TPAN quarterly meeting 11/29

Dear Traders Point Neighbors:

Don't forget that the TPAN quarterly meeting will be held this Thursday, November 29, 2007, starting at 7 PM, in the West 86th Subdivision Clubhouse. The agenda contains the following discussion items though the order may be altered to accommodate presenters' schedules:

1. Ross Reller will make a presentation on the Lafayette Road bridge replacement.

2. Major Paul Ciesielski of the IMPD Northwest District will discuss “community policing” and follow up on questions about IMPD coverage raised at out last meeting.

3. Jose Evans, our newly elected District 1 CC Councilor will discuss his goals and hear our concerns about the area.

4. Update on ongoing issues –

a. Historic district
b. Development
c. Other?

Creamery Named "travel gem" by Travel Writers

Zionsville, IN - November 19, 2007 - Traders Point Creamery (www.traderspointcreamery.com), a family-owned, organic dairy farm and artisan creamery, has received the Midwest Travel Writers Association's GEMmy Award, for true "travel gems"; unique destinations that offer an exceptional experience. Barbara E. Cohen and Peggy Sailors of the MTWA presented the award on November 13 to Jane Elder Kunz and Dr. Peter F. Kunz, Creamery owners.
"We've all worked hard to give visitors a true sense of dairy life, as well as the experience of delicious, fresh, organic foods," said Jane Kunz. "People are usually surprised to find such wide open pastures and natural beauty just 15 minutes from downtown Indianapolis."
Traders Point Creamery, located at 9101 Moore Road in Zionsville, is a working dairy farm with an on-site creamery production facility. Inside the 19th-century hand-hewn barn visitors can watch the production of award-winning yogurts and cheeses; enjoy a seasonal, organic lunch or dinner in the Creamery Cafe; savor fresh ice cream creations at the Dairy Bar; shop in the farm store; and visit the milking parlor to see the cows being milked daily around 4:00pm. Outside, visitors are welcome to tour the scenic farm, picnic on the deck, walk amongst free-range chickens, enjoy the view, and with luck, see the newborn calves in the Red Barn. The Creamery also hosts a year-round Farmers Market, featuring the seasons best from local small-scale growers and artisans.
About the Midwest Travel Writers Association (MTWA) Founded in 1951, MTWA is the oldest association of professional travel writers in the United States. The organization includes travel writers and public relations professionals who live in one of the 13 Midwestern states and specialize in the travel industry. The writers are published in major magazines and newspapers nationwide and have written numerous travel books. More information about MTWA, along with travel tips of interest to midwestern travelers, can be found at www.mtwa.org.
About Traders Point Creamery
Traders Point Creamery is a family owned artisan dairy located in Zionsville, Indiana. The company produces handcrafted cheeses including Fromage Blanc, Fromage Blanc spicy, Fromage Blanc garden herb, old-style cottage cheese, and "Fleur de la Terre," a natural-rind, aged cheese which won the American Cheese Society's 2007 First Place award for Best Farmstead Cheese. Its European-style yogurts include whole milk plain (American Cheese Society's First Place winner for 2005 and 2006), low-fat vanilla, and flavors such as Wildberry (a combination of raspberry, blackberry & acai berry), Orchard Trio (made with pear, peach, and acerola cherry), Banana-Mango, Raspberry, and other seasonal favorites. The company also produces pure, fresh, unhomogenized whole milk, chocolate milk, and ice cream. The products are sold on-site at the Creamery Farm Store and weekly Farmers Market, and through select supermarkets, gourmet shops, and natural and organic food markets throughout the U.S.
Traders Point Creamery all natural, certified organic products are made from grass-fed milk, contain no artificial ingredients, coloring, flavors, preservatives or stabilizers, and all yogurts are made with live, active cultures which offer probiotic health benefits. Since Traders Point cows are raised exclusively on pasture and eat the rich, carefully cultivated greens, their milk acquires more nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), beta-carotene and vitamins A and E, than organic milk produced using standard feeds. Established in 2003, the Creamery is housed in a restored 19th-century hand-hewn barn on a family farm, which is certified organic by the USDA. The Traders Point herd of Brown Swiss cows spends all of its time roaming free on pastures, and never receives antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones. Synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides are never used on the land.

