahini’s. Served over rice with your choice of fast casual fixings, this hearty and healthy meal sticks with you all day. If you’re craving something bubbly, try one of Tahini’s Stubborn Sodas made with no artificial sweeteners, colors or high fructose corn syrup. Customers also love the Chicken Shawarma salad (top).

912 Main St., Lynchburg
www.tahinisgrill.com

Magnolia Foods
By now, many of you know about Live Pure Smoothie Cubes (if not, check out the feature in the May/June 2019 issue of Lynchburg Living) but did you also know you can snag a fresh smoothie made with their products at Magnolia Foods on Rivermont Avenue? Grab one to take with you or stock up on the bags of cubes right there in the freezer section. They all taste like dessert (with no added sugar) and are loaded with superfoods.

2476 Rivermont Ave., Lynchburg
www.magnoliafoods.com

Millie’s Living Cafe at Health Nut Nutrition
Feel your sweet tooth kicking in? Stop by Millie’s Living Café at Health Nut Nutrition in Wyndhurst and grab a raw, organic, cold-pressed juice. Their juices are made with fresh ingredients to deliver a delicious combination of flavors— not to mention a huge punch of vitamins and minerals. Try the “Pineapple Zen” with jalapeño for an extra kick or the “Liver Lover” with apple, beets, carrots, and kale. I’m also a huge fan of their Dragon Bowl—it’s loaded with fresh fruit and superfoods.

1701 Enterprise Dr., Lynchburg
www.healthnutnutrition.com

Montana Plains Bakery
Another delicious place to chow down on a hearty wrap is Montana Plains Bakery, also with two locations to choose from. Try the veggie whole wheat wrap stuffed with carrots, avocado, cucumber, hummus, and romaine. Loaded with protein and vitamins and fiber, this one is a win-win.

4925 Boonsboro Rd., Lynchburg
or 102 Tradewynd Dr., #A, Lynchburg
www.facebook.com/montanaplainsbakery

Corner Burger
Head next door for a juicy (and better-for-you!) burger at Corner Burger. By using only grass-finished beef, their burgers have less total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and calories, but they have more vitamins E and C, beta carotene, and omega 3 fatty acids, according to owner Kent Wood. They love using local purveyors and supporting the community so you can feel good about this one!

12130 E Lynchburg Salem Turnpike, #3, Forest
www.mycornerburger.com

The Leaf Creative Salads
If you find yourself near Cornerstone, pop in to The Leaf for one of their tasty salad combinations. They have a vast assortment of toppings such as grilled corn, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes or bow tie pasta. Even better? Make your salad portable by turning it into a wrap.

112 Cornerstone St., Lynchburg
www.facebook.com/theleafsalads

T&E Catering
Trying to stay away from gluten? Believe it or not Central Virginia has its very own completely gluten-free restaurant. Located in New London’s Poplar Forest Plaza, folks are flocking to T & E Catering for the pasta, sandwiches, and desserts… all of it GLUTEN FREE. The wings and dirty fries are the talk of the town and perfect to take on the go for a tailgate, picnic, or even just for staying in on a Friday night.

12130 E Lynchburg Salem Turnpike, #4, Forest
www.tandecatering.com