Getting Ready to Dig IN

Three years! For three years, I’ve tried to get to Dig IN, A Taste of Indiana, but always had problems. This year, it looks like I’m going to be able to go.

Dig IN is the big food tasting/”farm-to-fork” festival at White River State Park on Sunday, August 17 from noon to 5 pm. There are producers of meats, dairy, and produce from 30 Indiana suppliers, including Meat the Rabbit, Tyner Pond Farms, and Maple Leaf Farms.

Attendees will get to sample 40 different entrees, appetizers, soups, salads, and desserts. You’ll get to meet the chef, and learn where the ingredients came from. For example, according to the Dig IN organizers, Gunthorp Farms (LaGrange) is supplying pork for six dishes, including Meridian chef Dean Sample’s lamb belly sausage with caramelized onions and spicy cherry mostarda. Union 50’s Layton Roberts is serving Kimchi Meatloaf with meat from Fischer Farms, while Aaron Butts of Joseph Decuis is serving Wagyu beef brisket empanadas with raisins and hot pepper.

But it’s not all just meat. There’s Indiana heirloom tomato panzanella salad from Tyler Herald of Napolese and Silverthorn Farm (Rossville), and honey, lavender and rosemary shortbread from Becky Hostetter and John Garnier of Duos, with European-style cultured butter from the new Tulip Tree Creamery (Zionsville).

The farms and producers supplying ingredients for this year’s Dig IN are:

• Anabelle’s Garden
• Beasley’s Orchard
• Bell Aquaculture
• Carley Elk Farm
• Creighton Brothers
• Donnie Brewer
• Fair Oaks Farm
• Fischer Farms
• Garwood Farm
• Garwood Orchard
• Gunthorp Farms
• Heather Hill
• Indiana Kitchen
• Indiana Family Produce
• Jacob Fisher
• Joseph Decuis Farm
• Maple Leaf Farms
• Meet the Rabbit!
• Miller’s Amish Poultry
• RDM Aquaculture
• Russell Sheep Company
• Seven Sons Farms
• Shamrock Farm
• Silverthorn Farm
• Smoking Goose Meatery
• The Farm at Circle City
• Trader’s Point Creamery
• Tyner Pond Farm
• Wildflower Ridge

And the restaurants that will be preparing said ingredients are:

• 18 on the Square (Shelbyville) – Southern Indiana smoked summer succotash
• 800 Degrees (Fort Wayne) – Wood fired sausage pizza
• Artisan Foodworks (Columbus) – Duck Duck Goat! (Cheese)
• Barn Brasserie (Muncie) – Pulled pork sandwich with corn aioli
• Brad Gates Catering – Salad with Smoking Goose bacon and goat cheese
• Caveman Truck – Bacon Hash
• Cerulean (Indianapolis and Winona Lake) – Terrine of rabbit with apples and hazelnut
• Circle City Soups – Beer can chicken nachos
• Citizen Hash – Citizen’s garden chachpa
• Delicia – Goat Birria tacos
• Fermenti Artisan – Cheese and pickle plate
• Goose the Market – Elk in a blanket
• Indigo Duck (Franklin) – Turkey trio
• J Ford’s Black Angus (Terre Haute) – Yankee-style pot roast
• Joseph Decuis (Roanoke) – Wagyu brisket empanda with raisins and hot peppers
• Meridian – Lamb belly sausage, caramelized onions, spicy cherry mostarda
• Mesh – Duck confit short rib
• Napolese – Indiana heirloom tomato panzanella salad
• Northside Kitchen – Caja China Roasted Pork
• Oakley’s Bistro – Duck meatball with a corn crust and pickled blueberry freezer jam
• Oceannaire – Chicken poached in smoked shrimp broth
• Omni Severin – Crispy pork taco, pickled jalapeno, Napa cabbage slaw and queso fresco
• One World Catering (Bloomington) – Puerco Pibil with poblano polenta and patron pickles
• Peterson’s (Fishers) – Lamb in an afghan
• Rook – Shrimp ceviche
• Scratchtruck – Pork loin, yucca-mushroom hash, blackberry mole and pickled blackberries
• Second Helpings – Roasted chicken and greens
• Shoefly Public House – Smoked Trout over greens
• Spice Box – Lam Bam!
• The Local Eatery (Westfield) – Dry rubbed mole brisket with chili spiked watermelon
• Trader’s Point Creamery – Candied pork belly with Indiana melon and fresh cheese curd
• Valley Kitchen and Bar (Valparaiso) – Sweet and spicy chicken tacos
• Wyndham West – Hibiscus shrub

And don’t forget the desserts!

• Circle City Sweets – Indiana fruit streusel tart with Wildflower Ridge honey
• Just Rennie’s – Gourmet cookies
• Bee Coffee Roasters – Cherry coffee zing
• Duos – Honey lavender rosemary shortbread
• Natural Born Juicers – Zen and cherries
• Nicey Treat – Blackberry cheesecake frozen pop

In addition to the food, Dig-IN, A Taste of Indiana will feature wine from such Indiana wineries as Easley, Huber, Winzerwald, and Two EE’s. Breweries that will be on site to offers samples and sell by the glass include Sun King, Figure 8, Flat 12, Indiana City, and newcomer Scarlet Lane.

Your ticket — $35 until midnight, August 13; $45 if you buy after 12:01 am on August 14 — will let you sample one of every dish, beer, and wine in the park. You can also spring $55 for early admission at 11 a.m. ($65 after midnight on Aug. 14). Indiana bands will also provide entertainment during the food fest.

For more information, visit DigIndiana.org or call 317-363-4625.