Locavore News – Events
Posted: May 15, 2010
Categories: News from Sustain Ontario
- Garden Party & Flower Tasting, May 16
- How to Sprout in 3 Easy Ways, May-June Series
- Food Taxes & Subsidies: Weighing the Options, May 20
- Foodlink Waterloo Launches Annual Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Campaign May 22
- Canadian Association for Food Studies 2010 Conference, May 28 – 30, 2010
- 2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy, May 30 – June 1
- Feast & Famine: Shifting to a Sustainable, June 1
- Rural Ontario Institute Launch, June 1
- Fred Eaglesmith at The New Farm: Benefit Concert and BBQ, June 5
Perspectives on good food and farming by Elbert van Donkersgoed
May 15, 2010
Garden Party & Flower Tasting, May 16
Experience the beautiful Victorian-era greenhouses and a new children’s garden at Allan Gardens Children Conservatory on Sunday May 16th from 1 to 4 pm, while supporting food growing and environmental education programs in 3 inner-city schools and 2 park sites at Green Thumbs Growing Kids’ Garden Party & Flower Fundraiser. Sample a fantastic menu (see below for sample menu items) prepared by chef Anne Sorrenti, inspired by and infused with local organic seasonal flowers and herbs, and sip an assortment of delicious sunteas & creative mocktails. Details on Facebook.
How to Sprout in 3 Easy Ways, May-June Series
You will learn proven, easy and effective ways to grow fresh, energy boosting and exceptional sprouts guaranteed. You will get personal training, special perks and your own starter kit. There is an informative 1.5 hour workshop taking place each day of Friday May 7, 14, 28 and Jun 11, 25 from 6:30-8 PM (each workshop is a repeat of the first one) at FoodCycles city farm.
Taking Root: 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, May 17 to 19, Detroit
Farm to Cafeteria programs are taking root in schools, hospitals, colleges, daycares, and other institutions. Come to Detroit for the 5th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference to learn how you can start and scale up a program in your community. Join us for trips to local farms, school lunchrooms and processing facilities; workshops on issues such as federal and state policy, experiential education, sustainability and economic development and sessions geared towards youth, producers and food service providers. Conferencewebsite.
***NEW***Food Taxes & Subsidies: Weighing the Options, May 20
Should we tax “junk food”? Can we promote health with a “soda tax”? Is obesity a taxing problem? Do subsidies affect our food choices? Register for the Nutrition Forum and join the debate! Date: Thursday, May 20, 2010. Time: 1:00 – 4:30 pm. Location: Villa Amato Ballroom, 88 East 1st Ave, Third Floor, Vancouver, BC. BC Dairy Foundation event.
***NEW***Chesterhill Produce Auction Opening Day, May 20
Rural Action Sustainable Agriculture Announces the 2010 opening day celebration of the Chesterhill Produce Auction, Thursday May 20, 2010, festivities begin at 3:00pm, the Auction starts at 4:00pm. A produce auction is a form of agricultural market where produce is sold at auction in a variety of quantities, to a variety of buyers. Buyers and sellers are issued numbers, a clerk records the transactions, customers pay at the end of the auction, and growers are given weekly checks for what they sell. Produce is brought in by the farmers and laid out on pallets for customers to inspect. The Auction is located at 8380 Wagoner Road, 43728 , between Route 555 and Route 377, southwest of Chesterhill, Ohio in Morgan County. Auction prices and products are posted weekly here.
***NEW***Local Foods Documentary to be Screened on Capitol Hill, May 21
The National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association and FRESH are sponsoring a special screening of FRESH for our legislators. Has FRESH inspired you? It will also inspire those who make our laws. The food safety bill is in front of the Senate right now. FRESH will educate our legislators on the benefits of a local food system threatened by S 510. Let’s get our Senators and Representatives there so they can see and understand the unintended consequences S 510 would have on our small farms. Hartke is Online blog.
