Slow Food newsletter they have some great events

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Educate, Advocate, Celebrate! Our Fall MEMBERSHIP DRIVE is underway! To join (or renew) go to the Slow Food USA website      Fall Bulletin, September 2013                                                                                                   _______________________________________________________________________________    Editors: Peter Yessne and Pat Nichols, with contributions from Mary Petron Bottega, Peg Champion, Judee Humburg, Dagmar Logie, and Pat Nichols.   IN THIS ISSUE Note from the Chair  Upcoming Events   Past events  Advocacy Report   Partner Activities    Become Active! Information & Links    NOTE FROM THE CHAIR         Fall Greetings! The Harvest Moon -- the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox -- comes relatively early this year, the night of September 18-19. Before lights on tractors, farmers used the light from the earlier rise of the moon -- on the tail of the setting sun -- to harvest their crops. (http://earthsky.org) This Autumnal Equinox edition of the Slow Food South Bay newsletter is about harvesting: food, members to our chapter, and Board members. Read about events past and future; the Santa Clara County Food System; Slow Food Regional Policy; Slow Food USAs annual membership drive; and our chapter's call for new Board members. Marvel at the sun's attenuated light as the earth's axis tilts away from this fiery star. Happy Autumn!       Mary Petron Bottega   UPCOMING EVENTS   TOUR OF PREVADELLI FARMS   By the time you read this, Slow Food South Bay members and friends will have toured the Prevedelli Farms in Watsonville, where organic apples and pears are grown and sold in Farmers' Markets around the Bay Area. Patrick Moran has organized this fabulous fall tour for us on September 20, from 9-3. Delicious Warren pears are currently getting ripe, as well as many varieties of apples not now seen in supermarkets. After the morning tour, the group will have lunch at Gabriella Café in Santa Cruz -- now on our list of Local Slow Resources on the the SFSB newly updated website.     Be sure to check our new Facebook site for fast-breaking events organized by both Slow Food and our many Bay Area partners.      SJSU LOCAVORE FAIRE & FOOD DAY   Sponsored by San Jose State University and Slow Food South Bay, this is a day-long event to promote sustainable agricultural practices and healthy eating. Includes speakers, workshops, and informational tables (including an SFSB table).    For more information on volunteering or participating in the Faire, contact:  Magen Shaw - Head Director Environmental Resource Center San Jose State University One Washington Square, Rm 115 San Jose, Ca 95192 http://www.ercsjsu.com/ magen.ercsjsu@gmail.com 760.519.4026     THE GILROY FARMERS' MARKET:  Harvest and Health Festival   When:  Saturday, October 26 from 10-1 p.m.   Where:  7351 Rosanna St, Gilroy   What:   The Gilroy Demonstration Garden & the Gilroy Farmers' Market join together with many community sponsors for a fun-filled day of trail walking, yoga, zumba, healthy cooking demos, and Fit & Fun programs for children.  All this with food vendors with harvest produce and artisans with handmade crafts.  SFSB will host a table about good, clean, fair food!   PAST EVENTS   SCHOOL GARDENS   Spanish Native Speakers and Spanish Civilization classes at Gunn High have started their weekly classes in the Common Ground Garden at 687 Arastradero Road in Palo Alto. For the third consecutive year, students walk to the bio-intensive mini-farm, a project of Ecology Action Foundation, to learn about heritage grains and food traditions of Spanish-speaking countries, both ancient (from the societies of the Inca and Aztec) and modern-day.  From harvesting through actual preparation of snacks made from the grains and produce, students will get firsthand experience in sustainable methods of edible gardening - and slow eating.   In the first weeks, both classes have harvested and tasted several kinds of tomatoes, herbs and greens planted by last year's classes and discovered there are over 600 distinct tomato varieties grown around the world.  From weeding, watering and composting to transplanting, double-digging and soil amendment, students' lessons vary by the season.  Once again this fall, they will harvest, process and cook with quinoa, amaranth and corn.     