Food for Thought:
The Slow Food Orange County Newsletter |
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Happy Holidays from Slow Food OC! You will receive this newsletter in two parts. The first installment will highlight events scheduled for January, February, March and April. The second installment will highlight the success of past events, including the October Simultaneous Suppers, the November Pie Workshop and the December Tamale Workshop. We look forward to your active participation in SFOC 2010 It's going to be a great year! | |
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Featured Upcoming Event
Volunteers needed for Monkey Business Café Kitchen Garden Project
January 9th, 16th and 23rd, 8 AM-3 PM
 Slow Food OC and Monkey Business Café have enjoyed a long-standing relationship. From this relationship a vision has grown--a vision to design and build a kitchen garden that will allow the young men of Hart Community Homes to grow, harvest and prepare their own fresh produce and herbs for the Café. SFOC member Fred Tarnay has completed the basic irrigation system. Now the actual improvements to the planting areas can begin! The work will involve construction of a fence and raised beds, placement of amended soil, extension of the drip irrigation system and planting.
 Much of this work requires physical labor: digging, pouring concrete, sawing and bolting, shoveling and planting. Therefore, we are looking for volunteers who aren't afraid to sweat, shovel and get their hands dirty. No gardening experience is necessary. This project provides an excellent opportunity for novice gardeners to learn how to build raised beds, prepare the soil and plant seeds. Most importantly, while you learn (or show off your honed skills), you give back to our local community.
The project will extend over the three Saturdays in January, generally between 8 am and 3 pm. Below is a list of projects for each day:
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Saturday, January 9 - Place 4 ft. high perimeter fence post in concrete footings.
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Saturday, January 16 - Construct six - 4 ft x 8 ft raised redwood planting boxes.
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Saturday, January 23 - Place amended/composted soil; plant and irrigate; complete the fence.
We need four to eight volunteers each weekend. If you are interested in joining us, please contact:
Steve Widmayer: 714.838.6232; secretary@slowfoodoc.org
Also, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by Monkey Business Café for a bite. The menu has been recently updated to showcase healthy selections made from fresh, local ingredients. Monday Business is located at 301 E. Amerige Ave. (at Lemon), Fullerton.
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January 10th General Membership Meeting & Potluck, 4 PM
The General Membership Meeting and Potluck will be held at the home of John and Lesley Cox
Address: 10462 Sierra Circle, Los Alamitos, CA 90720
At this meeting we will discuss new initiatives for Slow Food OC. Please RSVP to Roger at chair@slowfoodoc.org.
Photos from our July and August Planning Potlucks. There is nothing "potluck" about these meetings. They are fine dining experiences! |
February 20th Tortellini Worshop, 4-6:30 PM
 This hands-on workshop, lead by Roger McErlane, will walk you through the process of making semolina pasta dough from scratch and then using that dough to make two tortellini dishes: one with butternut squash filling served with sage and butter sauce and a second dish with spinach and cheese filling, served with a classic red sauce. We will serve the results produced by the class at a light meal which will include salad and wine.
All ingredients will be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring a pasta machine (if they have one) and a large bowl. Workshop participants will work in teams of two. Space is limited to 20 people (or 10 teams).
Slow food members $35, non-members $45.
To purchase tickets from Brown Paper Tickets click here
Location:
16691 Phelps Lane
Huntington Beach CA 92649 |
| March 7th Potluck & Guest Lecturer talks about "Frankenfood"
Frankenfood: Dispelling Myths
Location and Time TBD (seeking volunteers to host this event, see request below)
 In Slow Food circles, genetically modified foods are generally looked down upon - and often for good reason. Many of us are familiar with stories of corporations suing farmers over patented seeds and developing plants in order to sell the corresponding weed and pest deterrents. Is it possible that there could also be benefits to GMOs? Anuradha Prakash, Chair of the Food Science program at Chapman University, will explain the technology behind genetically modified food. Come discuss the opportunities and challenges, including environmental and socio-political considerations that GM foods present.
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| April 17th Carlsbad Aquafarm Tour, 2-4 PM
Members Only Event
Carlsbad Aquafarm, 4600 Carlsbad Blvd., Carlsbad 92008
 Scallops have eyes. Blue ones. Offer a strand of kelp to an abalone, and it will grab it from your hand - reaching out from under its shell with its muscular foot. Many of us only see these creatures on our dinner plate, but at the Carlsbad Aquafarm they are very much alive. Join Slow Food OC for a tour the Carlsbad Aquafarm located on the Aqua Hedionda Lagoon and discover the wonders of the lagoon. The 5-acre business has been sustainably raising oysters, mussels, abalone, brine shrimp and different species of algae since 1985. John Davis, Carlsbad Aquafarm's owner, calls it a "living reef [...when] you go out there, you come out of the water and you're alive with things." The aquafarm's products are sold nationwide to chefs, restaurants, and wholesalers; the aquafarm also raises seahorses, seaweed and octopuses for aquariums. After the tour, Chef Thomas Ryan will shuck oysters and prepare mussels for us to enjoy right from the farm. It can't get much fresher than that! Cost: $10 per person, price includes tour (2-3 PM) and shellfish tasting (3-4 PM) prepared by Chef Thomas Ryan Tickets will be sold on-line through Brown Bag (available soon). Deadline to buy tickets is April 3rd. |
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Volunteers Needed to Host Future Potluck Events
 Slow Food Orange County has lots of great upcoming events planned, but we don't always have a space for them! Would you be willing to open your home for a potluck this year? Holding our potlucks in different locations allows us to get to know new people and hold events in all parts of the county. If you have a home that is comfortable for a large group (up to 50 people) and would like to have a bunch of like-minded people bring delicious food and conversation to your doorstep, please contact Heather Stoltzfus at outreach@slowfoodoc.org. We depend on the participation of our members to keep our chapter going strong. |
| Slow Food OC Cookbook
Slow Food Orange County Cookbook is Coming!
What did you bring to the last potluck? Have you always dreamed of being published? The steering committee has agreed to begin preliminary work on a Slow Food Orange County Cookbook that can be sold as a fundraising item for our chapter. The cookbook should feature the best items from our potlucks, simultaneous suppers, barbeques and more. If you have a great recipe showcasing local, sustainable food, please forward it to outreach@slowfoodoc.org. Or, bring your recipe with you next time you share your dish at a Slow Food event! We are counting on all of our members make this exciting project happen.
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Become a Member
We invite you to join the Slow Food movement! Slow Food OC is working hard to preserve and protect local foods and food traditions. Our convivium plans events and programs in places across OrangeCounty-anywhere from community gardens, taste education dinners, and farm tours-join the network and become active in planning and participating in these diverse initiatives.
Click here for Benefits of Membership. Send us an email if you have any questions.
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