You Are What You Eat, So Eat Like A King!

Since the beginning of time, the consumption of food has been the top priority for every living creature. In order to survive, you eat what you must, but in order to thrive you eat only the best food there is. Health and fitness, physical awareness and an overall concern for each individual’s well-being have become a few of the top priorities at Liberty University.

Sodexo which is the food service provider for Liberty prepares mostly organic and all-natural groceries for the students to consume while on campus. Liberty also provides a weekly farmers market for local farmers to sell their products on campus for students to purchase. The foods they provide are all natural and all organic. The meats from the animals have never been injected with hormones and harmful antibiotics which are extremely toxic to the human body.

At first glance, the farmers market seems like a normal set-up where the visitor simply walks around, sees something they like, buys it and then disappears forever. However this is not the case for Liberty’s farmers market and it doesn’t take long to realize this. As the visitor begins to interact with each seller at their booth, the truth comes to light, and it’s captivating.

One of the vendors at LU’s farmers market is called Morris Campus Farm which is located on Candlers Mountain. This small farm provides all organic vegetables such as; cabbage, kale, leeks, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and carrots. It also raises pasteurized chickens in which they sell both the chickens and their eggs.

One LU student named Elizabeth who volunteers at the Morris Campus Farm for CSER credit gave invaluable information regarding the farm. When asked why she considered it important Liberty hosts a farmers market, she responded:

“I think it is important because Liberty’s students are able to merge with the Lynchburg community and purchase from local farmers which boosts the local economy. It’s a win-win,” said Elizabeth.

Regarding the health of the students, Sodexo has taken it into their own hands to provide healthy, all-natural alternatives to fast food services, improving the lifestyles of students campus wide.

“Morris Campus Garden donates food harvested from Liberty grounds with Sodexo for enjoyment at the Reber-Thomas Dining Hall.” said Elizabeth.

Many other vendors such as the Brickhouse of Lilac Hill Farm proudly boast about their all-natural meats, free from antibiotics and growth hormones. Owner James Henderson gladly claims his farm to be the only A.W.A (Animal Wellness Approved) farm around. Each animal whether cow or pig has its own name and is naturally raised.

Now Trending: Would You Like Some Coffee with That?

Since the 11^th Century, the product called coffee has been an international sensation, addiction and personal savior for millions of people.

Legend has it that in 11^th Century Ethiopia, a man by the name of Khaldi found his goats eating red berries off of a tree with white blossoms. Shortly afterwards he found them to be so energetic that they could not sleep.

The next day Khaldi took these berries to the abbot at the local monastery who then brewed the berries into a drink and consumed it. After drinking it the abbot was filled with energy that allowed him to stay up for long hours in the evening, allowing him to pray longer to God.

By the sixteenth century, countries such as Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey were the main source of coffee brewers and consumers. Coffee houses called “qahveh khaneh”  were a great place for people to socialize.

In today’s coffee obsessed society, local Lynchburg Community Market vendors Tom and Kathryn Hayman know what it is like to have a true passion for coffee.

The Hayman’s own a shop called “Grains of Sense Artisan Coffee Roastery and Tea Gallery,” and have been roasting their own coffee at the market for the past two years.

“I’ve always had a passion for coffee ever since I was a boy, to see how people would gather together and relax all for the sake of coffee? If that’s what it takes to bring people together then I want to be a part of it!” said Tom.

All you can see is smiles while walking into the market, and each day you can go down and see Tom working hard, roasting pound by pound the coffee that he loves so much.

Tom’s passion is obvious, and his coffee is famous around Lynchburg for its:

– Quality Beans
– Smooth, flavorful coffees
– Attention to detail
– Broad selection of single origins, roast levels, special blends, espressos and flavors

So why is this so important? The answer is quite obvious; Lynchburg is a college town whose young population is thriving off of this deliciously caffeinated drink which comes in so many shapes, sizes, forms and flavors.

For centuries coffee has been known for its versatility of flavor which can be extracted and used in cakes, ice creams and many other items in order to add more flavor for peoples taste buds!

Contributing factors to the popularity of coffee:

• Flavor
• Versatility of flavor
• Availability
• Form of socializing

The only negative side to drinking coffee is something known as a caffeine addiction. With consumption of only one cup a day the consumer of coffee can become addicted.  However there is a positive side for such a thing as decaffeinated coffee exists.

Coffee is loved all over the world, and after research, data shows that it is most popular in European countries.

To see the future of coffee all one has to do is look back at its past, it always has and always will be popular, and that is perfectly fine with the world.

If addicted to coffee like the rest of the world (or at least Europe!) leave a comment below and talk about it!

Trending Now: Tourism in the Great State of Virginia

At the head of the department of tourism for Lynchburg Virginia, sits the unique and quirky Director Sergei Troubetzkoy. With a ready-to-serve attitude, he answers any questions thrown his way without any trouble at all. So welcome to Lynchburg!

Tourism is at the heart of every community, it has its busy seasons and slow seasons, the in-between seasons and the hopeful season that come ground hog, that little critter will bring forth an early spring because they are desperate for an influx of money season.

Taken from the Leisure Travel Profile to Virginia, recording household trips 50 miles+ from the 2014 FY (Fiscal Year) this information shows the primary reasons people visit Virginia.

For Lynchburg, it’s most popular months for tourism is between May-October. Why summer? Because most families are free to travel due to summer break and taking vacations. Why does it last through October? Because of fall foliage!

Fall foliage is a huge part of Virginia’s tourism thanks to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. During autumn, the leaves turn a variety of bright colors: red, yellow, orange and brown, attracting the eye of many nature lovers.

Much to his delight Trobetzkoy explained two different trends that have been growing in the Lynchburg area in recent years:

“Young married couples, vacationing separately. Girl’s night out on the town and boys day on the golfing green. It’s really quite interesting, we never used to see this.” Said Trobetzkoy.

Another trend in the recent years has been grandparents traveling around with their grandchildren because the parents are too busy with work or other time consuming activities.

With summer coming into season, Lynchburg will be bustling with farmer markets, shops, music, festivals and everything a tourist could ever desire (minus the beach)!