Dear Slow Foodies,
Slow Food Piedmont (SFP) is on a roll! Keeping up with the growing food community in the Piedmont region has us GIDDY with the increasing number of farms and markets and so many events, news and initiatives to share... we are gasping for breath... and looking forward to gulping some apple cider!
We are continuing to grow our Snail of Approval list of people and places, spreading the word about the many good, clean and fair options we have in the Piedmont. I am excited to share with you some of the fall offerings in this note and look forward to hearing about your food adventures and learning new tricks of the trade from everyone who has been gardening in a most challenging growing season!
Coming up very soon is Slow Food USA's DIG IN.
All over the country, Slow Food Chapters are creating opportunities for folks to share a hands-on experience in their communities. Events are happening on or around September 25th ranging from working in community gardens to building chicken coops to potlucks on farms, any excuse to get hands in or near the earth!
Slow Food Piedmont is going to be part of GO EXPO, the sustainability festival being held in Winston- Salem (www.GoExpoWS.com ) . Please volunteer to help man the booth or stop by to say hello!
To further the spirit of the DIG IN, SFP has put together a list of farms ( which includes many of our Snail of Approval recipients!) that would welcome volunteer help in October. Catch onto the ‘crop mob' spirit, grab some friends and make arrangements to lend a hand on one of the many Piedmont farms. If you need any help organizing, please feel free to contact me or info@slowfoodpiedmont - we will get you connected! The farm list will be available on our website with contact information.
Please mark your calendars for the fall SFP POTLUCK on Sunday, October 17th, 4:00 at Beta Verde. We are celebrating our food communities, farmers, producers, educators, food professionals and market supporters on the advent of Terra Madre 2010.
I am honored to have been selected as a delegate to represent the Piedmont along with Alex and Betsy Hitt (Peregine Farm) and on the heels of past TM representatives Charlie Headington and Anne Marie Scott, as well as Salem Neff, who was part of the TM Youth delegation in 2008.
Terra Madre is an international network of food producers, cooks, educators and students from 150 countries who are united by a common goal of global sustainability in food. The "food communities" of Terra Madre come together bi-annually to share innovative solutions and time-honored traditions for keeping small-scale agriculture and sustainable food production alive and well. (Details...)
I would like to take your questions, passions, concerns and interests with me to Terra Madre in order to bring back as much new and relevant information as I can that is of interest and helpful to our Piedmont community. Fill your car with family, friends, a dish to share (and your own plate, cutlery, cup, and folding chair or blanket). SFP will provide tea and water so please feel free to BYOB. The potluck will be held rain or shine! Please RSVP to info@slowfoodpiedmont.com .
SFP has also been busy collaborating with two upcoming conferences - DATS 2010 (2010.datstriad.org) and Carolina Farm Stewardship's Annual Conference, both being held in Winston-Salem this fall.
Please check out both websites and join the FOOD and FARM revolution! There are many other events going on and new food related initiatives which we will post and you will also find on two interactive social network websites:
Locally Grown News (http://locallygrown.live.communityq.com/about.html) and
My Bridges (http://mybridges.net/).
The Latest News on the CHILD NUTRITION ACT
The House is poised to pass the Child Nutrition Act, which would improve the quality of school lunches. But there's a real risk they'll pass an underfunded version that takes money from food stamps. Slow Food supporters have done so much to get us to this point . Over 100,000 emails have been sent, countless phone calls to Congress made, and 20,000 of us gathered for an 'Eat-In' all over the country. Please consider sending a quick message TODAY to your House Rep pushing them to fund and pass the better version of the Act, the one that does not take money from the food stamps program?
http://www.org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5986/p/dia/action/public/
And just when you thought I was FINISHED... one more date for your calendar! January 23rd - SFP Annual Seed Swap and Potluck - location TBD but it is going to be GREAT. The best seeds are the heirloom and local varieties that get passed down each year - save ‘em and swap ‘em!
Enjoy the last days of summer and its sights, sounds and smells. Please stay in touch with SFP through the SFP website, the Facebook page or follow our Twitter.
See you on the trail to all things good, clean and fair,
Margaret
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