Slow Food Piedmont

Membership Drive Extended!

2009-10-02T08:40:00.003-05:00

Because of the overwhelming response, the powers that be at Slow Food USA have decided to extend the membership drive through October 15. For 2 more weeks, a gift of ANY amount will make you a member.

Slow Food USA member and supporter Donald Sussman, the offer is even more compelling: Mr. Sussman has offered to match all donations, dollar for dollar, given as part of this extended membership drive.

Let's all join Mr. Sussman in donating to Slow Food USA. As a member you will:

Get connected to Slow Food Piedmont, made up of people who care about food, agriculture, health and the environment.
Get information about local, regional, national and international events that celebrate good, clean, fair food.
Receive member-only publications.
Become part of a growing movement that is changing the way America eats!

Slow Food Membership Drive

2009-09-03T13:11:00.004-05:00

Donate any amount and become a member of Slow Food USA today!

Click HERE for details

Membership rates are normally $60 per year.

As a member, you will:

Get connected to your local chapter, made up of people who care about food, agriculture, health and the environment.
Get invited to local, regional, national and international events that celebrate good, clean, fair food.
Receive member-only discounts on select events and publications.
Become part of a growing movement that is changing the way America eats!

Growing Green

2009-04-25T11:31:00.003-05:00

Are you ready to start your own vegetable garden?

If so, please read local columnist David Bare's list on why and how to start your own victory garden at home: click here

Would you like to learn more about sustainable agriculture?

If so, please go to Forsyth Tech or call 336-761-1002 for more information about the Vegetable production class.

Want to see urban agriculture at work?

Check out The Garden during the RiverRun Film Festival or see more information where this film is screening, here.

PEANC Earth Day

2009-04-18T20:50:00.007-05:00

Traditionally observed on April 22, Earth Day brings to light environmental issues and global awareness activities geared toward Earth's preservation.

The 2009 Piedmont Earth Day Fair hosted by PEA (Piedmont Environmental Alliance) took place Saturday, April 18 at Wake Forest University.

There was food, drink, music, and many "green" enthusiasts out to share, learn and gather information.

To find more information about what your local municipality is doing to promote green initiatives and sustainability, follow these links:

Winston-Salem
Greensboro
High Point

We were joined by Nathan of Shore Farms, selling beautiful heirloom tomatoes plants, jars of pickled peppers, chow chow, and other organic vegetable plants.

Nathan Pitts, Salem Norfleet Neff hard at work.

How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick? None. He didn't can these guys, Nathan did.

That's how we roll.

The New Slow Food Piedmont Triad Blog

2006-10-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

We've moved the blog to http://slowfoodpiedmont.wordpress.com for now. Please update your blogroll!

Open House with Focus on Local Meats at Goat Lady Dairy Oct. 1

2006-09-26T09:13:00.000-05:00

October 1, 2006
Open House with a focus on Local Meats!
Goat Lady Dairy, Randolph County
1-5 p.m.

All friends of Slow Food are encouraged to come out to the country to enjoy the fall Open House. Each spring and fall the Tate Family opens their farm and dairy for visitors to get up close and personal to the goats, chickens, pigs and cows, tour the organic gardens and pastures, taste and buy handmade cheese and learn firsthand about one family's efforts to establish sustainable, local agriculture. This fall Slow Food is sponsoring a special emphasis at the Open House to help us all learn about the many local farms now producing clean raised meats. We have invited farmers producing pork, beef, ostrich, chicken, lamb and goat to help us learn about their production methods and bring meat for sale. This event is free and open to all except PLEASE, do NOT bring your pets! (strange animals really stress out the animals who live there)

Don't forget to bring a cooler!

For directions to Goat Lady Dairy, see their web site at
http://www.goatladydairy.com.

School Kids at the Market

2006-09-21T15:15:00.000-05:00

Middle school kids from Greensboro Montessori (on Horsepen Creek Road, 688-0119) harvested, prepared and served food from their school garden last Saturday, September 16 at the Greensboro Curb Market. Chef Brian Dahlstrom, head chef at the Greensboro coliseum, along with Mary Ellen Smith, their kitchen and catering manager volunteered their time and equipment to conduct a tasting of autumn food. Angie Thompson and Jon McLean of the Montessori school came along for support and picture taking.

Everyone got there early at 7am, heated the grill, sliced and diced, and eventually offered a delicious vegetable hash of potatoes, butternut squash, onion, peppers and basil served on a toasted tortilla to hundreds of marketers.

Everyone had a good time and enjoyed the food. It is part of Slow Food's presence at the Saturday market as well as a demonstration of the fruits of a school garden. We hope to do it again soon.

Charlie Headington

School Kids at the Market!

2006-09-15T08:32:00.000-05:00

September 16, 7am-11am

Taste the bounty of the Greensboro Montessori School gardens as its students slice, prepare, and share their autumn harvest with friends of the market.

Look for chef Brian and the kids in the Tasting Booth at the Greensboro Farmer's Curb Market, corner of Lindsay and Yanceyville, across from the old baseball stadium, from 7am-11am.

Support Slow Food, school kids and school gardens.

Chef Tom Peters Demonstrates Fruit Carving to Marketgoers

2006-09-09T07:33:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Chef Peters impressed and entertained the Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market crowd with his amazing ability to transform fruit into art. Chef Peters works at Heritage Woods Retirement Community as a chef but has practiced the skill of fruit carving for years.

Using a fine gauged set of instruments as well as regular knives, he created a flower bouquet on the face of a watermelon, coaxed a swan from an apple and dressed up many other pieces of fruit. Carved fruit makes a wonderful table top display.

In conjunction with our theme of seasonal fruit, we served up smoothies Slow Food style; all local ingredients except the bananas. Favorites included a banana/watermelon/mint/honey smoothie and a peach/cantelope/banana/blueberry one. We tried every combination available to us and they were all good. There really isn’t a recipe for these healthful concoctions, simply take fruit and a little ice and blend it thoroughly. To thin add orange juice, to avoid using ice use frozen fruit in addition to fresh.

As always, thanks so much to Mary Ellen, our visiting chef Tom Peters, and all the market vendors who provided the delicious produce that made the event possible.

See you September 16th when the Montessori kids and Charlie Headington whip up some wonderful creations fresh from their Edible Schoolyard.

Slow Food Booth at the Market this Saturday

2006-08-17T06:23:00.000-05:00

This weekend is a great time to stop by the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market at the corner of Yanceyville and Lindsay streets. Slow Food is hosting another day of culinary creativeness, this time with guest chef Tom Peters.

The focus will be on REFRESHING and the bounty of fruits available at the market. Cantelope, peaches, watermelon and even a few blueberries and early apples are ripe right now.

On Saturday from 7:30 to 11 or so you'll find us at the booth with the striped awning sharing delicious tastings of blended fruit drinks and displaying examples of how to decorate your table with fruit. Fruit as food, fruit as art!

See you there!

Chef Bryan Dahlstrom's Amazing Market Bruschetta

2006-07-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

This Saturday’s Slow Food booth at the Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market was a great deal of fun. Chef Bryan Dahlstrom, the Executive Chef for Centerplate at the Greensboro Coliseum, volunteered his time to serve up a wonderful combination of market ingredients. Bryan’s recipe for Farmhouse Bruschetta calls for using sourdough bread from Simple Kneads and heirloom tomatoes as a base to build on, then letting your imagination run wild with all of the great choices for toppings available at the market.

Donations of sourdough bread from Simple Kneads, feta cheese from Goat Lady Dairy, baba ganoush and hummus from Zaytoon, as well as purchases of heirloom tomatoes from Handance Farm, butter from the Amish farmstead, and lots of little extras from other market vendors gave us the very best ingredients to work with. The crowds were thick as Bryan and Mary Ellen (a dedicated Slow Food enthusiast and head of food service for the entire coliseum) cooked and served up a delightful array of bruschettas. Bryan’s daughter Monique was on hand too, and chopped greens, drizzled olive oil, and added the final touches to the taste treats. Over and over we gave directions to the vendors responsible for such amazing bread, tomatoes, butter and cheese. Lots of mini lessons on the value of heirlooms throughout the day too! People could not believe the taste!

Not sure how many people we served that day, but we stopped counting mid-morning at around 250 so it was many more than that. The primary recipe we served (sourdough bread, butter, soft cheese, heirloom tomatoes, mesculin greens, basil olive oil and sea salt) appears below and was touted by many as the best bruschetta they’d ever had. I agree wholeheartedly. In addition to the basic recipe, we served bruschetta topped with an ever varying array of baba ganoush, hummus, cheddar cheese, feta, arugula and porcini oil. Lots of double tasters assured us that all the selections were crowd pleasers.

As Executive Chef for the Greensboro Coliseum, Bryan is responsible for a wide range of culinary events including luncheon meetings for groups such as the Greensboro Sports' Council, the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments and other local civic groups' formal business meetings, conventions such as the Southern Baptist National Convention, backstage catering for concerts, and VIP hospitality areas at large scale sporting events such as the ACC and NCAA basketball tournaments. Bryan and his family are newcomers to the Greensboro area having recently relocated from Jacksonville Florida where Bryan was the head pastry chef at the Jacksonville Jaguars Stadium. His delightful recipe follows:

Grilled Farmhouse Bruschetta

One loaf of crusty artisan bread, sliced thin, preferably sourdough
1 pound of farmhouse cheddar, soft fromage or goat cheese
Approx 8 -10 cups tender leafy salad greens (like frisee, arugula, dandelions, squash blossoms, etc...)
2 pounds vine-ripe heirloom tomatoes, fairly thinly sliced
1 pound butter, organic preferred
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste, use basil or porcini olive oil for extra flavor
Kosher or sea Salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Butter both sides of bread, lightly toast both sides on grill or in skillet. Assemble open-face sandwich on baking sheet starting with sliced, spread or crumbled cheese on top, followed by the sliced tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Place in 350 degree oven for about 3 - 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped fresh greens, drizzle with your choice of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Serve whole slices or cut into strips for a slightly messy but smaller serving. Enjoy!

Slow Food at the Market July 15

2006-07-14T13:40:00.000-05:00

Stop by the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market this Saturday from 7:30am-11:00am for a special treat. The market is located at the corner of Yanceyville and Lindsay Streets in Greensboro.

Chef Dahlstrom, the new executive chef for the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, is helping Slow Food Piedmont spread the word about delicious local produce, meats and cheeses by cooking up a little tasting event at our booth.

Our booth is near the Lindsay Street entrance. Just look for our banner and the black and white striped awning, or follow your nose for a free tasting of something delicious made from market ingredients. To find out what, you'll have to visit us Saturday!

This is a great time to visit the market. So many fruits and vegetables are at their peak, and as always there are plentiful selections of meats, cheeses, eggs, and many other household staples. You'll also find specialty items like honey, dips, jams, baked goods, and Middle Eastern delicacies at the market so don't miss out.

Hope to see you there.

~Lavonne Childs

Slow Food Family Picnic/Potluck at Old Salem this Sunday!

2006-07-11T16:54:00.000-05:00

July 16, 2006 (this Sunday!)
Slow Food Family Picnic at Old Salem
Behind Single Brothers' Workshop, Winston Salem, NC
Picnic begins at 1 pm
$5 suggested donation to Slow Food

Come join us for a Slow Food Picnic and Potluck at Old Salem Museums and Gardens on Sunday, July 16, starting at 1:00. Please bring a dish that features local, seasonal food and a blanket or chairs for your picnic spot. Please write the name of the dish and recipe on an index card to be placed by the dish. Beverages, plates, and utensils will be provided.

(We get a lot of requests for recipes at the potlucks, so the plan is to post recipes on the web site at www.slowfoodpiedmont.org/recipes.html - now under construction!)

This is a family event, so be sure to bring your spouse, significant other and/or children. (Sorry, no dogs allowed.) After the picnic, Jill Crouse, Old Salem gardener, will talk to us about the heirloom gardens, and they will be open to those who would like to tour them.

The picnic area will be located in the grassy area behind the Single Brothers' Garden. Parking is available in the parking lot on Salt Street (enter Salt Street from Walnut, off Old Salem Rd.) or at the Visitors' Center. Directions to Old Salem are available at http://www.oldsalem.org/visit/location.htm. In case of rain, the potluck will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Single Brothers' Workshop, located beside the picnic area.

www.oldsalem.org

Chef Chris Mckinley Wows Farmers' Market Crowd

2006-06-21T09:09:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, Chef Chris Mckinley and his lovely wife Samantha volunteered their time to the SF booth at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. Chef Chris puts on the Dinners at the Dairy for Goat Lady Dairy and is the chef for the Nasher Museum Cafe at Duke University. He and his wife, a cheese maker, are enthusiastic supporters of eating local foods.

This weekend they took the lead for SF, hosting a wonderful cooking and tasting session focused on the bountiful array of summer squashes available this time of year. Mary Ellen Smith was there too, providing the original inspiration for focusing on smells and sizzling at the booth, as well as bringing us the cooking gear and helping serve.

Chef Chris whipped up a delicious smelling batch of Zephyr Squash Fritters and Tomato Feta Topping (Chris's recipes below) and the crowds soon followed; more than 250 tasters! The recipe was an excellent example of taking a plentiful and inexpensive produce item and adding a few additional local ingredients for an amazing outcome. The fritters were pretty, smelled great and had outstanding flavor. Our group purchased beautiful produce, eggs and cheese from Cornerstone Garlic Farm, Inspiration Farm, Goat Lady Dairy, Weatherhand Farm, market manager Larry Smith and a few others.

SF gathered lots of names and email addresses of interested market goers and we can't wait to host our next chef demonstration on July 15th from 7:30am-11am. Ideas for that day and a volunteer or two are welcome. We are still looking for a chef for that day as well. We hope to see you there. Here is the recipe for the fritters and topping:

Zephyr Squash Fritters

1 pound (about 2 medium) zucchini
1 tsp salt
1 medium clove garlic, peeled, chopped
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 TBL chopped thyme
1/2 cup flour
2 to 4 TBL olive oil

Using the large holes of a box grater, grate zucchini into a medium bowl. Add the salt, thyme, garlic, pepper, and eggs. Mix well to combine. Slowly add flour, stirring so no lumps form. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until the oil sizzles when you drop a small amount of zucchini mixture into the pan. Carefully drop about 2 Tablespoons zucchini mixture into pan; repeat, spacing fritters a few inches apart. Cook fritters until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium. Turn fritters and continue cooking until golden, 2 to 3 minutes more.

Tomato and Goat Feta Topping

3 medium tomato-diced
6 oz goat feta cheese
2 cloves garlic-minced
1 TBL tarragon
1/4 cup balsamic
2 tsp salt

Place diced tomato in bowl. Sprinkle with salt and mix. Allow to stand approximately 15-20 min. Add tarragon, garlic, balsamic, feta and spoon onto hot fritters. Enjoy!

Cherry Picking at Levering Orchard

2006-06-15T16:40:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, my husband Sandy and I participated in a lovely experience that I plan to repeat at least yearly. Along with members of Slow Food Piedmont Triad and UNCG's "Simple Living in a Complex World" class, we wound our way up to the Levering Orchard in Ararat, Virginia, just north of the N.C./Virginia line between Mount Airy and the Blue Ridge Parkway, to pick cherries and share good food and good company.

The Levering Orchard is 98 years old. Frank Levering's grandfather first planted the cherry trees here, and Frank and his wife Wanda Urbanska took over the operation of the farm in 1986, a move that they wrote about in their book Simple Living. It is a pick-your-own orchard, although there are some already picked fruits available for sale. Levering Orchard is known for its cherries, but it also offers peaches, nectarines, pears, and apples. See the Levering Orchard web site for this year's schedule and other information.

We carpooled to the orchard from a couple of departure points, and once there, headed straight for the trees. The trees were much bigger than I'd anticipated, and they were chock-full of cherries! By late Sunday afternoon, many of the low-hanging branches had been picked, necessitating climbing the heavy tall ladders. I was in a tree as often as possible when I was a child, so I enjoyed the excuse to get up there and simply sit for a spell while my husband picked cherries. It is hard but pleasant work, and it is easy to pick more cherries than you meant to buy or use! We concentrated on picking the large dark sweet cherries, and bought half a bucket of the smaller tart cherries already picked. I estimate that between us we picked about 17 pounds of cherries. When it is this much fun, it's hard to stop. And the scenery and the view - well, it was gorgeous.

After we all finished our cherry picking, Wanda, Frank, and their son Henry joined us for a potluck picnic and a discussion afterwards about simple living and Slow Food. Also joining in the discussion were Tenley Weaver and Dennis Dove of Full Circle Organic Farm. Tenley and Dennis operate a food distribution co-op of local produce that focuses on USDA-certified organic and biologically-grown vegetables and no/low spray fruits called "Good Food Good People." They provide consumers and restaurants in southwest Virginia with seasonal sustainably-grown food.

