Drink, eat chocolate and be merry. Many local wineries here and in New Jersey are putting on fun stuff this weekend in honor of sweetheart day – or perhaps just using it as an excuse? How about Wine, Chocolate, Cheese, Jazz, Tango & More at Unionville Vineyards in Ringoes, NJ all weekend? It’s all the things I love most together! Or Champagne for Lovers at Crossing Vineyards where you can learn more about champagne with or without a lover, this Friday evening. You can also enjoy jazz at Crossing from 8 – 10 pm, and a Wine & Chocolate for Lovers class on Sunday. Alba Winery in Milford is also celebrating Wine & Chocolate pairing all weekend. Chaddsford Winery in Lahaska is doing their February Fusion wine tasting party (every weekend in February). And at Shady Brook Farm, they’ve brought their popular Wine Concert Series indoors every Sunday through the winter.

To market, to market. Many, many restaurants are offering Valentine’s Day specials. So many that I can’t list – call up your favorites and ask them what they are offering. Or…go to one of our local farmers’ markets and buy the fixins’ for a homemade meal for your honey. And if cooking’s not your thing, you’ll find artisanal chocolates (like The Painted Truffle at Stockton), sweet baked goods, delectable ice cream, pretty flowers and more to give your sweetie. The Wrightstown Farmers’ Market has one of their winter mini-markets this Saturday morning. The Stockton Market is open all weekend as well, and the Ottsville Indoor Winter Market is Saturday morning from 9 – 11 am. This may be the first decent weather Saturday, so drive on over and buy some stuff from local producers. New Hope Farmers’ Market will also have their monthly winter market this Thursday, February 17 in their new location, next to the Eagle Diner on Route 202.

I could go on…but go see for yourself! For more details on any of these events, go to our full calendar, Food Events in Bucks County. Have a lovely, sweet and warm weekend. And follow us on Facebook and Twitter too.

Friday, February 11:

• Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [11 am - 7 pm]
• Wine, Chocolate, Cheese, Jazz, Tango & More, Ringoes, NJ [12 - 5 pm]
• Beer Tasting @ Phillips’ Fine Wines, Stockton, NJ [4 - 6 pm]
• Hoagie & Soup Sale @ Sellersville Fire House, Sellersville [5 - 7 pm]
• Friday Happy Hour @ Hopewell Valley Vineyards, Pennington, NJ [5 - 8 pm]
• Spaghetti Dinner @ Delaware Valley Fire Co., Erwinna [5:30 - 7:30 pm]
• Champagne for Lovers @ Crossing Vineyards, Washington Crossing [7 - 9 pm]
• Barbara Trent @ The Centre Bridge Inn, New Hope [7 - 11 pm]
• Kindle Cafe Supper Club @ Rojo’s Roastery, Lambertville, NJ [7:30 - 9 pm]
• All That Jazz – Jazz Night @ Crossing Vineyards, Washington Crossing [8 - 10 pm]

Saturday, February 12:

• Changing the Way We Eat: TEDxManhattan Event – Webcast, Doylestown [all day]
• Ottsville Indoor Farmers’ Market @ Linden Hill Gardens, Ottsville [9 - 11 am]
• Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [9 am - 3 pm]
• Wrightstown Farmers’ Winter Mini-Market, Wrightstown [10 am - 11 am]
• February Fusion @ Chaddsford Winery, Lahaska [11 am - 5 pm]
• Wine & Chocolate @ Alba Vineyard, Milford, NJ [12 - 5 pm]
• Wine, Chocolate, Cheese, Jazz, Tango & More, Ringoes, NJ [12 - 5 pm]
• Wine Tasting @ Phillips’ Fine Wines, Stockton, NJ [12 - 6 pm]
• Second Saturdays in New Hope [3 - 9 pm]
• 16th Annual Chocolate Lovers’ Fantasy, Newtown [6 - 9 pm]
• Dinner @ Cafe Blue Moose, Buckingham [7 - 9 pm]
• Taste of Chocolate @ Ellarslie Mansion, Trenton [8 - 10 pm]
• Jeffrey Gaines @ New Hope Winery, New Hope [8 - 10:15 pm]

Sunday, February 13:

• Breakfast Buffet @ Richland Twshp Fire, Quakertown [8 am - 1 pm]
• All-you-can-eat Valentine’s Pancake Breakfast, Lambertville, NJ [8 am - 1 pm]
• Stockton Farmers’ Market, Stockton, NJ [10 am - 3 pm]
• February Fusion @ Chaddsford Winery, Lahaska [11 am - 5 pm]
• Wine & Chocolate @ Alba Vineyard, Milford, NJ [12 - 5 pm]
• Wine, Chocolate, Cheese, Jazz, Tango & More, Ringoes, NJ [12 - 5 pm]
• Winter Wine Concert Series @ Shady Brook Farm, Yardley [1 - 4 pm]
• Wine & Chocolate for Lovers @ Crossing Vineyards, Washington Crossing [5 - 7 pm]

