Salone del Gusto, Terra Madre and the International Congress in Italy

Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre, Slow Food’s biennial international food fair and sustainability conference concluded last week in Turin, Italy.  This year, the event was attended by Slow Food Urban San Diego’s Co-Leader, Candice Woo and the chapter’s Co-Founder, Donna McLoughlin, who were among the 200,000+ attendees - including Slow Food leaders, activists, educators and farmers - who participated in educational sessions focused on animal welfare, health, social issues and food waste and attended taste workshops featuring wine, craft beer, cheese and artisan food.  Among the speakers at the event’s opening ceremony were Alice Waters, Slow Food’s vice president, famed restaurateur and founder of the Edible Schoolyard and Nikki Henderson, Executive Director of the People’s Grocery in Oakland.

The week in Turin also hosted the International Congress, a global Slow Food gathering of 650 delegates from 95 different countries, including two delegates from Southern California.  The key event purpose was to help define the future of the organization and was led by Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food and the non profit’s current president, who was re-elected for another term.  Petrini spoke about his next goals for Slow Food, or “Slow Food 2.0”, including increasing the number of food gardens being created by Slow Food chapters in Africa, expanding the work to protect biodiversity of food products around the world and growing Slow Food’s network, which is currently comprised of 1,500 international chapters.

Speakers from countries across the globe, including China, Israel, Brazil and Somalia, gave presentations on issues concerning their local food communities and U.S. delegate Michael Dimock, Slow Food Russian River founder and President of Roots of Change, proposed a motion and received the delegation’s support of the goal of Proposition 37, the Label GMO ballot initiative in California, which Slow Food Urban San Diego also supports.

- By Candice Woo

Food and the City

"At some point, this industrial tack that we've been on, we're going to fondly remember the end point of that and realize 'you can't eat that.' And that little green square, as seen from the air, to me is the first space, the first move. As soon as we can get that back to green, that's going to have a huge ripple effect. When we get it back green, it's going to accelerate everything." ~John Quigley, Environmental Activist and supporter of South Central Farmers I have to admit that I am only half way through Jennifer Cockrall-King's book, Food in the City. I have been stuffing it into my farming bag, on top of my pruners and gloves, next to my compost-stained notebook documenting volunteer To-Do tasks at the urban farm where I work. With this book in dirty hands, I actually wish the bus ride to and from downtown was longer! Cockrall-King has gathered information from many recent publications about the urban farming movement as well as documented her own visitations to city-bound plots across the northern hemisphere and synthesized her findings in this highly informative book.

Often optimistic but sometimes heartbreaking, she paints a green-tinted picture of the incredible potential of urban farming to change our food system, our politics, our lives. She also illustrates the challenges that have been faced, such as the plight of the South Central Farmers in Los Angeles: After the 1992 race riots the community built an amazing garden on public land. In 2007 the government quietly sold it off to a new owner who bulldozed the farm and has not "improved" it since the destruction five years ago. The land sits empty, a chain link fence preventing farmers from growing food for their families. It is stories like this that makes one shake their head in bewilderment among all of the otherwise inspiring examples of community cohesion and fortitude.

This mixture of hope and call to action engages the reader as Cockrall-King wanders through the farms and gardens of cities such as Detroit, LA, Chicago,London, and Toronto. My bus rides have been full of scribbled notes in the margins, sighing (South Central Farmers), and smiling (farms surviving and championed in urban centers across the globe) as I adventure with her, vicariously sampling peas and amaranth on my way to my own urban oasis and living classroom. This book is a journey into literal urban jungles well worth taking.

Join Slow Food Urban San Diego and the Food Justice Committee from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Price Building in City Heights room 640 to meet Jennifer Cockrall King, author of Food an the City: Urban Agriculture and The New Food Revolution. Following a discussion including local food advocacy and justice groups, the author will be available for book signing.

For more information about this event, click here.

FOOD DAY IS OCTOBER 24TH!!!

