When you’re bequeathed several vintage gumball machines, the gift comes with a mandate to do something creative. But what? That was the dilemma recently facing Daniel Phillips and Kim Karlsrud of Los Angeles’s Commonstudio design firm. “A family member had a vending machine hobby for years, and we we’re lucky enough to inherit a handful of them,” Phillips says. “[But] it didn’t feel right to just fill them up with candy.” Click HERE to read the rest of this article.

With mushroom season coming in, get the grill ready for these deliciously “meaty” vegetarian treats that make you a true believer in the plant world. Prepare these foil packets of mushrooms at home, then pack them, ready to grill, in your picnic basket. The recipe is inspired by one in Patricia Wells’s cookbook “Vegetable Harvest.” You can make this with cultivated or wild mushrooms, your choice. We recommend local oyster mushrooms from Dave & Dee’s. They’re perfectly chewy and have the most amazing flavor, almost indescribable.

Dave tending to his delicious oyster mushrooms.

1 pound large mushrooms (regular, portobello, wild, oyster or a combination), cleaned, trimmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick

2 tablespoons chopped fresh organic thyme, mint, sage, rosemary or marjoram

2 to 4 organic garlic cloves, thinly sliced or chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing foil

1. Cut four 12-by-12-inch squares of heavy aluminum foil, or eight squares of regular aluminum foil (stack two sheets each of the lighter foil to make four squares).

2. In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Use a large spoon to blend the ingredients.

3. Brush the dull side of the aluminum squares with olive oil, and divide the mushrooms among the four squares. Fold the squares over and crimp the edges together to form well-sealed packets. Place on a hot grill, and grill 20 to 25 minutes. Remove one packet from the grill, and place on a plate. Carefully open it to check for doneness. The mushrooms should be tender and juicy. Either transfer to plates or bowls (there will be lots of juice), or cut the packets and eat the mushrooms directly from them. Have lots of crusty bread on hand to sop up the juices.

Yield: Serves four.

Advance preparation: You can prepare the foil packets up to a day ahead and keep in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information per serving: 89 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 6 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during preparation); 4 grams protein

VEGAN: Twin Oaks Local Coconut Curried Tofu, Buffalo Vegan Bites, Vegan Bolognese, Chickpea Salad, Azifa, 5 Gran & Herb Salad, Dilled Potato Salad, Citrus Cous Cous, Broccoli-Cranberry Salad, Black Beans, Brown Rice, Ratatouille, Mixed Steamed Veggies, Steamed Broccoli, Red Beans & Rice

VEGETARIAN: Greek Wheat Berry Salad, Forbidden Rice Salad, Roasted Corn on the Cob, Sour Cream & Onion Mashed Potatoes, Mac-N-Cheese, Hoppin’ John’s Green Chili Cheddar Grits, Penne with Vodka Sauce, Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosewater Cheesecake

MEAT: Fiesta Chicken Cold Cuts, Home Style Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad, Chicken with Black Bean Sauce, Cider Braised Chicken, Pork BBQ, Country Style Collards, Rainbow Trout with Pesto Veggies

SOUP: Potato-Bacon Cheddar, Truffled Cauliflower, Split Pea & Ham, Gazpacho, Summer Veggie

*Hot bar is subject to change throughout the day without notice

VEGAN FOODS: Stewed Kale & Chickpeas, Vegan Bolognese Pasta, Red Beans & Rice, Medji’s Cous Cous Chickpea Salad, Grain Salad with Fresh Herbs, Citrus Cous Cous, Broccoli-Cranberry Salad, Black Beans, Brown Basmati Rice, Tamarind Rie, Vegetable Korma, Chole Saag, Curried Cabbage, Aloo Mutter, Gobhi Matar, Steamed Broccoli

VEGETARIAN: Greek Wheatberry Salad, Forbidden Rice Salad, Tandoori Naan, Home Style Mashed Potatoes, Green Chili & Cheddar Grits, Rosewater Cheesecake

MEAT: Fiesta Chicken, Home Style Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad, Chicken Vindaloo, Curried Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Samosa

SOUPS: Gazpacho, Sweet Pea & Fennel with Bacon, Josh’s Truffled Cauliflower Soup, Potato-Bacon Cheddar Soup, Split-Pea Soup with Ham

*Hot bar is subject to chance throughout the day without notice

VEGAN FOODS: Twin Oaks Local Tofu Wedges, Yedinich Salata, Azifa, 5 Grain & Herb Salad, Tabouli, Broccoli-Cranberry Salad, Chickpea Salad, Twin Oaks Local Coconut Curried Tofu, Medji’s Cous Cous, Nile’s Gomen, Quinoa with Corn & Capers, Haricot Verts with Stewed Tomatoes, Black Beans, Brown Basmati Rice, Caponata, Steamed Broccoli

VEGETARIAN: Rosewater Cheesecake, Forbidden Rice Salad, Mac-N-Cheese, Roasted Butternut Squash

MEAT: Fiesta Chicken Cold Cuts, Tuna Salad, Rainbow Trout with Pesto Veggies, Chicken with Black Bean Sauce, Garlic-Citrus Cous Cous, Jambalaya, German Potato Salad, Pork BBQ, Collard Greens with Ham

SOUP: Summer Veggie Soup, Turkey Chili, Split Pea & Ham Soup

*Hot bar is subject to change throughout the day without notice.

