March 2012

Issue #29  

 
FOOD NEWS
 

Ojai Valley Green Coalition

Food Council

Meet new friends who love good food: Growing it, Cooking it, Eating it

 


 
Ojai World of Citrustangerines
Saturday, March 3,  2:00-5:00pm
Casa de Luna, 710 So. La Luna, M.O.


L.A. County Master Food Preserver, Laurie Dill, presents an experience of citrus far beyond slicing and juicing. Facial scrubs, flavored salts & sugars, chutney, marmalade, condiments & cake, one can never exhaust the delicious varieties of fruits and their uses.

Living in the Ojai Valley, we have so many different kinds of citrus, it would be criminal to miss this event. The Food Council invites you to join us for a zesty, zippy, puckering sweet and subtly savory afternoon of community, tastings, recipes and how-to-tips to turn your backyard fruit into a citrus extravaganza.

RSVP A MUST  (for food prep and samples): ojaiculinaryclub@gmail. com
$30 OVGC members, $35 non-members.

  

no gmosLet the signing begin.... 

for the Mandatory Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods

Get ready for an onslaught of people asking you to sign their petition to get mandatory labeling of GMO foods on the November ballot.  We will have tables set up for signing on either side of the farmers market on Sundays for the next two months, as well as sometimes at Rainbow Bridge & other sites.

For those of you who took the training, we have a list of times and dates that need to be filled. Please check in at the farmers market or contact Jan Dietrick: [email protected].

 
 

"It's Not That It's Broken"

Author, Chris Sayer, Santa Paula

I know Chris from years of serving on a committee together and delight in his keen mind and razor sharp humor.  He's written a selection of essays about food & agriculture that aren't to be missed. The essay begins ...

"I often hear that our food system is broken. I disagree. It is working the way it was intended, only better. In fact, it is working so well that it has itself become the problem .....  the system has done all that we asked and more. Too much more." 


Check it out on the Roots of Change website: http://www.rootsofchange.org/content/its-not-its-broken
They offer a discount for buying the e-book, as well, entitled:
Picking Our Future: Essays on Food, Change & Farming 
 

The Dirty Dozen -  from the Environmental Working Group

It's always best to buy organic, or grow your own. But if you cannot, or things come from other parts of the world, here is a shopping guide to help you make choices about more or less pesticide residue. (Of course, with the new Monsanto fruits & veggies, the pesticides are systemic and can't be washed off.... hence the labeling laws that are necessary).

12 Most Contaminated Foods:
Peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes (imported), spinach, lettuce, potatoes.

12 Least Contaminated Foods:
Avocados, onions, sweet corn (frozen), pineapples, mango, asparagus, sweet peas (frozen), kiwi fruit, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, papaya.



And the new SEAFOOD WATCH RECOMMENDATIONS are out as well.
You can download pocket guides or even better, iPhone & Android apps!
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx?c=ln


Farm Fresh to You - Delivered to Your Door, No Fee

Just heard about this amazing local service that delivers fresh food to your door from local farms.  $25 minimum box delivery, but cancel anytime. Customize your box like you want it.  Wow!!

Check it out for yourself: http://www.farmfreshtoyou.com/index.php



Thanks for your continuing interest in making the Ojai Valley a more delicious place to live.  Our food system is a vital part of our resilience and strength.

 

Growing food, growing community!
Dulanie Ellis, Food Council

Ojai Valley Green Coalition  


Upcoming Event


Ojai Citrus Tours

Friends Ranch
Saturday mornings
at Sheldon Ranch. There is a small fee and they start promptly at 9:00am
Contact:
friendsranch.com  
 
 
  
 

   


March 10
Film: "Thrive"
at Ojai Theater
followed by organic dinner & conversation with Catherine Austin-Fitts, former HUD official, abut a seed saving project at
Agave Maria's
Film: 4:00pm


Call Alicia
Ideal Seafood
for shop hours in Mira Monte, while they are absent from farmers market, if you're looking for fresh fish
231-8752





Food Fact
In addition to caffeine, if you're looking for mental focus:

Leafy greens: 2006 Study in "Neurology" showed that folks who ate 2+ svgs of leafy greens per day had the mental focus of people 5 years younger.
Go salad, go chard!! 
 



Blueberry Walnut Rice Salad

3/4 C.walnuts, coarsely chopped
2 c. blueberries
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt/pepper
1 tsp fresh tarragon
1-1/2 c wild rice, cooked & cooled
1/3 c frozen peas
1 c. orange juice
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 Tbs parsley, flat-leaf, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 Tbs walnut oil
1 head butter lettuce
1 orange, peeled & segmented


Place walnuts on a baking sheet & bake 5-7 min at 350F until lightly toasted, set aside & cool. Wash & drain blueberries. Add sugar, salt, pepper & tarragon. Toss to coat. Let stand about 15 mn. Add rice, peas & walnuts.

In a small bowl, make dressing by combining orange juice, vinegar, parsley, thyme & walnut oil. Pour over blueberry mixture and mix well. Place lettuce & orange segments on 4 plates. Top each with salad mixture. Serve at room temp.   

 

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Ojai Valley Green Coalition