October 24th might be the official day o' food, but really how can we restrict such a flurry of events to just one day? Check out FoodDay.org to find out about all the fun and informative food happenings occurring this week all around San Diego County (& the rest of the country). Some of the highlights include tours, cooking demos, and a kids scavenger hunt at the SD Public Market; tasty fundraisers at local restaurants to support Food Day activities at elementary schools; and tours and special events at local farms such as Olivewood Gardens and Seeds@City Urban Farm.

Check out the website for more details about this exciting week of food awareness!

Herbs are slow food too...

The Lazy Hummingbird Coffee and Teahouse in Ocean Beach was aflutter Thursday night with music, elixir-making demonstrations, music, and raw chocolate fueled dancing for a fundraiser benefiting Jeans4Justice, a nonprofit organization striving to end sexual violence. Herbalist Michael Paul concocted herbal raw chocolate macaroons and a seed-milk based elixir full of vitamins, minerals, and herbs. About 10 ingredients into the Vita-mixed creation I started to wonder how the combination of such good-for-me-additions like powdered spirulina and ground manzanita could meld into a luscious dessert like drink. Minutes later I was sipping a delicious chocolate-infused shake.

Music by Vicious Phishes, Dillon and Jen, and harpist Amanda Odish rounded out the evening and inspired folks young and old to shake a leg for the cause.

To learn more about Michael Paul's herbal chocolates and his mobile tonic bar visit his website.

Wild Willow 5K and Chili Brew Fest

Runners, beer drinkers, local food advocates and families traversed their way down to the southern most region of San Diego last weekend to participate in the first annual Wild Willow Farm 5k Race and Chili Brew Fest. With the harvest season well upon us, the event was a celebration of sorts, featuring a chili cook-off and homebrew competition, plus a 5K trail run/walk. Live music from the Big Decisions, self-guided farm tours and a variety of homebrews and chili concoctions made for an incredible day of fun, community building, and success.

Volunteers ushered runners across the finish line into the “beer garden” to enjoy fresh brews from local sponsors like Stone, Alesmith, and Coronado Brewing Company. The line up of judges for the homebrew competition included major San Diego brewers like Greg Koch from Stone Brewing, Peter Zien from Alesmith Brewing, and Laurie Delk from 100 Beers in 30 Days. At least 38 different brews were accounted for, but only one took grand prize- a robust, malty, Imperial Red Ale bursting with flavorful, bright hops. The donated beer was another welcome accompaniment to the 8 different chilies entered into the contest. The overall winner, named “Beegee’s Southwest Chili” won by just 1 point over other entries. Judges for the chili cook-off included Chef Nick Brune from Local Habit, Wild Willow board member Angie Vorhies, and local food and beer advocate Marty Frank.

Nearly 300 people attended the event, out of which 200 participated in the actual race. Tickets were sold for admission to the race and individual beer and chili tastings, and over $2,000 was raised to benefit operations and educational programs at Wild Willow Farm. They intend to purchase or retrofit a truck in order to deliver produce to their CSA customers and to the select restaurants that support the farm. With such a wide variety of programs offered onsite and in the local community, Wild Willow Farm is quickly becoming a central facility for the education of a new generation of farmers and the conservation of organic and sustainable food systems in San Diego.

[nggallery id=16]

Honoring Fannie Lou Hamer

"All my life I've been sick and tired. Now I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." - Fannie Lou Hamer, Civil Rights Activist

Some people get tired of fighting for what they believe in and give up. Others get tired, get angry, and fight harder. Fannie Lou Hamer would be in that second, much rarer group of extraordinary people. She spoke her mind, including the words in the above quote, during her fight for voting rights and political equality in the Deep South during the 1960s. She was jailed, beaten, slandered but still kept marching forward in the quest for basic rights for African Americans. After nearly a decade of political activism which often landed her in the spotlight, she remained active in a slightly quieter way as she pursued many grassroots endeavors regarding nutrition and food justice in economically vulnerable areas. Hamer started a "pig bank" in 1968 which provided local families with the opportunity to 'borrow' a pregnant gilt and then raise the piglets for food. About 300 families benefited from the program. The Freedom Farm Co-op was started in Sunflower County, Mississippi in 1969 and by 1972 was providing local families with approximately 70 acres worth of fresh produce. Hamer was also active in the Head Start program which provided education, health, and nutrition services to low-income children and their families.

