Please come! Rooting DC is an annual, FREE, community and urban gardening focused forum, with over 500 attendees! Come, attend sessions to learn and get information about what is going on in your communities and how you can get involved. Want to know how you start your own garden or how to compost? Come to Rooting DC 2012!

Please feel free to pass this information and flier along to others – Hope to see you all there!

Follow us on Twitter @RootingDC as well as on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/rootingdc

Click here for more information and to apply.

In case you haven’t heard, the Food Council aims to bring together a diverse representation of stakeholders in a public and private partnership to improve the environmental, economic, social and nutritional health of Montgomery County through the creation of a robust, local, sustainable food system.

The Council will be comprised of 13 – 17 diverse stakeholders including individual members, professionals, private businesses, government officials, community organizations, and educational institutions that represent and/or work on food issues in our county.  We would particularly love to see council members who represent urban/suburban agriculture and community food production, so if you are involved in any of these, please consider applying!

The first meeting of the Council will be on Wednesday, February 15, location to be announced; all meetings will be open to the public, with community involvement encouraged.

Again, Council member applications are being accepted through next Friday, January 13.  Click here for more information and to apply.

Where: Madam’s Organ, 2461 18th St NW in Adams Morgan

What: Neighborhood Farm Initiative fundraiser to support Rooting DC 2012. Suggested donation of $15 includes entrance see and a Rooting DC t-shirt. Come to Madam’s Organ to eat, drink and enjoy the company of fellow RDC supporters. Madam’s Organ will graciously donate $1 per drink (including soda and juice) that is sold during happy hour, as well as 20% of all food sales! As always, seeds will be available from NFI!

Here is a great article for Thanksgiving reading and contemplating the way we cook and eat around this holiday, and how it can help improve our eating habits to make them more sustainable throughout the year: Written by Tamar Adler, an op-ed author for The New York Times, “Thanksgiving Thrift: The Holiday as a Model for Sustainable Cooking”

And currently this bill is being discussed in Congress behind closed doors and possibly will be enacted without any legislative debate.

So what are we, as consumers, supposed to do about this? First educate yourself. Know what the Farm Bill is (a challenging task, I know) but there are many resources and websites which have done a great job at unpacking the legislation into manageable bites of information. Second, write to your Congressman or Congresswoman. Already there has been a bipartisan group that has spoken out against this “secret” Farm Bill, but there needs to be more support. Third, continue to support your local farmers and urban growers. By supporting the local food system, we keep money in our communities as opposed to in the pockets of large multinational agribusiness corporations. As Wendell Berry is often quoted: “eating is an agricultural act.” It is true: where you choose to purchase your food is an agricultural choice as you are choosing to support a farmer and her/his agricultural practices. It is also a political one as well, as you can help to shape the kind of agriculture that U.S. policy supports and funds.

A few resources to help understand the Farm Bill:

Food and Water Watch’s Fair Farm Bill webpage.

Also the Facebook page Understanding the Farm Bill is an excellent wealth of news and information.

Understanding the Farm Bill Starts Here: All Our Articles in One Handy Place, May 25, 2011, by the Simple, Good and Tasty blog

An EXTENSIVE list of readings, articles, reports and explanations of the history of the Farm Bill, the programs within the omnibus bill, from the Community Alliance for Global Justice (CAGJ) out of Seattle, Washington. I would go here first for information.

Article on commodity subsidies (i.e. corn, soy, rice, milk) is a required read as well. By the Northwest Farm Bill Action Group.

and

An amazing website on the Declaration of the Youth Food Bill of Rights,  which was the product of this summer’s Rooted In Community (RIC) Leadership Summit. The Summit was hosted in Philadelphia, PA and attracted 37 different groups of youth gardeners, food justice advocates and urban gardeners from across the U.S. This raises the question of is our Farm Bill supporting the people’s right to food access and security? If not, then perhaps it needs to.

A few recent articles on the “Secret” Farm Bill. A quick search online will turn up many more.

Budget cuts could be recipe for change or disaster, October 24, 2011 & Digesting OWS: Why Food Lovers Need to Come to the Table, October 29, 2011, by Slow Food USA

27 Bipartisan Members of Congress Unite to Oppose “Secret Farm Bill”, November 3, 2011, by Oxfam America

Memo to Congress: No Secret Farm Bill, November 2, 2011, by The Nation‘s Mark Hertsgaard

And for some satire via political cartoon (thank you www.MisaSaburi.com and Slow Food USA):

Next week will mark the first Food Day celebration with events occurring across the United States. According to the website FoodDay.org, Food Day “seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes—to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.”

It is a “people-powered” movement that provides the avenue for celebration, education and access to food and nutrition-centered events, cooking demonstrations, volunteer (and eating) opportunities. There are numerous events planned, taking place all across the Washington Metropolitan Area for you and your family to be involved in Food Day 2011. Please ask your local church, school, farmers’ market or town hall for more information about what will be going on in your area.

Another great place to go for resources is the Food Day website, FoodDay.org. Here you can search for events near your neighborhood, whether you live in Washington DC or outside the beltway. There are also resources for you to get an event started if you want to do something yourself. Take a moment to check out the website and see what will be happening near you!