I had a nice conversation afterwards with Frank Levering about my daydream of buying a couple of acres for a little blueberry farm. He was so encouraging that I might actually look into it some day, after Italy! (Everything is "before Italy" or "after Italy" these days - looks like it is already a benchmark in my life.)

Wanda and Frank are the authors of several books about simple living as well as the host and writers of the television program Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska, beginning its third season on PBS in January 2007. In a nutshell, this is how they describe the show:

"Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska examines what people can do to make their lives easier and more stress-free, from buying products that will last a long time to managing budgets more responsibly. The show focuses on four themes: environmental stewardship, thoughtful consumption, community involvement and financial responsibility."

I recommend their book Nothing's Too Small to Make a Difference, for a well-rounded view of the simple living philosophy.

For more photos of the event, please go to the Flickr photo site that Mandie created for Slow Food Piedmont Triad.

Flickr group created

2006-06-12T14:49:00.000-05:00

I've created a new flickr group so that we can share our photos of Slow Food events, like yesterday's cherry-picking! It's a invitation-only group, so please email me @ mandie [at] captivatedbymandie -dot- com with SLOW in the subject and your email (or flickr site), and I'll send you an invite!

Local Food Goes Mainstream

2006-06-10T07:50:00.000-05:00

Time Magazine published an excellent article on the Locavores and the Eat Local Challenge called The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet in the June 4 issue. In fact, it had a whole section on "Eating Smart," including an article from Michael Pollan entitled Six Rules for Eating Wisely, and another article by Margot Roosevelt on pasture-raised beef, The Grass-Fed Revolution.

All are well-written, informative articles and well worth your time!

City Budget Cuts and the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market

2006-06-08T20:25:00.000-05:00

Today, I found out that one of the positions that might be eliminated as part of the city budget cuts is the coordinator for the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. This person is responsible for publicity, event planning, grant-writing, and is a liason to the city government. This is the person largely responsible for the huge growth in the farmers' market in recent years, and the wonderful events such as the semiannual Pottery Festival and Crafts in the Afternoon.

The farmers' market supports local farmers, food artisans, businesses, and craftsmen. The other events support local artists and craftsmen. They provide a great service and a community-building experience for our citizens. Altogether, they are a big part of why Greensboro is a wonderful place to live. The people who frequent the Curb Market are passionate about it.

This year Slow Food Piedmont Triad and others were optimistic about working to obtain money to improve and add on to the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. Plans had begun to add a tasting kitchen and a social area with tables and chairs where shoppers could eat one of the tasty breakfasts that volunteers at the Market often cook, such as the strawberry pancakes on Strawberry Day, or the local eggs, grits, sausage and biscuits served on Farmers' Appreciation Day. Or where they can simply sit and chat over a cup of coffee. Design students from UNCG were on board to design the spaces.

Our city manager thinks that we might possibly rather keep a dollar or two in our pockets annually than keep the person responsible for bringing us these delightful days and events on the payroll.

Please let our mayor and city council know that Gerry Alfano is valued in our community, and plays a very special role in making downtown Greensboro a better place to live. Tell them that you think the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market is important, and enriches our lives, and that you think that Alfano's excellent work justifies it receiving more funding, not less.

You can email them from this web page, or you can call and fax them. Their phone contact information is at this web page.

UPDATE: By the time I found out about this and posted it, the city council was already in session. They did not cut the position, so there is no need to contact them, unless you would like to thank them. Thank you, Sandy Carmany, for your timely responsiveness to your constituents!

Cherry Picking and Simple Living Potluck June 11

2006-06-03T11:39:00.000-05:00

June 11, 2006
Cherry Picking and Simple Living Potluck
Levering Orchard, Virginia
Carpool leaves at 2 p.m. See schedule below.
$5 donation; utensils & beverage provided.

Join the Slow Food crowd for a celebration of the cherry season. Pick cherries, enjoy a potluck meal and talk about life, the slow-simple life.

2 pm: Car pools leave Old Salem visitor’s parking lot in Winston-Salem or the parking lot between Sears and Friendly in Greensboro.

3:30-5:30: Cherry picking at Levering Orchard.

5:30-7:00: Slow Potluck (Yes, bring a dish of slow food.)

6:30-8:00: Slow discussion about Simple Living.

8:00-9:00: Return trip.

Directions: From US 52, 1 mile north of VA line, turn east on Epworth Church Rd. (VA 686). Go 3 miles to Wards Gap Rd. (VA 679). Turn left and go straight for 3.6 miles to 3-way fork. Follow middle fork, Orchard Gap Rd. (VA 691), to Levering Orchard (.7 mile). Follow signs for cherry picking and parking. The meal and discussion will take place at the Cherry Orchard Theatre, up the hill from the packhouse.

For a map and more information, go to www.leveringorchard.com.

Slow Food News Items

2006-06-01T17:50:00.000-05:00

Slow Food/Local Food has made it in print and on the pavement during the last two days.

The Wednesday, May 31, GSO News and Record featured Laurie O'Neill in "Close to Home", an account of Laurie's month in the Eat Local Challenge wherein she almost exclusively ate food within 100 miles of Greensboro. As she recounts, some foods were hard to give up, ie. cocao beans for chocolate are not grown here, but on the whole the experience was fun, pretty easy, and delicious.

She grows some of her own food and gets most of the rest from the local farmer's market on Yanceyville and Lindsay. Creativity in the kitchen plus home grown herbs plus fresh produce and free-range meats made the task of cooking an enjoyable one. Laurie is already thoughtful about local food, but this past month heightened her awareness of food, our farmers and herself. That's pretty much what Slow Food is about.

Sarah Jones, another Slow Food advocate, wrote in her bi-weekly column, "Local food offers extra helpings." She pointed out that eating locally is not only about eating fresh and delicious food; it affects the world. 1) Local food is better for the environment; it's transported just a few miles and it's usually freer of chemicals; 2) local food supports the local economy by returning more money to the farmer/grower; and 3) local food preserves endangered varieties of vegetables whether its kale, tomatoes or apples, and endangered varieties of animals. Added to this is the social conviviality of the marketplace: friends, tastings, chatter.

If that's not enough, Masoud has reopened Zaytoon as a Mediterranean Cafe: Local, Natural, Organic. It is located in downtown Greensboro at 301 N. Elm Street on the ground floor of a modern office building. One of two entrances is off of a lovely urban plaza so there is outside seating. The hours are M-F, 7:30am-6:00pm. Phone in orders at 336-373-0211.

Debby and I ate there on opening day June 1 and there was a steady stream of customers...satisfied customers. We had the baba ghanouj platter and the falafel wrap. The baba ghanouj was light on the tahini so you could taste the delicately seasoned eggplant. The falafel was crunchy yet moist with cucumber accompanying it. Its internal color was a lime green and we wondered if it contained mashed fava beans along with the chickpeas. Real authenticity and our bill came to $10.68!

The rooms are bright and spacious with local watercolors by known artists on the walls. Feel free to linger too over some baklava and turkish coffee.

We are happy you are back, Masoud and Annah.

Charlie Headington

Organic Gardening Workshop May 27

2006-05-24T16:08:00.000-05:00

ORGANIC GARDENING WORKSHOP
W/ Charlie Headington
May 27, 2006
(Six spaces left!)

Charlie Headington is conducting another organic gardening, edible landscaping, and Permaculture workshop this Saturday, May 27. It will cover a host of gardening and design ideas and practical tips on sheetmulching, pond construction (with thrown away carpets), four season harvests, backyard orchards, and of course organic gardening.

If you have seen Charlie on GCTV's program, "Urban Gardening", or have seen his work at his home or at Greensboro Montessori School, you know you are in for a treat. See attachment for more details.

Time: 9am-4pm Lunch included!
Place: his home at 515 N. Mendenhall St. in Greensboro.
Phone: 336-273-7292.
email:headington@intrex.net

Cost: $60 ($50 to Slow Food members) and only $30 for students.

Call and send $20 to reserve a place.

Local Seasonal Lunch at Bistro Sofia May 21

2006-05-10T08:24:00.000-05:00

May 21
Begins at Noon
$25.00 + gratuity
Reserve 336-855-1313

Join food lovers and food growers at Greensboro’s acclaimed Bistro Sofia for a four-course lunch, with wine, of local seasonal food. Yes, the farmers will be our guests as we enjoy the fruit of their labors.

The menu to date (there could be some changes):

1st Course:
Uwharrie Farms tomato herb mousse, Bettini Farms salad greens, Sweet tomato vinaigrette
2nd Course:
Local rabbit and fava bean stew, rabbit thyme jus, herb baked polenta (Old Mill of Guilford cornmeal)
3rd course:
Bettini Farms mulberry parfait, crème chantilly (Homeland Creamery Heavy Cream)
4th Course:
Goat Lady Dairy Tallegio

Bistro Sofia is located at 616 Dolley Madison Road, Greensboro, NC, just off Friendly Avenue, near Guilford College.

Web sites:
Bistro Sofia
Bettini Farms
Goat Lady Dairy
Homeland Creamery
Old Mill at Guilford
Round Peak Vineyards
Uwharrie Farm

Eat Local Challenge 2006

2006-04-30T13:43:00.000-05:00

I am honored and excited to have joined the Eat Local Challenge, a blog that will bring together information from a diverse group of U.S. consumers dedicated to supporting those who produce food that doesn't travel thousands of miles before it ends up on your plate. My first post for this new site is entitled Full Circle, Almost. So far, twenty-six other Locavores have signed on to become authors for the Eat Local Challenge blog, and it looks like hundreds have pledged to eat local for the month of May! Others have chosen to take the challenge in another month.

The posts about my own eat local challenge will be archived here, so that anyone who is interested can follow my progress. The overall challenge is to eat food produced within 100 miles of your home, but each person sets his or her own personal goals and exemptions. I'll keep you updated with the information I find about sustainably and humanely raised food produced within 100 miles of Greensboro. If any of you decide to join the challenge, please leave a comment!

It will be great fun and very enlightening to see how others find foods within their 100-mile foodsheds during a time of year when many places are just beginning to get fresh foods to the markets. Some traditionally lush harvests in California will be delayed due to unusually heavy rains. Here in the South, we've had drought. The Northeast is just now thawing out!

We are lucky to be able to find so many local foods in our markets here in the Piedmont Triad. Now we need to support our farmers and encourage the next generation of young farmers to continue the tradition by making good choices with our food dollars.

Now, here are my personal Eat Local Challenge goals and exemptions:

Goal: To eat food produced within 100 miles as much as possible, then extend the range to food raised, produced, or caught in North Carolina, South Carolina, or Virginia.

Exemptions: salt, pepper, spices, tamari, flour*, pasta*, rice, olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider and balsamic vinegars, tahini, sugar, other baking necessities, Parmesano-Reggiano, coffee, tea.

Challenge: I'm used to eating out for lunch in the neighborhood, and I don't think that anyone serves local food. My addiction to Pepsi One, which I'll try to kick in May. My new craving for olives. I'll miss salmon and bacon. Local regulations will not allow pork producers to cure meat without nitrates.

Help needed in finding: Grains of all kinds, pasta. If I can find local sources for flour, pasta, and Carolina grown rice, I'll take them off the exemption list in an update.

Tips offered: The Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market sells locally grown chicken, beef, pork, dried beans, mushrooms, milk, butter, goat cheese, and eggs, in addition to seasonal fruits and vegetables. Chicken will be available from Back Woods Family Farm again in May. The corn for the grits and cornmeal from the Old Mill at Guilford is grown in Yanceyville. Donna sells their products at the Curb Market. The Piedmont Triad Farmers Market also sells sustainably raised lamb, and ostrich. Deep Roots Market carries some local products, including some fruits and vegetables, beef and dairy products.

NOTES:

I'll buy my fair-trade organic coffee from Tate Street Coffee House, which is a short walk away, and sorry, but I have to have sugar in my coffee.

I'll keep a pitcher of iced tea in the refrigerator to try to kick my diet soda habit. I can't go without caffeine - my migraines are enough of a problem in the spring. The problem here will be my husband drinking it all. He loves sweet tea. I'll flavor it with mint from my garden.

I'll buy my bread from Simple Kneads, a wonderful organic bakery in downtown Greensboro, or from nearby Spring Garden Bakery, or pita from Dough Re Mi at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. Or bake it.

I am mulling over making my own pasta for the first time. After all, I have to justify buying this noodle-cutter at the Liberty Antiques Festival yesterday! Note that I bought a "new" baking pan that begs for lasagne as well. I think I found a source for semolina flour from Virginia. I'll post more if I decide to do it - it looks like the fates have decreed this. Now let's see if I have the time and energy.

I plan to eat a lot of salad, which is not really one of my favorite foods. The way I have decided to make this fun and challenging is that I will make my own salad dressings and marinades. I've been addicted to Annie's dressings for years, but there's no reason I couldn't make my own from scratch. I've added a lot of the base ingredients for salad dressings and marinades to the exemption list, to which I plan to add herbs from my garden and other ingredients that I find at the farmers' market.

Deep Roots Taste Fair and Open House at Goat Lady Dairy this weekend!

2006-04-25T17:13:00.000-05:00

There are two great food events both days this weekend!

April 29, 2006
11th Annual Taste Fair
Deep Roots Market Cooperative
11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Join Deep Roots Market Cooperative for this FREE community celebration featuring delicious samples of freshly prepared organic foods and wellness samples. Celebrate Deep Roots Market’s 30 year commitment to the Triad community. This is a great time to learn more about the co-op, fair trade and organic products, as well as local favorites. Bring the whole family and plan to spend the afternoon outside listening to live music and trying new treats while savoring old favorites! The event will be held at Deep Roots Market, 3728 Spring Garden St. Greensboro. Raindate is Sunday April 30th. Call 292-9216 for more info! Web site: www.deeprootsmarket.com (Slow Food will have a booth. Please contact Laurie at lponeill@slowfoodpiedmont.org if you would like to volunteer to staff the table for an hour or so.)

April 30, 2006
Open House
Goat Lady Dairy, Randolph County
1-5 p.m. FREE

Bring the whole family to experience the farm for yourselves. There are animals to touch, eggs to gather, herbs to smell and gardens to tour. You can also stroll in the woods or meadows, relax by the pond or even picnic. The farm’s family and prize winning cheese makers will be there to help you learn about their life on the farm and give you a taste of farmstead cheese. Of course, you can also purchase some cheese to take home. 3515 Jess Hackett Road in Climax. Phone (336)824-2163, www.GoatLadyDairy.com.

"The Real Dirt on Farmer John" Premiere in N.C.!

2006-04-16T17:55:00.000-05:00

Slow Food Film Series presents
a guided tour of “Uneasy Nature”
& the North Carolina premiere
of “The Real Dirt on Farmer John”
April 20, 6:00-9:00 pm
Weatherspoon Art Museum, UNCG

“The Real Dirt on Farmer John,” a documentary of farmer and artist John Peterson of Illinois, depicts the trials, yearnings and jubilations of a man and his farming family. His story encompasses love of the land, family fidelity, a fall from grace and a glorious vindication. The film has won 18 film festival awards.

“Uneasy Nature” brings together six internationally recognized artists who incorporate the evolving perception—and use, manipulation, and distortion—of nature in contemporary culture. A museum curator will lead us through a short tour.

Join us for a savory reception at 6 pm, the tour of “Uneasy Nature” at 6:30, and the screening of the film at 7:00 pm.

For more information and directions go to http://weatherspoon.uncg.edu/events.
For more information on Slow Food and future events, go to www.slowfoodpiedmont.org.

Citywide Earth Day Celebration April 1

2006-03-28T07:35:00.000-05:00

April 1, 2006
Great American Clean Up
9 - 11:30 a.m.
We invite you to help Greensboro Beautiful give the City a spring cleaning as part of the Great American Cleanup. Please volunteer to join your friends and neighbors, cleaning up our neighborhoods, roadsides, parks, and other littered areas. Contact Lynne Leonard at 373-2957, or Lynne.Leonard@greensboro-nc.gov to participate.

April 1, 2006
Greensboro City Celebration of Earth Day
Kathleen Clay Edwards Library
12 - 5:00 p.m.
Bring your litter-free picnic lunch, and enjoy a fun-filled day learning about our environment at Kathleen Clay Edwards Library, on Price Park Drive, behind Jefferson Elementary School. To exhibit, or for more information, contact Yvonne Foust at 373-2053 or fousty@greensboro-nc.gov, or Melanie Buckingham at 373-2923 or Melanie.buckingham@greensboro-nc.gov.

Prizes will be awarded for the first one-hundred displayed litter-free picnic lunches…Get Creative, you can Eat it All!

From Noon to 1pm, Have your litter-free picnic lunch while you enjoy music with local bands, gospel music and Radio Disney.

From 1p.m. - 5 p.m., Enjoy and learn from interactive exhibits, art, guided hikes and garden tours. Visit the Master Gardener Learning Station. Kids can enjoy nature crafts, live animals and face painting. Explore hybrid and alternative vehicles, teen challenge events, solar exhibits, food samples, Geocaching, hayrides, orienteering and much more.