As the food justice movement strengthens, expands, and is certainly challenged along the way, we can look at the life and work of Fannie Lou Hamer as inspiration to keep fighting for what we believe in, as sick and tired of the obstacles as we may become.

In honor of Hamer and her fight for food justice, Project New Village in Southeastern San Diego is holding a legacy luncheon on Thursday October 4, 11:30am – 1:30pm at the Bethel Baptist Church Campus (1962 Euclid Avenue San Diego, CA 92105)

Guests will be treated to tasteful, healthy seasonal food; hear about the work of the People’s Produce Urban Agriculture Initiative and enjoy cultural expressions provided by local artists.

Tickets are $35.00 per person $250.00 per table of eight.

To purchase tickets and for more information call (619) 262-2022 or email info@projectnewvillage.org

www.projectnewvillage.org

Celebrate the Craft Turns Ten on Sunday!

We sat down with Chef Jeff Jackson of The Lodge at Torrey Pines to discuss the motivation and inspiration for this San Diego Tradition.

Celebrate the Craft from SFUSD on Vimeo.

Tickets are still available for the September 30th event. Purchase them here.

Thanks, Chef!

IRC New Roots at Pauma Tribal Farm: Growing Good from the Ground Up

Acres of wild, fertile farmland stretch beneath the open summer skies.  Nestled in at the base of Palomar Mountain, you can feel the ground calling out to be restored and tended. Growing conditions here in Pauma Valley can be harsh. High heat in the summer leads to burnt crops and drought, while snow and frost in the winter months can destroy entire acres of harvestable produce. At first glance, the property feels desolate and forgotten, but as I explore the fields I feel it swell with potential.

“New Roots at Pauma Tribal Farm” is the new national training center for the International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian relief organization that enables refugees to grow their own food and re-establish their families through community gardening, nutrition education, and small business farming. The property in Pauma Valley is held in a conservation easement, which means it can only be used for farming. Previously maintained by Pauma Valley Organics and the Tierra Miguel Foundation, which closed operations two years ago, the land has laid fallow and silent. But as schoolchildren, small families, and brightly dressed Bahati  Mamas arrived on busses bringing waves of energy, noise, and color; celebration and new beginnings resonated throughout the property. Translators and leaders from the IRC did their best to communicate the reason for their coming- a celebration of a new farm and new opportunities for families to grow and find success.

The celebration began with volunteers gathering beneath the barn, drinking coffee and gobbling up fresh watermelon slices.  We all participated in a ritual prayer, led by one of the elders of the Pauma Indian Tribe. Pauma means “people of the west”, and for thousands of years their ancestors have occupied this fertile valley. The prayer symbolizes an offering to the earth with gratitude and respect for the knowledge, of land, and of relationships bestowed to them. We stood together, as he scattered bits of tobacco upon the ground and chanted a few words in his native tongue. We paused to soak in the sacred space before moving in to work groups and heading out across the property to sweat and toil beneath the sun.

The intent is for this farm to function as a training ground for REAP, the Refugee Entrepreneurial Agriculture Program.  Various supervisors from the IRC will educate refugees through a diverse curriculum and guide them in sustainable food production. Many different ethnic groups are already growing food here- Burmese, East African, Karin, Congo, Iraqi, Somali Bantu. As I browsed the rows I noticed Kassava, Black Eyed Peas, Bitter Melon, Squash, Cucumbers, Okra, Mint. One of the farmers informed me that some varieties were passed down directly from other countries--smuggled, contraband seeds he called them. All of the families that will be working here will not only learn new techniques for growing food but also learn basic business principles so they can fully support themselves. A few local San Diego restaurants already purchase produce directly from farmers growing at the IRC New Roots farm in City Heights.

