Calling all District gardeners, bakers, and canners!

Got tasty tomatoes growing in your garden?  Love making pickles with your produce?  We want YOU to enter the first-ever DC State Fair.

Go to the DC State Fair website (http://dcstatefair.wordpress.com/) for more information and to fill out your entry forms.  Contest categories include:

• Tastiest Tomato (big tomatoes) – ENTER HERE
• Tastiest Tomato (small tomatoes) – ENTER HERE
• Biggest Vegetable (General) – ENTER HERE
• Biggest Vegetable (Container Gardens Only) – ENTER HERE
• Most Funky-Looking Vegetable (sponsored by Soupergirl) – ENTER HERE
• Home-Made Jam Contest – ENTER HERE
• Home-Made Pickles Contest – ENTER HERE
• DC Homebrew Contest – ENTER HERE
• Cupcake Contest – ENTER HERE
• Best Home-Made Pie – ENTER HERE

And more to come.

The DC State Fair will be held on August 28th, concurrent with Columbia Heights Day, at Tubman Elementary Field (11th and Irving Streets NW).

And many thanks to our amazing sponsors, A Few Cool Hardware Stores, Kid Power Inc, Casey Trees, Fat Man After Dark, Smorgie, and Girl Meets Food.

Please join the Neighborhood Farm Initiative and Fountain Framing this weekend for a special event in Mount Rainier!

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Topic: Getting Your Hands Dirty: Food Activism in Metro DC, a discussion with NFI staff

Tastings: Sample a variety of organic wines and samples of locally grown snacks

Date: Sunday, August 29th

Time: 2:30-5:00 PM

Place: Fountain Framing, 3311 Rhode Island Ave, Mount Rainier, MD  20712

Cost: No charge, but tax-deductible donations are greatly appreciated!

“TASTINGS & TOPICS” events are a series of social mixers sponsored by Fountain Framing, Mt Rainier’s local custom framing shop

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What is the alternative food movement and what are people in our area doing to support food activism? Maureen Moodie and Bea Trickett of the Neighborhood Farm Initiative (NFI) will discuss food access and food security in the metro DC area.  NFI recognizes our concern for food security, food access and healthy living and will also discuss ways to successfully grow organic gardens at home.   They will bring in produce grown from farms at Fort Totten and Fort Dupont for your sampling.

For more information about NFI, please see www.neighborhoodfarminitiative.org or contact NeighborhoodFarm@gmail.com  For more info on future “Tastings & Topics” events, see www.fountainframing.com

Environmental Film Festival and FRESHFARM Markets Present Screening, Panel and Reception at Embassy of France

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital and FRESHFARM Markets present the work-in-progress screening of the film, Symphony of the Soil, about the key role that soil plays in life on earth, followed by a short panel discussion featuring its filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia, who also directed the highly acclaimed 2004 documentary, The Future of Food. The event will take place at the Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Rd., on Tuesday, August 24 at 6:30 p.m. and will include a light reception. Tickets are $30 and are available online only at http://freshfarmmarkets.ejoinme.org/MyPages/FRESHFARMMarkets2010MovieNight/tabid/226336/Default.aspx. For further information on the event, visit www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org.

Ann Yonkers, Co-Director of FRESHFARM Markets, will moderate the panel with award-winning filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia, Chef Cathal Armstrong of Alexandria’s Restaurant Eve, celebrated sommelier and writer Derek Brown and Zach Lester of Tree and Leaf Farm.

Derek Brown, who was named “Bartender of the Year” for 2009 by Washington City Paper and whose D.C. bar, The Passenger, was recently named one of the 10 best new cocktail bars in the nation by Bon Appetit magazine, has created a special cocktail for the event.  The reception will also feature fresh tasting bites from Benjamin Lambert of Restaurant Nora.

Two 20-minute work-in-progress clips from Symphony of the Soil, an upcoming multi-part documentary film series directed by Deborah Koons Garcia, are the centerpiece of the event. Filmed on four continents and drawing from ancient knowledge and cutting edge science, Symphony of the Soil highlights the importance of healthy soil in creating nutritious plants that contribute to human wellbeing and the sustainability of our earth.

The first clip from Soil and Life examines soil in all its complexity and mystery. Renowned scientists explore soil as a protagonist of our planetary story, including the birth of soil, its life cycle, the many creatures making up the soil community, nutrient cycling, and biological processes such as the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle.

