Can't Wait for Bockfest?

Cincinnati has a tradition of celebrating its 1800's beer heritage with a special brew that is tapped around the time of Lent. This year, March 4-6 has been designated as Bockfest in downtown's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Early March seems like a perfect time to honor your German heritage or hoist a mug of Bockbier. At our house, we jump the gun a bit and have created our own holiday called Febfest. In 2011, we celebrate this weekend.
It all began 17 years ago when Mr. Daisy Mae decided we needed a reason to get together with our friends during the grey, cold days of winter. We love the fall Oktoberfests around Cincinnati so Mr. Daisy Mae suggested his own version of Febfest. Why not get together when we all have cabin fever and share traditional German food and drink with our good friends? This could be Gemütlichkeit at its best...and so it began.
We've found the best Febfest features food from local small businesses. We start with several cheeses from Gibb's at Findlay Market and follow that with a "radi" (fresh Daikon radish thinly sliced and salted) from our own Daisy Mae's. Alongside the cheese are pretzels from Servatii's. Next come the sauerkraut balls, and then we serve fresh sausages from Kroeger & Sons at Findlay Market. The main course features wiener schnitzel made from Avril's fresh veal and served on mini-buns from North College Hill Bakery. The sandwiches are accompanied by homemade German slaw and potato pancakes made with ingredients from our own Daisy Mae's Market. Dinner concludes with Mr. Daisy Mae's apfelstrüdel baked with Granny Smith apples. Of course, the entire meal tastes better when accompanied by a Christian Moerlein beer or a Bockbier from your favorite local brewery. This year we're going one better---home brew crafted by a special German friend.
So, you see, it's possible to have a German celebration with the help of local Cincinnati small businesses. Try it--shop locally, celebrate internationally, and have fun with good friends, good food, and good drink.

I'm Not a Doctor and I Don't Play One on TV, but...

THE SUN IS SHINING TODAY IN CINCINNATI. After the snow and ice of February and the gray and gloom of the first few days of March, it finally feels like spring will eventually get here. With the sun shining and the blue sky, I've noticed a few more smiles on faces and a little more bounce in everyone's step. It's amazing what a little sun can do.
Researchers have known for years that Vitamin D is crucial to building strong bones and supporting the immune system. They've known we need the sun's effect to get full nutritional value from the food we eat. In recent years, some studies have connected getting the proper amount of sunlight to preventing seasonal affective disorder (SAD), osteoporosis, depression, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers. I'm not a doctor, but I know that seeing the sun shine after a dreary winter gets people out of the house.
At Daisy Mae's Market, we've noticed that the number of customers goes up when the sun shines. It doesn't have so much to do with warmer temperatures as it does with just plain sun. It's almost as if humans can sense when they haven't had the required dosage of sunlight.
The next few days look sunny and bright. Time for you to take your medicine: Get out the door and soak up the sun. Go to Fountain Square to watch the Cinciditarod. Experience Bockfest. Shop at Findlay Market. You know you need that Vitamin D!

How to Host a Bockfest Party

Cincinnati has a tradition of celebrating its 1800's beer heritage with a special brew that is tapped around the time of Lent. This year, March 6-8 has been designated as Bockfest in downtown's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Early March seems like a perfect time to honor your German heritage or hoist a mug of Bock beer. At our house, we jumped the gun a bit and have created our own holiday called Febfest---in 2010, we celebrated this past weekend.
It all began 15 years ago when Barry decided we needed a reason to get together with our friends during the grey, cold days of winter. We love the fall Oktoberfests around Cincinnati so Barry suggested his own version of Febfest. Why not get together when we all have cabin fever and share traditional German food and drink with our good friends? Gemütlichkeit at its best...and so it began.
We've found the best Febfest features food from local small businesses. We start with limburger cheese from Gibb's at Findlay Market and follow that with a "radi" (fresh Daikon radish thinly sliced and salted) from Country Fresh Market in Hartwell. Next come the sauerkraut balls made from Avril's ingredients, and then we serve fresh sausages from Kroeger & Sons at Findlay Market. The main course features wiener schnitzel again made from Avril's fresh veal and served on mini-buns from North College Hill Bakery. The sandwiches are accompanied by potato pancakes made with potatoes and onions from our own Daisy Mae's Market. Dinner concludes with homemade apfelstrüdel baked with Daisy Mae's Granny Smith apples. Of course, the entire meal tastes better when accompanied by a Christian Moerlein beer or a Bockbier from your favorite local brewery.
So, you see, it's possible to have a German celebration with the help of local Cincinnati small businesses. Try it--shop locally, celebrate internationally, and have fun with good friends, good food, and good drink.