Towards the end of the gathering, one of the farmers remarked, “farming makes us strong and healthy beyond the food that we eat. It teaches us to care for one another, to care for the earth, and to become wise in all things, grateful for all that we harvest”.

Suzie's Farm Second Annual Autumnal Equinox Dinner is tomorrow!

Those of you lucky enough to have a ticket to The Second Annual Suzie's Farm Autumnal Equinox Dinner are in for a real treat tomorrow! Chefs Joe Magnanelli, Max Bonacci and Javier Plascencia along with the crew at Suzie's Farm are working hard to bring you the dining experience of the year! Guests will enjoy appetizers in the two-acre sunflower maze and a three course meal with beverage pairings at Sun Grown. Watch the video below to see what the chefs have to say about Slow Food in our city.

AED Chef video from SFUSD on Vimeo.

This event is sold out so be sure to keep an eye out for next year!

Eat Drink Local Week is here!

Tables overflowing with delicious food, raffle baskets full of veggies and natural products, a jazz band plucking, strumming, and drumming away as the sun set over Point Loma... Eat Drink Local Week kicked off last night at Top of the Park in Hillcrest! Patrons sipped, danced, and nibbled the night away ushering in a week chock full of foodie events. Check out Edible San Diego's website for a list of events and participating restaurants. http://www.ediblecommunities.com/sandiego/

Proceeds from the events benefit Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, Seeds@City Urban Farm, and Wild Willow Farm and Education Center.

Fermenting frenzy in my fridge

I just ordered The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz. I can't wait to flip through the tome, mouth watering or nose wrinkling at the various fermented creations to be found within. I admit I'm taking the whole fermenting thing slow. I've experimented with quite a few recipes in Katz' primer, Wild Fermentation, and have jars of yogurt, kimchi, kraut, kombucha, and pickles in my stash. I figure I'll perfect my skills with the basics before moving to stuff like Chicha (read the recipe- I dare you) and whatever else might be awaiting in Katz' new book. But I love my kombucha. Making it yourself is not only much cheaper but you can create the flavors and sweetness that appeal to you! Besides, who can resist the science-experiment-like draw of this mushroom/yeast bevvie? Here's how I make my kombucha (based on the recipe in Wild Fermentation) (I usually double or quadruple the recipe I drink so much!):

Grab a 1 quart mason jar. Steep 2 black tea bags in 1 quart of hot water for at least 20 minutes. Remove tea bags. Add 1/4 cup sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool to the point where you can stick your hand in without it hurting. (Very scientific) About 100 degrees. Add a kombucha mother (get one from a friend or buy at a place like OB People's Co-op), translucent side down, along with some of the kombucha the mother was stored in (or apple cider vinegar in a pinch). Cover mouth of jar with cheesecloth and store in a warm spot (70-85 degrees). Let it hang out for about a week, longer if you want it less sweet, more acidic. Once it tastes good to you, store it covered in the fridge. Start a new batch and add one of the mothers (the mother you used will grow another "skin." Peel this off and use either one.) Enjoy!

If you want to meet Sandor Katz in person and attend a bunch of cool workshops, check out this festival happening up north on September 16th: http://www.farmtofermentation.com/

Also, go to the San Diego Fermenters Club Facebook page and like 'em to hear about local meetings and events: http://www.facebook.com/fermenters

Wild Willow Farm Potluck features The Real Dirt on Farmer John

On the third Saturday of the month the farmers at Wild Willow Farm and Education Center in Imperial Beach fire up the pizza oven, clear off the long tables and benches, light up the twinkling Christmas lights in the barn, and harvest produce for that night's potluck. In addition to the proliferation of inspirational food (Lavender infused coconut cream pie? Dandelion and cashew pesto dip? Fava bean and garlic hummus?) and dance-provoking live music, a documentary well worth shushing the clattering of forks was shown during last Saturday's warm August night. The Real Dirt on Farmer John tells the epic story of Midwest farmer John Peterson. From his experimental commune days on the farm to the collapse of his family business and finally to the formation of a thriving CSA program we see how this extraordinary man has changed the face of farming through passion, self expression, and perseverance.