This year, slow food values will be emphasized and explored in class presentations and as students interview their families about unique food traditions over generations.  Recipes gathered during these interviews will be documented and possibly prepared for sharing at the class 'table' at the end of each garden visit.  Following tradition, a book of student writings and favorite family recipes will be published in the spring as a gift to each family.  This is my third year assisting in class and guiding the self-publishing effort and I've learned so much about Spanish food traditions and ingredients as expressions of the Hispanic culture.   There are 6 public and private schools within easy walking distance of this flourishing organic garden, ranging from pre-school through high school.  Zuzanna Drozdz, garden manager, welcomes volunteers and visitors in all seasons. If you would like to weed or even help with a class, check out the website.   Photos (below,by Judy Humburg): Students weeding quinoa beds, soon to be harvested. Students looking at tasting plates -- Chocolate Stripe, Green Zebra and mini Sweet 100 and Sungold from the garden and dry-farmed Early Girl from a local Farmers' Market. -Judee Humburg   WHOLE FOODS CUPERTINO: Produce Perfection and Local Wines   On August 23 the cooking class organized by Whole Foods and SFSB trooped through the produce section with team members Kathleen from culinary and José from produce to learn how to select the perfect fruits and vegetables from those on display.   Then three groups of 3-4 persons prepared food at different workstations--lovely butcher- block tables--from preselected recipes from our Whole Foods coordinator Kathleen. Our station prepared a delicious watermelon and cherry tomato salad, dressed with mint and balsamic vinegar, and with chunks of a tofu-like new product made with almond milk. The second dish was a dessert of marinated, grilled peach halves, then stuffed with ground dates and nutmeats. Delicious, nutritious, and seasonal. -Dagmar Logie      Photos: Whole Foods/SFSB Cooking Class with Andy & Julia Wendell; Enjoying their Work with       (l to r) Mary Petron Bottega, Carl Cheney, Meredith Prince and Sherry Lund.     SFSB LIT GROUP: Unprocessed   The SFSB Food Literature Group's August meeting, entitled "Unprocessed", featured an al fresco organic jerk chicken barbecue, hosted by SFSB Leadership Team members Peg Champion and Brad Whitworth.   The book selection, Sugar, Salt, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us, by Michael Moss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter at The New York Times, tells the story of the rise of the processed food industry, how these companies use salt, sugar, and fat to addict us, and how we can fight back, by eating unprocessed whole foods prepared at home.    Below from left to right: Chris Holt, Neville Holt, Judee Humburg, Nancy Enzminger, Elke Billingsley, Deborah Rose, Jim Christol and Brad Whitworth. Photos by Peg Champion. -Peg Champion                ADVOCACY   CAPITAL GAINS: Slow Food California Policy Update   Two key federal issues that we are currently working on are the Farm Bill and national GMO legislation. With only a few weeks left before the end of the federal fiscal year, there is a high likelihood that the current 2008 bill, due to expire on September 30, could be extended again.   Slow Food USA and SFCA, along with 317 other organizations, support a new "good, clean and fair" farm bill. For continued success, we need your support in these important efforts.   If you are interested in participating in Slow Food policy work, such as letter writing, calling legislators, etc., please email Peg Champion at: peg@pegchampion.com    Here is an update on current activity, including our recent victories in Sacramento.   