Slow Food will have a information table. Slow Food members, please contact Laurie by email if you would like to volunteer to staff the table for an hour or so.

Shiitake Inoculation at Handance Farm

2006-03-28T07:32:00.000-05:00

Saturday I drove out to Handance Farm in Rockingham County for their Mushroom Inoculation and Work Day. By the time I got there, much of the work had been done. The major task at hand was to help Pat and Brian Bush inoculate freshly cut logs with shiitake mushroom spawn. The first step is to drill holes all over the log. That's Brian in the middle.

The log is passed to the next team of two, who fill specially made plungers with shiitake spawn and press the spawn into the holes.

Then the holes and all other cut surfaces are painted with cheese wax to prevent them from being contaminated with other fungi (and critters). An identifying tag is nailed to the end, and it is stacked in a pile.

Here's how they stacked last year's logs. The mushroom farm (Dark Hollow, who moved) that Sandy and I went to last year made a mushroom house out of the logs -it seemed like a perfect place for a hobbit.

Mushroom Inoculation Work Day and Potluck

2006-03-21T18:15:00.000-05:00

March 25, 2006
Mushroom Inoculation Work Day and Potluck
Handance Farm, 2541 Baker Crossroad Road, Reidsville, NC 27320
FREE - Please RSVP at 336-951-0811.

1-5 p.m. ~ Work with mushroom logs and spores, no children or dogs please.
3-5 p.m. Children's program
5-7 p.m. ~ Farm tour and potluck, children welcome, bring a dish to join us.

Get some hands-on experience and help Handance Farm with their new venture by helping inoculate 200 logs with shiitake spawn. Included in the day are a talk on growing mushrooms, a tour of Handance Farm and a potluck dinner. Bring a dish to share and a folding chair if you’d like. Be sure to wear work clothes and comfortable shoes. Children are welcome at 3:00 and for the tour and potluck (starting at 5), but please leave your dogs home. Please click here for a flyer.

Directions: From Greensboro take Church St. Ext. north past Hwy. 150 & 158 where it becomes Woolen Store Rd. and T's into Ironworks Rd. Go right, then take the immediate left onto Sandy Cross Rd. Go approx. 2 miles (you'll pass Breckenridge Mobile Home Park on right) and take left onto Baker Crossroad. Go about 200 yards and 2541 is the first house on right (2-story white with huge stump in front yard, a big holly tree and boxwoods).

Food with a View Tonight at the Scene

2006-03-18T12:09:00.000-05:00

March 18, 2006
“Food With a View" Film Series
The Slow Food Movement
The Scene, 604 South Elm St., Greensboro, NC
8:00 p.m.
$5 suggested donation.

The Slow Food Movement, a documentary about worldwide food communities that are rediscovering some of the greatest joys of life: enjoying the flavors of their local region, renewing their health, and re-connecting to the land. Desserts and discussion.

Slow Foodie Profile

2006-03-06T14:37:00.000-05:00

Name: Laurie O'Neill

Day Job: Secretary at a local university

Your interests: Organic gardening, voluntary simplicity, fiber arts

How did you get involved in the Slow Food Piedmont Triad convivium?
I was in Charlie Headington's "Simple Living in a Complex World" class at UNCG and he mentioned that a local convivium would be formed soon. Because food is so much a part of my simple living philosophy, I was excited at the opportunity to help organize it and meet others with similar interests.

What does Slow Food mean to you and how does it impact your daily life?
As a cook and an eater, I enjoy the freshness and the challenge of eating locally and seasonally. As a gardener, I am interested in healthy food and heirloom varieties of vegetables. As a small farmer's daughter and sister, I am concerned that my heritage and culture are fast disappearing. As a citizen, I am frightened at the rate that industry has taken control over our entire food system. As a member of Slow Food, I hope to make a difference in supporting small farmers and promoting the benefits of local food.

Describe a Slow Food meal you've recently prepared or eaten:
The other night, we had a simple organic meal of field peas, corn on the cob, and baked sweet potatoes. I grew the field peas in my garden and froze them. I bought the corn at Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market this summer and froze it. The sweet potatoes were from the same market and I served them and the corn with a small amount of organic butter that I bought at Deep Roots Market. It was a very easy, quickly prepared meal. Learning to preserve and store foods for year-round enjoyment was one of the most valuable skills that I learned growing up on a small farm.

Cable Access Kick-Off Meeting

2006-03-06T10:25:00.000-05:00

When I sent out the invitation for the kick-off meeting of the Slow Food GCTV show, I didn’t know what to expect. It was entirely possible that I would end up at a meeting with my husband and sister – talented people, to say the least, but not quite an entire volunteer force. Instead, the Green Bean conference room filled with an amazing group of people with a diverse set of skills and interests. We have people experienced in film and editing, music and art, cooking and gardening and even a Spanish teacher!

Together we put together a list of show topics that could easily fill a season. Among the many ideas were:

A blind taste-testing of local organic versus conventional foods
The Wellness Policy
Edible Schoolyards
Slow Food at home
A student food-related film competition
Multicultural food within our community
Farm to kitchen cooking shows
Food and cooking for spiritual and physical health

And the list goes on and on. We are planning to film the mushroom inoculation at Handance Farm for one of our first episodes as well as the cheese making process at Goat Lady Dairy.

While we have a great group together, this is certainly a more-the-merrier situation. In addition to on-site volunteers for filming days, we would also like to have a volunteer to find and approach people and businesses to sponsor episodes (i.e. help pay for the show in exchange for a panel of recognition at the beginning and end of the episode) as well as volunteers to do a little research here and there. Even an hour or two a month of volunteer time could go a long way to making this show a success!

Please contact Sarah Jones with ideas, feedback and for more information: ThoughtForFood@bellsouth.net.

The Future of Food - Tonight at the Scene

2006-02-25T10:03:00.000-05:00

February 25 8:00 P.M. at The Scene at 604 South Elm
The Future of Food
Shown as part of 'Food With a View': Slow Food Film Series

The Future of Food offers an in-depth investigation into the truth behind unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that we find on our grocery shelves. From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico this film gives voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why we need to be informed about genetically altered crops in our food supply and support our local food communities.

A discussion will follow led by Dr. Charlie Headington of UNCG.
Enjoy homemade desserts while watching the film. $5.00 suggested donation.

On March 18, 'Food With a View' will show The Slow Food Movement, a documentary about worldwide food communities that are rediscovering some of the greatest joys of life: enjoying the flavors of their local region, renewing their health, and re-connecting to the land. Desserts and discussion. $5.00 suggested donation.

Terra Madre Benefit Dinners in the Triangle Area

2006-02-25T10:00:00.000-05:00

From Slow Food Research Triangle:

February 28, 2006
Eat Out Tuesday-Terra Madre Benefit Dinners
Triangle Area Restaurants, North Carolina

On Tuesday, February 28th, select Triangle restaurants in the Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Durham area of North Carolina that are committed to using local, seasonal foods, will donate 10% of their proceeds from that evening's sales to Slow Food's Triangle Convivium. Money raised will help send a small delegation of local farmers to Turin, Italy next October 2006 for Slow Food International's Terra Madre. Additionally, each participating Triangle restaurant will highlight special local offerings on their menus that evening. Participating restaurants include: Acme, Bin 54, Crook's Corner, Elaine's, Enoteca Vin, Four Square, Frazier's, Lantern, Magnolia Grill, Nana's, Nasher Museum Café, Panzanella, Pop's, Starlu, Zely & Ritz and 411 West. To learn more about Terra Madre, visit www.slowfoodusa.org

Slow Food on GCTV

2006-02-17T15:24:00.000-05:00

You are invited to a planning and support meeting for one of Slow Food Piedmont Triad’s exciting ‘06 projects: a cable access show on GCTV!

When: Tuesday, February 28, 2006, starting at 7:30 p.m., ending when the ideas stop flowing

Where: The Green Bean conference room, 341 S. Elm Street, Greensboro

What: Our goal for this meeting is to brainstorm show topics and gather a crew of volunteers for production

We need your ideas, time and support to get this fun, educational show off the ground!

For more information, contact Sarah Jones at 336.456.7257 or ThoughtForFood@bellsouth.net

Beekeeping

2006-02-16T17:40:00.000-05:00

Many of the counties in our region are beginning their annual beekeeping classes. If you are interested in becoming a certified beekeeper, check out one of these classes:

http://www.ncbeekeepers.org/courses.htm

Other beekeeping links you may want to check out:
http://www.ncbeekeepers.org/
http://www.guilfordbeekeepers.org
http://www.abfnet.org/
http://www.nhb.org/index.html
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu:8050/entomology/apiculture/ (NC State)
http://www.forsyth.cc/CES/ & http://forsyth.ces.ncsu.edu/copubs/ag/special/bee/023/
http://www.honey.com/

No NAIS!

2006-02-16T07:35:00.000-05:00

I have been at a loss for words about NAIS - the National Animal Identification System. To put this kind of shackle on the small livestock producers in this country is shameless. The local farmer from whom I buy my chickens says that when this USDA program goes into effect, he will not be able to sell his free-range hens and eggs to the public anymore. He and his wife have been building a successful business and had made plans to raise heritage turkeys and rabbits this year. NAIS is changing everything for them. It is also taking away a valuable food resource for local consumers.

I received this email from Allan Balliett, a frequent contributor to the Slow Food DC listserv, in response to a query by a listmember. I wanted to share it with you because it does a good job of explaining NAIS from a small livestock farmer's point of view, and it led me to an excellent blog set up to inform the public about NAIS and help us fight it. If you care at all about food, small businesses, privacy, or needless government regulation, you should care about stopping NAIS.

NAIS is one of several programs that have become necessary because of problems created by confinement animal operations that the government is currently pushing onto small family farms. Is the goal the safety of Americans or is it saving agri-business from the unfair competition created by, as Kathy says 'Food that tastes like it used to"? It's amazing how greedy corporate bean counters are, pushing to recollect any crumbs that fall to small farms. Since keeping clean, living food out of the hands of anyone but the rich helps creates profits for corporations invested or integrated in the 'health' sector, it's hard to imagine that this continual and painfully obvious push to make farming too expensive or difficult except at [large] scale doesn't have larger payoffs in mind.

NAIS is just one of many.

Best source of NAIS and anti-NAIS info is at noNAIS.org (which, btw, is also an excellent example of how the internet can be put to work for the betterment of everyone).

The following is quoted from there.

"The National Animal ID program was originally designed to give the big beef producers help in getting export markets which required disease controls. The idea is that every single livestock animal in the United States will be identified and tagged. All livestock animal movements will be tracked, logged and reported to the government. The benefit is to the big factory farms who probably do need this type of regulation. They get to do single ID's for large groups of animals. Small farmers, pet owners and homesteaders will have to tag and track every single animal.

"There are no exceptions - even small farms that sell direct to local consumers will be required to pay the fees and file all the paper work on all their animals. Even horse, llama and other pet owners will be required to participate in NAIS. Homesteaders who raise their own meat and grandma with her one egg hen will also have to register their homes as 'farm premises' and obtain a Premise ID, tag all their animals and submit all the paperwork and fees. Absurd? Yes - There are no exceptions under the current NAIS plan. The USDA has slipped this plan in the back door without any legislation. This is going to be very expensive and guess who is going to pay for it in higher food prices...You!"

Allan Balliett has a website about his Shepherdstown, West Virginia farm at www.freshandlocalcsa.com. His CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program serves the DC Metro area.

slow food potluck and events for 2006

2006-02-11T09:36:00.000-05:00

Sarah, our new media guru, tries to decide what to add to her plate next

55 people attended the potluck/planning meeting at Old Salem last night. The food was great, and several people commented on the energy and conviviality of our group. There's nothing like a Slow Food potluck, folks!

The Events page on our Web site has been updated. Please note that the events are only part of the exciting plans for our convivium this year - we also look forward to the Local Food Guide in May, information booths at the local farmers' markets, and a community access TV show among other projects!

Lots of new information will be posted on our web site beginning in May, and beginning March 1, we will have an email newsletter. Mandie Rose will join the blog team as a contributor soon.

All in all, it's looking to be a very productive year for Slow Food Piedmont Triad!

Tom holds a sweet potato biscuit with blueberry butter

Wellness Policy Update

2006-02-06T09:48:00.000-05:00

Wellness Policy Committee Meeting
(OPEN TO THE PUBLIC)
Thursday, February 9th, 2006
9 A.M.-10 A.M.
501 W. Washington Street
Greensboro, North Carolina
Cynthia Sevier's Office
Second Floor (I will send room # )

For about 1 month Deb Bettini and I served on the Wellness Policy Committee for the Guilford County Schools. This first meeting was attended by 7 people with various backgrounds and the mood of the meeting was very upbeat and everyone was enthusiastic about making a change for our children.

Last week we were scheduled for our 2nd meeting on Thursday Feb. 2, 2006. On Tuesday 1/31/06 I received a call from one of the participates stating that Deb and I could not serve on the WP Committee(WPC) because we were not elected to the Health & Safety Board for the school. I was told that all meetings were open to the public and we could attend but not comment or vote! Deb on the other hand was told not to attend any of the meetings.

At 9 a.m. on Feb. 2, 2006 I showed up at the scheduled meeting only to find an empty, dark office. The meeting had been rescheduled. I only found this out through several phone calls to people on the WPC. There were no phone calls or emails sent to inform Deb and I of the change. There are currently 4 people that now make up the WPC. Dr. Routh from the school board sat in on the first meeting to address policy rules and procedure.

Here are the names of the people serving on the Health and Safety Board for Guilford Co. Schools (this information is being sent to me and I will provide proper titles.) I also apologize for any misspelled names.
** represent those who are currently serving on the WPC.

Terry Grier
Dot Kearns
Ruth MacKinze
Robert Strack
Joyce Wellborne
Glenn Willis
Lynn Beckford
Deana Hayes
Patty Kinade
Janet Mayer**
Marty Sykes
Rober williams
Bobin Berjeron-Nolan
Greg Jones
Robin Lane**
Terina Piccarillo** PTA Chair for Healthy and Safety
Dr. Quinlin
Lea Sheplar
Vernus Thompson
Beth Woody
Dr. Terrance Young
Cynthia Seiver**

Terinal Piccarillo is representing the school, the community and the parent that is required of the WP guidelines. According to Senior Food Policy Analyst, Madeleine Levin, the schools are not breaking any of the WPGuidelines.

When these 4 people finish the WP it will be posted on the Guilford Co. school website. The public will have 21 days to comment and then it will go back to the WPC for any changes, it will then be up for a second public reading. This is when the school would like to hear from YOU. I strongly feel that the community should have more involvement with the development of the WP before it is made public.

I will have more of this as the week progresses. I hope that any of you that can make the next meeting will attend!

Sincerely,
Donna Myers

broccoli leek soup

2006-02-03T20:10:00.000-05:00

This soup is a great marriage of flavors and it won't weigh you down. I'll expect heaven to smell like thyme in butter.

2 T butter
2 c chopped leeks, white and light green parts
1 1/2 t green garlic (see notes)
1 1/2 t basil
1 t thyme
4 c chopped broccoli
1 c broccoli florets (reserved)
1 c diced peeled red potatoes
3 c chicken stock
2 c lowfat milk
1-2 t salt, to taste
1 T cornstarch
Extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Saute the leeks, garlic, basil and thyme in butter for about five minutes. Add the chopped broccoli, potatoes, and stock, bring up to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Steam the broccoli florets in a steamer basket on top of the pot. Take off the heat, add the milk and salt, and blend. Dissolve the cornstarch in a little cold water, add to the soup, and bring it back up to a slow boil for one minute. The soup will thicken slightly. Add freshly ground black pepper and steamed broccoli florets. Garnish with shredded extra-sharp cheddar.

Notes:

Leeks usually have a little dirt between the layers. Chop them and let them soak in some water while you chop the other ingredients. You can substitute onions, but the delicate flavor of the leek is wonderful. Try it!

I used green garlic because I had two bulbs that had sprouted for a couple of weeks. I wanted a little garlic flavor but I didn't want to overwhelm the leeks. So I chopped off the sprouts, chopped them up, and put them in the soup. They were perfect. Don't throw out that sprouted garlic. If you can't cook with it, plant the cloves!

I chop my basil in a food processor with a little olive oil each fall and freeze it in small ice cube trays, such as those sold for dorm refrigerators. Then I pop them out into a plastic bag and I have the taste of fresh basil all winter. All I have to do is toss a cube in the sauce or soup, or defrost in the microwave to mix into meatballs.

My favorite potatoes are Yukon Gold, but red was on sale.

You can steam more broccoli florets to put in the soup to make it heartier. If you want it thicker, use cream, substitute another cup of potatoes for a cup of broccoli, or use one cup less stock.