VEGAN FOODS: Stuffed Grape Leaves, Yedinich Salata, Azifa, 5 Gran & Fresh Herb Salad, Tabouli, Chickpea Salad, Twin Oaks Local Tofu Wedges, Brown Basmati Rice, Black Beans, Mujadara, Misir Wat, Dinich Wat, Bedelijan, Gomen, Cabbage, Mixed Steamed Vegetables, Caponata, Steamed Broccoli, Gluten-Free Vegan Lasagna, Buffalo Vegan Bites, Baked Ziti, Vegan Loaded Mashed Potatoes

VEGETARIAN FOODS: Greek Wheat Berry Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Pasta with Vodka Sauce, Rosewater Cheesecake

MEAT: Fiesta Chicken Cold Cuts, Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad, Coconut Curried Chicken, Cider Braised Chicken, Jambalaya, Rainbow Trout with Pesto Veggies

SOUP: Split Pea & Ham Soup, Turkey Chili, Truffled Cauliflower Soup, Summer Veggie Soup

*Hot bar is subject to change throughout the day without notice.

The Blue Van … “Be Home Soon” ………………………………………………………………………..

VEGAN: Mixed Steamed Vegetables, Steamed Broccoli, Brown Basmati Rice, Tamarind Rice, Ratatouille

VEGAN BAR (served at 1:00): Citrus Ginger Cous Cous, Kung Pao Tofu, Buffalo Vegan Bites, Vegan Loaded Mashed Potatoes

RAW BAR (vegan): Living Coleslaw, Living Kale Salad, Carrot Fennel & Tomato Salad w/ Orange Thyme Dressing

VEGETARIAN: Sour Cream & Onion Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Corn On The Cob, Hoppin’ Johns Green Chile & Cheddar Homestyle Grits, Mac & Cheese, Rosewater Cheesecake

SOUPS: Summer Veggie Soup (vegan), Turkey Chili, Josh’s Truffled Cauliflower Soup (contains chicken stock)

BREAKFAST (served until 1:00): Pork Sausage, Cheesy Eggs (vegetarian), Strawberry Rhubarb Bread French Toast (vegetarian), Biscuits (vegan), Vegan Tofu Scramble, Breakfast Potatoes (vegan), Pork Bacon, Blueberry Spice Pancakes (vegan), Huevos Rancheros Wrap (vegetarian), Vegan Yellow Grits, Vegan Sausage Gravy

FRESH FRUITS: Mandarin Oranges, Grapes, Pineapple, Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Blueberries

SALAD BAR PREPARED SELECTIONS: Fiesta Chicken, Homestyle Tuna Salad, Homestyle Chicken Salad, Dilled Potatoes (vegan), Yedinich Salata (vegan), Citrus Cous Cous (vegan), Grain Salad w/ Fresh Herbs (vegan), Forbidden Rice Salad (vegetarian), Oven Fried Tofu Wedges (vegan), Chickpea Salad (vegan), Greek Wheat Berry Salad (vegetarian)

In the past week, nearly 400 million eggs have been recalled in the US. This of course, is due to a scary little bacteria called salmonella. Salmonella is a nasty little, preventable motile enterobacteria that infects about 142,000 Americans each year, primarily from the eggs of chickens. Unfortunately, about 30 of these people die from the contamination. So how does this salmonella get into the egg? Well, that’s when we must turn our attention to the sad practice of factory farming poultry. Wikipedia states that: “The shell of the egg may be contaminated with salmonella by feces or a stale environment, or its interior (yolk).” So if the egg can become contaminated by feces or a stale environment, how do you prevent this from happening? We’ll first off, you don’t stack chickens on top of chickens on top of chickens in cages where they can’t even open their wings and the light of day is non-existant.

Instead, and on a positive note, how about letting the chickens roam free, breath fresh air, feel the sun, drink fresh water and strut wherever they may choose in open pastures, enjoying delicious bugs from the earth and chatting with their friends; just like our friend Joel Salatin does at Polyface Farms in Swoope, Virginia. In fact, all of the eggs we sell are free-range, naturally raise, cage-free and best of all, locally raised right here in Virginia.

By raising livestock and farming with these methods, the threat of salmonella is almost non-existant. Factory-farming is something that you just won’t find in our store. Instead, we source from small, place-based local farms that we’ve seen and established great relationships with. Our farmers are familiar with bad and unethical farming methods and instead, practice the ones that work both for their business and their birds. It’s the way they choose to do things thus it’s the reason we work with them, directly.

Now, if you’re still a bit uncertain just why local-organic eggs, raised right here in Virginia are better, let’s take a look at the following comparison below:

We decided to put a conventional egg (shown on the left) up against one of our eggs (on the right) in a color comparison. We’re looking for a darker yolk here, signifying more nutrition from better feed in the egg.

It’s not that hard to tell who the winner is here. Local eggs not only have a richer yolk from healthier chickens, but they taste better too (in our opinion). And no, none of these photos have been retouched and we didn’t use any smoke and mirrors. Of course you’re not paying the cheap cost of factory raised eggs, and you’re also not paying for flavor either.

So what’s the moral of all this? How about, “Buying local from trusted farmers is better than a medical bill any day”?

Make packing your child’s lunch even easier, without depriving them of the healthy good stuff!

Made specially by our talented Deli staff, we proudly introduce the Ellwood Thompson’s “School Box.” Each package contains a well rounded meal of veggies, organic ingredients and local products that your child will surely love.

The best part about the “School Box” is that it goes way beyond children! My mouth was watering over the selection during the photoshoot. Because of its “grab-and-go” style this idea is great for almost anyone!

As of right now we have 3 different selections for you to pick from…and they are only $3.99!

PB&J School Box

Comes with a PB&J sammy, Carrot Sticks, Raisins, Ellwood Granola and a brownie to top it off.

Ham & Crackers School Box

Comes with Ham, Crackers, Cheddar Cheese, Celery w/Peanut Butter and a brownie to top it off.

Turkey Sammy School Box (not pictured)

Comes with a Turkey Sammy, Celery w/Peanut Butter, Ellwood Granola and a Brownie

We are just getting started…so we’ll be sure to let you know if there are any additions!