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Foodshed Magazine (was Flavor Magazine), Founder, Publisher, and Editor-In-Chief Melissa Kane Harris - Beware Of Subscribing Because They're Not Publishing


zoramargolis

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The new issue just came out, and in it is an article that I wrote entitled "Market Research" (titled by the editor, not me) --portraits of three Virginia-based vendors at the Dupont Market: Bev Egg, Zach from Tree and Leaf, and Dr. Pat from Everona Dairy. The article, unfortunately, is not one of the four in the current online issue on the website (www.flavormags.com), but hard copies can be found at the Dupont Market, and other possible locations unknown to me at the moment.

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The new issue just came out, and in it is an article that I wrote entitled "Market Research" (titled by the editor, not me) --portraits of three Virginia-based vendors at the Dupont Market: Bev Egg, Zach from Tree and Leaf, and Dr. Pat from Everona Dairy. The article, unfortunately, is not one of the four in the current online issue on the website (www.flavormags.com), but hard copies can be found at the Dupont Market, and other possible locations unknown to me at the moment.

You do know you have big things coming your way, yes?

Remember us when you're famous; we loved you when you weren't.

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You do know you have big things coming your way, yes?

Remember us when you're famous; we loved you when you weren't.

Don, it's very kind of you to say that, but "big things" have been predicted for me by my friends since I was 15 years old. At this point, I'm pretty well resigned to the reality that fame is not in my future, and that's okay. I'm just pleased to see my words in print now and then, and get the greatest satisfaction from exploring my passion for food and sharing that passion with the local community.
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Hi Everybody--

We're bringing our magazine, Flavor, to D.C. We've been printing for a little over a year, but our current issue is the first that's been widely distributed in D.C. You can find out where to find the magazine at www.flavormags.com/distribution. The magazine is full-color, beautiful, and free. You can see some our lead stories online here: www.flavormags.com.

Our lead story, on the ramifications of the White House organic garden, is written by the famed NY Times food writer Marion Burros. We also have profiles of the Common Good City farm at 5th and V sts NW, Boxwood Winery, and the Dupont Circle farmers market. If you're a foodie, you can't miss it. Our focus will continue to be on local food producers, farmers, brewers, vintners, and locally-focused chefs. Pick up an issue; I know the Rockwell community will love it. If you haven't seen it and can't find it, email me at travis@flavormags.com and I'll lead you to a copy.

We're so excited to be a part of the (quickly) growing local food scene in D.C. Feel free to get in touch and let me know what you think of it.

Thanks, and keep reading,

Travis Bjorklund

Flavor Magazine

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OK, then let me restate:

All of these distribution points, and the only place to get it in Montgomery County is Saturday morning in Silver Spring? STILL booooooo.

Hi--

You can also get the magazine in Bethesda and Takoma Park--several locations that you might expect:

Bethesda:

Cork & Fork

Organic to Go

Dolcezza

The permanent farmers market there

Takoma Park:

The Big Bad Woof

Roscoe's

The Takoma Park Co-op

A little hippy store that I cannot for the life of me find the name of

Hopefully we'll be in all the Mom's Organic Markets after this week, too. Flavor loves Maryland!

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The bone marrow starter was three BIG bone halves with a whole bulb of roasted garlic. I'm not a bone marrow fan, but my sister loved it.

This month's Flavor Magazine has a wonderful article written by our own zoramargolis, PLUS this bone marrow starter recipe (I believe) from BDT.

I can't find the article online, but you can find some complimentary issues at your local WF, Northside Social or other local markets; right now they are running a deal for a $19.95 year subscription.

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This month's Flavor Magazine has a wonderful article written by our own zoramargolis, PLUS this bone marrow starter recipe (I believe) from BDT.

I can't find the article online, but you can find some complimentary issues at your local WF, Northside Social or other local markets; right now they are running a deal for a $19.95 year subscription.

I got a free copy unexpectedly at the Red, White, & Bleu wine boutique in Falls Church last weekend.

And yes, the article was nicely done.

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This month's Flavor Magazine has a wonderful article written by our own zoramargolis, PLUS this bone marrow starter recipe (I believe) from BDT.

I can't find the article online, but you can find some complimentary issues at your local WF, Northside Social or other local markets; right now they are running a deal for a $19.95 year subscription.

Unfortunately, there isn't enough (space? bandwidth? somethingorother else?) to allow them to put the whole mag up on the website, and none of the articles I've written thus far have made it online. Flavor is available in lots more places around the area, however; the most recent places I've seen it, and I don't go out very much: BlackSalt Market, The Butcher Block in Alexandria, Arrowine, Organic Butcher of McLean.

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An article I've written for Flavor about local charcuterie has made it onto the online version! Be sure to click on the link at the end of the article to read my "Charcuterie Primer."

http://flavormagazinevirginia.com/capital-charcuterie-locally-grown-ground/

Great article, Zora. We are fortunate to be able to enjoy charcuterie etc. dining out and dining in. The Butcher's Block has just been off my radar, as I seem to get my goods at the farmers markets. I think a visit is long overdue.