Sources:
Leeks, broccoli, potatoes, garlic, and thyme - Deep Roots Market
Butter and milk - Homeland Creamery
Basil - my back yard, then my freezer
Chicken stock - my freezer, chicken originally from Back Woods Farm
Cornstarch - Harris Teeter
Extra-sharp cheddar cheese - the Molners

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cross-posted from The Mock Turtle's Song.

good ole beef stew in the crockpot

2006-02-03T20:07:00.000-05:00

Nothing fancy here. It's one of those staples on a cold weekend.

1-2 lbs. grass-fed beef stew meat
3 T flour
1 t salt
1 3/4 c beef stock or water
3 medium potatoes, cubed
4-5 carrots, sliced
1 c chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T tomato paste
1 T worchestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 t paprika
Black pepper
fresh parsley
fresh rosemary
Splash of red wine

Put the beef in the crock pot and mix with the flour and salt. Add the rest of the ingredients through the black pepper and mix. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours. Go have fun somewhere. About 30 minutes or so before you're ready to turn it off, add the herbs and wine.

notes:
This is a very forgiving recipe for substitutions and additions. If you have room and you have mushrooms, by all means, add them. You can add them with the wine.

A few words about the beef - We don't eat a lot of red meat, for budgetary and cholesterol reasons. But when I do, I now buy my beef from Rocking F Farms at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. They sell their local farm-grown, pasture-raised beef from a cooler, which they replenish from a freezer that they haul on a trailer. Their prices are competitive with the industrial beef you find at the grocery store.

The friendly vendor is more than happy to discuss what they feed their cows and how they are raised. They raise most of their own feed, and do not use growth hormones. The cows are pasture fed until the last six weeks or so when they are switched to a grain mix on site so there's no need for unnecessary antibiotics.

The thought of eating industrial "confined animal feeding operation" beef makes me queasy since I read Power Steer by Michael Pollan (must reading if you care about what you and your family eat), so if I can't afford better quality, I just do without.

I didn't have beef stock, but I added 2 T of Vogue Cuisine Instant Beef Flavored Base to the water, and I thought that it was good. I also use their vegetarian chicken-flavored base. It contains mostly organic ingredients, but no organic seal.

sources:
beef stew meat: Rocking F Farms at Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market
flour, beef-flavored base, vegetables, spices: Deep Roots Market
tomato paste, worchestershire sauce: Harris Teeter
parsley, rosemary: My back yard
red wine: A neighbor's gift

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cross-posted from The Mock Turtle's Song.

Potluck and Slow Food Community Meeting at Old Salem Feb. 10

2006-01-29T08:47:00.000-05:00

Potluck and Slow Food Community Meeting
7:00 p.m., February 10, 2006
Single Brothers Kitchen, Old Salem, Winston-Salem

Bring a tasty dish that is flavored with local food and family tradition, meet Slow Foodies, and usher in our second year as the Slow Food Piedmont Triad convivium.

We want to announce the event schedule, explain our projects, solicit your feedback and encourage your help. Invite your friends. This will be a fun time!

Contact person: Jill Crouse, head vegetable gardener at Old Salem. Tel: 336-682-3715.

Directions: Head to Old Salem and park in the parking lot off Salem Avenue or on Main or Salt Streets. Enter the Single Brothers Workshop on lower level.

Slow Foodie Profiles

2006-01-28T07:50:00.000-05:00

Kicking off a new ongoing feature on the blog, Charlie Headington and Lavonne Childs have filled out our new slow foodie questionnaire. We'd love to hear more about you, too - email me (ThoughtForFood@bellsouth.net) if you would like to share your experiences!

Name: Charlie Headington

Day Job: Teach about Sustainability Issues at UNCG and tend an Edible Schoolyard at Greensboro Montessori School

Your interests: good food, sustainable and simple living, gardening, learning Italian, playing chess.

How did you get involved in the Slow Food Piedmont Triad convivium? I've long been an organic gardener and teacher of gardening and sustainability, and thus concerned with the culture and availability of good food. My wife and I attended Terra Madre, a 2004 gathering of 5000 world-wide small farmers and producers, and we joined with Steve Tate of Goat Lady Dairy and others to form a Slow Food convivium in the Piedmont. I've enjoyed working with other committed volunteers from all walks of life.

What does Slow Food mean to you and how does it impact your daily life? Slow Food means a thriving local culture of fresh, tasty food, sustainable farms and markets, and a city swarming with family-run eateries. It also means eating mindfully, with the earth, land, and our bodies in mind.

Describe a Slow Food meal you've recently prepared or eaten: My wife and I belong to an Italian conversation group that occasionally gets together to eat. In January we brought together four courses of largely seasonal and locally available food. We made squash ravioli: fresh pasta filled with a butternut squash concoction that my daughter made. The meat dish featured local pork. The candlelight meal lasted for four hours and we spoke Italian throughout it!

Name: Laurie O'Neill

Day Job: Secretary at a local university

Your interests: Organic gardening, voluntary simplicity, fiber arts

Food with a View: Big Night at the Scene Jan. 28

2006-01-18T17:20:00.000-05:00

Food With A View: Slow Food Film Series, winter 2006, at The Scene at 604 S. Elm St., Greensboro, NC on January 28, February 25, and March 18 at 8 PM, $5.00 encouraged donation.

Want to warm up your Saturday nights this winter? Come to The Scene for an enjoyable time watching a great food film. Desserts and discussion will follow.

January 28, we will show the wonderful film, Big Night. As we enjoy homemade desserts after the film, Justin Cantanoso, executive director of The Business Journal, will lead an informal discussion with us. Justin, a second generation Italian American, will share his experience of visiting Rome recently with his family to witness the canonization of a cousin. Justin also enjoyed a homemade Sunday lunch in Reggio Calabria with dozens of relatives he was meeting for the first time.

In case you would like to know the plot summary of Big Night, here it is:

Big Night

In life and love, one big night can change everything.

Written and Directed by Stanley Tucci, this 1996 movie has an all-star cast including Marc Anthony, Tony Shalhoub, Minnie Drive, Isabella Rosselini, Ian Holm, Live Schreiber, Allison Janney, and Stanley Tucci.

Primo and Secondo are two brothers who have emigrated from Italy to open an Italian restaurant in America. Primo is the irascible and gifted chef, brilliant in his culinary genius, but determined not to squander his talent on making the routine dishes that customers expect. Secondo is the smooth front-man, trying to keep the restaurant financially afloat, despite few patrons other than a poor artist who pays with his paintings. The owner of the nearby Pascal's restaurant, enormously successful (despite its mediocre fare), offers a solution - he will call his friend, a big-time jazz musician, to play a special benefit at their restaurant. Primo begins to prepare his masterpiece, a feast of a lifetime, for the brothers' big night...

Rated R with a run-time of 107 minutes.

N.C. Natural Milk Meeting

2006-01-18T17:15:00.000-05:00

NC NATURAL MILK MEETING
Saturday, January 21, 2006
2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
(919) 560-0260
Parkwood Public Library
5122 Revere Road
Durham, N.C. 27713
RSVP Alice Hall at tigrclause AT mindspring.com

This is for anyone interested in learning the health benefits of raw, unpasteurized milk and milk products. There will also be a discussion on the current attempt to legalize raw milk and cow share programs in North Carolina that will benefit both consumers and farmers. Raw milk is currently available about 30 states including Virginia and South Carolina.

Slow Food PT's 2006 Events and Mission

2005-12-11T17:52:00.000-05:00

Around twenty enthusiastic members of the Slow Food Piedmont Triad convivium met at Charlie and Debbie's house on Wednesday evening to write a mission statement for our group and to brainstorm about ideas for 2006. It was great to see that many areas of the Piedmont Triad were represented, including Randolph and Rockingham Counties, as well as Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and Kernersville. We hope to serve the entire area around the larger cities of the Piedmont Triad, and welcome input from residents of those counties.

The first item of business was to write a mission statement for our convivium. Steve Tate led us in a fun process, in which we paired off and wrote a mission statement of around ten words or less. Then, each couple wrote each noun, verb, adjective, and adverb in their sentence on separate cards. We placed these cards on a table, and noted the words that were used the most often. Standing around the table, we swapped the cards around until we came up with a simple, forthright statement: "To celebrate and support our local food community."

The second part of the evening was spent brainstorming in small groups to produce ideas for events for each season. Then we came back to the group and decided on which ideas to focus on, and assigned volunteers to work on each event. Here are the anchor events we came up with, subject to change, of course! We still need volunteers for events. Please email Charlie at headington@intrex.net.

Winter - A Slow Food film series at the Scene on South Elm St., accompanied by a potluck that will pick up on the theme of the movie. Dabney, Jill, and Debbie have volunteered to organize this event.

Spring - A Wild Foods event was mentioned. We think that there is already an event set up at Chinqua Penn in late April that we possibly could co-sponsor or at least attend individually or as a group. I will check on this. Another idea was a one day farm tour of 1-3 farms. Would a farm tour be of interest to you? How many farms? Are there any specific farms you are interested in? We would need someone to volunteer to organize this event.

Late Spring - Cherry picking at the Levering Orchard. This is the orchard of Wanda Urbanska and Frank Levering. Gordon, George, and Jan will organize this event, possibly renting a bus to take us up there and back.

Summer - A family picnic at Old Salem that focuses on children (and heirloom gardens). Jill, Beatrice, and Laurie are volunteers for this event.

Late Summer – Sept. 9 is Farm Fest at Rising Meadow Farm. We will join the annual fiber celebration. This could include a pig-picking and feature local meats. Steve and Jan have volunteered.

Other ongoing projects:

The Local Food Guide will probably be ready in the spring. There will be a print version and it will be available from our web site. George will program a database for our web site that will allow farmers and food producers to add and change information to the guide so that the most current information is always available.

Public Schools Wellness Policy - Donna has already begun working on this project. Charlie, Deb, and Jill are interested in this nationally-initiated Slow Food project as well as working with the local schools in other food and gardening education projects.

Monthly informal meet-ups at local restaurants and coffee houses. I'll pick a night (different weeknights per month to accommodate different schedules) and send out a place to meet on the listserv. No agenda, no program. Just good company. Suggestions for places to meet are welcome.

There were lots of ideas for ongoing projects. There was not time to discuss these Wednesday night, and we want to develop these ideas further. Very briefly, these include community dinners, a Slow Food challenge to local restaurants, a connection between the Piedmont region of Italy and our Piedmont region, and a "food of the month" to be featured on the web site with recipes and sources.

We would like very much to get your feedback on these ideas, and hear any ideas that you might have for our convivium's work (and play) in 2006. What specific goals would you like to see our convivium accomplish in 2006? What role would you like to play in implementing these goals? We need volunteers for the coming year's events.

A Slow Food Thanksgiving

2005-11-28T19:33:00.002-05:00

George had an epiphany about food this year. A Master of Arts of Liberal Studies student at UNCG, he has been writing about his slow food journey since this summer on his blog, Dirty Greek.org. George and I, along with about a dozen other listmembers, were in Charlie Headington and Steve Tate's "Slow Food in a Fast Food Nation" class this semester. I think that I can speak for all of us that we are very sad that the class is over, but we are all immensely richer for the experience.

The following is George's post about his first Slow Food Thanksgiving. He also writes about liberal politics and environmentalism on his blog, if you would like to check it out. The original post is here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, Thanksgiving went REALLY well. I ended up cooking the free range turkeys myself, which I didn't know I was going to have to do (I've never done it before), but they came out great! Here are the photos.

There were about 40 people at my family's Thanksgiving meal this year. I have a HUGE family between my dad's family and my mom's family, and we usually combine them at my parents' house for Thanksgiving. I decided, after learning so much about the slow food movement and organic and local food, that I wanted to do a really healthy, environmentally sound meal this year. Slow food is all about food and family, right? So what's a better way to celebrate food and family than Thanksgiving?

We got two Ebelry Poultry free range, organic turkeys from Earth Fare, and most of the vegetables, fruits, eggs, and even cheese and butter from the Farmers Markets in Winston Salem and Asheville. It was so cool that my mom got so into it! Even without much prodding from me, she called to reserve the turkeys without my even asking her to, and she and a few of my aunts and my grandmother spent several hours at the farmers market! She pulled out all the stops; I couldn't believe it when I got into town and she showed me the butter and farm cheese!

I cooked for basically 24 hours from Wednesday to Thanksgiving day, if you don't include the 5 or 6 hours of sleep I had in between... and the breaks I took to enjoy some beer and whiskey with my brother and cousin. I cooked two turkeys, curry pumpkin soup (freakin' yum), two pumpkin pies, an apple pie, and a squash casserole. My dad and my brother John helped me clean the turkeys, and john actually made the pumpkin pie filling once I had the pumpkins cooked and the meat scraped out.

Aside from a few ribs from my uncle about the meal being a "Hippy Thanksgiving" and another cousin joking about me "burning my bra," everyone loved the meal. Other family members got into the thing, even though I didn't want anyone to think that what they brought had to be any different than usual. One cousin's new wife, Brandee, brought an organic broccoli casserole. One of my aunts made an organic Greek salad. I'm sure I'm forgetting a few details, but the really great thing is that everyone got into the spirit, we had some good food and family time, and I planted some seeds in their heads about sustainable food. My mom especially surprised me. The whole thing was great.

Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska - Saturday

2005-11-28T19:08:00.000-05:00

We hope you will join us for this program.

Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska
Saturday, December 3rd 10:30 – noon
Kathleen Clay Edwards Library
1420 Price Park Dr. Greensboro 336-373-2923

Wanda Urbanska host and co-producer of the Simple Living TV series on public television stations nationwide, now in its second season will share excerpts from the series about simple and sustainable living along with interviews with people about simple living in a program at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10:30 to noon. Wanda is coauthor with Frank Levering of Nothing’s Too Small To Make a Difference, Simple Living, and Moving to a Small Town and other books. Wanda will share her experience of simple living in Mount Airy where she is co-owner/operator of Levering Orchard. Her presentation will also offer ways for you to simplify your life around the holiday season.

The Simple Living Program airs on UNC-TV (channel 4) at 6 p.m. on Sunday nights.

Melanie Buckingham
Environmental Resources Librarian
Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library
1420 Price Park Dr.
Greensboro, NC 27410
336-373-2923
www.greensborolibrary.org

Volunteers Needed for Deck the Hall Day on Dec. 3

2005-11-28T18:59:00.000-05:00

Subject: Friends of the Market Update/Volunteers Needed for Deck the Hall Day on Dec. 3
From: "Alfano, Geraldine E."
Date: Mon, November 28, 2005 6:49 pm
To: "Alfano, Geraldine E."

I hope that you all have continued to enjoy the Farmers' Market as the seasons have progressed. Even though winter is approaching, there is still local produce available at the Market, as well as baked goods and handmade crafts. As always, it's a wonderful place to meet with and talk to the vendors as well as the other customers. After the first of the year, I will be scheduling a meeting of the Friends of the Market. I hope that you will be able to attend and contribute your ideas, as well as your talents, for making our market even better and more successful. This Saturday we will be having Deck the Halls Day at the Market. It will feature a pancake breakfast with apple cinnamon sauce prepared by Alex Amoroso of Cheesecakes by Alex (proceeds to benefit projects of the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market). We need your help to serve the pancakes (Alex will handle the cooking), beginning about 7 am until 10:30 or 11. Please let me know if you are willing to help out for an hour or two between 7 am and 11 am.

Planning Session

2005-11-27T19:13:00.000-05:00

All members of Slow Food Piedmont Triad are invited to be part of a planning session at Charlie Headington’s home, December 7, 2005, Wednesday night at 7:00 pm.

We have had a good first year and we need to build upon it. How? That’s for us to decide!

We would like to talk about 1) activities and events for 2006 and 2) create several committees to oversee and do the work. We also could talk about 3) our mission and our priorities.

Please consider coming, talking, and taking a role in defining and realizing our vision of Slow Food. We need your input and energy if we are to be a sustainable organization and presence. We need representatives of all our Triad, and both city and rural communities. Together we can find creative ways to enjoy one another, the land and good food.

Contact Laurie to RSVP at lponeill@slowfoodpiedmont.org. She'll send it on to Charlie.

Eggs From Happy Chickens

2005-11-27T12:18:00.000-05:00

Scientific proof that eggs from happy chickens make you happy too!

Check out the new Chicken and Egg Page hosted by Mother Earth News: http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs/

It includes a study on the nutritional content of free-range vs. confinement eggs.

Farms in Decline

2005-11-11T10:32:00.000-05:00

The New York Times recently published an article about the difference between organic and sustainable farming practices which mentioned a dairy in upstate New York about twenty miles north of my hometown.

