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August 2013 

   Issue 42
 
FOOD NEWS  
Ojai Valley Green Coalition

 

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

 
  
Growing Ojai's Food Culture  
salad

The purpose of the FOOD NEWS, the Ojai Valley Green Coalition, Transition to Organics, Food for Thought, Farmer & the Cook, Ojai Food Co-Op, Tomatomania, Flora Gardens & the local Weston A. Price Foundation is to work and play together, as neighbors, to build a more environmentally and nutritionally viable food system here in the Ojai Valley.  We like to play in the dirt, make new friends and eat well.

We invite more of you to come to the table.  The FOOD NEWS acts as a voice for all the above groups, alerting Ojai folks to news, events, recipes and all things food. One-stop shopping.

Please consider signing up (bottom of page: Update Profile/Email Address), or giving this as a free gift, or inviting your friends to join. You can unsubscribe at any time.

We also say .... "Come on down!!"  If you have some killer recipe, or a tip for what to do to fool gophers, or a film to recommend, or a food event to advertise, a class to teach, or a new farm/er to champion, let us know.  We'd love to share the .... food news.  
mulberries
 
July Recipe Swap & Tasting Social  
 
Just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, Carol Vesecky arrived with her mulberry crumble bars!  We'd already been cruising the food bar for a couple of hours, peppered with ongoing conversations about gardening, food preserving, Coconut Sugar and a host of other food topics.  It was 95 degrees but we had filtered shade, iced sun tea & no one seemed to mind.  Recipes for Dianne Bullard's Caesar dressing, Noel's Citrus Salad and Diane Squire's rice dish flew out the door along with Aunt Marion's Summer Squash Pie (that even kids will like). What fun! 

Dianne Bullard will host our autumn gathering. Stay tuned! 
 
  
  
 
Food as Medicine chilis
Prevention Magazine, June 2013

Lettuce:  Buy the deep red loose-leaf, or darkest green loose-leaf varieties.
Wash, spin dry, store in bags with pin-pricks for proper off-gassing in frig. 
 
Garlic: The most anti-carcinogenic veggie. But must wait 10 minutes after chopping before cooking, or lose 90% of medicinal properties.  
  
Onions:  Scallions are the most nutritious of all alliums. Shallots are more so than onions. Leeks & chives also heavy with antioxidants. The green part has more bionutrients than the white bulb parts.

Corn:  Cook on the grill or in the microwave (or for me the pressure cooker) IN THE HUSK. Boiling in water is the worst. Deep yellow corn has 58x more betacarotene and lutin than white corn (damn!).

Mangos: 5x more vit. C than oranges, 5x more fiber than pineapple

White Peaches & Nectarines: 6x more antioxidants than yellow

Papaya:  Red-fleshed more nutritious than yellow 

 

Transition to Organics brings you.... 
Biodynamics for Gardens & Landscapes 
"Symphony of the Soil" 
Farm to Table dinner in the field 
Saturday, September 21

 

Workshop:  8:30 - 3:15 at Oak Grove School 
Farmer/educator Gina Nonini, landscaper Severo Lara & designer Basia Kenton will address biodynamic practices in gardens, small urban farms
and all facets of landscaping.
$75  (includes movie)

Film:  4:00 at the Ojai Playhouse I saw this at Eco-Farm and it is fantastic!  This is no dreary educational film, it is beautiful, creative & compelling.
The film's director (of "The Future of Food" fame),
Deborah Koons Garcia will attend and do Q&A
$10

Dinner at Steve Sprinkle's farm  If you've never experienced a dinner in the field, you have missed a sublime experience, so take advantage of this one. Great organic food, terrific people (including Deborah Koons Garcia) and a cause worth funding at their auction.
Event benefits Transition-to-Organics Watershed documentary, School Gardens project and Agricultural Education Center with the Chumash.
$200 (includes movie)

Or....  $250 for the whole shootin' match!

Tickets must be purchased by September 14th!!
www.transition-to-organics.org or 805-646-4294 
    
  

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 News

Ojai Valley Green Coalition   

 
Upcoming Events
  
August 5 
Transition to Organic 
meeting
These people are getting stuff done!   
But it takes a village, ya know, to create the world we want to live in. 
Come early to order dinner.  
RSVP: Patty Pagaling 
transitiontoorganics@ gmail.com
Farmer & the Cook
6:00pm  

 
August 10
$35
Pickling Workshop
Includes organic cucumbers, Mason jar, airlock system, recipe, spices & tastings.
RSVP: Michelle Dohrn
272-8118
235 Fernando Rd, M.O.
1:00-3:00pm 


August 11  
Nutrient-Dense 
Food Demo 
 Free
Homemade Ghee, Mayo & Salad Dressings - with info on good & bad fats, lose weight, gain brain 
First Baptist Church 
(building in back) 
930 Grand Ave. 
  Contact Joanie:
wapfventura@gmail.com
  1:00-3:00pm
  
 
August 24  $16
Santa Barbara 
Fermentation Festival 
Learn, taste,experience with speakers, demos & hands-on with local & regional experts.
Fairview Gardens for Urban Agriculture 
598 No. Fairview
Tickets at:
santabarbarafermentatio
nfestival.eventbrite.com 
 11:00am-5:00pm
 
Sept. 21
Price varies
Film: Symphony
of the Soil
Workshop: Biodynamic
plus
Farm-to-Table Dinner
(see article, to left)







Hidden Squash Soup
(Chilled)

So, you know how you have all this extra summer squash.... patty pan, zucchini, crookneck, etc?
In desperation, I tried something new and it worked, so I pass it on here.  Make your standard Chilled Cucumber Soup, but substitute half the cukes for squash.


6 cups seeded and chopped cukes & summer squash

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup minced scallions

3 Tbl. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

3 Tbl. minced fresh cilantro

Throw everything in the blender, chill and serve.  I usually do it in a couple of batches rather than jam it all in at once. I've never tried freezing it, but you probably could., which would use up even MORE squash!
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 Ojai Valley Green Coalition