Locavore News by Elbert van Donkersgoed
Posted: August 28, 2009
Categories: Food in the News / News from Sustain Ontario
Perspectives on good food and farming
School lunches around the world
Various school lunches from around the world. School lunch doesn’t really represent the best a country has to offer, but we still love it, because we grew up on it. Website.
Quebec’s travelling dairy store a hit
The 400-square-foot moveable milk counter is equipped with freezers, fridges and microwave ovens and can be set up in three different configurations. The store is designed to showcase and sell everything from standard milk and cheese to specialty products like ice cream and yogurt at shopping malls, office buildings and farmers markets across Quebec. AgriSuccess Express story.
Clove affair with China
Admit it, it really sucks opening that bud of garlic and finding it’s rotted in the middle. Serves you right for buying “made in China.†Problem is, outside of farmers’ markets, the Ontario version of the coveted tangy bulb is mostly MIA. With a hundred growers in the province, what’s the deal? Get ready for a story about global trade and how clove addicts lost their groove.NOW Magazine story.
Wake Up Call: The National Vision and Voice We Need for Rural Canada
Rural Canada needs a champion at the federal cabinet table and a long-term plan from the federal government to reverse the decline in its struggling towns and villages. Rural Canada helps fuel our national economy and define our national character. But the towns and villages that make up rural Canada are fighting for their lives, struggling against growing odds to secure a future for themselves in a country they helped build. Canadian Rural Research Network story. Full report in pdf.
Agri-food sector to assess its environmental footprint (EU)
An EU sustainable food chain roundtable launched in May, is seeking to develop a methodology for assessing the environmental footprint of individual foods and drinks by 2011. The roundtable brings together farmers and suppliers, food and drink producers, packaging firms and consumer organisations to develop environmental assessment methodologies for products and means for effective consumer communication, and to report on improvements. According to the EU Commission, the food and drink sector contributes to some 23% of global resource use, 18% of greenhouse gas emissions and 31% of acidifying emissions. EU agriculture puts the highest pressure on environment in the food chain lifecycle.EurActive.com story.
Food Security Courses at Ryerson University
The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, in partnership with Ryerson’s School of Nutrition and the Centre for Studies in Food Security, is proud to offer a post-degree Certificate in Food Security. This cutting-edge program is offered nowhere else in the world, and can be completed entirely through the convenience of distance education. Our food security teaching team is recognized internationally in the field. Having lived and worked around the globe, they understand the challenges of implementing food security in Canada and the developing world. Ryerson Food Security website. Fall 2009 Course Offerings:
- CFNY 403 Food Security Concepts and Principles
- CFNY 404 Food Policy and Programs for Food Security
- CFNY 409 Gender and Food Security
- CVFN 411 Dimensions of Urban Agriculture
Preserving the Harvest – Canning Peaches, September 2
Want to enjoy fresh peaches over the winter? Join us for an evening session on canning basics. Each participant will take home 3 jars of peaches and all the information and skills needed to preserve peaches at home. We have ordered in spray and fungicide free peaches from Niagara. Space is limited to 10 participants. Wednesday, September 2, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at Diversity Gardens. Registration $30 per participant. Register by email tschumilas@rogers.com.
Celebrate the Season Farm Tour, September 10
Over the last two field season ALUS has engaged 54 farm families on 65 different farm properties. Projects carried out on the working landscape have included: creation and expansion of wetland habitat; riparian buffer establishment; creation of Tallgrass Prairie and Oak Savannah; reforestation using native Carolinian species; pollinator hedgerows; and grassed windbreaks. The tour will give you an opportunity to see the impact of ALUS on the agricultural landscape and tour three unique farms. For details email Kristen Thompson, ALUS Project Coordinator, Ontario ALUS Alliance Steering Committee and Norfolk County ALUS Pilot Project.
Guelph Wellington Local Food Tent at Guelph Jazz Festival, September 12
The Guelph Jazz Festival and Guelph Wellington Local Food have paired up again this year to bring patrons the best of the region’s food experiences. The Guelph Wellington Local Food Tent on Saturday, September 12 from 11 am to 11pm on Upper Wyndham Street in downtown Guelph will feature farm fresh local food that has been crafted by local businesses that support regional farmers. Guelph Jazz Festival website.
Rediscovering Canadian Tomatoes, September 19
Did you know that there are no longer any garden tomato breeding programs in Canada? All new varieties on the market are bred for American gardens and growing conditions. Most seed companies are importing seeds from other countries and tomatoes that were bred in Canada in decades past are being lost. But – you can save them!! Come learn to grow heritage tomatoes and save their seed. You’ll get a chance to taste true Canadian tomatoes and take some of their seeds home with you for next year. Saturday, September 19, 10am – 12pm. Reregister by email cogpww@sympatico.ca.
The Food We Need Now – A Celebration of Great Ontario Farming, September 26
In support of the Ontario Farmland Trust, join author Margaret Webb in conversation with a number of esteemed guests. Margaret will be reading from her book Apples to Oysters. A Food Lover’s Tour of Canadian Farms and signing copies. Saturday September 26, 2009, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, The Bookshelf E bar, 44 Quebec St., Guelph. (Suggested donation: $10.00) Please RSVP the Ontario Farmland Trust at info@ontariofarmlandtrust.ca.
Wellington Rural Romp, September 26
A one day self guided tour of over 20 farms and markets in Guelph and Wellington. Taste testing, guided farm tours, children’s activities and more. Saturday September 26th, 11am-4pm. Information on the Guelph Wellington Local Food Initiative website.