As a native of the Hudson Valley, where Ronnybrook Farm Dairy is located, it is shocking to visit and see the demise of the family farm. As a child in Dutchess County many of my friends were from dairy farming families. Most of these were very small affairs where one of the parents also held an outside job. Others were owned by the very wealthy who hired farm managers for the day-to-day business. Less motivating than the tax write-off was the desire for their children to grow up with the farm experience--hard work with intrinsic rewards that offset privilege. One notable gentleman farmer who always gave me a thrill when I saw him in town was James Cagney. He retired 'upstate' and personally raised Scottish Highlanders on his small farm. Another 'wanna-be' farmer was Meryl Streep. She bought a dairy farm near Amenia specifically to expose her children to a more healthful lifestyle. Within a month she sold all her stock. In a magazine interview she explained, 'I didn't realize that cows have an odor.' (That comment didn't make her very popular at the local grocery store.) To her credit, she does support the Connecticut Farmland Trust which is decently upwind from her NY property.

Notably, all of these farmers (excepting Meryl Streep) used some sustainable practices. A bike ride through the county from early spring to deep into the fall showed expansive hillside pastures dotted with meandering cattle, their black and white hides contrasting sharply with lush green or bright autumnal backgrounds. Cows, by the way, are incredibly resilient creatures. On warmer days in the winter and especially during the January thaw, they slogged through mushy snow and mud to soak in fresh 'dairy- air' and sunshine. (You can imagine, the Far Side was a favorite comic strip of my peers.)

While my mother was wary of 'raw' milk, my favorite dairy beverage was a fountain drink. We would line up in the barn--kid, cat, kittens, kid, waiting for an obliging older brother or cousin to shoot us a stream straight from the udder before hooking an ever-so-patient cow to the milking machine. My mother, by the way, was a wiz with laundry.

Because of its proximity to NYC, Dutchess County is now overrun with the affluent overflow of that megalopolis. With the influx of upper middle class professionals, the value of real estate skyrocketed. This had a two-fold effect on family farms. Acres of pastureland became hugely desirable to developers who cut up plots of land into tiny checkerboards of fractional acre lots. A small home in a bedroom community can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Secondly, the time intensive, backbreaking labor and financial costs of running a farm with a marginal profit at best became less attractive as the family farmers aged. Ronny, who took over Ronnybrook's Farms from his parents, is in a small minority. Very few children of farmers can afford to stay in the area.

I see the same thing that began in the Hudson Valley over twenty years ago happening right now in Guilford County. While I understand that financial health is very important and the availability of jobs that pay a living wage is necessary, at what cost? The old Dutch farming families from Dutchess County are gone--died off, their birthright sold, their children drifted away. I am just now appreciating how privileged I was to grow up healthy and strong from the wonderful foods and outdoor lifestyle my parents so graciously provided me. It's crucial that we pull together and support the local farmer, sustainable practices, and the agricultural lifestyle before it becomes so much dirt before the bulldozer.

~Jacqueline Oates

"3 Day Weekend"

2005-11-08T09:37:00.000-05:00

Early in the summer I read that Turner South would be in the Triad filming their popular cable series, "3 Day Weekend". My first thought was that they should visit the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. The love and dedication for this unique market is shown by the farmers that show up before dawn and the early bird shoppers that follow shortly after. It's also where I would take an out of town guest that is visiting Greensboro.

My thought had become a memory until I heard from Mark File, Marketing Director for Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels. As host to the Turner South crew, Mark emphatically suggested that they visit the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market on a Saturday morning.

Now, thanks to Mark and others at Quaintance-Weaver who support the market, Turner South will be filming at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market on Saturday November 12, 2005. What a wonderful opportunity to spotlight our community jewel that has long been a tradition to many families in the Triad.

Though the filming crew of Turner South has missed the busy summer season, the market is filling up with a bountiful fall harvest as well as local artist gearing up for the holiday season. I hope you will mark your calendar to visit us at the market and help us turn on the southern hospitality, naturally!

*Filming scheduled to begin at 7 a.m.

Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market
501 Yanceyville Street
Greensboro, NC 27405
(336) 574-3547

Hours
Saturday's
All year long.
6 am - noon

Wednesday's
June - December
7 am - 1 pm

Simple Kneads Open House

2005-11-08T07:43:00.000-05:00

Thursday, November 10, 6-9 pm.

Simple Kneads Bakery is having an Open House this Thursday night. Bill Snider has been baking luscious bread for the Piedmont community and wants to share his bakery with others for this night.

Simple Kneads is at 227B South Elm, down the alleyway next to Anne Marie's gift shop. There will be a sign on South Elm indicating the way.

Fast Action From Slow Foods

2005-11-02T12:54:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I received my first issue of the Snail, one of the perks of being a member of the Slow Food Piedmont Triad Convivium. It could not have arrived at a better time. Located in the center of the magazine was a full page, black and white photo of a child looking straight at me. The opposite page began "YOU." Me? I read more.

"Congress is requiring that every public school district in America form a Wellness Committee and adopt a Wellness Policy by June 30, 2006," I had to read more.

"If you write the standards, you can ensure that children in America's schools will eat the healthy foods they deserve. If you don't write them, who will?" And now I am loosing sleep.

It was on the Center for Ecoliteracy website that I learned about the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorizing Act 2004 that would require "local wellness policies designed and implemented at the local level, and authorize the Department of Agriculture to provide technical assistance, if requested by the school or school district, in implementing healthy school environments. The content of local wellness policies would be decided by local parents, teachers, administrators, school food service, school boards, and the public."

On Monday morning I went to the Guilford County Schools to inquire about our own, local Wellness Committee and Wellness Policy and by Friday I had a clear understanding of where WE stand in the process of creating a better nutritional future for our children.

After speaking with Nancy Routh, School Board Member At-Large and head of Policy Development, she explained that at this time the Guilford County Schools have created two new policies concerning medication distribution and peanut allergies. These were state mandated and the schools have yet to create the Wellness Committee or the Wellness Policy that is required by the federal government. I have two children in the Guilford County school system and have not received any information on parental or public input on the Wellness Policy. During my conversation with Mrs. Routh she encouraged me to contact Robin Bergeron-Nolan, Curriculum Specialist, and volunteer for any committees that might be formed. After contacting Charlie Headington, President of the Slow Food Piedmont Triad, Charlie offered full support from our local convivium to support the Wellness Policy.

I was able to pick up a copy of the Wellness Policy requirements and guidelines that local schools will use to assist in this exciting endeavor. The Center for Ecoliteracy has also created guidelines that can be used to help meet the new requirements.

For years we have been reading, hearing and watching the rise in childhood obesity and the onset of adult related diseases in today's youth. It was recently stated that the upcoming generation will be the first not to out live the last. My son brought home a book about dinosaurs last year titled, The Monsters Who Died, by Vicki Cobb. It was frightening to read,

"Dinosaur eggs also show the decline of dinosaurs. Eggs 70 million years old and older have thick shells. The shells from the last 5 million years got thinner and thinner. Dinosaurs were not as healthy and it showed in their shells. Their egg shell did not provide good protection. Many young dinosaurs never hatched. The poor health of the parent affected the young."

This is a very crucial time for today's youth and for generations to come. It is important for those of us who have been supporting our local agricultural resources, whole foods, and our cooking heritage to stand up and support the needs of today's children.

The Slow Food Piedmont Triad Convivium will soon hold a meeting to address the Wellness Policy in our local schools. If you would like to receive more information and become an active participant in addressing the nutritional needs of our children, please send an email to epicourier@gmail.com. If you are reading this from elsewhere in the United States EpiCourier would love to hear what your local, public schools are doing in regards to the Wellness Policy.

Our children depend on US!

Food and Farming Film Festival in Durham

2005-10-28T17:42:00.000-05:00

Carolina Farm Stewardship Association as part of its annual Sustainable Agriculture Conference, November 4-6 in Durham will be featuring a selection of films on Friday night, November 4 at 8:30. The conference and films will be at the Durham Marriott at the Civic Center. For more information about the conference itself, go to www.carolinafarmstewardship.org.

Details about the films below:

FOOD AND FARMING FILM FESTIVAL

SPONSORED BY THE CAROLINA FARM STEWARDSHIP ASSOCIATION
& TRIANGLE SLOW FOOD GROUP

WHEN: Friday, November 4th, starting at 8:30 pm

WHERE: Durham Civic Center Marriot Hotel, next to the Carolina Theatre, rooms 105-108

WHY: CFSA is holding their 2005 annual meeting in Durham, November 4-6, and small-scale sustainable farmers from throughout North and South Carolina will attend. Slow Food is looking for ways to work with existing groups in our area to support sustainable farms and good food.

WHAT: Three longer films will be screened along with several shorts. The three main films (all documentaries) will be shown simultaneously in three different rooms. Discussions will follow the screening for those who are interested.

COST: Free for registered attendees of the Sustainable Agriculture Conference, donation of $10 to Carolina Farm Stewardship Assoc. for others.

FEATURE FILMS AND SHORTS ARE DESCRIBED BELOW

The Future of Food (88 minutes)
Directed, Produced, and Written by Deborah Koons Garcia

The Future of Food offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. This film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have suffered the consequences of this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed about the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply. Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, The Future of Food, examines the web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world's food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today. http://www.thefutureoffood.com/

* * *
Voices of American Farm Women (40 minutes)
Directed by Cynthia Vagnetti
& The True Cost of Food-animated short (15 minutes)

Voices of American Farm Women is based upon more than 40 videotaped oral history interviews done by photojournalist and videographer Cynthia Vagnetti. In the past, our views of farming and its influence on American life and culture have focused on the roles that men have played as farmers, while women's contributions to agricultural production were largely ignored, perpetuating the stereotype of the "farmer's wife." This film presents a contemporary perspective on women in agriculture. Cynthia Vagnetti has documented women from across the United States whose farming techniques promote environmental responsibility, economic stability, and community well being. Through their voices and presence, the women express the components of sustainable food systems and farming practices.

Cynthia Vagnetti is an independent documentary photographer and video producer. She specializes in collecting comprehensive oral histories of farmers and ranchers across America

* * *
Broken Limbs (57 minutes)
Produced by Jamie Howell and Guy Evans
& The Meatrix-animated short (4 minutes)

Wenatchee, Washington, the "Apple Capital of the World", prospered for nearly a century as home to the famed Washington apple. But the good times have vanished. Apple orchardists by the thousands are going out of business and many more await the dreaded letter from the bank, announcing the end of their livelihoods and a uniquely American way of life.

After his own father receives just such a letter, filmmaker Guy Evans sets out on a journey to find out what went wrong. Over the course of filming, Evans witnesses small farmers struggling to compete against the Goliaths that populate today's global food industry, only to be ultimately forced off their land. The future looks grim for the Apple Capital although Evans does discover a new breed of successful small farmers, practitioners of a model called "sustainable agriculture".

Broken Limbs explores these hopeful stirrings within agriculture, outlining ways in which any individual can play a role in saving America's farmers. http://www.brokenlimbs.org/

******************************************
Elizabeth Gibbs
Educational Programs Coordinator
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association
P.O. Box 448
Pittsboro, NC 27312
Phone 919.542.2402
Fax 919.542.7401
www.carolinafarmstewards.org

Amory Lovins Lecture at UNCG

2005-10-28T17:29:00.000-05:00

Amory Lovins, author of Soft Energy Paths: Toward a Durable Peace (1977) and Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovations for Profits, Jobs, and Security (2004), will be speaking at UNCG on November 15 th and 16 th as keynote speaker for this year's Harriet Elliott Lecture Series, the third in a series of lectures entitled "Are We Energized?: Politics Energy, and the Environment."

Lovins rose to prominence during the oil crises of the 1970s when he challenged conventional supply-side dogma by urging that theUnited States instead follow a "soft energy path." His work today focuses on transforming the car, real-estate, electricity, water, semiconductor, and several other manufacturing sectors toward advanced resource productivity.

The Nov. 15 th keynote evening lecture will be held at 7:30 pm in the Science Building Lecture Hall and will be entitled "Are We Energized?: Winning the Oil Endgame." A series of programs on "Politics, Energy and the Environment in North Carolina ," with Lovins as discussant, will follow Wednesday morning in the Elliott University Center Auditorium.

Detailed information on times and locations is available online: www.uncg.edu/psc/pscnews.html