Oktoberfest nets over $12,000 for Consultant

Dear Neighborhood and Community,

On behalf of Greater Historic Traders Point, I would like to thank our neighborhood and community for their support of Oktoberfest which was designed to raise money for our Rural Historic District nominations. We had no idea the interest that there is in this project and in the preservation of greenspace. Your support is overwhelming! We netted just over $12,000 (and donations are still coming in!) and can now pay the remainder of the fee due to Camilla Fife (consultant) and fund some markers upon approval of the nominations! Most of all, though, it was great to see neighbors and friends enjoying our area and having fun on a gorgeous fall day!

We definitely were overwhelmed by the turnout on the day of Oktoberfest. In hindsight, there are items we could and should do differently, but we graciously admire and appreciate your patience and support of this event and, in turn, our goal of establishing two Rural Historic Districts.

Thank you for your time, for your donations, and, most of all, thank you for your friendships and for your love of our area!

Cindy Lamberjack

Traders Point Farm Stables

Traders Point Farm (Aerial 11.10.07)

Old Pleasant Hill Cemetery (Aerial)

Traders Point Creamery Aerial Photo

San Fran Chronicle applauds local cheese: "A new American cheese on a par with comparable cheeses from Europe"

Back to Article
From Mt. Tam to Indiana
Janet Fletcher
Friday, November 9, 2007

It's always a thrill to me to find a new American cheese on a par with comparable cheeses from Europe. Most American cheesemakers, understandably, have a learning curve, and the Europeans are a few centuries ahead. But Fons Smits, cheesemaker for the new Traders Point Creamery in Indiana, grew up in the Netherlands in dairy country and has all the relevant academic credentials for cheesemaking. During a stint in California, he helped Cowgirl Creamery create Mt. Tam, its popular aged cow's milk cheese. Now, at Traders Point, an organic dairy in Zionsville, near Indianapolis, he has another success to his credit: the raw-milk Fleur de la Terre.
Traders Point Creamery opened its doors four years ago thanks to Fritz and Jane Kunz, a hand surgeon and his wife. Jane Kunz inherited the property, a defunct farm, and she and her husband decided to revive it to produce dairy products and grass-fed beef. I was impressed that, in their literature, the couple make no mention of themselves but talk at length about their Brown Swiss cows.
Smits began work on Fleur de la Terre (literally, "flower of the earth") only a couple of years ago, so this is truly a cheese in its infancy. But what an impressive debut. "It's a Dutch-style cheese, but I would not say it's a Gouda," says Smits. "We try to make it our own."
Before I spoke to him, I was having a hard time comparing Fleur de la Terre to anything I knew. It is vaguely Gruyere-like, but not as nutty or sandy. Smits makes it only in spring and fall, when the cows are producing the most milk; in the summer, the milk goes to fresh dairy products, like yogurt and ice cream.
The raw milk is cultured and coagulated with non-animal rennet, then the curds are rinsed with warm water to rid them of lactose, or milk sugar. This step keeps the cheese's acidity in check, because the culture would eventually convert lactose to lactic acid. The fresh curds are packed in molds, pressed for a few hours to make them more compact, and brined for a couple of hours to season them. Then they move to the aging room for four to six months.
Finished wheels of Fleur de la Terre weigh about 11 pounds. They have a hard, dry, clean rind, and a firm, butter-colored interior with a few small eyes. The aroma, oddly, reminds me of the fat on a lamb chop - an unexpected fragrance in a cow's milk cheese, but appetizing nonetheless. The flavors are sweet, salty and mellow, the finish creamy if you let the cheese sit on your tongue. Smits has created a cheese with personality that doesn't resemble anything else. I like it immensely.
Try Fleur de la Terre with whatever red wine you have nearby; you practically can't go wrong. With its touch of sweetness, it's also a nice match with an off-dry sherry.
Next up: Bleu de Sassenage, a cow's milk blue cheese from France.
E-mail comments to jfletcher@sfchronicle.com.

