IFBC17 is just around the corner. If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, don’t miss out. 

The below post comes to us from IFBC17 sponsor, Avocados from Chile, whom you will be able to meet September 29 – October 1 at the IFBC. 

We don’t have to convince you of the merits of the increasingly popular avocado. Loaded with twenty vitamins, minerals and oils, avocados are cholesterol-free and packed full of unsaturated monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the good kind).

Avocados are a daily staple for many.  The numbers are quite staggering, but weekly avocado consumption in the U.S. is estimated to reach 50 million pounds by 2019.  That’s right, 50 million pounds consumed each week!  Lucky for us, when local, California-grown avocados have finished their season in September, Avocados from Chile come into the market to fill the gap, keeping your grocery store well stocked and your fruit bowl happy.

So, why Avocados from Chile? Our avocados are as rich as the culture that nurtures them and as lush as the country they come from. Chile’s unusually diverse geography offers excellent growing conditions, with avocados a prime and renowned crop. Avocados from Chile are also grown responsibly and fairly by farmers who bring their pride and passion to each avocado they harvest.

Have questions? Want to learn more about avocado usage ideas and nutrition, or what goes into growing a Chilean avocado? Avocados from Chile will be at the Expo and the Live Food & Drink Blogging event. We’ll also be hosting a Discovery Session. Join us and learn more about Super Natural Avocados from Chile.  Or shoot us your questions in advance, using the hashtag #IFBCavocados  on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.

 

We’re only one month from IFBC17!!! If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, don’t miss out. 

The below post comes to us from IFBC17 sponsor, Zaycon Fresh, whom you will be able to meet September 29 – October 1 at the IFBC. 

Have you ever thought about where your food comes from? Have you ever considered the importance of it? The quality of it? The freshness of it? Even the value of it?

My name is Cassie and I am a frugal living blogger, stay-at-home mom to six kids.  I run a family on a tight budget and share with others what I am doing to accomplish this goal. It isn’t always easy, but there are many things I have learned over the years that have improved our lives and our budget.

One of the turning points in our budget and in our diet was the use of food co-ops.

When I first started my frugal journey, as a young, new mom many years ago, I was only concerned about getting the lowest possible prices. I wasn’t as concerned about what we ate. If it was in the “grocery” store, then there should be no issue with the quality of what we ate because they couldn’t sell it otherwise, right? I was just thrilled to get as much food as I could for nearly nothing.

As time went on, I learned that there is responsible food buying for health and for the community, but how do I reconcile this against my tight budget?

As I dove into this topic more, I realized that I could buy foods in bulk and spend my time better preparing fresh foods from home, from scratch instead of spending my time clipping coupons. Once I began to implement my more simple food solution with just a bit of prep, I was actually saving time! Even with me becoming a pro at couponing and store sale shopping, it still took a few hours per week to get those foods at such a low price.  But once I began implementing my new system, I was spending even less than that, staying in budget and eating healthy! 

Our journey into a healthful diet has been a gradual one over many years, but one of the best ways that we have found to accomplish our goals in eating healthy on a tight budget is the use of food co-ops.

Today, our diets consist of nearly all fresh, plant-based foods, adding in a few healthy bulk grains like quinoa and wild rices, along with fresh, direct from-the-farm-to-table meats.

With those three basic categories, a handful of homemade rubs, sauces, mixes and dressings, we have an endless menu of delicious, fresh, healthy, budget-concious meals every day.

So where do I find my basic three groups of foods?

1. I can buy my fresh produce with the rock-bottom produce sales that week at the grocery store, fill-in with produce from my local produce co-op and my own garden, along with being able to get fresh, delicious options through our abundant farmer’s markets.
2. I can buy my healthy grains in bulk at the big warehouse stores and bulk food stores in my area (Winco and Honeyville), Amazon.com, and a few other online sources are a great place to grab wild rice and many other healthier, hearty grains for much less.
3. The biggest and most revolutionary area of change in budget was when I found a source for farm fresh meats in bulk, Zaycon Fresh Foods. Once I discovered this, I haven’t purchased meats in the grocery store for seven years.

I simply place my bulk meat co-op order of 40 lb of fresh chicken a few times per year, and I pickup my order in my local area at the specified date and time a few weeks later, which comes direct from the farm and is to my table in about three days time. This one trick has not only saved me about 40% on average for my meat purchases, but I am getting fresh, not frozen, farm fresh chicken with no added hormones or added antibiotics. I am also buying the meat for the exact poundage, not being charged for the liquids grocery stores add to their meats.  I was also thrilled to find out that they use farms that treat their animals humanely.

I was first hooked on Zaycon Fresh Foods with our amazing chicken orders, but they later added meats of all kinds from Wild Alaskan Caught Salmon (nothing farmed), steak, to ground beef, and any other meats you desire all for that great value.