Catawba Center for Environment on PBS Program

2005-10-27T05:57:00.000-05:00

You will enjoy this show (see below) since it combines simple living and sustainable living. The Center at Catawba College is breathtaking; it is the first and best green educational building on the east coast. Wanda Urbanska continues to explicate the meanings of simple living. Remember, she is also part of the Levering family of Levering Orchards in Virginia where many of you go to pick your own fruit!

~~~~~~~~

The Center for the Environment at Catawba is an excellent environmental education program. And the show, "Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska," is putting out a very compelling message. This will be well worth watching; this Sunday, Oct. 30th, at 6 pm UNC-TV. Enjoy!
Will

Watch for Catawba Center for Environment on PBS Program

Catawba College’s Environmental Science Program and Center for the Environment will soon be featured on PBS’s “Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska.”

The TV crew filmed footage on campus in April for the fall program. Ms. Urbanska, the host and co-producer, said she and Frank Levering chose to feature Catawba’s Center for the Environment because “it offers one of the premiere environmental education programs in the nation in an amazing physical setting – both the green building that houses the center and the adjacent nature preserve.
“What’s more, I’m impressed with the degree to which the entire Catawba College community takes environmental education seriously,” she says. “Green teams advise the administration about ways to make the campus environmentally friendly.”

The program is scheduled to run on PBS stations across the United States. It will air in North Carolina on UNC-TV Sunday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. and on WTVI-TV Saturday, Nov. 5, at 4:30 p.m. Those living outside North Carolina may contact their local PBS station and request the date and time of “Simple Living” Program No. 205.

We hope you’ll make every effort to view it. We also hope you’ll encourage the students and teachers in your area to watch it as well.

For more information on the Center for the Environment, please visit www.CenterForTheEnvironment.org.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Charlie Headington

Beef and dairy petitions to FDA and USDA

2005-10-26T19:40:00.000-05:00

I'd like to call your attention to two worthy petitions being collected by two consumers' organizations. One calls for the FDA to end feeding of all mammal remains to cows (and prevent the spread of Mad Cow disease) at www.notinmyfood.org, a site sponsored by Consumers' Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports.

The other is sponsored by the Organic Consumers Association, and it also concerns cattle, and again, misleading labeling. Some leading "organic" dairy producers are guilty of confinement animal feeding practices. You can read about it and sign the petition at http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda.htm, but I've copied the actual petition below for your information.

"We call on the USDA to:

1) Heed the advice of your own National Organic Standards Board (NOSB)
and clarify the National Organic Standards to negate the current
practice of raising cattle on Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
(CAFOs) whose products are marketed as "Certified USDA Organic." The
organic regulations (§ 205.239) clearly state farmers must "maintain
livestock living conditions which accommodate the health and natural
behavior of animals, including…access to pasture for ruminants." The
practice of producing "organic" dairy on CAFOs puts family farmers at a
strong disadvantage with corporate agribusiness, violates the spirit of
the organic standards, and is misleading to consumers.

2) Put an end to the practice of allowing organic dairies to increase
their herd size by continually importing young calves from conventional
farms. This clause in the standards was implemented to help family
farmers make the conversion from conventional to organic production.
This was meant to be a "one-time" allowance. CAFOs are now using this
loophole on a regular basis to increase herd size and production by
cheaply, regularly, and continually converting new conventional herds
into "organic" production without having to go through the trouble and
expense of breeding true organic animals. This should be a one-time
clause, after which the ruminants should be bred from organic livestock
on that farm or purchased as organic.

3) Allow the NOSB to make a final ruling on this matter at its November
2005 meeting. There have been five years of public comments on this
issue, all resulting in an overwhelmingly strong majority support of
the above two points. It is time for a final NOSB ruling and for the
USDA to implement actions based on that ruling.

4) Release the names of current NOSB candidates. The NOSB will be losing
five of its current board members after this meeting. Historically, the
board has been made up of appointees chosen by the USDA along with
input from the overall organic community. In the past, the USDA would
release the names of candidates, which ultimately led to an open
process of choosing the most qualified candidates. The USDA has
currently refused to release the names of appointees. It is very
important that the names be released so the organic community can be a
part of helping the USDA choose the best possible appointees."

Your emails and calls do make a difference. In response to attempts in
recent years to undermine organic standards, public outcry has stopped
industrial lobbyists in their tracks. For example, the recent rider to
add synthetic ingredients to the organic standards has been withdrawn
(perhaps, temporarily) due to public response.

Slow Food DC Ark celebration

2005-10-25T19:50:00.000-05:00

(from the Slow Food DC convivium):

Don’t forget to sign on for what’s shaping up to be our first ever Slow Food ARK celebration. Lots of friends of Slow Food will be joining us to learn more about the Native Sweet Sisters, (pawpaw, persimmon and strawberry). Also attending; Neal Peterson and Jim Davis (growers of pawpaw); Jerry Lehman, Director of the largest persimmon farm in the US; Dr. Richard Uva, Cornell University, specialist in the another sweet sister, the Beach Plum; Richard Hetzler; executive chef of Mitsitam Café at the National Museum of the American Indian; Rebecca Adamson, Founder of First Nations; and our good friend Nora Poullion.

We’ll learn about fruit cultivation, the lore of these fruits, experience some traditional and modern dishes that salute these native fruits.

Full posting follows:

We are delighted to invite you to a celebratory Thanksgiving brunch at Majestic Cafe on Sunday, November 6 to launch the Three Sweet Sisters: The American persimmon, pawpaw, and strawberry.... all recently boarded on the Slow Food Ark of Taste. Come taste these three delightful foods which are essential to American history and heirloom cookery. Although the Three Sisters of N/native culture--corn, beans, and squash- have been given much attention, First Fruits such as the Three Sweet Sisters are making new waves in heritage cuisine, and Slow Food is happy to be a part of this culinary renewal.

Chef Joe Raffa of Majestic Cafe (Morrison-Clark Inn, Equinox, and Cafe Atlantico trained at L'Academie de Cuisine and brings his culinary expertise to a unique menu, designed for this special occasion, that features N/ative foods: persimmon, pawpaw, corn, black walnuts, maple, greens, shagbark hickory, duck, chilies, and spicebush berries.

Guests will also have the opportunity to try rare Persimmon brandy and pawpaw wine from the Ohio River Valley.

Join us to launch this exciting experience of the Slow Food Ark with what will prove to be a unique three-course meal especially designed for this occasion.

Appetizer
Pawpaw glazed shrimp with corn and chili

Main Course
Confit of persimmon duck on polenta with microgreens

Dessert
Persimmon Flan with lemon syrup and cream
Black Walnut Tart with Pawpaw Ice Cream

Special guests will offer presentations about Slow Food Presidia work and our new culinary adventure. In addition to experiencing this unique menu, guests will receive a copy of a Persimmon Cookbook; Three Sweet Sisters information booklets with recipes:a gift bag of handmade delicacies using N/native foods. (Persimmon truffles anyone?)

Date:
Sunday, November 6, 10:30 AM

Place:
Majestic Cafe
911 King Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
(703) 548-6681

Cost:
$45.00 for Slow Food members
$50.00 for non-members

Deadline:
Please respond by October 30.

Mail checks to:
Marsha Weiner
3686 King Street
Alexandria, VA. 22302

Upon receipt of your checks, you will receive an email confirmation.

For more information, please contact:
Katherine Dillon
(301) 299-0651

as is our standard practice; members can bring one guest at member rate, all other guests at non-member rate; there are no refunds but reservations are transferable, we just ask to be informed as to who is coming your stead

Vintage Virginia Apples’ Annual Apple Harvest Festival and Slow Food Tasting Workshop

2005-10-25T19:44:00.000-05:00

(From the Slow Food Old Dominion convivium):

Vintage Virginia Apples’ Annual Apple Harvest Festival and Slow Food Tasting Workshop
November 5, 10am-5pm, Rural Ridge Orchard, North Garden Virginia

Vintage Virginia Apples’ Annual Apple Harvest Festival expands this year to include a Slow Food Tasting Workshop where local food growers present a variety of grass fed meats, herbs and vegetables, and locally produced foods and food products.

One of the major goals of Slow Food International, USA and the local Old Dominion Convivium is to link producers with consumers. Slow Food has organized an event in collaboration with Vintage Virginia Apples that celebrates and promotes producers who grow delicious foods in ecologically friendly ways. In addition to those who produce USDA grass fed meats—beef, lamb, ostrich, pork, bison and goat--there will be other producers of local food products sharing their knowledge of fruits and vegetables available locally. Though the local growing season is nearly over, there are still fresh vegetables and herbs to enliven daily menus.

Seminars scheduled for 11am, 12:30 pm and 2pm will include Pairing Cheese and Apples with Kate Collier, owner of Feast, a leading expert in the world of cheeses and Tom Burford, orchardist and nursery consultant; a presentation on Winter Salad Gardens by botanist, Margaret Shelton and woman farmer, Ramona Huff, woman farmer will speak on Advantages of Heritage Breeds and Grass Fed Meats.

Chef Howie Velie of Magnolia Restaurant, a member of Slow Food, will be on hand talking about incorporating locally grown and seasonal foods into daily menus. The majority of the exhibitors are experienced growers eager to share their knowledge and provide product samples through out the day long festival. The Tasting Workshop is a hallmark activity of the Old Dominion Convivium that brought you two cheese festivals and an apple festival in 2003 and 2004, several Food and Film events and a Farm Tour in 2005.

Vintage Virginia Apple Harvest Festival is the place to learn about apple growing, tree selection and planting, apple cider and apple butter making. It is an apple tasting event unequaled in this area, hosted by the Shelton family. For an extensive look inside this family apple operation go to www.vintagevirginiaapples.com. The Cove Garden Ruritans partner with Vintage Virginia Apples each year making Brunswick stew, apple butter, providing hayrides, featuring history and craft displays demonstrating Southern Albemarle’s agricultural heritage and holding a bake sale.

These activities are provided by folks who practice sound principals of biodiversity, care about the future of our food supply and feel a responsibility to share their enthusiasm and commitment for locally grown fresh food with you. This event is presented free of charge to the public.

Rural Ridge Farm is located on Route 29 South of Charlottesville in North Garden, Virginia. From Charlottesville, 8 miles south of I-64. From the south, .8 miles north of the Crossroads Store (Route 692) See website for map www.vintagevirginiaapples.com.

Discovery Day and Dairy Open House This Weekend

2005-10-07T16:05:00.000-05:00

Here's a reminder about Discovery Day tomorrow, and also remember the
Goat Lady Dairy open house is on Sunday.

See the events page at http://www,slowfoodpiedmont.org/events.html.

===

Please join us for these upcoming coming events at the KCEF Library:
Discovery Day (if raining, it will still be held " lots of activities
indoors) Saturday, October 8th, 10 " 2 p.m. KCEF Library

*Birding Basics " 10:30 " Noon

How to identify birds, where to look for birds, when to go birding, and
how to attract birds to your back yard. Great for adults and children

Wetlands/ Water Program 12:30 - Noon

Join the Haw River Program as they show you the tiny animals
(macroinvertebrates) that live in our creeks and are important for
water quality. Fun program for kids and adults.

Plus face painting, nature crafts, how-to use binoculars and field
guides to search for birds, interactive forestry and water activities,
and live animals.

===

Thursday, October 13th Want to learn more about butterflies. Join us
for Senior Strollers 1:30 " 2:30 as Dennis Burnette, past president of
the Carolina Butterfly Society shares information about types of
butterflies and how to attract butterflies.

Interested in seeing some beautiful nature photography. Come to the
Audubon program on Thursday Oct 13th 7 p.m. and see the beautiful
photos taken by Melissa Whitemire. She will explain how she uses the
digital camera and scope to take photographs and show how to use
general and digital editing to improve the composition and appearance
of photos.

Astronomy Night at the Library Monday, October 17th 7:30 " 8:30 p.m.
Night sky viewing by Stan Rosenburg, Greensboro Astronomy Club.

Need some gardening tips for the fall Monday, October 24th 7 " 8 p.m.
Karen Neill, Urban Horticulture Extension Agent will offer tips on
preparing your garden for winter, information about cover crops and
composting. Come with your gardening questions. Enter a drawing for
gardening prizes.

Want to learn about owls and other nocturnal animals Thursday, October
27th 12 " 1:00 Bring your lunch, see and learn about owls and nocturnal
animals from the Schindler Wildlife Rehab Center from the NC Zoo.
Register to attend this program Melanie.buckingham@greensboro-nc.gov.

Need CEUs or credit towards the EE Certification or would like to learn
about land ethics, natural journaling and observation. Leopold
Education Project Friday, October 29th 10 " 4 p.m. Come to this
environmental education workshop about the famous conservationist, Aldo
Leopold and learn more about his book A Sand County Almanac and
activities related to natural journaling and observation, land ethics
and more. $30 for workshop materials. Register to attend this program
Melanie.buckingham@greensboro-nc.gov.

CFSA Sustainable Ag Conference Coming in November

2005-10-07T16:02:00.000-05:00

November 4-6, 2005
"From Field to Fork, Creating a Blueprint for a Sustainable Food System
in the Carolinas"
20th Annual Sustainable Ag Conference
Durham, NC

From the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association announcement:

"Every year we choose a theme intended to provide a focus for the
conference and define where we are in our journey of creating a
sustainable agriculture system for the Carolinas. This year’s theme,
“From Field to Fork, Creating a Blueprint for a Sustainable Food ystem
in the Carolinas,” will focus our attention on the mechanics of the
food system and what it will take to restructure it to be good for our
families, our farmers, and our environment. Agriculture’s impact on the
environment, human health, and local economy are often underappreciated
by our local and State governments. The current conventional system of
agriculture promotes global markets, genetic engineering, and
confinement livestock management. We need to learn to make the strong
case for a local and organic food system .

This year’s conference will delve into every component of a healthy food
and farming system, from soil to markets, from insects to herbs, from
flowers to fruits, from field to fork. Together, as farmers,
gardeners, researchers, consumers, teachers, and advocates, we will
create a sustainable food system that takes care of the environment and
all of the members of our communities."

Please go to CFSA's website at http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/ for
details and registration.

Slow Food Research Triangle will host an event there Friday night.

Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska

2005-10-07T15:59:00.000-05:00

Please save the date for this event at the KCEF Library:

Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska
Saturday, December 3rd 10:30 - noon

Wanda Urbanska host and co-producer of the Simple Living TV series on public television stations nationwide, now in its second season will share excerpts from the series about simple and sustainable living along with interviews with people about simple living in a program at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library on Saturday, Dec. 3, from 10:30 to noon. Wanda is coauthor with Frank Levering of Nothing's Too Small To Make a Difference, Simple Living, and Moving to a Small Town and other books. Wanda will share her experience of simple living in Mount Airy where she is co-owner/operator of Levering Orchard. Her presentation will also offer ways for you to simplify your life around the holiday season. The Simple Living Program airs on UNC-TV (channel 4) at 6 p.m. on Sunday nights.

Slow Food Class Banquet

2005-10-07T15:55:00.000-05:00

Our class, Slow Food in a Fast Food Nation, had a slow food banquet with each student preparing and presenting a dish. We ate for three hours and had a wonderful and informative time. The cuisines reflected many student's past, Greek, Italian, Caribbean. Wow!

Here's the article.

Charlie Headington

slow tomato sandwiches

2005-10-02T11:58:00.000-05:00

Sliced French bread from Simple Kneads, drizzled with olive oil from Deep Roots, topped with sliced Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter tomatoes from out back, "Sandy Creek" goat cheese from Goat Lady Dairy, shredded fresh basil from my garden, a little salt and pepper, and placed under the broiler for one minute.

Feast from our Fields - Local Foods Benefit

2005-09-23T19:57:00.000-05:00

Feast from our Fields
Women's Resource Center in Alamance County, NC

Women’s Resource Center invites you to a
Feast from Our Fields

Featuring locally-grown & raised foods
Grass-fed beef from Braeburn Farms
Pork from Cane Creek Farm
Organic Vegetables from Timberwood Organic Farms
Wine from Irongate Winery
Goat Dairy Products
Catering by Marg of Sonny’s Catering
Desserts by the Women’s Resource Center

Special guest Tony Kleese of Carolina Farm Stewardship

Come enjoy great local food at our Historic Depot located at 200 S. Main Street downtown Burlington and learn why local is so important in our global world

Saturday, October 8, 2005 7:00 - 9:00 P.M.
$40 per person Casual Attire
Limited Seating Reserve today PH 336.227.6900

Chard with Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

2005-09-13T16:25:00.000-05:00

I have been trying to acquire a taste for cooked greens in the last couple of years. Particularly rainbow chard, because it is so lovely in the garden and has such a long growing season. The first time I planted chard, it lasted through the summer, through the winter and into the following year.

This recipe, adapted from Deborah Madison's instructions in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, may have helped me reach my goal. Don't be put off by the seemingly high cost of pine nuts. A small amount packs a lot of flavor and they are very lightweight. If you buy a little at a time in bulk, it is definitely worth the money.

Chard with Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

About 12-15 large chard leaves, washed
2 T olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
several basil leaves, slivered
handful of cherry tomatoes (I used Sungolds)
1 T pine nuts
salt and pepper

Trim the stems from the chard leaves and discard (or use for another dish if you like them). Chop the leaves and boil for 5 minutes in salted water, 8 minutes for older, tougher leaves. Drain.

Heat olive oil, garlic, and basil. Add chard, whole tomatoes, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are warm and toss together well.

Serves 2-3.

A Taste of Floyd

2005-09-12T21:07:00.000-05:00

My partner and I went to Floyd, Virginia on Saturday to a Slow Food event called "A Taste of Floyd." After tasting samples of delicious local foods and wines from Villa Appalachia and AmRhein, you could then go inside a wonderful store/gallery/cafe, Harvest Moon, and purchase the items of your choice. There was music and interesting conversation - in other words, it was a terrific event.

Foodies line up to taste farmstead cheeses from Meadow Creek Dairy and egg salad from happy hens at Copper Hill Farms.

My favorite apple was the Jonagold.

Apples from Blue Ridge Cider and Good Food, Good People may seem to have ruled the day, but there were peppers and pears from Five Penny and Mood Indigo Farms, goat cheeses from Ladybug MicroCreamery and Lotsa-Cedars, "ewe"gurt from Icelandic sheep at Sunny Hill Farm, buffalo jerky from Brush Creek Buffalo, tomato sauce, sausage, coffee, and local honey as well.

After all this, hubby was still hungry! On a great tip from Billy the Blogging Poet, we headed to Oddfella's Cantina for a late lunch. I was full from the Farmer's Appreciation Day breakfast at the Greensboro Farmer's Curb Market and apple slices and goat cheese,
