Food Policy forum- this week!

Register today, and come hear the latest food policy developments in RVA!

Plan now for an Ample Harvest

Here is a story that starts in tragedy, and ends, hopefully, in joy and abundance.  Last spring, I planted a huge amount of lettuce in my median strip garden with the idea that I'd share it with all of my neighbors.  Figuring out if they wanted lettuce grown in a garden in the middle of their road before planting it would have been a clever move, because I could not give it away no matter how much I begged them to take whatever they wanted. I wound up pulling and composting all the gorgeous lettuce in June because it was time to plant tomatoes. Tragic!  What else could I do?

Disclaimer: This is not my garden.  It is beautiful and bountiful Swiss Chard though,  oui?

Well, this year I know what I will do with the extra produce.  AmpleHarvest.org has made it easy to find food pantries in my neighborhood who want (and are able to handle) veggies from home gardens.  Check the Find a Pantry page to see if there is one near you!  There are about ten pantries who have signed up in Richmond so far.  Each one has listed days and times (or have given contact info to find out) when you can drop off your garden extras.  I have talked with several food pantries in my neighborhood, and they are so excited to be able to include fresh produce for their patrons.

So, as you order seeds, please think about planting a little more for your neighbors, those you know and those you don't yet know.  Also, if your place of worship or community center has a food pantry, please encourage them to sign up on Ample Harvest so that neighborhood gardeners can share the bounty once it starts rolling in!

Virginia Food Summit in Charlottesville

Just a quick post to let you all know that the 2nd Virginia Food Security Summit is going on today in Charlottesville.  The Virginia Food System Council (the 501(c)3 that was formed after the first summit in 2007) has put together a Farm to Table plan (see a draft of the plan here), which looks at the local food system through the rich farming heritage of Virginia, and opportunities provided by the growing demand for local products.  The summit is a chance for growers, policy makers, chefs and consumers to discuss the the plan and its implications for the state.

I am attending, so if there is anything you'd like for me to find out about local food on a state level, you can email me here, and I will certainly try.

Food Day 2011

The RFC gathered this week to celebrate Food Day, just wanted to share a bit of our fun...

Edible Education Online Class

Edible Education is an amazing online opportunity to listen to the super stars of the food movement speak passionately about the food revolution.

Nikki Henderson of the Peoples Grocery and Michael Pollan lead up this class being offered at UC Berkley with support form the Chez Panisse foundation. And thanks to YouTube we can all sit in on a class about the latest goings on in the food revolution.

The course consists of conversations with the all stars of the food movement... might I suggest starting with a rather inspiried talk by Director Peter Sellars. Other speakers include Slow Food predident Carlo Petrini, Marion Nestle, Jack Sinclair of Walmart, Ann Cooper "the renegade lunch lady," Eric Schlosser of "Fast Food Nation," Alice Waters and many others.

Tune into YouTube as the semester continues for all of the lectures, and an education in whats happening right now in the food revolution!

Take Back The Value Meal! Slow Foods $5 Meal Day

 

Saturday September 17th make a plan to prepare and share a delicious meal from whole foods for just five dollars or less per person. You probably do this all the time already, maybe without giving it a thought.  Help Slow Food show that eating healthy, whole, and local foods can be just as affordable as a run to the drive-through!  Follow the links below to sign up as a participant, check out $5 recipes, or connect with others in our area who would like to share a meal!  

From Slow Food RVA...

The $5 Challenge - Take Back the 'Value Meal'

September 17, 2011 12:00 am until 12:00 am

National Day of Action - Anywhere and everywhere in Richmond!

On Saturday, Sept 17th Slow Food USA's 2011 $5 Challenge campaign to Take Back the 'Value Meal' will launch with a national Day of Action, where we are encouraging people to take a pledge to cook a slow food meal for $5 per person or less.  Slow food shouldn't - and doesn't - have to cost more than fast food.  Stage a potluck, cook a meal for your family or friends, or for a crowd and charge $5 at the door.  Get creative and help us bring attention to the challenges many people face - and overcome - in feeding their families healthy, sustainable food.
Slow Food RVa will help coordinate groups wanting to gather and shop at Richmond area farmers' markets for $5 per person, then cook and enjoy together a family-style meal.  Contact us for guidance at info@slowfoodrva.org

If They Cook It They Will Eat It

Thanks to Jackie for sending us info on  The Lunch Love Community project.  Visit their website to view any number of short films on the efforts made in Berkley to improve the awareness, skills, and health of Berkley school children through food.  Good Stuff.

Hearing for more community garden space in RVA this Wednesday!

