Autumn 2014 

 Issue 46

 
FOOD NEWS  
Ojai Valley Green Coalition

 

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

 

catering_food.jpg
  

Harvest Celebrations Abound.... 
 
September  & October   
Here, there and everywhere in California

Sept. 9-11:   The Heirloom Expo, Santa Rosa
The best food & farming festival I've ever attended, and I went 2 years running. Produced by Baker Seeds and a lot of good folks, this is the best get-together of farmers, homesteading crafts, heritage breeds of livestock, a warehouse of seeds, Bees people, Biodynamics and the best lineup of speakers on all things sustainable, heritage farming. Only $25 for 3-day pass!! $10 for a day pass. If you only do one event, do this one. The sheer excitement in the air and engaged energy of the people will lift your spirit and boost your gardening.

Sept. 27:  The SOL Food Festival, Santa Barbara(Daytime)
The whole town turns out for the SOL (Sustainable, Organic, Local) Food Festival. Held from 10a-6p in Vera Cruz Park; Santa Barbara has a really thriving food culture and this is their celebration. It's fun and it's instructive to see what our neighbor county has done.


Sep. 27:  Ventura County Farm Day
This is an amazing 20-farm tour (self-guided) of our abundant county. It's a great way to have a mini-vacation, driving to discover new farms down country roads right here in Ventura County. The tour ends up (4:00-8:30p) at the McGrath Family Farm in Camarillo, for a barbecue with live music; Chef Tim Kilkoyne creating a dinner in the field; and a bunch of really happy people. It's good to remind ourselves how blessed we are to live in an agricultural region!

Oct. 4-5:  Hoes Down Harvest Festival, Guinda (Sacramento area)
Two days of camping and farm activities of every kind imaginable. Workshops and presentations to improve your own skills. Kid friendly to the extreme. Good old-fashioned country fun for the family.

    


Restoring Nature with Regenerative Agriculture 
Creating Resilient Farms, Landscapes & Communities 
Thursday, Sept. 11, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Ojai Woman's Club, 441 E. Ojai Ave.


Ojai is pulling world-class agricultural people into our valley to share their experience with us.  And it's all about the soil.



Darren J.Doherty (an Australian permaculturist & international farm planner and consultant on regenerative agriculture) will be offering an evening's talk, along with John Roulac of Nutiva (and former Ojai resident) at the Woman's Club. They'll be speaking about carbon farming - rehabilitating  landscapes across the planet -- and how to get the carbon out of the air and back into the soil where it belongs. This talk preceeds a workshop at the Ojai Foundation.

A panel discussion follows with Darren, Supr. Steve Bennett, Rancher Mary Bergen and permaculture farmer, Connor Jones.
Learn more on the Coalition website. 


Fire & Drought Resistant Farms & Landscapes: A 3-Day professional development course for broad-acre land professionals in Southern & Central California. Integrated & holistic land-use planning and design to positively transform eco-systems. For more information, contact the Ojai Foundation directly.  
Sponsored by Nutiva, with support fromm The Ojai Foundation, Center for Regnerative Agriculture, Santa Barbara Permaculture Network and Ojai Valley Green Coalition. 




Ojai Food Co-Op presents doc film, "Ingredients" 
Women's Club, Tuesday Sept. 16, 6:00-9:00

We here at Ojai Food Co-op team are really excited to bring our last film screening, potluck and community discussion for the summer. We are presenting the film documentary "Ingredients" you can view trailer here (http://youtu.be/uQeKkiyCluM).

We are asking farmers, ranchers, chefs, health and environmental advocates to come and engage in your regions food community through introductions and after film discussions. This will be a fun way to inspire, empower, educate friends and family and neighbors about sustainable, locally grown food.

If you can make it please message us back here so we can get you on our flier by this Friday.

Apologize for such short notice.