so I just had a pint of Newcastle and took in the ambience of the place. Sandy had a chicken chimichanga, which was one of the best I've ever tasted.

Oddfella's states on its menu that "our ground beef and our greens are organic, and, in season, we make extensive use of local, organic growers." Everything on the menu looked wonderful.

The wooden floors, old storefront windows and doors, and lovely patio in the back added to the relaxing atmosphere. We were especially charmed that all the tables and chairs were different, many of them vintage. The owner, Rob, told us that he'd been asked why he doesn't open another Oddfella's in another town, such as Christiansburg. He said that he would not be able to furnish it in the same way because of health regulations - for example, the drop leaf table at which we were sitting would probably not pass. What a shame! This is not the first time I've felt that the government has lost sight of what is important in regulating food and food production.

A small curtained stage in the corner provides a venue for old-time, blues, jazz, classical guitar, Irish music, and other performances, such a Spoken Word event in which Floyd bloggers Fred and Colleen will participate Sunday, Sept. 18.

Add food, beer and dirt, and I'd say that pretty much adds up to everything I need. We didn't go here; that will have to wait for next time. I hope that "next time" will be soon - three hours is not enough time to savor the atmosphere of Floyd.

September 10 - a BIG Slow Food Day!

2005-09-08T16:29:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, September 10, three great farm and food events are happening! What to do, what to do? Well, I suggest that we all get up early, eat breakfast and shop at "Farmer's Appreciation Day" at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. Then, either head south for Rising Meadow Farm's "Farm Fest" in Randolph County, or north to Floyd, Virginia for "A Taste of Floyd." Or, if you're a fast slow foodie, maybe you can catch all three!

Farmer's Appreciation Day, Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market
6 am-noon
The market opens at 6:00 AM with a breakfast of locally raised foods being served at 7:00 AM. Take some time this morning to hang out with others that love our farmers as well as the market. There will be information booths, live music and great fellowship! Contributors include Neese's Country Sausage, Old Mill of Guilford, Simple Kneads Bakery, Phillips Brothers Country Ham, and Alex Amoroso of Cheesecakes by Alex will be the chef. For more information, go to Epicourier.

Farm Fest at Rising Meadow Farm
All day event ($5 per person) with demonstrations, food, artisans and music. See http://www.risingmeadow.com/ for more information. (It's just down the road from Goat Lady Dairy.)

A Taste of Floyd
Floyd, Virginia
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“A Taste of Floyd” will take place on the grounds surrounding the Harvest Moon building located on Rt.8. It will feature offerings from the local farmers and store suppliers plus samples from the new Over the Moon Bakery & Coffee Shop.

Local wineries, including Villa Appalaccia, Chateau Morissette, and AmRhein, will be participating along with the area's four premier cheesemakers: Meadow Creek Dairy, Lady Bug Microcreamery, Lots-a-Cedars, and Sunny Hill Farm. Fresh artisan breads from Sweetwater Baking Co. and Austin's Fresh Bread will be available for sampling as well as fresh roasted coffees imported by the Honduras Coffee Company. Tastings from Bright's Beef and Brush Creek Buffalo, eggs from Copper Hill Farms, organic produce from Good Food-Good People, and sauces from Hooper's Specialty Foods will round out the local products available. Come spend the day exploring all the delicious tastes they have to offer, and become inspired to slow down and take time to savor the bounty of the land that surrounds you.

Tickets for the tasting are $3.00 with all proceeds going toward Slow Food. They will be raffling off two baskets stuffed with locally produced foods. All proceeds will benefit the Floyd County Food Bank. For more information please call the Harvest Moon at 540-745-4366.

Sustainability Fair at CCCC

2005-09-06T16:25:00.000-05:00

SUSTAINABILITY FAIR
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Central Carolina Community College, Pittsboro Campus
Saturday Workshops & Exhibits (8:00 - 4:00)

Register for the workshop by 9/9/05 and save $25. Early registration for Saturday workshops $35 - price includes lunch. Walk-in registration $60.

The Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) Sustainability Fair will demonstrate and explore many areas of sustainability through Workshops & Exhibits. Exhibits on the Pittsboro CCCC Campus will feature a variety of sustainable products, processes and hands-on demos. On Saturday, also, you can register to attend a series of half-day workshops exploring sustainable practices in agriculture, building, transportation & land/water conservancy.

Attend the Saturday Workshops and you will learn:
* Sustainable Agriculture-Urban permaculture, organic compost
* Sustainable Transportation & Renewable Energy--biofuels & electric cars
* Sustainable Building--green building & natural building
* Land and Water Conservancy

Sponsored by:
* Central Carolina Community College
* Piedmont Biofuels

Who should attend the Sustainability Fair?
* Student & teachers
* Families & community members
* Renewable energy & biofuels supporters
* Farmers and gardeners
* Builders, architects, contractors & landscape architects
* Engineers
* Parks, recreation & wildlife organizations
* Land & water conservation groups
* Environmental professionals & businesses
* Local businesses, civic groups & non-profit organizations

Registration Fees:
$60 Saturday Workshops (includes lunch)
$75 Friday Tour & Saturday Workshops (includes lunch)
$25 Friday Tour only (includes lunch)
Free: General Admission is FREE to the outdoor Fair Exhibits

Exhibit Space and Sponsorship Opportunities are Available!
The cost for exhibits is $25 per booth. Event sponsorships are available
at Green $100, Blue Sky $250 & Global $2,000 levels. If your organization
is interested in this unique opportunity to advertise your services and
products, please contact our office to reserve an exhibit space or to
arrange a sponsorship.

To register for Workshops & Tour
& for more information on Exhibits & Sponsorships, contact:
Sandra McMahon, smcmahon@cccc.edu
919-542-6495 ext 224 or
Continuing Education Office at CCCC
919-542-6495 x223

http://www.cccc.edu/Sustainability/index.html

Tate is Chosen for Cheese 2005 Fair in Italy

2005-09-06T16:20:00.000-05:00

Every two years, Slow Food International hosts a Cheese fair in the
historic town of Bra,Italy. There will be two hundred cheese vendors
from all over the world. This year, one of our own was invited by Slow
Food to participate! Steve Tate of Goat Lady Dairy is one of only five
artisan farmstead cheesemakers from the United States chosen to attend
the event. Additionally, all five chosen are from the southern U.S.,
and all are members of the American Presidium, a Slow Food organization
formed to promote and protect the production of traditional raw milk
cheeses.

Slow Food USA members received a booklet about Cheese 2005 last month.
I've copied excepts from the booklet about the event below:

"The fifth edition of 'Cheese', to be held in Bra from September 16-19,
2005, marks an important stage in the history of the event. As of this
year, in fact, it has been officially recognized as an international
fair in acknowledgment of its importance and capacity to attract the
interest and attention of exhibitors, visitors and media from all round
the world. With the support of Italian and European production
cooperatives, 'Cheese' provides a unique opportunity to taste all the
European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected
Geographical Indication (PGI) cheeses. Another important feature is
the vast number of top-quality artisan cheeses on display at the stalls
of the Market, where small producers, affineurs, cheesemakers, and
graders will all be present. Shepherds, on the other hand, will have a
whole street to themselves, and a section will also be devoted to the
cheeses of the Slow Food Italian and International Presidia.

"...The main focus at 'Cheese 2005' will be on goat cheeses, and a
special space will be dedicated to their extraordinary diversity. The
House of Goat Cheeses...will be a large-scale point of sale with
display counters featuring goat cheeses from the over 100 products on
the 'cheese list', complete with full details about origin, type, aging
and price. Cheeses will come from the major producer countries such as
France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Greece, as well as from emerging
countries such as Britain, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany.
'Guest stars' from the USA, Japan, Australia, and Cyprus will also be
making special appearances.

"Not that the House of Goat Cheeses (staffed by the cheesemakers
themselves, who will assist you in your selections) will only be a
place to shop; here it will also be possible to taste and learn.
Educational activities (guided and free tastings) and cheesemaking
demonstrations will be presented at set times, and the tasting program
will be supplemented by contributions by experts, production
technicians and the cheesemakers themselves."

The event will also include wine tastings, artisan breads, and other
food delights that pair well with cheese.

Congratulations, Steve!

Ten Tips for Better Bread

2005-08-29T12:24:00.000-05:00

I found a terrific blog recently that I think you will all enjoy called Farmgirl Fare. Susan writes about her experiences as an organic farmer and artisan baker in Missouri. The photography is lovely and the writing is about Slow Food at its best.

In particular, I recommend that you read her article, Ten Tips for Better Bread. If you're a baker, you'll love it. If you appreciate what bakers do, you'll love it. If you don't bake bread, you'll want to start! I haven't tried to knead bread in years because of my tendinitis, but I think I might try it again this coming weekend.

naturally and humanely raised meat

2005-08-27T10:21:00.000-05:00

Richard the Pig hangs out with his buds at Goat Lady Dairy farm

All right. I did it. I bought some baby back ribs this morning from Back Woods Farms at the Greensboro Farmer's Curb Market. Wes Peterson changed the name of his business to avoid confusion with a Peterson who is selling conventionally raised meat at the Piedmont Triad Farmer's Market at Sandy Ridge Road.

To understand the significance of this, you should know that I have boycotted pork since around 1996. I am enormously concerned about the effects of huge industrial hog farms on our state's environment and quality of life. Plus, I had a mind-meld with a pig on a truck in which he was in a complete panic. I won't tell you what he told me. It was a private thing just between us, and can't be articulated in human words anyway.

In the past year, as I have become aware of the changing conditions of our food supply, and the importance of buying locally on the economy and the environment, I have finally come to this conclusion. I am going to support the small farmers who make an effort to provide us with healthy, humanely produced meat, poultry, egg, and dairy products. As much as I would like to become a vegetarian, it is not going to happen any time soon. And if I can eat something that used to breathe, what's the difference between eating seafood and beef? Or pork? Or chicken? As long as these animals are raised in a pleasant environment in natural conditions and taken care of, they are better off than in the wild. My reasoning was that we'd be better off without pigs altogether than for them to be raised in horrible conditions. I still believe that is true, but it is not a practical solution. It won't happen. But we do have choices now.

Until recently, you couldn't get humanely farm-raised pork with no antibiotics or growth hormones unless you were buddies with a small farmer who raised his own. Now, with large companies like Niman Ranch and small farmers like Wes Peterson getting into the game, you can. It's a different market these days. More and more consumers are demanding meat products that aren't raised in filthy, disgusting conditions. You can also buy chicken, beef, turkey, and lamb. Deep Roots Market and Earth Fare carry organic, free-range, and antibiotic/hormone-free meats if you can't make it to the farmers' markets.

Now, I don't know if I'll be able to make myself eat these ribs. I've conditioned my mind against it for about nine years now, and you can convince yourself of anything if you work hard enough at it. My brain says, don't eat a pig. It's an intelligent creature whose only purpose in life is to suffer for our gain. But Wes is doing us, and pigs, a service here, and if I don't eat these, my husband will be happy to have them all to himself.

I highly recommend that everyone watch The Meatrix. What will it be for you, the red pill or the blue pill? The video starts up when you open the page.

4th Annual Farmers Appreciation Day

2005-08-18T17:09:00.000-05:00

Slow Foodies,

Mark your calendars, it's just around the corner!!

4th Annual Farmers Appreciation Day
Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market
Saturday Sept. 10, 2005

The market opens at 6:00 AM with a free breakfast of locally raised foods being served at 7:00 AM. Take some time this morning to hang out with others that love our farmers as well as the market. There will be information booths, live music and great fellowship!

We still need volunteers to help out. Call or email me for more information, Donna Myers 273-4371.

And don't forget, bring a friend!!

Donna Myers
EpiCourier

garden macaroni and cheese

2005-08-14T13:29:00.000-05:00

My garden is a little behind the times - while others are harvesting tomatoes, peppers, corn and eggplants, I'm still harvesting broccoli! In this recipe, you can use whatever you have on hand from your garden or the farmers' market. Corn, mushrooms, and zucchini would all be good.

First, this note: please understand that since I can't follow a recipe, my own recipes often contain a certain amount of guesswork. For example, I buy my macaroni in bulk, so for this dish, I cooked twice as much macaroni as I thought I needed, used enough of it in the recipe to fill up the casserole dish, and the rest went into the fridge for another dish. Such is life in my kitchen. If you make this and think that it needs a little more or less whatever, it probably does!

3-4 c. cooked macaroni
3 T. butter
1 T. flour
1 c. milk
1 c. extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 c grated Parmesan
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. salt
black pepper to taste
About 3 c. finely chopped vegetables - I used:
2 c. broccoli
1/4 c. green pepper
1/4 c. carrots
1/2 c. onion
4 large leaves of basil, chopped
a stalk's worth of parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt 2 T. butter. Mix in 1 T. flour until smooth, and cook for a minute. Mix in the milk until smooth, and bring it up to boiling slowly, stirring often. Add the cheese and seasonings, saving some cheese for the top. Take it off the heat.

In a skillet, saute the chopped veggies and herbs in the remaining 1 T. butter for about 5 minutes, until bright and crunchy. Mix in the macaroni. Put the combination macaroni and vegetables into a buttered casserole dish. Pour the cheese sauce over it and mix it all thoroughly. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Here's a little tip: if you buy butter or margarine in sticks, save the wrappers to grease pans and casseroles. These work especially well for muffin pans.

Local Foods Dinner Supports Piedmont Land Conservancy

2005-08-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

Forever These Flavors…a dinner event to celebrate over 11,000 acres of special places protected by Piedmont Land Conservancy. Come celebrate the intersection of the missions of the Piedmont Land Conservancy and Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants by attending a dinner of North Carolina foods, Piedmont-brewed beer and Yadkin Valley wines. Quaintance-Weaver buys over half of its produce from local sources and Piedmont Land Conservancy protects working farms so more farmers can keep their land in production.

The event will be held the evening of Sunday, August 28th at 6:00pm at the O. Henry Hotel and will feature a wine and beer reception followed by a three-course meal, remarks and dessert. The cost of $125 per couple will support PLC’s farm land protection efforts. Guests will choose in advance from a list of three entrées – Carolina Mountain Trout, Niman Ranch™ Spare Ribs, and Vegetarian Strata. Please call PLC at 336-691-0088 for more information or to reserve a spot (space is limited).

Lynne Dardanell
Piedmont Land Conservancy

Local Harvest Dinner

2005-08-03T16:25:00.000-05:00

August 25, 2005 (Thursday)
Local Harvest Dinner
6:30 p.m.
Tickets $100 per person
Advanced Reservations and Payment Required
Carolina Farm Stewardship Association invites you to the first Local Harvest Dinner. Celebrating sustainability in the field and on your table.

Come enjoy a splendid 5-course meal prepared by local chefs using the freshest of local ingredients served on location at Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview, NC. This event will be one to be savored and remembered. Be a part of it!

Featured Chefs: Hector Diaz of Salsa, Laurey Masterton of Laurey’s Catering and Gourmet-to-go, Mark Rosenstein of the The Market Place, John Stehling of Early Girl Eatery, Anne Everitt formerly of Elaines on Franklin and Lantern.

All proceeds to benefit the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the support and expansion of local and organic agriculture in the Carolinas.

Please RSVP by contacting the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association at (919) 542-2402 or cfsa@carolinafarmstewards.org. If emailing, please include your name, address, number in your party, vegetarian meals if requested, and a phone number where we can reach you during the day.

Symposium Cancelled, More Events Planned

2005-08-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

As you know we have been working hard to plan our Slow Food Symposium on Oct. 1st. Please note the Symposium steering committee has decided to cancel this event this year. We will analyze and redesign it and offer a new and improved version in the future. We did not get enough early registrations to warrant going ahead with the original plan. But we think we have some ideas how to make it better and more attractive to a wider audience in the future. In the meantime we have already had some great Slow Food events and our chapter leaders have many more in the works. Watch for news of fall and winter events.

Mark your calendars now for these two: Saturday, September 10 FARM FEST at Rising Meadow Farm (see www.risingmeadowfarm.com) an all day event ($5 per person) with demonstrations, food, artisans and music. And Sunday, October 9 GOAT LADY DAIRY Fall Open House, 1 to 5 pm. Free. Both events are great fun and educational for the whole family.

Steve Tate
GOAT LADY DAIRY

Goat Lady Dairy wins 1st Place for raw milk Gouda

2005-07-29T06:07:00.000-05:00

Slow Food Friends,

Thought you would enjoy celebrating some great news with us. Last week
my sister Ginnie (the Goat Lady) and our cheese-maker associate, Carrie
Bradds attended the American Cheese Society meeting in Louisville, KY.
A part of this annual event is a national cheese competition. This year
over 120 cheese-makers from all over N. America entered 749 cheeses. We
are thrilled to announce that Goat Lady Dairy won a 1st place in the
American Made: International Style category for our Goat Lady Gouda, a 3
month aged raw milk cheese we make in 6 to 8 lb wheels.

Hand made, traditional raw milk cheeses have become an important part of
the emerging local food revival across the country. We are proud to be
a part of this important change.

Take care,

Steve
Goat Lady Dairy

Montessori Produce Market Today 10 am to noon!

2005-07-27T06:48:00.000-05:00

According to the News and Record this morning, Greensboro Montessori School is having their "fifth annual 'Montessori Market' today. Proceeds from the sale of produce grown in the school's gardens will buy school supplies for underprivileged students in Guilford County. The sale will be from 10 am to noon at the school, which is on Horse Pen Creek Road in Greensboro."

Edible Schoolyards in action!

Biofuels Presentation

2005-07-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library branch hosted an informative lecture on the use of biofuel to power personal and professional vehicles.

One of the presenters, Andrew McMahan, has provided a copy of his discussion slides so that members unable to attend can review at their convenience. He did a great job putting them together and they are a quick study guide on the topic.

They are formatted into slides in a word document so won't work well for the Slow Food web site, however, I would be happy to email them to anyone interested. Email me directly at lrchilds2002@yahoo.com if you'd like the file. No special software is needed to view, they open in any version of Word.

Master Gardeners Demonstration Site Photos

2005-07-26T11:43:00.000-05:00

Master Gardeners Demonstration Site

Today I visited the Legacy Demonstration Gardens behind the Guilford County Cooperative Extension offices. They are located on Old Burlington Rd., near the intersection of East Bessemer. The gardens are beautiful and include many examples planting techniques. There is over an acre of plants, shrubs, trees and pathways.