Thrilled to see that the City of Richmond is on board for more community garden space!

From: Alicia R. Zatcoff, J.D., LEED AP

Sustainability Manager

City of Richmond

The City of Richmond’s request to create a Community Garden Program to use city owned parcels for community gardens will be heard by City Council’s Health, Human Services and Education Committee on Wed., Nov. 17 at 5PM in City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall. There are two papers. The ordinance request for the program (first link) and the resolution to make city parcels available for use as community gardens (second link).

link to draft ordinance for Community Garden Program

link to draft resolution for parcels for Community Garden Program

Please feel free to forward this information to interested parties and encourage members of your organization to attend the meeting and speak in favor of the program.

Reports and invitations

I never wanted to be the kind of blogger who started out a post with some excuse about why I have not been writing. But, yes, I am about to do just that. It has been very exciting and rewarding and quite lovely, and I did miss being able to share it with you. First- the spring median garden was a big success- I got to share scads of beautiful lettuce with many friends and neighbors. Clyde only likes to look- too bad he won't eat any.

And really, are there any plants more adorable than peas?

Also, not only was I able to build a new compost system in the children's garden at Lewis Ginter, Tony, the head chef at the Garden, is willing to save as many vegetable scraps and coffee filters as we want to add to our compost! So, we are starting out with two pickups a week, and we'll see how it goes from there. I have realized lately how important it is to combine resources within your community in order to be truly sustainable. Plus, I met some cool folks who work in the Garden Cafe. You can read more about the system on the Lewis Ginter blog, which will post later this week.

I also had the opportunity to teach a class this spring at St. Stephen's based on Michael Pollan's newest book called Food Rules. I teamed up with a nurse practitioner, and we got to share the good news about the benefits of fat, and why it is important to eat with other people, and how our food system has changed. Of course, our last class was a potluck supper- one of the best I have ever had! That class was so much fun, I am already looking forward to teaching it again next year.

Another project I am really excited about is the Farmers' Market at St. Stephen's. We have had four very successful and really fun markets, and are looking forward to a new season in this 'delicious revolution'. Amazing vendors, great local bands and really wonderful energy- it is truly an honor to be a part of such a thing. I am also happy to report that we have been able to share leftover produce from willing vendors such as Frog Bottom Farm and Flores Produce with the food pantry at St. Stephen's. The food pantry gives food to about thirty families a week, and I am thrilled that we are able to work together to everyone's benefit. The Farmers' Market at St. Stpehen's has blossomed into a food ministry that works with many aspects of wellness. What more could we want from our work, except that it deepens that which we know is true?

I hope you all are enjoying your gardens and your suppers and your community. If you are around northside this week, why don't you stop by the median garden and take some lettuce home? It is time to plant the tomatoes!

Top Vegan Products of 2009

Label readers, celebrate! Vegan Action posted the favorite vegan products of 2009 contributed by their members and supporters. Check it out!

2009 Vegan Favorites for the Web

Primal Strips vegan jerky, Tree Huggin Treats candy bars, and Wizards Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

- Krissi Vandenberg (Vegan Action campaign director)

Soyatoo! Rice Whip and Liz Lovely's Cookies

- Alanna Wiggins (Vegan Action supporter and former board member)

Veganaise, Silk Yogurts (especially blueberry), Soy Boy Raviolis, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar cookbook

- Alyssa Murray (Vegan Action board member)

Health is Wealth Buffalo Wings, Sweet N Sara's Smores, Boca Chicken Patties( the all natural and spicy ones aren't vegan), Smoked Tempeh Strips, back to Nature Chocolate Chip Cookies, Blenheim Ginger Ale

- David Phinney (Vegan Action volunteer)

Field Roast Wild Mushroom sandwich slices, Soy Delicious coconut milk soy yogurt, Veganrella mozzarella flavor soy cheese

- Nick Bergheimer (Vegan Action supporter)

Smoked apple sage Field Roast grain meat sausages, Galaxy vegan grated cheese alternative, Tofitti cream cheese, and Gimme Lean soy sausage, Purely Decadent chocolate coconut milk ice cream

- Erin Waldoch (Vegan Action supporter)

Pizza Fusion's Very Vegan Pizza, Trader Joe's house brand oreos and UFOs

- Leslie Sanford (Vegan Action board member)

Rice Dream Mint frozen ice cream pie and Lush Ultralight face moisturizer

- Erin Wright (Vegan Action supporter)

For more info on the great work that Vegan Action is doing around Richmond (including great recipes), click here.

