Arganica Farm Club

Hello Arganicans,

Boy do we have some tasty new treats for you this week! Start off your day by trying one of the wonderful coffees locally roasted by our new friends at Lexington Coffee Roasters. Then have a cup of Honey Greek Yogurt, one of several new dairy products from the folks at Blue Ridge Dairy. Indulge your love for cheese by layering slices of Applewood Smoked Mozzarella on a sandwich for lunch. Then, to round out your day, pop one of our delicious wood-fired vegetarian pizzas into your oven for a super-quick, yet satisfying dinner.

New This Week:

• Lexington Coffee Roasters whole bean and ground coffees
• Low-fat Plain and Honey Greek Yogurts, Applewood-Smoked Mozzarella, Fresh Ricotta and Aged Feta from Blue Ridge Dairy
• Arganica’s own Wood-Fired Pizzas
  
• Local Pink Lady Apples
  
• Pork Spare Ribs from Buffalo Creek Farms
• Producer Profile: Edwards of Surry, Virginia

Lexington Coffee Roasters: I am sitting here surrounded by the intoxicating aromas of freshly roasted coffee beans emanating from the various samples I received from our new friends at Lexington Coffee Roasters. For the past 20 years the folks at Lexington Coffee Roasters have diligently worked to meet two goals: provide Extraordinary Coffee and Extraordinary Service. These seemingly simple yet supremely challenging goals have kept Lexington Coffee Roasters focused, and the extraordinary results are reflected in their beans. Many of their single-origin roasts and blends have won awards in national coffee competitions and garnered high praise from Coffee Review, the world’s leading coffee guide. All of their varieties are packed with intricate layers of flavor and delectable aromas.

• El Salvador Santa Rita – When I first spoke with Terry at Lexington Coffee Roasters, he was giddy with excitement because Coffee Review had just given the Santa Rita a 94-Point rating (out of a scale of 100). The Santa Rita has a sweet caramel and fruity aroma, flavors of orange, cherry and caramel, a slightly creamy body, and a tart fruit and walnut finish.
• Ethiopia Sidamo Guji – The Sidamo Guji is another 94-Point roast declared by Coffee Review to be a “splendid coffee”. It is dry-processed, which means the beans were sundried with the cherries still attached. This results in a deep fruit flavor. The Sidamo Guji has a sweet berry aroma, flavors of blueberry and cocoa, a syrupy body, and a chocolate and tart berry finish.
• Sumatra Mandheling – This dry-processed coffee is shade grown using only natural fertilizers at a farm in Indonesia that’s in the process of obtaining both Organic and Rainforest Alliance certification. The Sumatra Mandheling has a brandied cherry aroma, flavors of dark chocolate, cherry and strawberry, a full and syrupy body, and a very sweet, floral and chocolate finish.
• Blue Ridge Blend – Imagine waking up and being greeted by the beautiful views of both the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. This is the scenery that inspired this lovely blend. The Blue Ridge Blend has aromas of orange blossoms, a creamy flavor, a medium-light body, and a dry and tangy finish.
• Mexico Esmeralda (DECAF) – This fresh roasted coffee is decaffeinated using an innovative process based on natural fruit fermentation. The Mexico Esmeralda has a chocolaty and nutty aroma, flavors of lemon and chocolate, a medium body, and a dark chocolate and walnut finish.

Please note that in order to ensure ultimate freshness and flavor, we are enforcing additional ordering deadlines for Lexington’s ground coffee selections. If you would like to order whole bean coffee, the ordering deadlines are still Monday nights at midnight for Thursday delivery members and Wednesday nights at midnight for Sunday delivery members. However, if you would like to order ground coffee, please submit your orders by 2 PM on Monday for delivery on Thursday and 2 PM on Wednesday for delivery on Sunday.

Blue Ridge Dairy - Last week we introduced you to Blue Ridge Dairy’s delightfully fresh water-packed mozzarella. This week we’re bringing on their rich, yet low-fat Greek Yogurt, available in Plain and Honey, a super smoky and flavorful Applewood-Smoked Mozzarella, a sharp Aged Feta cheese and tubs of Fresh Ricotta. Once you’ve tasted these wonderful products, we think you’ll agree that Paul Stephan, Blue Ridge Dairy’s owner and head cheesemaker, is one of the best in his field. Paul, we’re so delighted to have you and your folks on board!

Arganica’s own Wood-Fired Pizzas – We’ve been working hard to bring to you our own specialty line of gourmet wood-fired pizzas and are very excited to finally introduce them to you this week! Each of these pizzas feature local mozzarella produced from happy cows in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The Veggie Head, Otranto, Helen of Troy and Christina’s Crusher pizzas are lovingly prepared here in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the Mozzarella Pizza is prepared with an organic crust, local mozzarella and a pizza sauce made using locally grown heirloom tomatoes.

• Veggie Head – A veggie-lover’s dream loaded with artichoke hearts, fresh garlic, onions, broccoli, roasted peppers, black olives, sliced tomatoes, mushrooms, a tomato-based sauce and mozzarella.
• Otranto – A trip to the Mediterranean layered with a basil pesto, garlic, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, sliced tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil.
• Helen of Troy – For the feta-fan. The Helen of Troy starts with a generous layer of basil pesto, and is packed with feta cheese, mozzarella, tomatoes, olive oil, artichoke hearts, garlic and spinach.
• Christina’s Crusher – This one’s my personal favorite. It starts with a tomato-based sauce and is topped with a sweet and tangy blend of artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts and mozzarella.
• Mozzarella Pizza – This pizza features some of the best local mozzarella produced in Virginia and a sauce prepared using locally grown heirloom tomatoes from New Day Farms. It is sold in packs of 4 pizzas each and also features an organic crust.

Producer Profile: Introducing: Edwards of
Surry, Virginia


Premium, hickory smoked ham since 1926



In addition to peanuts, dogwood trees, and lovers, the Commonwealth of Virginia is famous for its Country Ham. Edwards of Surry, Virginia is a family-owned company of third generation “cure-masters,” carrying on the tradition of fine Virginia pork products with a sustainable twist

Their signature product is “Surryano” ham, a delicious, local substitution for expensive Prosciutto, Serrano & Westphalian imports. It is lean, rich in smoky flavor, and produced from pastured, Heritage Breed “Six-Spotted Berkshire” hogs. Edwards guarantees their hams are smoked for one week over hickory embers and aged for at least 400 days. Try wrapping some Surryano ham around fresh melon slices, or stacking it in a sandwich.



Other products made by Edwards of Surry available in our marketplace include the Cooked Boneless Petite Ham, and the Smokehouse Sampler--a trio of Hickory-Smoked Sausage Links, Sliced Bacon, and pre-sliced, center-cut Country Ham. 

Happy Local Eatings from the whole Arganica team!