Traders Pointe Gateway Beautification project next Saturday, November 17th!

Hello folks!

Thank you so much for signing up to participate in the Traders Pointe Gateway Beautification project next Saturday, November 17th!

Residents and visitors of this area are proud of the high quality scenic environment, and seek to blend the INDOT Salt Dome at 71st and Lafayette Rd into its surroundings with native trees and shrubs that will provide spring and summer flowers, wildlife habitat, beautiful fall color and seed pods in the winter! Thank you for choosing to be a part of this monumental project!

As this is a project in conjuntion with INDOT, please note that all volunteers must sign an INDOT waiver to participate. The waiver is attached, please print and bring the day of the planting, or fax to 264-7565, Attn: Phil Schaefer. We will also have some additional waivers at the planting in case you forget.

Volunteers will be meeting at the NW corner of 71st Street and Lafayette Road, in front of the INDOT salt dome and maintenance facility. Look for the tent!

Lafayette Rd. is easily accessed by taking 71st St./Westlane Rd. west toward I-465. Once you pass the 71st St/I-465 junction, Lafayette Rd. will be the next major intersection. You will clearly see the meeting location for the project on the NW corner of 71st and Lafayette. You can also easily reach the project by taking I-65 N/S to the 71st St. Exit (Exit 124). The street immediately to the east of this exit is Lafayette Rd. Volunteers may park anywhere in the large open lot just north of the INDOT maintenence facility.

Please arrive a little before 9:00 am, as at 9:00 am KIB project manager Phil Schaefer will give all instructions for the day!

Refreshments will be provided to all volunteers. The project should last no later than 1:00 pm.

No experience necessary, and no need to bring anything, unless you have a special pair of gardening gloves that you like to use. KIB provides all tools, gloves and other equipment. Make sure to wear closed-toes shoes, long pants and weather appropriate clothing. KIB plants RAIN or SHINE!

I will be gone all next week at a conference in Baltimore. If something comes up and you are unable to volunteer, or if you have questions leading up to the event, please contact Phil Schaefer at 223-5188 or pschaefer@kibi.org. Wendy Ford is also an excellent Traders Point community contact, and her e-mail is wwford@comcast.net.

If you have any questions the morning of the event, Phil Schaefer will be available via cell phone at 223-5188.

Have a great week!
Sarah

Sarah Grain
Director of Community Outreach and Volunteers
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
445 N. Pennsylvania St., Suite 910
Indianapolis, Indiana, 46204
317.264.7555 x106 (office)
317.264.7565 (fax)
sgrain@kibi.org

KIB Tree Planting November 3

Above: Neighbor Jerry Baker is flanked by KIB employees.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and a team of nearly 70 volunteers planted trees along West 86th Street at Moore Road on Saturday November 3. The event was hosted by neighbors Jerry and Cindy Baker. In addition to TPAN residents, the planting of over 75 trees was assisted by several boy scout troops and high school members of Habitat For Humanity. An even larger Keep Indianapolis Beautiful project has been organized by Wendy Ford and is scheduled for Saturday November 17 for the northwest quadrant of West 71st Street and Lafayette Road. That project promises to landscape the unsightly salt barn at our neighborhood's south entrance. The projects are part of KIB's goal of planting 100,000 trees in Marion County in ten years. Plantings along West 86th Street were chosen by neighbors and KIB to help compensate for the right of way cutting by Indianapolis Power and Light last year and to alleviate the need for further right of way cutting by selecting low growth vegetation plantings under power lines.