April 2011
Final CEFS CC Banner
In This Issue
Andrea Reusing's First Book
CEFS Merchandise
Carolina Meat Conference
2011 Farm to Fork Picnic
Seasons of Sustainable Agriculture Workshop Series
Why Join the 10% Campaign?

Distinguished Chef and CEFS Board Member Andrea Reusing Releases Her First Book


Cooking in the Moment Book Cover














Lantern Restaurant Chef and CEFS Board Member Andrea Reusing has released her first cookbook, entitled "Cooking in the Moment: A Year of Seasonal Recipes". Focusing on local foods and featuring more than 130 recipes organized by season, it is sure to become a favorite!

 

Our Sponsors

Series Sponsor
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Cultivator Sponsor
Tarheel Foodie

 

Looking for that Perfect Gift? 
Cafe Press Tote


 

Visit our  online store 

to find a beautiful gift and help support CEFS' work, too!

 

Plenty of items to pick from, including: short & long-sleeved t-shirts (youth & adult sizes), baby one-sees and bibs, messenger bags & tote bags, aprons, coffee mugs and much more!

 

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Please visit our store and help support CEFS!

 

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First Annual Carolina Meat Conference 
a Huge Success!

NC Choices logo

The CEFS' sponsored Carolina Meat Conference --held in Concord, NC--was a resounding success by all accounts. A first of its kind in the country, the NC Choices' conference brought together independent meat producers, commercial processors, butchers, retail buyers, chefs, regulators and allied businesses from the throughout the Carolinas and attracted participants from 13 states. 


More than 250 participants enjoyed a full 2+ days of hands-on programming designed to improve production, processing and marketing skills and facilitate networking across the local meat supply chain. The strength of the program rested on the multitude of hands-on workshops, including opportunities to improve home butchery skills, pasture management, and humane animal handling. All of the meat at the conference was provided by local farmers in exchange for registrations and was used in butchery workshops and consumed throughout the conference. 

Notes Casey McKissick, NC Choices Coordinator, "We were thrilled with the turn-out and enthusiastic response of participants. It's clear that the local meat industry in NC is really gaining momentum and the Carolina Meat Conference helped illuminate our collective strength. I'm pretty sure we're going to make this an annual event!" 

Check out the conference's online photo gallery at www.carolinameatconference.com

  

Tickets Now on Sale for 

2011 Farm to Fork Picnic



Farm to Fork Chefs
Please join us for the region's most exciting, diverse, and delicious event celebrating local food and local farms! The 2011 Farm to Fork Picnic will be held on June 26 from 4-7 pm at W.C. Breeze Family Farm outside of Hillsborough, NC. Rain or Shine!

In a unique collaboration, some of our region's most talented cooks will pair with Piedmont farmers to prepare a picnic-style feast that celebrates our local foods and the people who grow and make them.  The meal will offer the opportunity to taste beautifully prepared, farm-fresh food representing the bounty and diversity of our region, as well as a wide assortment of locally-crafted foodstuffs including farmstead cheese, pickles, preserves, breads, pastries, beer, wine, and cured meat.

Tickets must be purchased in advance and are $60 per person, $50 per person for members of Slow Food Triangle, Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), or Friends of Breeze Farm. All proceeds benefit CEFS and PLANT at Breeze Farm - a Farm Enterprise Incubator designed to help grow new farms and farmers across North Carolina.

Sponsors include 3Cups, Counter Culture Coffee, Haw River Wine Man, The Splinter Group, and the NC Agriculture Foundation.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit the 2011 Farm to Fork Picnic website.


 

2011 CEFS Seasons of Sustainable Agriculture Workshop Series is in Full Swing



 

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) has teamed up with Wayne County Cooperative Extension Services (WCCES) to offer great, hands-on programming this year. Thanks to the hard work of Horticulture Extension Agent Karen Blaedow, these workshops have been a huge success so far. 

 

Earlier this year, NCSU Researcher Dr. Bill Cline and Small Fruit Specialist Dr. Gina Fernandez gave presentations on blueberry and blackberry production in eastern North Carolina. Topics covered included site selection, soils, variety selection, establishment, care and harvesting. In addition, both workshops afforded participants the opportunity to hone their pruning skills by providing a hands-on pruning demonstration on plants at the Small Farm Unit. 

 

Participants at the Shiitake Mushroom Production workshop in March

In early March, fungi enthusiasts gathered to listen to Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen of NCA&T lecture on substrates, inoculation, care and harvesting of Shiitake mushrooms. Participants had the opportunity to drill, inoculate and seal their logs and at the conclusion of the workshop, several dozen logs were donated to the CEFS Small Farm Unit so that they may serve as a resource for mushroom growers in eastern N.C. 

 

These workshops have been a tremendous success for CEFS and for Wayne County Cooperative Extension. Through our ongoing partnership, we have been able to provide the community with timely and relevant trainings and will continue to offer exciting, hands-on workshops in the future. We hope to see you at our next event!

 

For the full 2011 workshop calendar please see:

http://www.cefs.ncsu.edu/newsevents/events/2011/sosa2011/sosa2011calendar.html    

I Already Buy Local...Why Join the 10% Campaign?

 

NC Choices logo 


Track the Demand for Local Foods!  Give local foods a voice in NC legislation with your 30 second weekly participation.

 

Keep our Dollars in NC!  Support the local farms, restaurants, and businesses that you love and help them continue to thrive.

 

Join the Movement!  Local labels are popping up everywhere so finding NC foods is simple.

 

Be Healthy!  Eat fresh, locally-grown produce...it's just plain good for you.

 

It's Fun!  Participate in fun campaign events around the state with fellow local-food enthusiasts. 

 

Visit the 10% Campaign Website to sign up and start tracking your local food dollars!





Mission & History of CEFS

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems develops and promotes food and farming systems that protect the environment, strengthen local communities, and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond.

North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University established the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture at the Cherry Farm facility near Goldsboro, NC in 1994. These partners work closely with state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations (for example, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Rural Advancement Foundation International, Farm Bureau), farmers, and citizens to provide agricultural research, extension, and education for our state. The development of CEFS is a national model for partnership, innovation, and interdisciplinary cooperation.

To learn more about CEFS, Please visit: www.cefs.ncsu.edu

 
Center for Environmental Farming Systems
Box 7609 - NCSU
Raleigh, NC 27695
[email protected]
919-513-0954