Fresh Screening at Ellwood Thompson's Coffee Shop

Ellwood Thompson's will be hosting viewings of FRESH the movie, a film produced & directed by ana Sofia joanes.

"We all just watched FRESH...and we were mesmerized and empowered. Every American needs to see this. You will capture hearts with this. I can't wait to sit in an audience watching this. It is absolutely masterful. "

- Joel Salatin

To view a trailer or for more info about the movie, visit their site.

The next viewing will be on Sunday, November 22nd at 6:00 pm

A $10 per person donation is suggested.

All donations will go to the Center for Rural Culture, which funds the Goochland Farmer's Market and the local Richmond chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local.

Thought for Food Event

From the Evolver Richmond Spore:

In the last fifty years, the meteoric rise of agribusiness has wreaked havoc upon our global food supply. Corporate entities like Monsanto and Cargill are wiping out agricultural diversity with monoculture crops, bankrupting small farmers with unsustainable practices, toxifying our waterways with pesticides and fertilizers, treating animals cruelly, and endangering the web of life with genetically modified foods.

But a growing movement is striking back and taking action to maintain our food security in the 21st Century. These “greenhorns” are creating CSAs, tending rooftop gardens, building aquaponic systems, learning permaculture principles, starting Transition Towns and eco-villages, urban homesteading, saving seed varieties, and practicing slow food ethics to ensure agricultural sustainability. In this Spore, we will, explore and discuss the alternative food networks cropping up in our local communities, as well the importance of nutrition in our lives. Spores may want to look at current FDA dietary recommendations and contrast them with the rising interest in organic/live foods, ayurvedic diets, superfoods, healing herbs, and more.

Come join us on Wed, Oct. 21 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Ellwood Thompson's Local Market.

Ellwood Thompson's Local Market

4 N Thompson St

Richmond, VA 23221

Cost: $5

For more information and to join the Evolver Richmond, visit their website.

Eat, Drink and be Merry with Tricycle Gardens

Tricycle gardens announces the First Annual Harvest Dinner

October 3, 2009
6-10pm

Location: Church Hill’s Historic Robinson Theatre
Q Street at North 29th Street
Saturday, October 3, 2009

Tickets: $50

Tricycle Gardens is partnering with several Richmond chefs from the city’s top eateries–Kuba Kuba, Millies, Kitchen 64, among others–to prepare in-season, local menu items for a huge buffet dinner celebrating our community and urban agriculture. There will be a cash bar, sustainable agriculture speaker Bev Eggleston, founder of EcoFriendly Foods and music for entertainment and dancing.

For more information or to buy tickets for this fabulous event, go to the Tricycle Gardens site or write dinner@tricyclegardens.org.

Veggie License Plates

My friend Krissi who works with Vegan Action asked me to pass this opportunity along.

Vegan Action, the Vegetarian Festival and the Vegetarian Society, are co-sponsoring a new license plate for Virginians!


This beautiful plate was designed by RVA's own Noah Scalin. In order to make it available to everyone, there must be 350 prepaid applications for the new design by the end of November 2009. The group will submit these along with the plate design to the General Assembly and then to the DMV for approval.

Please take a few minutes and just $10 to support the Vegetarian License plate proposal.

Visit http://www.veggieplates.org to make it happen.

Updated Schedule for LGBG's Green Tonic Symposium

Lewis Ginter's Green Tonic Symposium is two weeks from tomorrow and there is still room available for those who would like to attend. This symposium is the brainchild of those within Lewis Ginter who feel strongly about the need for urban projects that support the well being of the environment and urban landscape as well as those who live and work within that landscape. Some of you may have been fortunate enough to see Linden Miller speak this past fall. Miller has been working for decades rehabilitating, rejuvenating and revitalizing large portions of New York City's Central Park. The result has been the rebirth of the park as a tourist destination, and countless moments of respite for New York City residents.

If you are interested in learning about fabulous from-the-ground-up projects in other cities, such as Philadelphia's "Philadelphia Green" and about what is being done and what could be done in our own city, you should register for this two day series of tours, lectures, workshops, and meals shared with others who share your interest in these issues.

Here is the latest schedule. This schedule includes information on each of the speakers and some of the amazing work each is doing in their own city. For Registraton information see my July 3rd post or go to Lewis Ginter's website Here.

The Group is Called Chickunz

Truthfully, I am fascinated about where this will lead us. What if your neighbors had chickens? Would it drive your dog mad? Would it really be so different than having a dog, anyway?