Click below to watch the trailer:

The Real Dirt on Farmer John

Edible City Documentary

Edible City Trailer 2012 from Edible City on Vimeo.

In case you missed the screening of the documentary Edible City at the SFUSD Tiger! Tiger! mixer on July 16th, click on the Vimeo link above to watch the trailer then click below to watch the full length film.

Edible City Documentary

Edible City, a 60 minute documentary film, tells the stories of the pioneers who are digging their hands into the dirt, working to transform their communities and do something truly revolutionary: grow local Good Food Systems that are socially just, environmentally sound, economically viable and resilient to climate change and market collapse.

www.ediblecitythemovie.com

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

May 31st, 2012

Dine on the Dock was a delicious success!  San Diegans interested in a brighter future for San Diego's bays and fishing industry made their way to Pier 4 at Driscoll's Wharf for an evening of sustainably harvested seafood, music and conversation.

We were glad to see old friends and to meet some new ones (like Cliff, the sea-cucumber fisherman!) at an event that drew members from all reaches of the local food community.

Slow Food Urban San Diego is proud to have teamed up with San Diego Weekly Markets and the San Diego Italian Film Festival for such a fun event.  Thanks to all the fishermen, chefs and dedicated advocates for a vibrant local fishing community who made the event an evening to remember.

[nggallery id=7]

In Case You Missed It… Fermentation!

by Erin Batty May 10^th was standing room only at the Triangle building, and emails and calls continue to filter in requesting information about ginger-beer, raw milk cheese, water kefir, and the like.  I think this calls for another fermentation class!

Little did I know that fermenting is a passion shared by so many Urban San Diegans.  But to my pleasant surprise, the lacto-fermentation class sold out and a sizeable donation was generated for Seeds at City Urban Farm.  Thank you to all who attended for your interest, enthusiasm, and participation!

Lacto-fermented foods are uniquely nourishing to the body and open the door to a world of complex flavors.  Enhance your sandwich with Stogsdill’s kraut, suit your salad with fermented dressings, make a snack of pickled vegetables, or pair your potatoes with homemade ketchup.  There are endless possibilities for fermented foods, if only there were more hours in the day to try them all!

Pickled carrots are elementary.  Who is ready to step it up a notch at the next fermentation workshop?

In the meantime, enjoy this surprisingly simple recipe for delicious homemade ketchup…

Join Us Thursday, May 10th, for a Lacto-Fermentation Class

Giant deli-style dill pickles, crusty sourdough baguettes, perfectly tart yet creamy yogurt, sweet and bubbly home-made root beer: all are delicacies enjoyed thanks to fermentation.  Join Slow Food Urban San Diego on Thursday, May 10 from 6 - 8 PM for a hands-on celebration of lacto-fermentation. There will be a variety of foods to sample in addition to an open discussion about fermenting.  Make your own pickled carrots (courtesy of Blind Lady Ale House) and see how easy it is to ferment for flavor, economy, and health.  If you are experienced in the art, please bring your stories!  Stogsdill’s Pickles, the community expert in vegetable ferments, will be in attendance and available to answer any questions.  Cost to attend is $15 for members and $20 for the general public.  All proceeds will be donated to Seeds@City Urban Farm. Please RSVP by Monday, May 7 to reserve your pickling jar!

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.

[nggallery id=4]

Earth Day 2012

Slow Food Urban San Diego participated in EarthFair 2012 in Balboa Park, which was attended by over 70,000 people. Our table was featured in the Fair Food Zone, which included a temporary vegetable garden and booths from other like-minded local community groups. We shared information about upcoming Slow Food Urban events and handed out heirloom tomato seeds from Baker Creek (http://rareseeds.com/) and sunflower seeds as part of the Great Sunflower Project. (http://www.greatsunflower.org/)