April 5, 2011
Issue No. 32
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Earth Day 5K and Extravaganza, Solar PV Workshop, Chatham County Schools Chef Challenge,  

Summer Camp, Slow Money, Save the Bookmobile + more! 

Dear Abundant People,

Spring is here and we have baby chicks feathering out in our kitchen.  OMG they are cute!  (see photo below)  Learning how to stretch out their wings and pecking each other...then they are exhausted and just fall over and sleep.  Like them, we are learning how to fly.  We'd love you to get involved and join us for our Earth Day celebration and 5K run, one of our many workshops on sustainability or Community Garden project.

We need volunteers to help make all of this happen.  If you've got a little bit of time and want some stimulation, shoot us an email!  [email protected]

It's always fun and inspiring!

Earth Day 5K Run & Extravaganza! April 16!
runOur annual Briar Chapel 5K benefit and Earth Day celebration is April 16th and will start with a 9.00am 5K run...nice and challenging on the beautiful USTF certified course.  We'll have kids activities, local food and beers, organic local tshirts from TS Designs, gardening talks with Farmer Doug of Piedmont Biofarm and a reading by local author, Jonathan Bloom from American Wasteland.  It is sure to be a fantastic day. To register to run, click here. 

The schedule so far is:

9.00am 5K Run: 

Directly after:  Awards, Kids Run

1-2pm:  Local Food Tastings in 5 different homes:  with Fearrington House, Carolina Inn, CCCC Natural Chef, Angelina's Kitchen, Saxapahaw General Store and Bean and Barrel!

2-3pm Community Garden Talks with Farmer Doug Jones of Piedmont Biofarm, Jonathan Bloom, Author of American Wasteland, and Tami Schwerin of Abundance.  We'll have kids activities:  "pots for tots" while adults enjoy......

2-3pm:  Tastings and Local Beer from Full Steam Brewery:
El Toro Cream Ale, Fullsteam Southern Lager and my favorite; Rocket Science IPA.

For more information: 

click here.

Hope to see you there!!
Huge thanks, hugs and kisses to our sponsors:  Briar Chapel, Chatham Marketplace, Angelina's Kitchen, Kimley-Horn & Associates, Bean and the Barrel, Southern Energy Management and Home Performance NC.
full steambook


Chatham County Schools Chef Challenge

So, what happens when you take a posh chef, give them basic ingredients, limit sugar, salt and fat and ask him to cook for some of the pickiest eaters around....your kids?!!!
jimmy
Chef Jimmy Reale with Lunch Managers
In preparation for this amazing project, we've had the kids interview the chefs, the chefs teach the lunch ladies, the lunch ladies teach the chefs and it's all been fabulous.  To read more, click here.

We are thrilled to be working with the Chatham County School System (17 schools, 8000 kids), Briar Chapel, Colin from Fearrington House, Jimmy from Crossroads @ Carolina Inn and the Natural Chef Culinary Program @ CCCC.  April 11, 12 & 13, we will be pulling off a pretty large feat!  Each Chef will be creating a menu using the school's ingredients, USDA guidelines, school equipment.  The lunch ladies will create the menus each day and the kids get to vote on their favorite.  We'll report back how it all went.  If you are a parent or staffer of the school system in chatham county, please participate!!
carolina inn
Middle and High School Students Interview Chef

Save the Bookmobile
bookmobileWith all the budget cuts happening, a really crucial literacy resource is about to be cut.  Serving over 9,000 Chatham residents, the bookmobile serves as a 4th library to areas of the county that are under-served, elderly, the young, have no transportation or are housebound.  What does this have to do with local food or renewable energy?  It's about community and it's about having a literate population to deal with what lies ahead.  Please spread the word and time is ticking...to learn more, keep posted or to donate, click here.

 

Our goal is to bring sustainability to central North Carolina quickly, innovatively and while enjoying the journey.

baby chicks and dogwoods,


Tamela Schwerin
The Abundance Foundation
In This Issue
Earth Day 5K Run & Extravaganza
Chatham County Schools Chef Challenge
Save the Bookmobile
DIY Workshop Series:

  2 Day off-grid PV workshop with Rebekah Hren April 16th & 17th!rebekah

Join us and learn how to install off-grid PV on your home, farm or business.  For more information or to register, click here.


April 9th:  Fungi 101 (mushrooms!) with Bob Armantrout.shrooms Register here for Fungi 101  

 

April 30th-Canning 101 with Rachel Hoff.  Register here.  

May 7th-Sustainable Beekeeping with Catherine Adamson.  Register for bees here.
Cooking from a CSA box with Chef Sarig of Zely and Ritz.  Register here. 

farm kids

 

Summer Camp  

June 27-July 1:
Marvelous, Incredible Renewable Energy & Local Food Camp for ages 10-18:  

 

Abundance and Piedmont Biofuels are teaming up with Woods Charter to offer a day camp this summer!  For more information or to register your child, click here.  

 

Come experience five days of learning and hands-on activities featuring biodiesel,solar, rainwater, worm composting green building, sustainable agriculture and cooking!  Discussions on conservation,

composting and day lighting will raise participant awareness of energy and resources.  During the week students will plan a local food meal created for themselves and members of the eco-industrial park.  Each day will focus on renewable energy and local food. 



Pecha Kucha May 3rd @ Davenport and Winkleperry

Special benefit for our friends in Japan.

pecha kucha pittsboro

Please email us to submit your presentation. 

 

Slow Money NC equips a new gluten free bakery!

abi
When Abigail Wilson started on a gluten-free diet, getting delicious, fresh "breads, sweets, and savories" was virtually impossible. So she made her own, and quickly recognized a hole in the local food economy.  "In response to a growing need for gluten-free products, and as an extension of my local-foods philosophies, I am starting a gluten-free bakery," she wrote in her Slow Money application. With the help of two Slow Money loans she purchased a commercial double-stack oven, an industrial mixer, cooling racks, loaf pans, muffin trays, scoops, spatulas, storage containers, and mixing bowls, and Abilicious Bakery opened for business.  Come taste for yourself how delicious a moist gluten-free muffin, or classic chocolate chip cookie can be! You can find her baked goods at Angelina's Kitchen, at her booth at the Pittsboro Farmer's Market which opens this Thursday afternoon,  or at the May 6th Spring Fling at the Hewitt Pottery.   Join Abi's CSB for fresh goods every week!
Contact Slow Money NC today to learn how you too can help build resilience in our local food economy!  [email protected] or 919-656-8889.

 

Baby Chicks!

chicks