In any case, I am all for conscious freedom. And, I am all for having well looked after animals. There is a petition going around to legalize laying hens in Henrico. You can sign the petition here. Chickunz also has a Facebook page.

Every little bit helps choke the machine of industrial agriculture. Too bad I can't have both dogs and chickens...

Karen Davis at Chop Suey Books

This just in from Krissi at Vegan Action:

UPC President Karen Davis Will Sign Books, Do Live Radio in Richmond, VA
Tune-in to WRIR 97.3 LP-FM and Come to Chop Suey Books, Tuesday April 21
Tuesday, April 21, 12:30-1 p.m. ET. Join Karen Davis and host Rebecca Faris in a live interview about Karen's new book Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs. The show is IndyMedia Live. People can stream in live 24/7 @ WRIR.org.
Tuesday, April 21, 5 p.m. Chop Suey Books will host a reading/lecture & book-signing by Karen Davis, PhD from her new book Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs. Karen will discuss how the living conditions of chickens on industrial farms contribute to human health and environmental problems, and what people can do. She will answer questions and autograph her book for buyers.
To attend this free presentation & book-signing, please come to:
CHOP SUEY BOOKS
2913 West Cary Street
Richmond, Virginia 23221
(804) 422-8066
Chop Suey Books
We look forward to seeing you!
Karen Davis, PhD is the president of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the compassionate treatment of chickens and other domestic fowl. She is the author of several books and numerous articles for the national press and has been featured on National Public Radio and in The Virginian-Pilot and The Washington Post. To learn more about Karen and United Poultry Concerns, please visit www.upc-online.org and www.upc-online.org/karenbio.htm.

Keeping Up With Vilsack

Just in case you haven't been keeping up with the latest on our USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack...

"About the time that Chemical Ag spokespeople were chiding Michelle Obama for promoting home-grown organic food with her White House garden, compost from the Rodale Institute farm was landing on a new organic garden right in front of U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters...

...Vilsack has kept ultimate responsibility for the project in his office, giving the small space a big symbolic role in showing how organic agriculture can benefit the nation. Produce will be donated locally. Maintaining the garden will be USDA staff members who volunteer, backed up by the department’s commercial landscape maintenance firm."

Whole article here.

New York Times Article on Sustainable Ag and Local Food

A great article out in today's edition of the NYT asks, "Is a Food Revolution Now in Season?"

In mid-February, Tom Vilsack, the new secretary of agriculture, took a jackhammer to a patch of pavement outside his headquarters to create his own organic “people’s garden.” Two weeks later, the Obama administration named Kathleen Merrigan, an assistant professor at Tufts University and a longtime champion of sustainable agriculture and healthy food, as Mr. Vilsack’s top deputy.

Mr. Hirshberg and other sustainable-food activists are hoping that such actions are precursors to major changes in the way the federal government oversees the nation’s food supply and farms, changes that could significantly bolster demand for fresh, local and organic products. Already, they have offered plenty of ambitious ideas.

For instance, the celebrity chef Alice Waters recommends that the federal government triple its budget for school lunches to provide youngsters with healthier food. And the author Michael Pollan has called on President Obama to pursue a “reform of the entire food system” by focusing on a Pollan priority: diversified, regional food networks.

Check out the entire article here. It's good to see that the big names are still out there, agitating for change! I didn't know Vilsack had jackhammered up the pavement to plant a garden until reading this -- great gesture, I must say. Let's see how things go, though. The reality of implementing regional food distribution systems, etc. will take a lot of hard work from grassroots people like us...we've still got plenty to do, even as the government slowly catches on to these ideas!

No Way!!! Obamas to Plant Kitchen Garden on White House Lawn!!!

Catering to insistent requests by countless members of the local and organic food movement, the Obamas have agreed to plant a 'first garden' on the South Lawn of the White House! Check out yesterday's New York Times article on the garden here. Quote:

On Friday, Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of White House lawn to plant a vegetable garden, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets (the president doesn’t like them) but arugula will make the cut.

While the organic garden will provide food for the first family’s meals and formal dinners, its most important role, Mrs. Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at time when obesity has become a national concern.

In an interview in her office, Mrs. Obama said, “My hope is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities.”

Michelle also said, for those who don't have the time or yard to garden, “You can begin in your own cupboard by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables." I'm so excited to see the Obamas encouraging Americans to take little steps toward a better lifestyle! I have heard so many people talking about this garden, including the Eat the View campaign, Michael Pollan and Alice Waters. The garden plan is already available here, and they are planning to fertilize with in-house compost and crab meal from the Chesapeake Bay. Congratulations to everyone who helped this dream to become reality.