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Food for Thought:  The Slow Food Orange County Newsletter,

 July 2011
In This Issue
SFOC Announces the 2011-2012 Calendar
Opportunity to Purchase Local Meat
Annual BBQ Highlights
Join the Slow Food Movement!
We invite you to join the Slow Food movement! Slow Food Orange County is working hard to preserve and protect local foods and food traditions. Our convivium plans events and programs in places across Orange County-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 or send us an email if you have questions.


SFOC Announces the 2011-2012 Calendar

September
September 11, 2pm
Beach Potluck, Heisler Park (Laguna Beach)
Enjoy an end-of-summer potluck in the great outdoors. Slow Food members will be on hand making paella over an open fire and giving a quick talk on the process. The paella tasting will be complemented by the bounty of member-created dishes! Please RSVP to events@slowfoodoc.org for location details, and don't forget to bring your own place setting and a beverage to share (alcoholic beverages permitted).

September 17
Slow Food USA National Day of Service
Details to be announced!

October
October 2, 1pm
Mold-Ripened Cheeses, Laguna Beach
Join Slow Food Orange County Chair Heather Westenhofer in exploring techniques for making delicious mold-ripened cheese at home. Learn general cheesemaking principles and how to turn milk into a camembert-style cheese in only a few short weeks, while enjoying a tasting of artisanal mold-ripened cheeses with wine pairings. Ticket on-sale information will be announced in September.

November
November 13, 12pm
Persimmon Party, Pitcher Park (Orange)
You won't want to miss this annual event held at the former Pitcher homestead, a testament to Orange's agricultural roots. Orange residents share all varieties of persimmons grown on their backyard trees, many baked into delicious treats. There is also live music and opportunity to visit the Honey House and tour the memorabilia museum. If you would like to be involved in this event, email Heather Westenhofer at chair@slowfoodoc.org.

November 24, 4pm
Thanksgiving Potluck, Irvine
Join SFOC for the second annual Thanksgiving potluck. For many of us our Thanksgiving tradition includes a large family feast. For those of us that find ourselves away from family for the holiday, Ted Wright and Nina Macdonald are once again graciously opening their home in Irvine to the Slow Food family for a potluck feast on Thanksgiving Day. They will provide a LARGE, organic, roast turkey. Guests are kindly asked to bring a dish to share that is critical to or closely associated with their Thanksgiving tradition. RSVP to Ted and Nina at tednina@pixelloom.net for location details.

December

December 11 
Inaugural SFOC Food Swap, Location TBA

 

Modeled on a movement happening across the country, a food swap is a silent auction/village marketplace/fun-loving open house where your creations become your own personal currency for use in swapping with other participants. Diversify your pantry and pick up some holiday gifts while meeting fellow Slow Foodies! We welcome everyone, as long as you bring something you made, grew, or foraged yourself. Think baked goods, jam, pickles, spreads, honey, vinegar, granola, pasta, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, homemade sausages, backyard eggs...you name it! Bring as little or as much as you like. You can bring a bunch of one thing or multiples of a few different things. If possible, you should also bring samples for others to try. Keep in mind that swappers will be examining and picking up your goods, so be sure to package them in a way that protects the food and makes it clear the amounts you want to swap. We encourage reusable, earth-friendly packaging whenever possible.

How it works (Thanks to Food Swap LA for the great description!):  

Each swapper displays his or her wares on tables, along with a sheet filled out for each item and a few lines under the item. The first part of the swap is devoted to walking around, examining, talking, and sampling items from the other swappers.


Then, everyone writes on the sheets of paper the items they would like to swap. For example, if Margot has some jam you'd like, you may write on her sheet of paper what you're willing to swap for it. Multiple people can put in swap offers for the same item.
Finally, everyone goes back to his or her original sheets of paper, looks at the offers, and finds people to swap with. These offers are just a starting point for conversation; there's no guarantee you will get what you "bid" for and, likewise, you are under no obligation to trade with the people who wrote on your paper. This is purely a swap - no selling or exchange of money is allowed. If you don't want to swap, gifting is also encouraged.

If you'd like to swap, RSVP to events@slowfoodoc.org. Hopefully we can make this a regular event!

January
January 21-22
Mini-Potlucks, various locations
Get to know your neighbors! A new model for potlucks, these mini-gatherings will allow you to meet other Slow Foodies in your immediate area and gather on a more intimate basis close to home. If you are interested in holding or participating in a smaller-scale potluck gathering, check with us in the fall for details.

