December 2013 Newsletter

In This Issue

TMA Green Bucks

Recipes

Volunteers Welcome

Tamale-Making Class

Vitaly Holiday Mixer

Central Orange County Food Swap

Pat Welsh Speaking in March

Past Events

Join the Slow Food Movement!
We invite you to join the Slow Food movement! Slow Food Orange County is working hard to preserve and protect local foods and food traditions. Our convivium plans events and programs in places across Orange County-anything from community gardens, taste education dinners, and farm tours-join the network and become active in planning and participating in these diverse initiatives. Click here for Benefits of Membership, here to join, or send us an email if you have questions.

Chair's Message

Hello Slow Food OC,

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family and community. Very soon we have the opportunity to celebrate the founding of Slow Food with Terra Madre Day (December 10). Think of this as another opportunity to gather with friends and family and share a "slow food" experience. Look at the wonderful foods on the Ark of Taste: http://www.slowfoodusa.org/biodiversity . This is a beautiful new webpage with an great explanation of the Ark of Taste and a current list of the products on the Ark. Choose one of the items for a Terra Madre Day meal. If you do this please let us know about it - send a note and photo that we can post on our blog to share with the Slow Food Community! Send it to info@slowfoodoc.org.

This fall, Slow Food Orange County partnered with local elementary school Tustin Memorial Academy (TMA) to support a new development in their garden-based curriculum. The Green Bucks Program allows students who are learning in the outdoor garden classroom to earn rewards for exhibiting "Three E" behaviors-engagement, enthusiasm, and extra hard work. From eagerly raising a hand to record the temperature inside a Worm Compost Bin, to taking on a challenging clean-up task, there are many opportunities for Garden Masters to distribute Green Bucks to the bright and helpful TMA youth in recognition of their positive contributions.

Recipes from Recent Slow Food Events

The Edible Gifts class made a number of presents, and we are including their spicy caramel popcorn recipe.

The hors d'oeuvres passed out at the Slow Food table at the Persimmon Party were a big hit.

Slow Food Orange County Needs You

We are looking for active participants for our Events and Outreach Committees. No experience necessary, just a desire to effect positive change in our community and, of course, a hearty appetite for good food!

EVENTS COMMITTEE: Want to share ideas on how to promote good, clean and fair food? Then take the lead on one specific event or volunteer for the day and help out. To get involved email Stacey Blaschke, Events Chair, at stacey.blaschke@gmail.com.

OUTREACH COMMITTEE: Are you interested in being an ambassador for Slow Food or working on garden projects, food policy or the Snail of Appreciation restaurant program? If so, join the Outreach Committee! Contact Gillian Poe, Outreach Chair, at gpoe@ocfoodaccess.org.

Slow Food OC Hands On Tamale Making Class to Celebrate Terra Madre Day

Date: Sunday, December 8, 2013

Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: Laguna Culinary Arts, 845 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Members and non-members welcome

Chef Octavio Montoya will be teaching us how to make authentic tamales. Come join as we celebrate Terra Madre Day, the holidays and the Mexican heritage of Orange County. Tamales are wrapped up like holiday gifts inside softened cornhusks and then steamed to perfection.This class will be extensive hands on cooking, as is all traditionally hand made tamale making.

Slow Food OC Holiday Mixer at Vitaly

Date: Wednesday, Dec 11

Time: 6:00PM - 8:00PM

Location: Vitaly at The Camp in Costa Mesa

Members and non-members welcome

Join us for some holiday celebration on the evening of December 11^th from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at one of The Camp's newest eateries the restaurant Vitaly at The Camp in Costa Mesa for some on the house, hot and cold teas, sparkling and still water and samples of their house specialty Piadina, a flat bread, and Cassone. We will talk a bit about Slow Food Orange County's upcoming events and projects and hear about the history of Piadina.

All guests will also enjoy a 10% discount for the evening if you choose to purchase additional food or gelato.

RSVP is required so please click the button below to let us know you will be joining us.

Cost: Members are free and non-members $5.00

Central OC Food Swap

Date: Saturday, December 14th

Time: 2 - 4 PM

Location: The Village, 1505 E. 17th St., Santa Ana 92705

Members and non-members welcome

A Food Swap is part silent auction/part village marketplace/part fun-loving open house where your homemade creations (breads, preserves, special concoctions, canned goods, etc.) become your own personal currency for use in swapping with other participants. What better way to diversify your pantry and network with like-minded friends and neighbors?

We welcome everyone, as long as you bring something you made, grew, or foraged yourself. We will also consider other homemade non-comestibles (soaps, beauty products, etc) on a case-by-case basis.

Author and Organic Gardener Pat Welsh presents Growing Great Veggies, the Organic Way

Date: Saturday, March 8th, 2014

Time: TBA

Location: Tankersley Hall, Laguna Presbyterian Church, 415 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach

Members and non-members welcome

Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening Well known author, and expert on Southern California year round gardening, Pat Welsh, will be speaking on Growing Great Veggies, the Organic Way.

Pat is the author of Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide which currently is number #4 under Gardening & Landscape Design - Western Region on Amazon.

The talk will focus on gardening in the spring and summer and will be followed by a question and answer session. After which, Pat will be selling and signing her latest books.

Pat is an Emmy-award winning garden-writer and author of many books including Pat Welsh's Southern California Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide. She has written countless articles and columns and hosted over 500 television segments and videos. She is an Emmy-award winning garden writer and was the first Garden Editor of San Diego Home/Garden Magazine. She also hosted two garden videos for Better Home and Gardens and instructed many in demonstrations on HGTV.

Tickets sales will be announced in early 2014 so stay tuned.

Past Events

November 2013 Edible Gift Cooking Class

On Saturday November 10th we gathered on a sunny afternoon for a hands-on class to learn how to make some edible gifts. These are gifts you can give as a hostess gift or as gifts for the holiday, instead of buying a gift.

For more details about what we cooked up and for a recipe for Spicy Caramel Popcorn click here.

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