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Montgomery Victory Gardens Weekly Update - Nov. 12, 2009

In this update:

* Brown Bag Lunch Discussion: Good Food for Our Kids - Nov. 17
* Update on Montgomery School Food Gardens
* High School Students Grow a Farm - and Run a CSA
* Local Restaurants That Serve Local Food - Ricciuti's
* Twenty-Somethings Turn to Farming


 
Lunchtime Brown Bag Discussion: Good Food for Our Kids - Tuesday, Nov. 17

Here is another  great looking event from our friends at Bethesda Green.

On Tuesday, Nov. 17 from Noon-1 pm, they will hold a Waste Free-Brown Bag Lunchtime Discussion on healthy foods for our families, featuring an overview of the school lunch program in Montgomery County. Leading the discussion will be Aviva Goldfarb, author of The 6 O'Clock Scramble, and Carrie Witkop, a PTA member and parent who has been working on the school food issue. The discussion will be held at the Bethesda Green offices in downtown Bethesda , 4825 Cordell Ave., Suite 200 (corner of Woodmont and Cordell).

After attending their "Getting Good Food to Our Tables" event last night, I can tell you that Bethesda Green puts together wonderful panels for their Sustainable Food and Agriculture events - this looks like another one - and the folks who come to participate make for a fantastic group discussion. Come be one of those people on November 17!

For more information and to RSVP (requested), click here.
 

Update on Montgomery School Food Gardens

We reported last week on a possible new policy being developed in the Montgomery County School System, one that might look at little more favorably on "edible" gardens than the current policy, which prohibits them.

Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin, who has championed the issue of community gardens, will be setting up a public work session on the issue of school food gardens. While we wrote last week that the meeting would be scheduled before Council recess on December 8, Councilmember Ervin's office contacted us to let us know that it might in fact be pushed into next year. Given an already tight schedule, this is certainly understandable, and we appreciate her staff keeping us informed of the date - as we will keep you informed.

In the meantime, here is an excellent article on the issue of food gardens in Montgomery County Schools. Sue Katz Miller is the former PTA President at Piney Branch Elementary School, and writes a monthly "School Scene" column for the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Voice.

To read her current column "Forbidden Fruit," click here.



High School Students Grow a Farm - and Run a CSA

As we work to develop an ethic and practice of food gardening in our county's public schools, there are literally scores of positive examples we can learn from around the country.

Here's one inspiring example: Terra Nova, a small high school in Beaverton,Oregon focused on individualized learning.  At Terra Nova students not only grow a lot of food - they actually operate it as a CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture (participants buy a share of the produce, which they collect weekly) - one of only a handful of student-run CSA's in the country.

In addition to the health benefits that come from growing one's own food, this piece does a nice job of pointing out how the process of growing food changes personalities and behaviors, too.  As one participants says, "you should see how engaged in living these students are."

For the complete article (and accompanying video) on the Terra Nova High School garden, click here.


 
Local Restaurants That Serve Local Food - Ricciuti's

As part of Montgomery Victory Gardens commitment to building and celebrating our local food shed, we like to throw a spotlight on restaurants in the county that share our commitment to local food.

Ricciuti's in Olney is one of those restaurants, and to read their webpage is to realize just how much abundance there is (and can be) in our area, and what a commitment to Slow Food really means.  Pasture-raised beef, poultry and dairy products all from within 100 miles of Olney. Produce from an organic farm just up the road in Brookeville.  Seafood from controlled and sustainable fisheries. Even a complete list of Maryland and Virginia wines!

Ricciuti's is one of Montgomery County's premiere eco-friendly restaurants and dining destinations, and rivals any downtown establishment for interesting, up-scale, beautifully presented and seasonal dishes. So for a great local food experience, take the short drive out to Ricciuti's, on 3308 Olney-Sandy Spring Road in downtown Olney, Maryland. You'll be glad you did!

To read more about Ricciuti's and make a reservation, click here.


(Note for out southern county supporters: while Olney is only 11 miles north of downtown Silver Spring via Georgia Ave., the drive can be a beast during rush hour. You might consider making reservations a little later in the evening if you want to avoid this....)

 
Twenty-Somethings Turn to Farming

While farming has for many years been considered a "hick" or "hippie" vocation (and to our own detriment - see our recent posting on this by Joel Salatin), the new food movement is beginning to change that.

We have some problems accommodating these new farmers in our county (as was discussed at last night's event in Bethesda - more on this to come), but the reality is that more and more young people are turning to farming. And they are not necessarily coming from agriculture schools, but rather from English and liberal arts programs - and from the corporate world, looking for a new life.

The Washington Post ran an interesting profile on some of these folks locally a couple weeks ago. To read "Growing Season," click here.



That's it for this week, friends! Don't forget to send us your feedback, as well as ideas for stories or local food events we can promote, by emailing us at [email protected].

Yours in delicious, sustainably grown local food,

Gordon Clark,
Project Director
Montgomery Victory Gardens