Plant it, Grow it, Eat It workshop at Seeds@City

Digging forks and bow rakes in hand, several aspiring gardeners took to the dirt this past Saturday morning to participate in some farming magic. As the sun rose over downtown San Diego, Paul Maschka, faculty member and one of the founders of Seeds@City Urban Farm, led the group through the steps of transforming a weed strewn patch into a compost-rich vegetable bed. Participants learned about the various crops and the best time and places to plant them, how to amend the soil with compost and organic fertilizer, techniques to "build" the bed with forks and rakes, and how to plant a bed with seeds and starts. The next workshop is Habitat Gardening: creating an abundant food forest on August 11th if you would like to get your hands dirty too! http://www.sdcity.edu/CampusLife/SeedsCity/SummerWorkshops

July SFUSD mixer at Tiger! Tiger!

Tiger! Tiger! hosted SFUSD's July mixer and what a mix of sights, smells, and sounds it was! The nearly year-old venue provided the perfect atmosphere for chatting about food and drink with long communal tables and benches, high ceilings strewn with bicycles and art, and an open kitchen where foodies with craft beer in hand could watch the staff create amazing dishes using scores of local produce, meats, cheeses, and seafood. Check out the photos for a glance of the roaring good time!

Dine On The Dock is Tonight!

To get you excited for the evening's activities, we're revisiting our interview with Peter Halmay of the San Diego Fishermen's Working Group.

A Conversation with Peter Halmay from SFUSD on Vimeo.

There are still a few tickets left!  Buy yours here.  The proceeds from your ticket will assist in Peter's and The San Diego Fishermen's Working Group's efforts in establishing the waterfront fish market of our dreams!

Slow Food Receives the Ocean Leadership Award for Community Group of the Year

Thursday, April 26th, Slow Food Urban San Diego was awarded the Ocean Leadership Award for Community Group of the year for Excellence in Ocean Stewardship 2012.  The award was presented at the San Diego Oceans Foundation Gala at Sea World.  In attendance at the event were chefs, fishermen and organizations ivolved in the sustainable seafood community.

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César E. Chávez Day of Dialogue

To honor the life and legacy of César E. Chávez in social justice and agriculture, Project NewVillage hosted the 12th Annual Cesar E. Chavez Community Tribute and Celebration.

This year the 2012 César E. Chávez Community Tribute was a platform for a “Day of Dialogue” to explore the opportunities and benefits of urban agriculture in Southeastern San Diego. Elected officials, clergy, community-based organizations, and everyday people were asked to join the Good Food Legacies Campaign to help conceive and realize a sustainable food system with healthy options while creating green jobs, and building community.

Work Day at Mt. Hope Community Garden

[singlepic id=68 w=500 h=400 float=center] Members of the Slow Food Urban San Diego Board, directors of Project New Village's Mt Hope Community Garden and Mt. Hope community members gathered on Saturday for a day of work.  Projects included gravel clearing, compost sifting and sign removal.  SFUSD presented Diane Moss, the project director, with the proceeds from our joint Slow Food Mixer at Local Habit to be used towards a Rototiller.

The vision is great and there is much work to be done!  Stop by any Saturday from 1 - 4 to volunteer your time and be a part of a  great project.

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Joint Green Drinks and SFUSD Mixer at SOL Markets

Members and friends of Slow Food Urban San Diego and Green Drinks San Diego met at SOL Markets on Thursday, March 29th to celebrate local food artisans in our community.  Proceeds from the event benefitted Second Chance's JOLT Program.  In attendance were The People's Produce Project, Catalina Offshore Products, Gluten Free by Betsy G., Chuao Chocolatier, Vesper Vineyards and Triple B. Ranches, South Coast Winery, Cafe Virtuoso, Sadie Rose Baking Company, Jackie's Jams, Stogsdill's Pickles, Solar Rain, Hess Brewing, Foxy Treats and SuperFood Drive.

Thanks to everyone for coming out and making this event such a success!

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Volunteer Day at Seeds at City Urban Farm

[singlepic id=69 w=500 h=400 float=] Members from the Urban San Diego and USD chapters of Slow Food came together at Seeds@City for a tour, a lecture and some hands-on learning led by Head Farmer Paul Maschka.  Paul's talk focused on the farming program at Seeds@City, farming methods, composting, soil, worms, bugs and how it all comes together to create the lush farm that exists in the urban setting at City College.  Afterwards, everyone got to get their hands dirty cultivating soil, putting down irrigation tubes, and planting seeds that will produce colorful gourds.  All in all, it was a fun-filled morning of education supporting this fantastic program at City College.  Stay tuned for more events, and in the meantime Seeds@City welcomes volunteers on any Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday morning.  For more information, visit:  http://www.sdcity.edu/SeedsAtCity

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***SLOW FOOD URBAN SAN DIEGO'S FIRST EVER FOOD SWAP***

Be a part of Slow Food Urban San Diego's First Community Food Swap! Join us on Sunday June 12th at 12 PM @  The Linkery in North Park.   Share your homemade and homegrown foodstuffs with other swappers.  Bring your homemade jams, pickles, breads, crackers, world famous brownies, homegrown fruits, herbs or veggies to swap. Food swaps are gaining popularity across the country, as people reclaim a DIY lifestyle and want to share their incredible creations with their community.  Come celebrate the amazing skills and creativity of your fellow San Diegans and take home some delicious treats in exchange for your own. Swapping takes place silent auction style, but there will be plenty of time to mingle with the other swappers and sample their wares. Please see the attached participation agreement for details on what to bring and how the swap works.  Slow Food Urban San Diego Food Swap Agreement  Once you have completed the form, please email to:  hillary.noyes@gmail.com Slow Food Urban San Diego promotes the inclusion of good, clean and fair food, so please use local, sustainable and seasonal ingredients.   The San Diego Farm Bureau seasonal calendar may aid in your inspiration:  http://www.sdfarmbureau.org/BuyLocal/Harvest-Calendar.php The swap will take place in the private room of the Linkery.   *Their excellent food and beverage menu will be available for purchase. Looking forward to sharing this first annual event with our slow food community!!