California Legislative Victories  AB 551 Urban Agriculture Incentives Zones Act (passed)  AB 224 CSARegulation/Registration (passed) AB 343 "Ag Gag" (defeated) California Regulatory Issues Supporting safety measures regarding the fumigant chloropicrin Federal Issues Supporting a full and fair Farm Bill, including: Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Funding for farm conservation/environmental programs Crop insurance and subsidy reform Supporting GMO LabelingAgainst a USDA Federal mandatory check-off program for organic crops (forcing small organic farmers to be taxed for a program to pay the advertising bills of big food processors and retailers.) Supporting legislation to regulate pollution from large factory livestock farms (CAFOs)    Peg Champion, member Slow Food California     ASSESSMENT OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY'S FOOD SYSTEM   With a quote from Hippocrates to guide them, "Let food be they medicine and medicine be thy food," some 24 members of the SCC Food Systerm Alliance have completed an assessment of the current county food system, with recommendations for the future on three major topics: Agriculture and the Economy Hunger, Food Justice, and Health & Nutrition Environment Members of the Alliance have already spoken to groups like the Silicon Valley chapter of the San Francisco Planning & Urban Research Association (SPUR) in San José and the Urban Planning Symposium at SJSU.  Future discussions of the Assessment, which runs 100+ pages, will occur throughout the county and region in coming months.  Stay tuned for one coming to your local library branch, co-sponsored by Slow Food South Bay!   Pat Nichols, Member Santa Clara County Food System Alliance   PARTNER ACTIVITIES   SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARM BUREAU: Harvest Celebration   When:  Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 5 p.m.   Where: Uesugi Farms, 14485 Monterey Rd,  San Martín, CA 950546   What: Farm-to-Table Harvest Celebration, benefiting the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau   For more information contact:    Stacey Mariani    smariani@sccfarmbureau.com      408.776.1684    BECOME ACTIVE!   POLICY WORK   The Slow Food California Region Policy Committee is in the process of setting up communication channels and infrastructure, so that we can act swiftly to respond to important "Good, Clean and Fair" food legislation.   Two issues that this committee is currently working on are the Farm Bill (under discussion in the US House) and national GMO legislation.    If you are interested in participating in Slow Food policy work, please email Peg Champion, SFSB Leadership Team and CA Region Policy Committee member at: peg@pegchampion.co     CHAPTER LEADERSHIP   Please contact Chair Mary Petron Bottega to become more active in Slow Food South Bay. We're welcoming new ideas and members to serve on the Leadership Team and on the elected Board of Directors! (Next board term begins in March 2014.)   Tentative date for the next annual meeting: Sunday, February 9, 2014   MEMBERSHIP DRIVE: September-October 2013   Slow Food nationally will now return a small percentage of each new and renewing member's dues to our local chapter. Can you invite two or three prospective members to join us??   Chapter name is CA-South Bay - and this must be designated for us to know they're on our membership list. Interested individuals can sign on at www.SlowFoodUSA.org.   Our major annual expenses are liability insurance and data management -- and recent contributions from Whole Foods Cupertino's quarterly "Nickels for Non-Profits" program has helped us meet those obligations for this year.  Give us your ideas for fundraising so that we can do more to promote good, clean, and fair food for all locally....and thanks for all you do in the way you eat, grow, and purchase from local growers and businesses!   Information and Links   Our New FACEBOOK page is up and active!   Please go to our new Facebook page now to "like" SFSB and join the conversation!   We're at www.facebook.com/SlowFoodSouthBay   2013 Slow Food South Bay Board of Directors Chapter Chair - Mary Petron Bottega Vice Chair - Pat Nichols Secretary - Ann Duwe Treasurer - Dagmar Logie    2013 Slow Food South Bay Leadership Team   Mary Petron Bottega, Stu Carson, Peg Champion, Ann Duwe, Jessie Herr, Judee Humburg, Dagmar Logie, Pat Nichols, Julie Scheve, Brad Whitworth, and Peter Yessne   Slow Food South Bay Information Slow Food South Bay website   Slow Food South Bay General Contact - info@slowfoodsouthbay.org To join the Slow Food South Bay Yahoo Group discussion, click on "Join This Group" at  Slow Food South Bay Yahoo! Group      Slow Food Membership  To join Slow Food South Bay, or any other Slow Food chapter, visit the Join Us page at Slow Food USA. Be sure to note "CA_South Bay" as your chapter!

 

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