|
|
|
December News & Events
December 2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
Slow Food's Terra Madre DayThe worldwide Terra Madre network is working to create an alternative model of food production and consumption, in line with Slow Food's philosophy of good, clean and fair: good for our palate, clean for humans, animals and the environment, and fair for producers and consumers. Launched by Slow Food in 2004, this global project unites food communities from 160 countries who share a vision for food production rooted in local economies and with respect for the environment, traditional knowledge, biological diversity and taste. Whether it is creating school gardens or producing honey, safeguarding indigenous food varieties or creating new local markets, the daily work of the network's small-scale farmers, fishers, breeders and artisan producers, as well as cooks, educators and youth are political acts for a better food future. Terra Madre Day is an opportunity for the entire Slow Food network to celebrate local food and promote sustainable production and consumption to their communities and local decision makers. Thousands of actions in all corners of the world highlight our united vision and the diversity we are striving to maintain. This year Terra Madre Day is December 10th. Your Orange County Chapter is celebrating with a Food Swap on the 11th. |
|
Inaugural SFOC Food Swap
Date: This Sunday, December 11th
Time: 1 PM
Location: Private Home in Los Alamitos, full address given with RSVP
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.
So far, we have the following swap items:
- Rosemary Honey Whole Wheat Bread
- Peach & Plum Jams
- Jalapeno Jelly
- Feijoa Jelly
- Onion Jam
- Dried figs
- Dried tomatoes
- Squash
- Tepary beans
- Homemade pasta
- Cheese
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.
There's still time to join the swap, RSVP to events@slowfoodoc.org. We hope to make this a regular event!
|
|
 Smaller Potlucks Next Year
Many members have expressed a desire to have more, but smaller potlucks during the year. So Kim Allen and her computer software designer husband, Gary Phillips, are going to be creating a website that will be linked from the current Slow Food OC website. Members will be able to click on a link and from there go to the Potluck site to enter their names and emails. There will be a selection area so members may select cities where they would like to be included on the guest list of local potlucks. Each member will be able to create a custom list onto which their email name will be posted. They can elect to be automatically notified of any potlucks and will also be able to look at a countywide calendar of events if they wish to participate outside of their local area in a specific potluck.
The hosts of potlucks will simply post their event, time and date, and the number of diners they will be able to accommodate. The site will create an "invitation" to all members who have signed up in their area. When the host receives RSVPs, their physical address will be sent out to the potential guests. The hosts may receive updated guest lists whenever they check their invitations on line and can close the invitation when the desired number of people have responded.
All of this will be ready early next year. Look for it soon!
|
 Thanksgiving Potluck
Eleven people joined Ted Wright and Nina Macdonald at their house for a Slow Food Thanksgiving potluck. The food, which included a heritage breed (Narragansett) turkey, was varied and plentiful, the candles sparkled and the talk around the table was wide-ranging and animated. Because this was the first Slow Food event for most of those attending, the discussion included the principles and values of Slow Food - nicely complementing the instantiation of those values in the event itself.  |
|
 TMA Work Day Sophie Loeb, Teen Ambassador
"The work day at Tustin Memorial Academy was a success. Shadi and Mark both were great leaders and teachers. The Food Appreciation Club members from my school (Beckman High) had a great time digging, weeding, and shoveling our way through the garden. The purpose was to set up the garden to effectively capture the 50,000 gallons of rainwater necessary to sustain their land plot. Pipes intertwined inside the roof carry the water into a large tank and then through a network of pipes throughout the garden.
We concentrated on digging holes to allow rainwater to penetrate the earth. We first removed large chunks of rocks in the holes to facilitate the water flow, then filled the holes with mulch, hay, and finally a layer of gravel to compress it. In addition, some participants worked on weeding the pumpkin vines. The heirloom pumpkins are beautiful and plentiful right now. TMA recently had a pumpkin sale to raise funds for their school. Also, a small mound of soil was collected and formed at an incline to prevent water from seeping in and overflowing the drainage vent. Overall everyone had a great time, and it was nice to meet people who care about sustainable gardening practices. Mark even provided a beautiful snack of local melon, nut clusters, fresh macadamia nuts, chips and salsa, and apples for all of us at the end. If done correctly, the measures we took should never have to be repeated in the future."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Like Us? Check Out Our New Facebook Page!
 Our Facebook Page is moving from a Group to a Fan Page due to a Facebook archiving process. They are discontinuing the current Group page we are using and we need to move our members over to our NEW Slow Food Orange County Facebook page.
|
|
|
|
|