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The Summer 2011 issue of Flavor is out--with a photo of Sam Kass on the cover. I've written an article "Taming the Wild Yeast" about Bethesda home bread baking expert Peter Helffrich, who bakes rustic bread using a wild yeast starter that he created in his own kitchen in 2005. For anyone interested in creating their own wild yeast starter or in using Peter's technique for no-knead bread, there are comprehensive instructions for both.

Right now, you'll have to look for a hard copy of the 'zine. This article won't be on Flavor's website until July. I'll post a link when it is up.

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Here's a link to my Flavor article "Taming the Wild Yeast", about master home bread-baker Peter Helffrich.

Check out Peter's blog for step-by-step photos on working with starters and no-knead bread making. The slideshow is particularly good. He's also going to be offering small group classes in his Bethesda home, and he'll give some of his starter culture to participants. His rustic bread is the best I've ever eaten.

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Just a quick shout out to Flavor magazine. If you have not read it, you are missing out on the joy of learning about local farms, restaurants, speciality producers, markets, and practical tips for cooking at home with seasonal ingredients. I also get a particular thrill from seeing Zora and other familiar DR names often gracing the well-designed pages.

For $25, it's a year's worth of local treasures, interesting stories, eloquent writing, gorgeous pictures, and a portal to discover new-to-you experiences in the DC area. It's one of the best values I've found and I feel like a little kid at Christmas when it hits my mailbox every other month.

Subscribe, darn it.

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Just a quick shout out to Flavor magazine. If you have not read it, you are missing out on the joy of learning about local farms, restaurants, speciality producers, markets, and practical tips for cooking at home with seasonal ingredients. I also get a particular thrill from seeing Zora and other familiar DR names often gracing the well-designed pages.

For $25, it's a year's worth of local treasures, interesting stories, eloquent writing, gorgeous pictures, and a portal to discover new-to-you experiences in the DC area. It's one of the best values I've found and I feel like a little kid at Christmas when it hits my mailbox every other month.

Subscribe, darn it.

Thanks, KMango! All of the features you've mentioned are particularly appealing to the cooks, shoppers, diners among us. What I also appreciate about Flavor, is the attention paid to food politics, social concerns and sustainable living issues. And don't forget about local wine. There's a whole section in each issue about local wineries and their products.

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The Spring 2012 issue is out. Look for the massive morel mushrooms on the cover. I've written an article entitled "The Edible Treasure Hunt" about foraging. It's not up on the Flavor website yet. I'll post a link when it is.

I'm looking forward to reading it, and hope we see some of those treasures at the farmers markets this year.

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Serendipitously, this afternoon I discovered "foodshed" magazine, published locally out of Front Royal, and was told that it was a reboot of Flavor magazine, which had supposedly run into trademark trouble over its name. I can't speak to the credibility of that story, but Salatin and Burros are contributors, and the content is well worth a read.

http://food-shed.org

Volume 1 number 1 "Autumn 2012" is on sale now, with Tarver King as the cover story.

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Serendipitously, this afternoon I discovered "foodshed" magazine, published locally out of Front Royal, and was told that it was a reboot of Flavor magazine, which had supposedly run into trademark trouble over its name. I can't speak to the credibility of that story, but Salatin and Burros are contributors, and the content is well worth a read.

http://food-shed.org

Volume 1 number 1 "Autumn 2012" is on sale now, with Tarver King as the cover story.

Well, then, by damn, we all have to support FoodShed magazine. Who's with me, and what do we need to do?

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Congrats!

Maybe you can keep them on a better schedule. I was a little surprised that the recipies in this issue were mostly for winter foods (i.e. soups, root vegetable dishes) and nothing with asparagus or other spring crops. I also noticed that there were ads for events that had already taken place (a month or more ago).

The date of the issue is "Late Winter/Early Spring" which explains a lot, but I wonder if they missed their mailing deadline by a month or two?

I still love the magazine, but I wish I was reading about spring and summer happenings, not winter!

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What a wonderful resource!

One thing that I noticed right away about the website--as someone who is interested in eating seasonally and locally--was that despite the focus on local foods, it's not easy to discern what the particular local area of this publication is.

I did sign up for the newsletter, though, and look forward to learning more from the folks involved in this!

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Congrats!

Maybe you can keep them on a better schedule. I was a little surprised that the recipies in this issue were mostly for winter foods (i.e. soups, root vegetable dishes) and nothing with asparagus or other spring crops. I also noticed that there were ads for events that had already taken place (a month or more ago).

The date of the issue is "Late Winter/Early Spring" which explains a lot, but I wonder if they missed their mailing deadline by a month or two?

I still love the magazine, but I wish I was reading about spring and summer happenings, not winter!

