Whitewood Cider Co. Wants Your Homegrown Apples and Pears

I really love this idea — Whitewood Cider Co. (which I wrote about recently for the Weekly Volcano) is looking for your homegrown apples and pears to use in their ciders. For more details on how to participate, check out Whitewood Cider’s blog.

Just think…you could be part of Whitewood’s amazing story, just as they’re blowing up big time. Imagine stopping by Pint Defiance or your other friendly retailer, popping open a bottle and knowing that you had something to do with its production. Their South Sounder cider (which I’ve had, and it’s delicious) is made up of 100 percent local apples. So very cool.

According to Whitewood Cider, thousands of pounds of fallen apples go to waste each year. So if you’ve got extra apples or pears, be part of this hyper-local business and drink to sweet success.

Image via Whitewood Cider Co.

Broadway Sizzle

I see a lot of food-related events run across my desk each month, and I try to make it to as many as I can. One upcoming event that has stood out to me is Broadway Center for the Performing Arts’ Broadway Sizzle, August 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. Following the event, you can choose to combine the dinner with a show and attend the premier night of the national-touring musical, Chicago.

Call me crazy, but it sounded like a great excuse to get dressed up for a memorable night on the town. The dinner will be at a communal table set up under a tent in the middle of Broadway. Chef Dustin Joseph has created a menu utilizing all local ingredients (menu below), and if you love food, it’s a delight to read (and equally good to taste).

I’m very much looking forward to attending the event, and hope to see you there! Tickets for dinner only are $75, or $150 for both dinner and tickets to Chicago, and can be purchased online. Ticket sales benefit Tacoma Free For All, Broadway Center’s 100 percent free programming each month.

Menu for Broadway Sizzle

Wine and Beer Garden
Braised pork macaroons, pickled sweet onions (Walla Walla, WA), apple jelly (Yakima, WA), caramel sea salt biscuits

Compressed watermelon (Hermiston, OR), thyme-chevre, aged balsamic, honey (Lakewood, WA / Spring Valley)

Dinner
(Family style)
Grilled corn (Puyallup, WA / Sterino Farms), cilantro aioli, cotija cheese, chile dust Heirloom tomato salad (Yakima, WA),  fresh burrata, basil, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette

Cucumber-kale-farro salad (Puyallup, WA / Duris Farms), goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, lemon-cilantro vinaigrette Heirloom melon cornbread

(Plated)
Rosemary grilled (Columbia River, WA) salmon, crisp wild mushrooms (Olympia, WA / Ostrom Farms), sweet potatoes, rose hip jus

Pesto grilled hangar steak (Niman Ranch), chipotle potato salad, caramelized onions, grilled peppers (Wapato, WA / Inaba Farms), aioli

(Dessert station)
Honeyed biscuits, cinnamon creme, macerated strawberries Roasted peaches (Wapato, WA / Pence Orchards), lavender (Sequim, WA / Purple Haze Farms), pistachio Chantilly cream