Monday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day):

• Wine, Chocolate, Cheese, Jazz, Tango & More, Ringoes, NJ [12 - 5 pm]
• Evening in the Colonial Kitchen @ Cock n’ Bull, Lahaska [5 - 9 pm]
• Candlelit Valentine’s Day Dinner @ Crossing Vineyards, Washington Crossing [7 - 9 pm]
• Kindle Cafe Supper Club Valentine’s Day, Lambertville, NJ [7:30 - 9 pm]

Tuesday, February 15:

• Kitchen Knife Skills and More, Horsham [6:45 - 9 pm]

Wednesday, February 16:

• Pierogy Wednesdays @ St. Anne Ukrainian, Warrington [9 am - 12 pm]
• American Legion Meals on Wednesdays, Quakertown [11:30 am - 9 pm]
• Complimentary Beer Tasting @ the Copper Leaf Grill, Buckingham [5 - 9 pm]
• Wine vs. Beer Vertical Pairing Dinner @ Iron Abbey/naBrasa, Horsham [7 - 9 pm]

Thursday, February 17:

• New Hope Winter Farmers’ Market, New Hope [3 - 5 pm]
• Italian Wine Dinner @ Mother’s, New Hope [6:30 - 9:30 pm]
• Pairing Wine & Cheese @ Crossing Vineyards, Washington Crossing [7 - 9 pm]

Related posts:

1. Really Good Chocolate
2. Expand Your Idea Of "Local" This Weekend

Rich Baringer

Jewelry? Flowers? Those are nice, but come on. Flowers die and let’s be honest, you don’t really want to go shopping for diamonds, do you? Now, we all know how true it is that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But did you know that you could find your way to HER heart and feed yourself at the same time?

Think how happy she’d be if you showed her a freezer full of delicious, custom-made dinners for Valentine’s Day? Show your appreciation for all that she does by giving her some time to herself. Since she won’t have to plan, shop, or cook dinner, she’ll have lots of time to do the things that she wants to do. What better way to make Valentine’s Day extra special?

Rich would be happy to discuss menu options and packages with you. You can contact him at 215.804.6438, richmb@netcarrier.com, or his Web site, www.MyChefSite.com/DinnersDonePA.

As Kimberly Kaufmann, Leader of Slow Food Bucks County, explains:

Ordinarily, ‘Fair Trade’ chocolate is made by large North American and European owned companies that pay a fee to a third party to be certified. Cacao beans used by conventional chocolate companies are warehoused or stored for years before they become chocolate. During this time, the beans are exposed to insects, worms, mold, and fungus all of which reduce the potency of the antioxidants and polyphenol compounds.

By purchasing Kallari Chocolate, Kaufmann says, consumers are taking a giant leap ahead of standard Fair Trade practices. Buying directly from the producer achieves higher income for all the local farmers involved.

Kallari Chocolate (pronounced kai-YAH-ri) produces chocolate from cacao beans harvested by a cooperative of Quichua farmers. A profile in the New York Times gives more background about this unique enterprise:

The cooperative uses an unusual blend of cacaos that grow on the Quichua land — fruity Cacao Amazónico, nutty Criollo, Forastero Amazónico, Tipo Trinitario and, most important, a rare variety that flourishes around their homes, Cacao Nacional.

“They have a certain smell and taste that is herbal, flowery but also savory, like black pepper,” Tomas Keme, a Swiss chocolate expert who consults for Kallari, said of the Cacao Nacional beans. “It’s the same taste I find in a Californian cabernet.”

So join us and other Bucks County chocoholics on Saturday, February 14th. There will be a member of the Quichua present to explain the Kallari operation and plenty of chocolate to taste. Slow Food Bucks County is asking for donations of $10 per person to pay for the Quichua family member’s travel expenses to the US.

RSVPs would be greatly appreciated at bucksslowfood@comcast.net.

Think of it as doing good AND eating chocolate. Kaufmann puts it best when she says,

By paying a bit more for a little taste of heaven, end-consumers of Kallari chocolate play a small role in increasing the standard of living in a developing nation, and are in return rewarded with a higher quality product.

Related posts:

1. Bucks Food Calendar: February 11, 2011