The second clip from The Anthropogenic Era investigates our human relationship with soil, the use and misuse of soil in agriculture, deforestation and development, and the latest scientific research on the significant role of soil in ameliorating the most challenging environmental issues of our time.

DAYTIME VOLUNTEER STAFF NEEDED: EDUCATION COORDINATOR

As the season changes, so do the schedules of our all-volunteer staff of farm and education coordinators. Do you have availability in the daytime to help us host and educate visiting groups of all ages? We’re seeking a volunteer Education Coordinator to assist our Youth Education programs, which serve neighborhood children, visiting school groups, and Bloomingdale 4-H Gardening Club members. The commitment consists of 1-2 farm shifts per week, or 5-9 hours when the farm is open to youth, Monday/Thursday 3-7p and Wednesday/Saturday 10a-1p. Flexible schedules are helpful.

Job details include: 1) Developing and implementing both casual and structured gardening and nutrition activities for kids aged 5-18; 2) facilitating/assisting volunteers and Green Tomorrows participants with farm work; 3) following weekly list of “to do’s” which usually include weeding, planting, or other farm work; 4) welcoming passers-by, answering their questions about the farm and explaining farm programs. The Coordinator will foster appreciation of fresh, healthy food and help to grow an emerging community food project in the nation’s capital.

Ideal candidates will have a background in gardening and youth education, but we are happy and willing to train. Candidate must be reliable and comfortable working with diverse groups of people and ages, and desire to be part of a collaborative community food project.  A passion for and understanding of issues related to local food security and community development a plus. Please send a resume or short explanation of qualifications to info@commongoodcityfarm.org.

Who: Hosted by The International Wine & Food Festival

What: The Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival

When: Friday, September 24, 2010 from 6-8 p.m.

Where: Woodrow Wilson Plaza at the International Trade Center and Ronald Reagan Building :: 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Why: The Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival is an annual reception celebrating the spectacular regional produce of the Mid-Atlantic by pairing top area farmers with leading area chefs with enthusiastic home gardeners and cooks with tomato tastings and wine pairings. Each year the event will showcase a “red” fruit and 2010 kicks off with the TOMATO.

Of Note: We are pleased to announce The Mid-Atlantic Red Fruit Festival is the home of SEEDS TO SCHOOLS, a landmark public drive that collects and redistributes seeds to schools and community gardens in our region that have a demonstrated commitment to engaging children with life science and nutrition. SEEDS TO SCHOOLS supports the teachers and public volunteers who share the wonder of planting, nurturing, harvesting and preparing one’s own food We have also partnered with Common Good City Farm, an urban farm and education center growing food for low-income residents in Washington, DC and providing educational opportunities for all people helping to increase food security, improve health, and contribute to environmental sustainability.

Cost: $35

How To Purchase Tickets: {Tickets Will Go On Sale Soon! Please follow us on Twitter (@RedFruitFest) and Like us on Facebook to be one of the first guests to receive an invitation to this event!}

Please join the Neighborhood Farm Initiative for a night of wine, food and film!

he Neighborhood Farm Initiative (NFI) will present the documentary short, Corner Plot, the story of one man’s dedication to work his land, share his produce, and enjoy the farm life he’s always known, inside the DC beltway. In addition to Corner Plot, NFI will present a short film featuring the next generation of urban farmers, the NFI summer youth teams. The screenings will be followed by a 30 minute panel discussion/Q&A session.

For directions and parking information, please visit leteliertheater.com/directions. Doors open & light refreshments served at 6:30 pm. Program will start at 7:30 pm.

Tickets: $25. Details and presale tickets available online athttps://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/119951. Cash/checks accepted at the door, if seats/tickets are still available.

Ticket price includes local wine and seasonal hors d’oeuvres! 

DC Public Schools has announced that it has selected DC Central Kitchen to provide made-from-scratch meals for 7 elementary schools as part of a pilot project to improve the quality and nutrition of its foodservices.

DC Central Kitchen has already been providing locally sourced, made-from scratch-meals at Washington Jesuit Academy and Next Step Public Charter School, and has led the way as a model of school food reform, while at the same time strengthening local producers and providing economic opportunities for local residents. For more information check out the website @ http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/