With these three tips, I have successfully stayed within that same budget I had as a crazy couponer, but now a farm fresh, healthy cooking, simple menu family!

As a blogger, late last year, Zaycon Fresh Foods started an affiliate program. You can bet that I was super excited to now be earning money off of something that I have already been telling all of my readers about for so many years!

You can join the Zayon Fresh affiliate program. Then visit their booth at the International Food Bloggers Conference and tell them Cassie sent you!

If you want to try the program yourself – I would encourage you to sign-up as a customer as well and try those fresh farm-to-table meats for your own family as well.

Cassie is one of the frugal living writers at TheThriftyCouple.com and author of The 2% Rule To Get Debt Free Fast. 

Join Us for a Fresh Thinking Excursion with

Join Mootral on an exciting trip to the UC Davis beef farm where you will have the ultimate farm-to-fork experience – being the first in North America to try the world’s first climate-friendly beef!

The way that cows usually digest food results in GHG emissions being released into the environment. On this tour, you will learn about Mootral, an all-natural feed supplement that helps cows digest, reducing GHG emissions by a minimum of 30 percent and you will see it in action. Upon arrival to the UC Davis beef cattle feedlot, you will be greeted by one of the leading scientists in sustainable agriculture, Professor Ermias Kebreab.

Ermias will provide an overview of different activities to achieve sustainable livestock agriculture, including what are enteric fermentation and methane emissions and why they matter. Most importantly, he will walk you through the current trial you will witness in action, of beef cattle eating the Mootral feed and GHG emissions being measured through the GreenFeed system.

Following the tour, you will be pampered with a world-first, premium dinner featuring climate-friendly, dry-aged and smoked prime rib beef raised, processed and prepared at UC Davis. After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel with a new appreciation for farm-to-fork and some Mootral swag to remember the experience.

This event is now open! If you’re not yet registered for the IFBC, you can register here now. If you are registered you can reserve your seat at the link below.

Fresh Thinking: Mooving towards a Climate-Friendly Cow, Max capacity: 50, $25, Reserve your seat today! Note: Participants must confirm and sign a waiver that states they have not been outside of the continental United States within the 7 days prior to this excursion.

The below post comes to us from IFBC17 sponsor, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, The Original, whom you will be able to meet September 29 – October 1 at the IFBC. If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, don’t miss out! 

Have you ever tasted the original Balsamic Vinegar of Modena?  Today, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI is sold in more than 120 countries around the world and it’s among the top 10 Italian PDO and PGI food specialties. Its success, however, particularly on an international level, has contributed to the emergence and spread of fraud in the form of products that imitate or simply claim the title “balsamic,” harming the producers and proliferating consumer’s confusion. It is a very large business worth around €60 billion in North America, which is almost half of the entire Italian Food Industry turnover and more than twice its exports.

The Consorzio Tutela Aceto Balsamico di Modena IGP is proud to present, the informational and promotional session entitled “BALSAMIC VINEGAR OF MODENA, THE ORIGINAL – Protected Geographical Indication from Europe” at IFBC17.  This session will strengthen the added value of the product, in terms of authenticity, safety, traceability and labeling guaranteed by the European trademark protection. Italian and European agrifood is an enological and gastronomic heritage and eating style based not only on quality, goodness and genuineness, but also on the guarantee of safety, healthiness and origin.

According to tradition and in compliance with regulations, the area of production of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI comprises the provinces of Modena and Reggio Emilia. The beauty of Modena has even conquered the UNESCO World Heritage list with Piazza Grande, Modena Cathedral and Ghirlandina Bell Tower all within just a few blocks of each other. In addition to Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI, Modena and Reggio Emilia are also food and wine capitals known for salumi, tortellini, and of course the Lambrusco.

What to look for when you buy balsamic

The Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI may be distinguished by its unique, delicate, persistent and pleasant aroma, its harmonious acidity, deep brown color, acetic odor with woody overtones and for its balanced sweet and sour flavor.

The Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI is a product of the Emilian territory, a skill honed over thousands of years. It is clear and bright with an intense dark brown color tending towards black. Its taste is bitter-sweet with a harmony between acidity and sweetness while its odor is lightly acidic, delicate and persistent with eventual woody notes.

The secret behind Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI lies in three factors:

• Grapes: only seven indigenous vines can be used
• Earth: environment and microclimate affect the final result
• Love: the families of Modena jealously perpetuate their own tradition and secrets

The packaging must bear the words Aceto Balsamico di Modena, together with the Protected Designation of Origin logo. If the product was aged for more than three years, the packaging also bears the word “Aged.” Also, producers associated with the Protection Consortium are allowed to display the Consortium logo on the label.