The purpose of Food Day is to promote six central principles:

1. Reduce diet-related disease by promoting safe, healthy foods

2. Support sustainable farms and limit subsidies to big agribusiness

3. Expand access to food and alleviate hunger

4. Protect the environment and animals by reforming factory farms

5. Promote health by curbing junk-food marketing to kids

6. Support fair conditions for food and farm workers

(for more information on the 6 Principles, please refer to Food Day – 6 Food Day Principles)

By conducting a quick search for the Washington, DC area, I was able to find almost an endless list of events that are planned including speakers, neighborhood garden open houses, food truck culinary appreciation, nutrition education, university sponsored events, and the list goes on! If you go to the FoodDay.org events page, enter your zip code or address to find something that is going on within your neighborhood. Among a few of my favorites include:

- Food Day Proclamation

- Food Day Food Truck Festival (13th-17th St and K St NW)

- Food Day Extravaganza

- Inaugural Bike Blender Smoothie Sale

- American University’s 3 Day Celebration also click here for more details: AU’s Food Day 2011 Celebration AUFood Day

And so many more!!

Check out the website, find what is going on in or around your neighborhood, and go celebrate Food Day 2011!

Host: Neighborhood Farm Initiative

Type: Fundraiser

Price: Suggested donation of $10 at the door

Date: Sunday, October 23

Time: 3 to 6 PM

Location: American Ice Co

Street: 917 V. St NW

City: Washington, DC

Description

We’ve certainly become more conscious of the importance of supporting local agriculture, but how many of us have pondered where our beer comes from and the size of our favorite sud’s carbon foot print? Homebrew is the perfect solution to enjoy beer while minimizing your carbon footprint – not to mention a fun way to add a creative twist to your beverage choices.

Please join the Neighborhood Farm Initiative (NFI) for their 2nd annual homebrew fundraiser, featuring a friendly competition among local home brewers. This year, NFI is teaming up with Food Day 2011 to bring you an afternoon of fall festivities, with – much like homebrew – a local focus.

The event will begin at 3 PM with a homebrew 101 workshop, followed by the tasting at 4 PM. Be prepared to whet your taste buds, because after the tasting, all participants will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite brews in a number of categories. Winners will be announced at 6 PM. After our event, feel free to stick around to mix, mingle, and enjoy a few additional beers from American Ice Co who has generously agreed to host this event.

All proceeds from this event will benefit the Neighborhood Farm Initiative, a DC-based non-profit serving as an educational resource for adults and teenagers, working to engage in small-scale food production in Washington, DC.  See www.neighborhoodfarminitiative.org for more info.

We’d like to offer a special thanks to our sponsors: American Ice Co, Luke’s Lobster, Sugar Loaf Winery, Port City Brewing, DC Brau, and Birch & Barley.

Questions: Email NFI at NeighborhoodFarm@gmail.com

Local Foods, Local Chefs Program Kicks Off October 1:  Arlington restaurants to feature locally-grown food

Throughout the month of October, dine at participating Arlington restaurants and enjoy a meal made with locally grown and raised ingredients. Supporting local vendors strengthens our local economy. But supporting local farmers goes even further. You’ll be helping to keep farmland in production and your food is fresher — often picked just the day before.

Event kickoff: October 1

Join the Local Foods, Local Chefs Kickoff October 1, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Whole Foods Market, 2700 Wilson Boulevard, where you’ll enjoy some tastings and get a chance to meet local vendors, farmers, and chefs. In addition, learn more about the benefits of local foods at a book talk and signing with Diane A. Welland, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Local.

Participating restaurants:

Each of the Arlington restaurants below will feature meals made with locally-grown ingredients throughout the month:

•   Busboys & Poets, 4251 S. Campbell Ave.;

•   Domasco Trattoria Moderna, 1121 N. 19^th St. (inside Hotel Palomar)

•   Eventide Restaurant, 3165 Wilson Blvd.

•   Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza, 3017 Claredon Blvd.

•   Restaurant 3, 2950 Clarendon Blvd.

•   Santa Fe Café, 1500 Wilson Blvd.

•   Silver Diner, 3200 Wilson Blvd.

•   Sweetgreen, 4075 Wilson Blvd.

•   Whole Foods Market, 2700 Wilson Blvd.

•   Willow Restaurant, 4301 N. Fairfax Dr.

And more…

Learn more about the program>>>

For more information, call 703-228-6417 or visit the project web page.

Local Foods, Local Chefs is sponsored by Arlington County, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment.

From the Virginia Cooperative Extension:

(This joint VCE – ACOAN workshop is for community gardens organizers.  It is for new and established community garden organizations, neighborhood associations, DOD and local government recreation programs, non-profits, schools staff and volunteers, service clubs, and Extension professionals.)

Have you thought about starting a garden within your community next year?

Is sustainable urban agriculture an interest of yours?

Are you looking for ways to get your neighborhood, family, workplace or classroom connected to the land?

Is local food production or food security a concern of yours?

If so, join us for a free workshop entitled

“Building Communities Through Gardening” on

Tuesday, October 18th from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.

at the

Fairlington Community Center,  3308 S. Stafford St., Arlington VA 22206

Pass the Word!!

Come learn more about starting and managing your garden, receive valuable resources and checklists, and learn about best practices from your neighbors in the Arlington and Alexandria communities.  Please click on the link below for a flyer with more information.  Please RSVP to alexcoan@gmail.com to sign up for this workshop.

VCE Flyer “Building Communities Through Gardening”

We look forward to seeing you on October 18th!  Please contact me if you have any questions.