Foodlink Waterloo Launches Annual Buy Local! Buy Fresh! Campaign May 22
Foodlink invites members of the public to attend the launch of its 2010 Buy Local! Buy Fresh! map which will take place at the Kitchener Farmers’ Market on Saturday, May 22, 10am-noon. There will be a table set up by the new demo kitchen (upper level) where the Farmhouse to Table series will be running. Free copies of the new map will be available from representatives of Foodlink throughout the morning. Be among the first to get your copy, and pick up some great local food at the same time! Kitchener Farmers Marketwebsite. Online map.
City Farmer Book Launch, May 26
Please join author and gardening guru Lorraine Johnson at the launch of her new book, City Farmer: Adventures in Urban Food Growing.Passionate and humorous, City Farmer explores the innovative ways–from balcony gardens to raising backyard chickens–that urban dwellers are reimagining our cities as places of bountiful food production. Details
Canadian Association for Food Studies 2010 Conference, May 28 – 30, 2010
Opening Plenary: “Rethinking what to put on our platesâ€
Food Studies: A (Scholarly) World of Translatable Concepts?
Marc Charron, School of Translation and Interpretation, University of Ottawa
Towards food sovereignty. Local food systems and public policies in Quebec and Ontario
Jean-Frédéric Lemay [ Équiterre] and Kausar Ashraf (Centre for Trade Policy and Law, Carleton University)
Le concept de l’assiette comestible: étude de la matière et de pratiques alimentaires durables
Diane Bisson, Professeure agrégée, École de design industriel, Université de Montréal
Concordia University, Montréal Program at a Glance
2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy, May 30 – June 1
From cooperatives that have existed for more than a century, to the latest innovative social enterprises, citizen-led efforts to build a people-centred economy are rich in their history and diversity. In the face of recent economic turmoil and growing ecological crises, these approaches are more relevant than ever. The 2010 National Summit on a People-Centred Economy will be an unprecedented gathering of leaders and representatives of the community economic development, cooperative and social economy sectors to build a common agenda and mobilize action for a secure, sustainable economy that puts people and the planet first. Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario. The Canadian CED Network conference website.
Feast & Famine: Shifting to a Sustainable, June 1
Featured Panelists:
Professor Harriet Friedmann, Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
Rosemary McCarney, President & CEO, Plan Canada
Dr. Wayne Roberts, Toronto Food Policy Council
Margaret Webb, author of Apples to Oysters – A food lovers tour of Canadian farms
Canadian International Council, Toronto Branch event.
***NEW**Rural Ontario Institute Launch, June 1
It’s time to celebrate the new Rural Ontario Institute… and we’re having a party! Please plan to join us on Tuesday, June 1st as we host an afternoon Open House to officially launch the Rural Ontario Institute. Website
Fred Eaglesmith at The New Farm: Benefit Concert and BBQ, June 5
Calling all Fredheads! The New Farm hosts acclaimed musician Fred Eaglesmith for a one-night-only show. The unforgettable evening will feature food, music and good times in the farm’s century-old barn, with all proceeds going to The Stop. The 100% local and organic meal, prepared by Stop chefs Scott MacNeil and Chris Brown, will feature slow-roasted pork, roots and salads from the New Farm, as well as Mapleton’s organic ice cream. Wine and Creemore Springs beer available at a cash bar. Details.
Stewardship Forum 2010: International Year of Biodiversity, June 8
The annual Stewardship Network Ontario Forum at Black Creek Pioneer Village is planned for June 8th, 2010. Dr. John Howard, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine in the Schulich School of Medicine and Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Association for Physicians for the Environment will explore how our care for the environment has been eclipsed by health care despite the fact that when the environment is ignored, the result is poorer human health. Details from Tiffany Roschkow.
