June 2014
 
Events Watch
 

Highlights of Upcoming Slow Food Sacramento Events:

 

Slow Food Book Club - 
June 12: 
Eating on the Wild Side: The Missing Link To Optimum Health by Jo Robinson. 
To join us, RSVP to katonthyme@gmail.com
 
Other Regional Events
 

Common Kettle Farm Tour and lunch sponsored by the Sacramento Natural Food Co-op on June 21, 9am-12pm. Need 1-2 people to assist with lunch prep and clean up.  If interested, please contact Julia Thomas at sacfoodcoop.com.  The farm is located on Orangevale. 

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Meet Vonita Murray - Terra Madre Delegate

 

 

Meet Vonita Murray

A Terre Madre Delegate

 

Let's Help Her Get To Italy!

 

She's an aquaponics farmer, a single mother, a charismatic runner, an Oak Park farmers' market egg-merchant, a compelling storyteller and a disabled veteran who has found healing and purpose through farming.

 

Vonita Murray is also one of two Sacramento area delegates selected to travel to Turin, Italy this October for Slow Food's Terra Madre, a global meet-up of food growers, makers, breeders, chefs and others who will share ideas for promoting good, clean and fair food.

 

When she was permanently injured during Naval training, Murray shifted to a career doing architectural computer-aided design. But she was always drawn to farm work. In 2009, she acted on her dream.

With support from the Davis-based Farmer Veteran Coalition and Solano County's California Farm Academy at the Center for Land-Based Learning, Murray learned farming from the ground up. She is currently raising 200 chickens, heritage turkeys and rabbits and working to establish an aquaponics-based farm, Thrive Acres, in Elverta, Sacramento County.

In a group of nine women veteran farmers, Murray will represent Northern California to a world of slow food-centric leaders.

 

"I believe veterans are uniquely qualified to fill the expansive need for new farmers," Murray said, "while at the same time preserving cultural heritage through food and bringing healing to our communities."

 

Slow Food Sacramento is helping raise $3,000 for transportation costs for two of our area delegates - Vonita Murray and Brenda Ruiz (More on Brenda next month). To this end, we are hosting a dinner on August 9 at the home of one of our board members for a small group of diners interesting in helping Vonita and Brenda get to Terra Madre.

 

Vonita will donate her heritage rabbits as the main course and Brenda will cook. The multi-course dinner -- Rabbit Under the Tuscan Sun -- will feature Italian themed summer fare, limited to 20 people. Cost is $100 each and a bottle of wine. Please contact Kathy@slowfoodsacramento.com if you are interested in attending.

 

Watch a short film about the women veteran farmers and their mission to Terra Madre.

 

Farm to Every Fork Dinner - 
Join US Sept. 13



 

Join Us!

 

Farm to Every Fork Dinner 

Sept. 13 at Trinity Cathedral

 

RSVP and Tickets

 

This year our Urban Ag Fest takes a new twist on the Farm to Fork theme. We're joining with the Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee (SHOC) on Saturday September 13, at Trinity Cathedral, 5-8 pm to kick off Sacramento's Farm to Fork Week 2014 with Farm to Every Fork, a communal commitment to end hunger in our region. 

 

This sit down dinner for 150 features a dinner menu sourced from the best local farms and prepared by one of our foremost chefs. Buy one, feed one - your $150 ticket buys two meals - one for you and one for a neighbor that might often experience hunger. 

 

We'll break bread together, share stories, and understand better the challenges facing over one quarter million of our neighbors who are food insecure. And we'll celebrate the work of the organizations and individuals who are making a difference. 

 

Proceeds of the event benefit SHOC, the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, the River City Food Bank, Food Not Bombs, and the Fund for Urban Gardening. Numerous resourceful organizations will showcase their programs. And we'll have the usual irresistible auction and raffle items. 

 

But best of all: you'll walk away with new friends and a renewed commitment to end hunger in our region. Buy your ticket here. 

 

Interested in a sponsorship? contact Paula Lomazzi: shoc_1@yahoo.com. 

 

 Food Policy Updates - We Need Your Continued Help


 

Slow Food California Policy Advocacy: Where we stand as of June 1 

 

GE Labeling out/Neighborhood Food Act alive

 

Thank you for your calls, letters, visits to the capitol and district offices - and get ready for the next round! The end of May was the deadline for bills to get out of their houses of origin to the other legislative chamber. The food movement including Slow Food California is learning to work together and we're getting notice and results.

 

We are disappointed that SB 1381 (Noreen Evans) GE Labeling (genetically engineered foods) failed by two votes to clear the Senate. On the other hand it received more votes than the "No" side - 19-16. (A measure must receive 21 votes to get out of the Senate, even though three Senators accused of crimes are not eligible to vote. In effect the three abstentions were three automatic no votes.) We're not done yet! Please thank your Senators who voted yes and call or visit those who voted no. GE labeling was a nonpartisan victory in Connecticut and Vermont. It will happen here too. 

 

AB 2561 (Bradford) the Neighborhood Food Act was a close call, but we got out of the Assembly and are on the way to the Senate Judiciary Committee. To pull off opposition of Apartment Owner groups we accepted amendments that narrow the tenants' rights granted by the bill. It's not as comprehensive as we'd wanted, but we're hoping this is the start, not the end of protecting urban agriculture and the right of renters and members of homeowners associations to grow food, not lawns. Check out the language here; focus especially on the preamble; and get ready for calls and visits to your Senator. 

 

AB 1789 (Williams) Neonicitinoids - evaluation and control measures aims to protect honey bees from pesticides that have been identified as a major culprit in pollinator collapse. The bill has moved on to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. 

 

SB 1029 (Hancock) SNAP reform making paroled drug felons eligible for food stamps and AB 2385 (Ting) Market match for SNAP have stalled. 

 

AB 1437 (Monning) Prohibiting non therapeutic use of antibiotics in livestock was withdrawn by the author, to our disappointment. We're watching a couple more bills for possible opposition and will keep you posted. 

 

Want to join our committee? Interested in helping with visits to the capitol? email charity@slowfoodsacramento.com

 

 

Fed Up - The Movie Coming To Tower Theater June 19, 7 p.m.

 

Special One Night Screening of 
Fed Up the Movie - 
June 19 @ 7 p.m.
          

 

 

Fed Up is the food documentary sweeping the country. The film explains how, since ethe U.S. government issued its first dietary guidelines 30 years agao, the rate of obesity has skyrocketed with a link to added sugars in our food. 

 

The film will not be shown anywhere else in the Sacramento region. Panel discussion follows. Ticketes availalbe at the Tower Theater on the night of the event. See you there! 

 

 


School Garden Coalition Update


Diggin' In 

July 21-25 and Aug. 11-15

9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

American River Ranch/Soil Born Farm

$200/person or $500/3-person team

 

A school garden training providing your school with the tools to establish or grow your garden program. This hands-on training includes, materials, the basics of gardening with children, communicating your garden vision, funding ideas, and much more.

 

Space is limited. For inmformation and to register, email Shannon Hardwicke at sacgardenchica@gmail.com or visit www.soilborn.org.