Archive for December, 2011
Events, Global, Political Action
JOEL SALATIN “The Most Influential Farmer in America” IS COMING TO TOWN
Calgary, AB – December 19, 2011 ~ Joel Salatin, the man that TIME magazine called ”the world’s most innovative farmer” is coming to Calgary and the Kingsland Farmers’ Market on March 21 & 22, 2012. Salatin is known and respected worldwide for his family’s innovative and effective farming techniques that allow them to produce ‘beyond organic’ produce effectively, in a way which regenerates their farmland while making them a profitable livelihood.
On Wednesday, March 21, 2012, Kingsland Farmers’ Market is hosting Joel Salatin’s workshop on how to make your small farm more ethical, profitable, and deeply integrated with your local community. This workshop is an important one for anyone involved in local food, sustainability or agriculture to attend. A second, shorter workshop will be offered the following day.
Joel Salatin is a third generation organic farmer and author whose family owns and operates Polyface Farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. The farm produces what Joel calls ‘salad bar beef’, ‘pigaerator pork’, pastured poultry and forage-based rabbits. The Polyface farm operated by the Salatin family direct markets to 4,000 families, 40 restaurants, and 10 retail outlets.
A prolific author, Salatin’s eight books to date include both how-to and big picture themes. The farm features prominently in Michael Pollan’s New York Times best-seller The Omnivore’s Dilemma and the award-winning documentary Food, Inc.
Tickets for these events go on sale January 14, 2012 and are available by calling 403-255-3276 or @: www.kingslandfarmersmarket.com
Community, Local, Slow Food Calgary
The Pleasure and Politics of Food – A Potluck-fueled Community Conversation
Calgary, Alberta, Canada celebrates Terra Madre Day.
December 10th, 2011
On December 10th, 2011, about 75 citizens came together at Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Centre in Calgary to celebrate Terra Madre Day by sharing fantastic food they had prepared using local ingredients, to engage in vital conversations about our local food system and to enjoy a glass or two of delicious local beer, provided by Brew Brothers. Slow Food Calgary partnered with Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association in hosting this great event. Proceeds from the sale of the great beer and donations made by those present amounted to $250.00, which was donated to the Calgary Food Bank in order to help them with their efforts at alleviating the food distress experienced by too many local families.
This being Canada in the winter, root vegetables abounded, and the conversations around the tables tried to get to the root of both the difficulties and the great and as of yet not fully realized potential of our local food system. Local meat- bison, beef, turkey, pork, chicken and goat were also well represented on the heavily laden tables, and the feeling of many of those present was that the meat of the matter, when it came to discussing food systems, was that the fostering of dynamic, positive relationships of producers and co-producers comprising the food system was the key to creating a resilient and healthy local food system.
A passionate presentation was given by Darl Hobsbawn, a graduate of the Culinary Arts program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, introducing the nascent Slow Food Youth movement in Calgary and inviting all youths to join with him and others in building a vibrant and active youth contingent affiliated with Slow Food Calgary.
Participants were asked to engage in conversation springing from 10 questions about the local food system and to give us written feedback on these 10 questions. The ideas and inspirations offered in this feedback will be used to give both Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association and Slow Food Calgary a better understanding of how their two organizations can better serve the community in helping to promote and build a better local food system.
The most frequently offered comment received by the organizers of the event was that there was need to have such events not only on an annual basis, but more often, perhaps even on a monthly basis, with the serious issues and questions pertaining to our local food system being discussed in a more focused and systematic fashion.
Slow Food Calgary
Register for the local Terra Madre Day Potluck before December 10th!
Slow Food Calgary (SFC )and Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association (HSCA) are sponsoring partners in this event. All interested members of the public are welcome to participate and there is no cost to attend. Attendees are asked to bring prepared food, using as much local content as possible, sufficient to feed themselves plus one. Registration is encouraged, as there is limited space in the venue. Only those who register will be guaranteed a seat at a table. We are inviting cash donations at this event and all funds collected will be used to support the Calgary Food Bank. Suggested donation is $10 per person.
The Brew Brothers will be providing local beer at a nominal cost!
Register for the Terra Madre Day Potluck (event details found at this link).
Learn more about Terra Madre Day