Workshop on Economics of Local Food Markets, New Jersey, June 15 & 16
Local Food Markets is a high-visibility issue area distinguished by a number of economic and marketing questions that demand research-based answers. The goal of the workshop is to highlight current research and bring together researchers, extension educators, private sector participants, and policy makers to exchange ideas and develop a common set of priority research and education needs for local food systems. The synthesis of ideas that result from this workshop will be disseminated in a variety of relevant outlets to encourage collaboration on local foods research and extension. The format will include two thematic sessions emphasizing rural and urban local food issues. Each session will begin with a presentation by an invited speaker selected for expertise in practical or theoretical aspects of local food markets. About the workshop.
Growing Out of Hunger, July 13, BC
Find out how this former professional basketball player, corporate sales executive and urban farmer is feeding 10,000 people and starting a community food revolution out of his inner-city farms in Milwaukee and Chicago. Winner of the $500,000 MacArthur Genius Fellowship in 2008, Will Allen is transforming the cultivation, production, and delivery of healthy foods to underserved urban populations. Details Simon Fraser University website.
Growing Power’s National-International Urban & Small Farm Conference, September 10 to 12, Milwaukee
Come to Milwaukee and help grow the good food revolution. Hosted by Growing Power—a national organization headed by the sustainable urban farmer and MacArthur Fellow Will Allen—this international conference will teach the participant how to plan, develop and grow small farms in urban and rural areas. Learn how you can grow food year-round, no matter what the climate, and how you can build markets for small farms. See how you can play a part in creating a new food system that fosters better health and more closely-knit communities. Conference website.
Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival, September 25-26, Stratford
Renowned Canadian chefs, award-winning food writers, local farmers and artisans, exclusive Ontario VQA wines, craft brews and Stratford’s musical artists invite you to come join them to celebrate glorious food. Wander farmers markets in search of edible treasures, hands-on culinary demonstrations for adults and kids, outdoor musical concerts, street carnivals, theatre and an authentic Perth County BBQ. Continue with more concerts, street carnivals, culinary demonstrations and York Street Tasting with over 30 chefs paired with 30 local producers and VQA wines for an afternoon of sampling and imbibing in tents. It all happens in Stratford’s historic downtown shopping and garden district. Details on the Savour Stratford website.
2nd European Sustainable Food Planning Conference, October 29-30
Planning for sustainable food production and consumption is an increasingly important issue for policymakers, planners, designers, farmers, suppliers, activists, business and scientists alike. In the wider contexts of global climate change, a world population of 9 billion and growing, competing food production systems and dietâ€related public health concerns, are there new paradigms for urban and rural planning capable of supporting sustainable and equitable food systems? University of Brighton (UK) website.
Faith and the Future of the Countryside 2010, November 3 to 5, Swanwick, Derbyshire, UK
A major ecumenical conference exploring the sustainability of rural communities and their churches, and making recommendations for their future. This event will also mark 20 years from the publication of Faith in the Countryside and the completion of the Archbishop’s Commission on Rural Areas. Four conference themes of rural communities, economy, environment and rural church reflect the breadth of issues covered in the original report. Church of England website.
Greenbelts: Local Solutions for Global Challenges, March 22 to 24, 2010
The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation is hosting an International Greenbelts Conference in Toronto, Canada, March 22nd – 24th, 2011. Through the sharing of diverse experience and perspectives, the Conference will spark new ideas about the possibilities that greenbelts offer, and generate new ways of tackling some of the complex challenges in near urban farming, rural vibrancy, and protecting our ecosystems and the numerous benefits they provide. Website.
Sustain Ontario Calendar of Events
FarmStart Current Events & Workshops
The Stop Community Food Centre Events Calendar
AND in case you have time
Catherine McEver’s Embroidered Wonder Bread
Artist Catherine McEver uses an unexpected medium for her embroidery projects: Wonder Bread. Working “very, very carefully,” she stitches the colorful floss into scenes from nature (chicken, fish, flowers), and an homage to Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” If you’re thinking these pieces are some sort of commentary on temporality, think again: says McEver, “I have a couple of slices that are over four years old that look just like new.” Pictures.