The site even includes an apiary. Adjacent to the gardens is the Community Gardening Project which allows individuals to lease space for plantings. 10% of the plantings go to programs that help feed the hungry. The link to the web site featuring all cooperative extension programs is http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/guilford/garden/-mg.shtml

These gardens are worth a visit. Here is the link to the photo album: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=13lvek2v.bndwu8ab&Uy=-um37xp&Ux=0

Recipes galore

2005-07-25T16:50:00.000-05:00

Ben Hwang of Lux.Et.Umbra sent us a recipe database that he's been working on, and he invites everyone to contribute to it. He's got a few in there already that look pretty tasty. Ben says that the BBQ Meat Loaf is his favorite. It's pretty cool - check it out!

Plus, Donna at Epicourier is always looking for recipes to add to her list. Click on Recipes at the right.

We'll eventually add a recipe section to our blog and/or web site. It's coming...probably around the same time we put up the Local Food Guide information. If you'd like to contribute a recipe that uses local, sustainably produced food, or relates to Slow Food in some way, please email Laurie at lponeillATslowfoodpiedmont.org. (Substitute @ for AT when you email.)

Students Flock to Campus Organic Farms

2005-07-25T16:25:00.000-05:00

Great article about connecting universities with local farms:
Why not UNCG?!

Students flock to campus organic farms

Miranda Roberts

Chinese Vermicelli

2005-07-25T16:22:00.000-05:00

Chinese Vermicelli

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/4 black soy sauce (must be black-it is much thicker than regular soy sauce)

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons hot chili oil

2 Tablespoons black vinegar

1 pound vermicelli (I used rice vermicelli for the pot luck)

1/2 cup toasted sasame seeds

1 cup green onions, thinly slices on the diagonal, for garnish

In a large bowl, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, chili oil, and vinegar.

Cook vermicelli in boiling water until barely tender. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. With your hands, immediately toss the pasta with dressing, making sure pasta is completely and evenly coated. Add sesame seeds and continue folding the dressing through the pasta, literally "wiping" the bowl with the vermicelli. Remove to a shallow dish, top with green onions, and serve at room temperature.

For the pot luck, I topped with additional toasted sesame seeds and black caraway seeds.

You can use your imagination by adding some color to the border of the plate with carrots, grape tomatoes, parsley, etc.

This dish can be made up to two days in advance, but add the green onions only shortly before serving.

Beatrice Schall

Farmers' Appreciation Day 2005

2005-07-18T11:06:00.000-05:00

Slow Food Enthusiast,

I am very excited about the upcoming 4th Annual Farmers Appreciation Day to be held Saturday September 10, 2005 at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. Although most of us celebrate farmers appreciation day everyday, this day has been set aside to let our local farmers know how much we appreciate all that they do for us, our families, our community and the world.

As in the past our farmers will enjoy a breakfast of locally produced food that includes Neese's Country Sausage, grits from the Old Mill of Guilford, fresh baked biscuits from Simple Kneads Bakery, and country ham from Phillips Brothers Country Ham. Alex Amorosa from Cheesecake's By Alex has agreed to prepare the breakfast this year that will include other menu items such as sausage gravy, red-eye gravy, and fried potatoes. And no breakfast would be complete without a good cup of coffee donated by Carolina Coffee & Tea. Later in the day our farmers can grab a quick lunch of homemade pimento cheese sandwiches made by David Wright of Real Catering. And though this is a celebration of our farmers we don't plan on keeping all of this good food a secret. Market patrons will also be able to enjoy the festivities. Farmers Appreciation Day will be held out on the lawn where everyone can have breakfast, listen to live music, and talk with local organizations that support our farmers, healthy eathing, and a heathy community.

I am also excited that the Slow Food Piedmont Triad convivium will be present for Farmers Appreciation Day. There as been a lot of great energy since the convivium was started and Farmers Appreciation Day will be a fabulous avenue to share with others our common goal.

We could use your help in other areas as well. If you are or know of local musicians of the folk and bluegrass genre that would like to donate their talents that day we would greatly appreciate their participation. Musicians may sell their cd's or tapes and will also receive a complimentary breakfast.

Other areas of participation as well as contact information are located on the EpiCourier website.

I hope that you'll mark your calendar and bring your friends to the 4th Annual Famers' Appreciation Day!

See you at the market!
Donna Myers

A Fast Slow Lunch

2005-07-16T14:03:00.000-05:00

It was a very warm muggy morning at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market. Fortunately the July weather also brings us delicious vegetables and fruits that require little or no cooking!

My husband and I prepared the following lunch, all from local farmers and food artisans, organic when possible.

Blue cheese/leek tart (from Nora Glanz)

Corn on the cob (from unknown farmer at GFCM)

Sliced tomatoes (from farmer who parks a produce truck at UNCG on the honor system)

Boursin cheese (from Goat Lady Dairy)

French bread (from Simple Kneads)

Shredded basil (from my garden)

We warmed up the tart for a few minutes in the oven and boiled the corn. That took care of all the cooking.

We spread the soft goat cheese on bread slices, sprinkled them with shredded basil and topped them with sliced tomatoes. I also tried a little goat cheese and basil on the corn. Yum!

This lunch might have been fast and easy to prepare, but we savored it slo-o-owly.

See, you don't have to sweat for slow food! But the farmers do, so please remember their hard work the next time that you're at the market.

High Country Farm & Garden Tour

2005-07-15T07:40:00.000-05:00

From the CFSA mailing list:

High Country Farm & Garden Tour

July 23 & 24th 1 – 5 PM

Whether you are coming from out of town for a blissful retreat to the High Country or a native of the area celebrating summer with your local farmers, the High Country Farm and Garden Tour is the event for you! Visit 9 farms on July 23rd and 24th and see apple orchards, an apiary, 20 different varieties of garlic, and so much more! You’ll get great ideas for your own gardens and your kids will thoroughly enjoy seeing barnyard animals roaming happily on pastures! It’s an event that no one should miss!

Make a vacation out of it if you are coming from out of town. There are so many peaceful places to stay and fabulous restaurants where you can dine, just check out http://visitboonenc.com/ or http://www.blowingrock.com/ for ideas! If you have never been to the High Country, you don’t know what you are missing!

Volunteer! By volunteering at one farm on either Saturday or Sunday of the tour, you can take the tour the other day for free! Volunteers are needed to help greet visitors and collect money at each farm – what a great way to get to know a local farmer too! Just contact Siri McDonald for more details and to get signed up: 828-265-3278 or sirimcdonald @ yahoo. com.

This is your last chance to enjoy a farm tour this year:

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, July 23 & 24, 1 – 5 PM

WHERE: 9 Farms in beautiful Watauga County - Just pick up a map at a Boone area store or the Watauga Extension Office (828)264-3061, download one from the CFSA website: www.carolinafarmstewards.org, or call (919) 542-2402 and we’ll mail you one! Then you can choose which farm you’ll visit first and plan your weekend!

COST: $5 per car per farm - OR $20 per car for all 9 farms – buy an admission button at the first farm you visit - OR $15 in advance – buy your button from the Watauga County Farmers Market the next two Saturdays to receive a $5 discount to take the whole tour!

Visit 9 Watauga County farms!
Breathe the fresh High Country air!
Celebrate summer’s bounty of fruits, vegetables and honey!
Support your local and organic farmers!
Support the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association!

See Things Made

2005-07-15T07:32:00.000-05:00

Charlie and I have realized we have several YEARS of programming ideas based on “See Things Made” i.e. demonstrations of local food production. A beginning list includes: molasses (we can go to HartRich Farm, a farm north of Winston – Salem that makes Molasses with horses!), apple butter (our family makes apple butter every fall outside over the fire in a big copper kettle), cider making, vegetable canning (tomatoes, etc.), fruit canning (peaches, etc.) winemaking, hoophouse vegetable growing, grass fed meats (beef, pork, poultry, etc.)

We need to figure out a way we can take our “show” on the road to farms that do not have the public facilities like we have here at Goat Lady Dairy. Perhaps we could go out in a bus (solving the parking problem and saving fossil fuels and having a fellowship time on the ride out to the farm), taking our pot-luck with us, maybe even a tent we could set up at each farm, or more simply take blankets for a pot-luck picnic. This allows the farmer to focus only on the demonstration. We realized after Sunday that a much easier way to do the potluck would be to have everyone bring their own plates, cutlery, cups etc. and then take it home to wash. This solves the dishwashing problem without creating massive paper waste for the landfill!

If we do something like this, we could have a photographer document the demo to add to our “See Things Made” section on the website. We have already planned to turn our cheesemaking slideshow into a stand alone presentation with captions. It IS amazing what can be done with digital cameras and photo software! I’m sure offering this on the web-site would generate lots of interest in future farm visits for demonstrations. To me this is among the best Slow Food activities we can offer because we bring ‘eaters” out to the farmers and make it easy for the farmer to share their craft and philosophy. This is the kind of interaction which inspires slow food loving urban folks to really care about their local farms!

Steve
Goat Lady Dairy

The Splendid Table

2005-07-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

The link below is a GREAT resource for food. It is for THE SPLENDID TABLE, a public radio show that comes on 91.5 FM WUNC at noon on Sundays (or check your local station schedule) On the home page you can sign up for the “Weeknight Kitchen” and Lynn send you a FREE recipe each week based on great SLOW ingredients but designed for weekday use when you don’t have a lot of time to cook!

http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/

Steve
Goat Lady Dairy

Potluck at Goat Lady Dairy- Recipe Request

2005-07-13T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hello all. The potluck food was so good! Thanks Goat Lady Dairy for hosting and Steve for giving such a great presentation.

The variety of foods was wonderful, and I'd love to be able to recreate some of dishes. Anyone willing to share the recipe for the dish they brought? And maybe a couple of notes about any key SlowFood ingredients?

Here's ours: We brought fresh picked blueberries from Honey Sweet Farm in Reidsville, and hot sausage from Phillips Brothers in Asheboro (purchased from Donna Myers of EpiCourier at her booth at the farm market).

Thanks much!

Poughkeepsie Farm Project

2005-07-12T16:52:00.000-05:00

I just returned from a yearly sojourn up the coast and
wanted to share with you a project in the Hudson
Valley.

Poughkeepsie NY is not a pretty town. Like many urban
areas, it is in a constant state of decay and renewal.
While Vassar College is certainly a lovely place, the
surrounding neighborhood has gone through the usual
flux of affluence and poverty. A five block walk in
any direction repetitively demonstrates the 'two
Americas'

Last week my sister drove me through some grubby
streets then hooked onto a narrow dirt and gravel
drive into a stand of trees. Beyond a bend there were
a couple of tiny buildings--and seven acres of
thriving fields. Tucked between city streets, Vassar
College, and office parks is the Poughkeepsie Farm
Project. On land leased from that college, a group of
people devoted toward a just and sustainable food
system for the Mid-Hudson Valley have reawakened
farmland not only for the use of members but to
provide fresh and local produce for local soup
kitchens and shelters and as an experiential learning
arena for students and community members.

My children headed for the strawberry fields where
they turned over little leaves to find tiny sparkling
sweet berries--nothing like the fat fruit we see in
markets (the ones that emphasize the 'straw' not the
berry). A local baker set up his goodies on a plank
under the spreading canopy of a maple tree just before
the distribution building, a cool cave of brick with
barely room to walk through the crates and shelves
stuffed with greens, garlic tops, zucchini, broccoli.
They are still in the late spring season--salads,
young and mature greens, peas, and the beginning of
cucumbers and squashes. The ten pound weekly
allotment is ample for my siter's family of four.

A few steps out of the doorway brings you to the herb
garden which is protected by chicken wire and a woven
vine fence. Paths separate the different beds with
bee balm brightening the entrance. The oregano was
so pungent you could find it in the dark and the
basil! In the center is a small gazebo-meditation area
built by members.

It was so beautiful that I cried.

If you are in Upstate New York up until November, I
encourage you to stop by. The people, of course, are
wonderful and the project is inspiring.

Peace,

Jacqueline

oh--website--http://www.farmproject.org/

These Fruits Can Take the Heat

2005-07-12T16:48:00.000-05:00

Lane Brown sent an article to the list about grilling fruit:

These fruits can take the heat

By Mary Ellen Rae
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
via the Baltimore Sun

Pictorial- Pollinating Insects & Their Flowers

2005-07-10T19:54:00.000-05:00

Next time you swat at a flying insect, take a moment to think about this....Without beetles, bees and wasps much of the foods and flowers we know of (as well as the animals that eat them) would cease to exist. They are some of the most important contributors on our planet.

Here are a few pics of these wonderful little creatures hard at work. You'll notice a few pests too! Look for the wood bee slicing open the nectary of the flowers without pollinating them and a few Japanese beetles munching away. These photos were taken at the Greensboro Arboretum and Bicentennial Gardens.

Simply click on this link and then use the "Play" button or arrows to view the pictures.
Pollinating Insects and Their Flowers

Enjoy.

Grow, Cook, Taste, and Live!: A Celebration of Local Food

2005-07-10T19:18:00.000-05:00

Grow, Cook, Taste, and Live!: A Celebration of Local Food

The Slow Food Symposium is scheduled for Saturday, October 1,
2005 at the beautiful O. Henry Hotel and Green Valley Grill, located at
624 Green Valley Road in Greensboro, North Carolina.

This festival will feature workshops for all people who love food,
thought-provoking speakers, and discussion with friends of Slow Food.
Whether you love to garden, cook, or simply enjoy great-tasting food
and wine, there are workshops at the Symposium for your particular
interests. Included is a delectable three-course "Slow" lunch
featuring local foods and wines, where you'll meet and mingle with
regional growers, food artisans, and other folks who share your passion
for food produced deliciously, locally, and sustainably.

Slow Food USA members receive a discount for the day-long event, which
lasts from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. If you register for the symposium
before July 31, you'll receive an additional discount of $5.00 off your
registration fee. The O. Henry Hotel is offering a special reduced rate
for Symposium registrants who wish to stay overnight in this lovely
establishment.

Slow Food USA members: $85
Non-Members: $110
To join Slow Food USA, go to http://www.slowfoodusa.org.

Please take a look at the schedule at
http://www.o.henryhotel.com/slow_food.htm. Then register by emailing
slowfood@qwrh.com or call 336-370-0966 x350. Don't forget to register
by July 31 to receive your early-bird discount!

"The journey from a disposable society to a sustainable one begins with
the first bite."

Squash - It's What's for Dinner

2005-07-10T09:46:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite treats is yellow squash, sliced potato chip thin, dusted with flour and pan-fried so that they are crisp on the edges and sweet and tender in the middle. I only allow myself to do this once a year, as I've tried to get away from my childhood food tradition of frying vegetables.

I'm taking one of my favorite dishes, Squash Casserole, to the Slow Food potluck this afternoon. I kept experimenting with different variations of this traditional Southern dish until I got the one that I liked the most. This is it:

4 cups chopped yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped Vidalia onion
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 T flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 dozen crumbled (Ritz-like) crackers, divided
1 c grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
butter

Cook the squash and onion together until tender, drain, and cool. Preheat the oven to 350. Mix all the ingredients together except butter, half the crackers and half the cheese. Put in a lightly buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle the other half of the cracker crumbs and cheese on top and dot with butter. Cook for 40 minutes.

Notes: You can substitute other cooked vegetables in this dish. I added some corn scraped off a leftover cob from dinner last night. I've also added carrots and broccoli in past versions.

Origins:

Zephyr squash - Dark Hollow Farm and my garden (plants from Dark Hollow also!)

Vidalia onion and flour - Deep Roots Market

Eggs and cheese - The Molners at Greensboro Farmer's Curb Market

Milk and butter - Homeland Creamery

Crackers - Tree of Life Classic Golden, from Earth Fare

Corn - "Candy" corn from W & S Peterson Family Farm at Greensboro Farmer's Curb Market

We Really Are What We Eat

2005-07-05T19:03:00.000-05:00

I just received a good article called "We Really Are What We Eat" from the Slow Food DC mailing list. You can find the whole thing at Common Dreams News Center.
Here's an excerpt from the article by Neal Peirce published in the Seattle Times yesterday.

I discovered the best analysis by Paul Hawken of the Natural Capital Institute, at the Urban Land Institute's World Cities Forum in London last month:

"Food-supply chains are getting longer, more dependent on packaging, refrigeration and energy. Small farmers lose out to distant agribusiness and sell their land for suburban development. More agricultural inputs are used in agribusiness than on smaller farms, creating runoffs that destroy rivers, waterways, fisheries and rural jobs."

What I find is that most people are simply unaware of these food supply issues.

July 10 - Potluck and Cheese-Making at Goat Lady Dairy

2005-07-04T18:17:00.000-05:00

Remember, Sunday, July 10, Potluck and Cheese-Making Demo at the Goat Lady Dairy. Demo at 2pm. Potluck at 3pm, followed by a discussion about Slow Food. Please bring your friends. If you haven't seen the dairy, you'll be so impressed by the beauty and efficiency of a well run family farm and business. $5 donation request.

You can get directions at
www.goatladydairy.com.

Today at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market

2005-07-02T08:34:00.000-05:00

Today is Berry Day at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market, which means that Cheesecakes by Alex is preparing blueberry pancakes for 600 lucky people!

I did some grocery shopping to supplement the groceries I bought at Deep Roots Market earlier this week.
Here's what I bought:

Organic free-range chicken wings from W&S Peterson Family Farms

A small coconut tart and a small spinach tart from a woman on the first aisle from the back - darn it, what is her name? Somebody help me out, here. Norah Glantz? Anyway, they are a regular treat for us on Saturday mornings.

Yukon Gold potatoes from Weatherhand Farm.

Shiitake mushrooms from Dark Hollow Farm.

Jalapeno pear relish from Doc Lee.

Dreamsicle soap from Mimi's Soaps.

Two basil plants, since my basil is growing too slowly to suit me.

It's great to know where your food is grown and produced. Putting a face with the food is what makes Slow Food so exciting for me!

Project WET

2005-06-30T17:58:00.000-05:00

Another environmental program announcement from our friends at Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library:

Project WET

Friday, August 12, 2005
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with 4 hr. homework assignment

Water Education Program. This workshop teaches hands-on activities related to water conservation, water pollution, water management, wetlands, and the water cyle that are helpful for teaching adults and children. This program is great for scout troop leaders, homeschool parents, youth leaders, and community group leaders. Also earn credit towards the NC Environmental Education Certification, http://www.ee.enr.state.nc.us/certification/certificationmain.htm . Participants read a Project WET book filled with activities. Must register to attend, 373-2923 or Melanie.buckingham@greensboro-nc.gov.

Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library
1420 Price Park Dr.
Greensboro, NC 27410