How to recognize the authentic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena? The PGI logo permits to distinguish the original product from imitations. Pay attention, the original Balsamic Vinegar of Modena is one of a kind.

Join the Consorzio in the Authentic Balsamic Vinegar IFBC17 experience!

Join the Director of the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Consorzio as he introduces you to the original Balsamic Vinegar and its history, from 1800 to today. Learn why it is indicated both for giving the finishing touches to simple, day-to-day, “quick” dishes and for enriching refined creations in an imaginative way, open to fusion influences!  Don’t miss the opportunity to taste these products loved by both professional chefs and food enthusiasts around the world.

Below are the IFBC17 opportunities to meet the Consorzio:

Friday, September 29

4:15 – 6:30 PM Expo, Taste of Sacramento & Gift Suite

Saturday, September 30

1:45 – 2:45 PM Discovery Sessions

4:15 – 5:15 PM Live Food & Drink Blogging:  attendees will experience Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and other nine different food and drink products in small-group encounters over a 50-minute period, all the while live blogging, Tweeting, and using other social media platforms in real time.

For more information about Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PGI and the “BALSAMIC VINEGAR OF MODENA, THE ORIGINAL – Protected Geographical Indication from Europe” program, visit the website www.originalbalsamicvinegar.eu and the Facebook page, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, the Original: https://www.facebook.com/originalbalsamicvinegar/

 

We hope you can join us for this informative (and delicious) session in Sacramento this September. Having toured Modena and several Balsamic Vinegar of Modena producers, we can attest to the difference. See you in California!

The below post comes to us from IFBC17 sponsor and post-conference excursion host El Dorado County, whom you will be able to meet September 29 – October 1 at IFBC. And beginning July 31, 2017, 25 lucky bloggers can register to attend the exciting post-conference excursion detailed below. 

And if you haven’t registered for the conference yet, please do so now. Prices increase July 1.

For those seeking to escape the status quo and quench their thirst for adventure, the bountiful backroads of El Dorado County are a welcome haven. Here you’ll find a perfect blend of breathtaking scenery, rich and colorful history, exciting outdoor opportunities and fun agricultural excursions year-round. Not to mention it’s one of California’s most exciting wine production and tasting destinations with the largest, most diverse selection of wine grapes in the world.

The area’s multifaceted terrain features hundreds of unique microclimates ranging in elevation from 476 feet to more than 10,800 feet, enabling the intrepid farmers and winemakers to provide a wide selection of products. Speaking of its people, the area is home to some of the most passionate entrepreneurs and connoisseurs you’ll meet, possessing an indomitable spirit that brings to mind the days of the Gold Rush when this region was a loose collection of rustic mining towns. Keen to explore new opportunities, the innovators of El Dorado County are committed to making this one of the world’s most desirable destinations for farm-fresh produce and amazing wine.

After all, as world-renowned wine critic Michael Broadbent said, “Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life’s most civilized pleasures.”

Itinerary for the Post Conference Excursion – October 1, 2017:
9:00 a.m. – Depart for Skinner Vineyards, one of Wine & Spirits magazine’s “2016 Wineries to Watch.” Along the way, an El Dorado County guide will share additional details about the area’s history, agriculture and wine.

10:30 a.m. – While “drinking in” Skinner Vineyard’s stunning vista, participants will enjoy a catered Farm-to-Table Brunch prepared by Table Nectar, El Dorado County’s premier purveyor of locally sourced meals that are fresh, healthy, flavorful and good for the Earth. The meal will include tastings from various El Dorado County wineries, along with hard cider and sparkling wine pairings.

12:30 p.m. – Depart for downtown Placerville.

1:00 p.m. – Jody Franklin, Director of the El Dorado County Visitors Authority, leads a walking tour of Placerville’s historic downtown. Various stop-offs will introduce participants to delectable cheeses, an olive oil tasting and a locally-owned charcuterie, with local wine pairings at each stop.

2:30 p.m. – Depart for Boeger Winery, one of the area’s original wineries and a champion of so-called “underdog” varietals such as Barbera, Carignane, Refosco, Charbono and Anglianico.

3:00 p.m. – Finish this excursion with a culinary extravaganza at Boeger Winery featuring rare apple varieties paired with wines and ciders from the famous Apple Hill region, alongside hearty fare from The Butcher’s Kitchen. Chef Casey King will prepare dry-aged Prime Angus Beef Rib Eye roasted over a wood fire. During the presentation, Chef Casey will share insights on the aging process, selecting the best cuts and more.

5:30 p.m. – Following dessert and wine, as well as port and cigars, the group will depart for Sacramento full of great food, wine, and memories.

For more information and details about recreational activities in El Dorado County, peruse visiteldorado.com. For more information on the El Dorado Winery Association and its members, visit eldoradowines.org.