The OFC Team:  ojaifoodcoop.com

 

 
Ground Ops Autumn Screening Schedule: 
 
9/20 - Oxnard, CA:  Oxnard Library, Cal Humanities Program, 
            "War Comes Home", with Veteran Farmers of America

10/20 - Des Moines, IA: 
Iowa Indie Film Festival

10/20 - Lexington, KY:
American Farmland Trust
             Farmland, Food & Livable Communities

10/24 - Lexington, KY:  Growing Warriors fundraiser

10/24 - New Orleans, LA:  U.S. Green Building Council's
             International Film Festival

11/8 - Santa Cruz, CA:    Featuring the SC Veterans Alliance and the
          Homeless Garden Project at the S.C. Veterans Hall
     
11/9 - Santa Barbara, CA:   Santa Barbara Library
Featuring Veteran Farmers of America (Ventura County) 
          S.B. Permaculture Network & S.B. Food Alliance
         
11/14 - Des Moines, IA:  Farmer Veteran Coalition
          First national conference for veterans in agriculture

For all of you fans who've been following our journey with the film, we've had a tremendous year, with 24 community screening events, film festivals and conferences so far this year.  We're now on iTunes, Google Play & XBox. Soon on Amazon.  Thanks for your continued support and encouragement. 

Join the mission, share the vision:  
GroundOperations.net 
 

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
(Mark your calendar now, so you remember)
 
 

Saturday 9/6

$35 members

 $40 non-members

Dehydrating Course  

with Risa Horowitz

Make high-protein raw crackers, "cheesy" kale chips & fruit leather. Tastings and take home goodies.

10:45 am-1:00 pm

Register Here 

   

Thursday 9/11 

$5 suggested donation 

Restoring Nature with Regenerative Agriculture:

Creating Resilient Farms, Landscapes & Communities

(see write up) 

O.V. Woman's Club

441 E. Ojai Ave.

7:00-9:00pm 

 

 

Tues.9/9-Thur.9/11  

$10/day or $25/3days

The Heirloom Expo

The county fair of your dreams with lots of top-notch speakers and exhibitions. Well worth the drive.

Sonoma County Fairgrounds

in Santa Rosa, CA 

 

  

 Saturday  9/13

$25

Making & Using Fungally Dominated Compost 

 Begin regenerating your soil. Learn how to build aerobic thermal compost piles that feed your soil. Compost teas.

Loida Vasquez is a certified soil ecology specialist who worked with Dr. Elaine Ingham.

e/m: [email protected]

805-390-0747    

 

  

Monday, 9/15

free  

Transition to Organics 

Monthly meeting with ongoing projects meets at  

Farmer & the Cook

6:00pm  

(earlier to order dinner) 

 

 

Tuesday 9/16

Donation

Ojai Food Co-Op

presents doc film: 
"Ingredients"
O.V. Women's Club
441 E. Ojai Ave.
6:00-9:00 
 

 

 

Saturday 9/20 

 Free

'Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farmfields' screening

"War Comes Home"

Oxnard Library, 251 So. "A" St.

2:30-4:00pm 

 


Sat. 10/4 & Sun. 10/5

$20 (& $25 per car camping

Hoes Down Harvest Festival

The 27th year for this real deal farm weekend. It's a classic. There isn't enough time to do all that is offered.

Full Belly Farm - Guinda, CA

(Northwest of Sacramento)

 

 

Tue.10/28-Thur.10/30

$695 for 3-Day workshop

9-5 daily, 30 participants 

 She's a world-renowned soil scientist with a funny sense of humor and she's coming back!!

 e/m: [email protected]

805-390-0747 

 


 

 

Gluten Sensitive?  Try this.

Breakfast Quinoa

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
3/4 cup light coconut milk
2 Tbl. water
1 Tbl. light brown sugar
1/8 sp. salt
1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1 cup sliced berries
1 cup sliced bananas

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2.  Cover quinoa with water. Gently massage grains. Rinse this way twice & drain.
3. Combine quinoa, coconut milk, 2 Tbl. water, brown sugar & salt in medium sauepan and bring to boil.
4. Reduce hea & simmer 15 min. Stir occassionally & constantly the last 2 minute.
5. Spread flaked coconut on baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 5 min. or until goldeen brown.
6. Dish up quinoa in bowls, top with berries, bananas and coconut. Use some hemp or almond milk if you wish.