Thank you for your feedback. There has been a considerable amount of upheaval and now that the dust is settling, things should go more smoothly. The change from Flavor to Foodshed, from for-profit to non-profit, the editor-in-chief leaving along with the photographer, resulted in the first issue of Foodshed being sent out a couple of months later than originally planned. The mag is now a quarterly instead of a bi-monthly. The next issue will be out in the summer. Also the area of coverage has now been expanded from the DC foodshed to the entire Mid-Atlantic foodshed, which goes up to NYC and environs.

Articles for big food magazines are written a year in advance, so spring 2013 recipes, etc. were written and photographed in Spring 2012. Foodshed is very young and still finding its footing. Your concerns are certainly valid, and will be on my mind as we figure out how we can be as relevant and useful as possible to our readers.

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Foodshed is the only food-related publication that I subscribe to.

post-2-0-31783500-1366640699_thumb.jpg

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Edit: Foodshed is also the only food-related publication that I've ever subscribed to, has taken my money, and hasn't delivered the magazines. Caveat emptor in a big way.

Edited by DonRocks
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I've enjoyed Flavor/FoodShed in the past. For awhile in its early days (maybe 3 or 4 years ago?), I think it was made available without charge in different places like Whole Foods. Then it went to a pay model and I'd just pick it up whenever I saw it somewhere. Sensed some changes and challenges were going on as Zora has explained above since sometimes the magazine wasn't on stands for a long time, the name change, etc.

But, through it all always enjoyed the content. Joel Salatin was a regular columnist (maybe still will be?) I enjoyed. Think I even went to an event they held last year or year prior. I remember meeting Ms. Harris and Joel Salatin was a speaker there.

With Zora on board, this wonderful publication will be even better. And I'm now a subscriber as well! Congrats Zora!!

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I want to warn our readers about Foodshed Magazine.

They are in financial difficulty, are not publishing (they only published two issues), and the owner is trying to find a buyer. To the best of my knowledge, they haven't filed bankruptcy, but when I talked with the owner several weeks ago, the entire publication seemed to be in limbo.

This would all be fine, but it appears that their website is still accepting payments for subscriptions. And if that's true, it's not fine because this has been the situation for many months. Although I'm not sure, I did a test, and entered my PayPal account, getting right to the screen where I was to confirm payment - then backed out.

Earlier this year, I subscribed, received one issue, and never received another. I also wrote an article for them which will never be published (at least not by them). I found out about their financial difficulties several weeks ago, and didn't say anything (why beat a dead horse?), but now that I've discovered they may still be accepting payments, I feel like I should issue a warning to our readers.

If anyone has subscribed and missed issues, perhaps your credit card company can help you out. I let it go and wrote it off, but I don't want to see other people get burned.

I'm not accusing anybody of anything; I'm merely presenting the (limited) facts as I know them.

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Edit: I clicked on the link above just now, and got this, so maybe I either broke something, or their site is no longer active, and I somehow accidentally got in the first time (in which case they *aren't* accepting PayPal, and the only thing to warn people about is that they may not get the issues they paid for):

post-2-0-36121200-1386992938_thumb.png

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Edit: As of 6:30 AM Saturday, the website is fine. CAVEAT EMPTOR.

There's something fundamentally wrong with this.

Edited by DonRocks
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In November 2012, I purchased a 2-year subscription, using PayPal. I think I've received one issue, maybe two.  But then PayPal automatically paid them for ANOTHER two-year subscription this November. I have tried to contact them by email, phone, and on their Facebook page, with no response. I guess I'll have to go to PayPal to resolve this problem. Clearly they set up their billing incorrectly last year.

I really enjoyed this publication when it was Flavor, but haven't had much to enjoy since it changed its title. Caveat emptor.

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You know what? I really didn't think twice about this until I saw they're still (apparently) accepting PayPal subscriptions.

If anyone has subscribed in the past several months, (since the Autumn) would you please chime in here? Because I know for a fact that they knew they weren't going to be publishing then.

I am very sorry if anyone lost money because of my recommendation - if it's any consolation, I got bilked as well, both as a subscriber, and a contributor. And I even went so far as to give them a glowing recommendation because I wanted to support the concept (see above).

Look at this tweet from Jessica Strelitz.

Melissa Kane Harris, you owe it to the public to explain what is going on. Are you still accepting subscription money?

Well, well, well ... look what I just found.

post-2-0-60429700-1387074332_thumb.png

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Yes, they owe me payment for a story I did on Lost Rhino Brewiing, which actually ran in a publication they were contracted to produce called Inspired Magazine -- it ran a year ago this falll.

I've emailed the folks at Flavor/FoodShed repeatedly, and the last I heard from Melissa was in February, saying they were waiting on payment from a third party. No word since then.

I realy enjoyed working with Pam Hess while she was there. It's a shame that the contributors and readers are being treated the way.

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Just before midnight tonight, I received an email from PayPal informing me that my automatic payment to FoodShed has been suspended. No word on a refund for the extra 2-year subscription that was paid automatically in November. Guess I won't hold my breath.

I got the same email last night at 10:42 PM. I guess I was placed on automatic renewal too, and didn't know it.

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