February
February 5
Worm Composting/Aquaculture Demonstration, Laguna Beach
In this class you will have an opportunity to learn the basics of vermiculture (worm composting), view an operational vermiculture system and be part of a demonstration on how to construct your own system.  There will be a drawing and the winner will take home the demonstration system. In addition, an operational aquaponics system will be viewed and discussed, in which fish and vegetables are raised together so the fish help feed the plants and the plants clean the water for the fish.  Ticket details to come!

March
March 10
Tours of the 5 Bar Beef Ranch, Trabuco Canyon
Frank Fitzpatrick, owner of the 5 Bar Beef Ranch, says "I won't sell anything that I won't eat". He has owned his herd of Barzona (a composite breed of beef cattle developed in the high desert, inter-mountain region of Arizona in the 1920s and 1930s) cattle for over 31 years. The yearlings are brought to the Trabuco Ranch and run for over one year. They are raised on natural grasses and browse. Their supplemental feeding consists of crop residue and/or non-irrigated hay -- no hard grain is fed. SFOC offers 40-minute tours of the ranch, where you will learn about sustainable beef production and get information about how to purchase this incredible product. Tours are free. Please RSVP to events@slowfoodoc.org for time and location details.

April
Green Scene, Fullerton Arboretum


April 29
Slow Food Orange County Potluck
Join us for an SFOC signature event where you can enjoy the company of other Slow Foodies in a private home while showcasing (and devouring) the products of our renowned culinary abilities. Please RSVP to events@slowfoodoc.org for location details, and don't forget to bring your own place setting and a beverage to share.

May

May 6
Dinner with Chef David Slay of Park Ave, Stanton
Details will be forthcoming about this unique opportunity to share a delightful meal by this incredible chef in the beautiful garden of Park Ave, Orange Coast Magazine's Restaurant of the Year in 2009, featuring produce grown just steps away from the kitchen. Details to come!   

 

June
Tustin Chili Cook-Off 2012
A team of Slow Food chefs will once again compete in the Tustin Chili Cook-Off, this year's goal is the People's Choice award! Our 2011 chili was a huge hit with the lucky few who sampled it, and we have our eyes on the prize in 2012. We can't win without you - come and vote your support for chili produced with local, sustainable ingredients, slow food style!     



Opportunity to Purchase Local Meat

SFOC recently received this letter with a great opportunity to buy hyper-local, humanely raised meat.  Please contact Shelmarie directly if you are interested, her information is at the bottom.

 

"I am a mother of two beautiful girls. We are lucky to be a part of a great local 4H group. My girls are fortunate to raise animals for an educational project every year. This year we have raised a calf, a lamb and 3 turkeys. They are all hand raised at home and cared for and loved by my girls and I right here in Orange county. My daughters are looking for buyers to buy their animals. My daughter Ivy has a market spring lamb and my daughter Chloe has two turkeys. We would like to spread the word and let those who can appreciate home grown meat be aware that we have them for sale. The lamb is ready for slaughter in a couple of weeks and the turkeys are ready for slaughter any time in the next month.

 

My daughters are willing to send you some info about their projects and answer any kind of questions you might have. I know this might be an unusual request but it could be awesome to sell the market animals to someone who really can appreciate the effort my girls have put into them." 

 

Shelmarie Main
949-454-2290

 
A G Kawamura
A G Kawamura

3rd Annual BBQ Highlights 

Under a canopy of old oaks and sycamores, Slow Food OC came together on Sunday, July 10th for our 3rd annual Barbeque - a magical evening of camaraderie, music, laughter, and of course . . . incredible food! Live music was provided by the 5 Star Band, and A.G. Kawamura, of Orange County Produce and former Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, provided an after dinner talk.

First of all a huge round of applause for Chef Ryan Adams of Sorrento Grille of Laguna Beach. All our raffle item donors and contributors made our meal the best ever!
We'd like to offer heartfelt thanks to the following sponsors:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also thank our raffle prize donors, who were

  • Teryl & Claudia Chapel
  • Conor Fitzpatrick
  • Whole Foods Market
  • Nena Niessen
  • Quivera Vineyards and Winery
  • Linda Elbert
  • Ted Wright and Nina Macdonald
    Raffle prizes
    Raffle prizes
  • Ilona Martin
  • Roger and Sharon McErlane
  • Susan Shenk
  • Slow Food Orange County
  • Honest Tea

We had about 170 attendess and we raised $6250 from the ticket sales and almost $2000 from the raffle drawings. Proceeds from this event will benefit local non-profits committed to the principles of Slow Food, including community gardens, farmers markets, and sustainability.



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