Urban Farmers to Assemble in Baltimore for Workshops and Farm Tours
There is an urban farmers workshops and farm tours organizedd by The Greenhorns on Sept 15, 2011. This is an all day event that is free and open to the public. The event will feature urban farmers in Baltimore who will provide tours, workshops in building hoop houses, and lectures on restoring urban ecologies. I pasted the event poster below. Click here to check out the event schedule and how to RSVP for this event.
Looks like a really cool event. Interested in urban agriculture and sustainable farming? Definitely attend this event if you live close to Baltimore.
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Howard Zinn Room Dedication at Busboys & Poets in Hyattsville
Howard Zinn
The Hyattsville Busboys & Poets restaurant is dedicating its events room to Howard Zinn, an American historian and activist. Zinn is best know for his books A People’s History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
The dedication ceremony will take place on September 21, 2011. Is it a full restaurant event that is free and open to the public. The reception will be used as a fundraiser for the Zinn Education Project. The project’s goal is to introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of United States history than what is taught in traditional textbooks and curricula.
Click here, for more information regarding this event.
Read MoreVolunteer with ECO City Farms @ Port Towns Day Festival
On September 17 (Saturday), ECO City Farms is going to the 15th annual Port Towns Day festival. Please note, we will not have our normal volunteer hours on the farm that day. We are looking for a few volunteers to come help represent ECO City Farms at our table in the festival. You, our loyal volunteers, helped build our farm and we would love to have you share your experience with Port Towns Day attendees. We’ll be showing off seedlings, sampling some fresh veggies and letting folks meet some of our worms, up close and personal, so it should be a fun afternoon.
Port Towns Day 2011
The 15th annual Port Towns Day celebration will take place at the Bladensburg Waterfront Park on September 16 & 17. Friday night there will be a movie at 7:00 PM. The festivities will continue on Saturday from 12:00 pm to 8 PM, with a a jazz concert at 5:00 PM. As usual there will be games, raffles, food and tons of activities. Click here to check out the event itinerary
ECO City Farms also plan to set up a stand at the festival. We will have our Smoothie Bike available with fresh made drinks made by our off-the-grid blender. Come by, have fun, and enjoy a smoothie in the waning days of summer.
If you are up to it come volunteer for us. Interested? Contact us at volunteer[at]ecocityfarms.org.
Read MoreSlow Money National Gathering
Over the past two years, as a Green MBA student, I studied sustainability issues in cultivating a local food system. One of the biggest challenge a local food system faces is having access to capital to create a niche for itself without competing directly with large corporations that dominate the food enterprise sector. I believe a healthy local food system includes farmers, vendors, processors, and distributors that needs to work to keep money within a regional economy. Slow Money is one organization that is attempting to address the funding challenge. They are developing an investment model that will allow an individual to support local food enterprises without going through Wall Street in New York City or the Commodities market in Chicago.
I believe this video gives you a good overview of what Slow Money is all about. In the video Woody Tasch, the founder, explains the thoughts and vision behind Slow Money.
Interested? Want to learn more? Check out the video’s on the organization’s website here. Perhaps you or your organization will be interested in attending the 3rd annual Slow Money National Gathering in San Francisco (October 12-14). Click here to register.
Read MoreWhat’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?
Last month I visited the What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam? exhibit at National Archives Building in Washington, DC. This exhibit shows the history of U.S. government policy on our agriculture practices and how it has impacted our food system. It was put together by the Foundation for National Archives.
This exhibit is paired with a pop-up restaurant called America Eats Tavern, operated by ThinkFood Group, at the old Café Atlantico location in Penn Quarters. The restaurant will offer a new take on American classics, native ingredients, and forgotten dishes. For example their lunch and dinner menu has a section on “Catsup” and it provides a wide variety that includes oyster, anchovy, gooseberry, and our favorite tomato catsup. The tavern use its menu to share the story of where American dishes came from and why it is eaten. To learn more about the restaurant visit their website and also check out my blog post on Chef José André with the Provisions Library.
The Food Groups poster from 1941
During my visit I was intrigued by the way the U.S. government broke down our daily food requirement and intake needs. The food groups and the suggested daily intake amount has changed many times over the years. These changes have influence our diets over time. For example in 1941 there were seven food groups.
I also developed a deeper understanding of how American diet changed post-war time. It is well known that during World War II the U.S. Government campaigned its citizens to grow their own food. The gardens were called Victory Gardens. However, I did not realize the extend of how food eaten during war time impacted the citizens post war. For examples, soldiers returning home from war were used to the canned food they ate during combat. Upon returning home, these soldiers craved the same canned fruits, vegetables, and meats. Our government’s food policy during war time has shaped our choices at the grocery.
I think it is definitely worth checking out What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam? and than go eat at America Eats Tavern. You can’t go wrong with food cooked at a Jose Andres restaurant.
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