Slow Food Eugene, Willamette Valley Convivium

Slow Food USA: 2008 Membership Survey

2008-06-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

More details and link to a quick online survey are available here.

Slow Food Eugene: June Newsletter

2008-06-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

In this issue:
A Potluck At Northwest Youth Corps Organic Farm--Wednesday, July 2
Join Northwest Youth Corps and Slow Food Eugene members and friends to a summertime potluck at their Laurel Valley Educational Farm. NYC is a youth development and outdoor education organization that has provided opportunities to more than 10,000 young people since its establishment in 1984... more >>

also:
Coming Events

Eugene Delegates Head for Terra Madre

SF Eugene Terra Madre Delegates 2008

2008-06-14T09:49:00.002-07:00

Slow Food USA just announced the delegates for Terra Madre 2008 in Turin, Italy. All four of Slow Food Eugene's nominees were approved. Adam Bernstein, David Hoyle, Rocky Maselli, and Andhi Reyna will be attending the conference to be held October 23-27, 2008. Terra Madre is a world wide meeting of farmers, ranchers, fishers, producers, nomads, and chefs from 150 countries.

Here is what we told Slow Food USA about our nominees:

I want to forward to you Slow Food Eugene's endorsement for Adam Bernstein in the cooks category and David Hoyle and Andhi Reyna in the producer/community category. I also want to emphatically support the application of Rocky Maselli, one of our 2006 delegates, as a returning delegate.

Our convivium uses two criteria for evaluating potential delegates. First and foremost is commitment to Slow Food principles. Second, and very important to us, is the support the potential delegates have provided to our local convivium activities.

I am certain that Adam, David, Andhi, and Rocky have explained their commitment to Slow Food principles. I would like to briefly summarize the local support these four people have provided to our convivium, and by extension, Slow Food USA.

Adam Bernstein has been one of the longest standing members of our convivium and a restaurateur in the forefront of sustainability. Just last year, he volunteered his own time, and paid for his own staff members, to prepare food for 150 people at our One Field Meal Pig Roast. This was an enormous undertaking that Adam took on in the most generous and gracious manner. Several years ago, he took on a similar task preparing a roast lamb for a farm event at John Neumeister's Cattail Creek Farm. You may remember that John was a delegate to Terra Madre in 2004 and 2006. Adam has been a major force in making our convivium a vital, exciting organization. We recommend his nomination whole heartedly.

Similarly, David Hoyle has given of himself and his farm generously to Slow Food Eugene's One Field Meal. Aside from being a splendid farmer, he is also a gracious host who groomed his farm so that our supporters could have a wonderful day enjoying and learning about organic farming and the pleasures of the table. David, and the farm workers whom he employs, went far beyond the norm to make our convivium stronger and our event more successful. This level of commitment to Slow Food benefits us locally and nationally and supports our efforts to get the message out to as many people as possible. It also enables us to attract more members.

I also want to mention how Rocky Maselli has helped our convivium over the years. He has been a stalwart. Volunteering his time, his restaurant, and his good nature, Rocky has been a leader in our efforts to make Slow Food Eugene a force on the local food scene. In 2006, Rocky's restaurant, Marche, hosted a major fund raising event that enabled us to provide critically needed financial support to our producer delegates. Our delegates would have been hard pressed to afford the expense absent the funding raised through Rocky's efforts. Two years ago, he went to Terra Madre as one of our delegates. He indicated his interest in returning. We believe Rocky would greatly add to the national and international efforts. Rocky has already made himself available to work on fund raising for this year's Terra Madre delegate. If there is a place for returning delegates in the cook's category, Rocky has our highest endorsement.

Andhi Reyna is one of those young dynamic cheese producers who will remake the US food scene. She has worked tirelessly to teach new cheese makers and to produce the highest quality goods. Andi provided her wonderful cheeses to a fund raising event for Slow Food Eugene featuring Jeff Roberts, a director on the Slow Food USA national board.

We heartily recommend our nominees. If you need additional information, please feel free to contact me.

Slow Food Eugene Fundraising Priorities for 2008

2008-05-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Slow Food Eugene Leaders Group set our fund raising priorities for 2008. They include:

- Sending our local representatives to Terra Madre 2008 in Turin, Italy
- The School Garden Project
- The Willamette Food and Farm Coalition

In addition, a number of great projects and requests come up from time to time that we would love to support. One interesting project that we supported recently was a video project by Salmon Nation to complete a documentary called Red Gold. It exposes the next threat to wild salmon in Bristol Bay, AK. Pebble Mine, the largest open pit mining operation ever conceived is to be located at the headwaters of Bristol Bay. We are dedicated to making the world a better place through the food that we eat. Thanks for your great support.

May 2008 Newsletter

2008-05-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Events:

May 22-Cafe Moroq Fundraiser and Preview Opening (sorry, *SOLD OUT*)

May 25--Memories Potluck

July 2--Northwest Youth Corp Potluck

More details here (pdf reader required)

Slow Food Nation, August 29 - September 1, 2008

2008-04-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

The inaugural Slow Food Nation event will be held on

Labor Day Weekend 2008,
from Friday, August 29 to Monday, September 1

Fort Mason and Civic Center
San Francisco, California

Slow Food Nation website, http://slowfoodnation.org/

Slow Food Eugene Annual Meeting, Feb 10 (February 2008 Newsletter)

2008-02-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

Annual Meeting--February 10 , 2008

Last year's Slow Food Eugene's calendar of events celebrating good, clean, and fair food was fabulous, but what about 2008? It all starts with our annual meeting. That's where we gather together, share some delectables at a pot luck, elect officers, and plan for 2008.

DATE: Sunday, February 10, 2008
PLACE: Eugene Garden Club, 1645 High Street, Eugene
TIME: 6 pm Parking is available at the site and across the street in the Planned Parenthood parking lot.

To reduce waste, bring your own durable place settings--plates, cups, and flatware. We will have spares for those who forget. In addition to your pot luck offering, please bring a beverage. Nothing alcoholic please.

We will put them up on a big board and decide what we want to do next year. Here are some ideas to get your creative and salivary juices flowing:

Mushroom Foray
Canning and preserving class
Summer potlucks
Dinner and a movie night
Bus trip to a U-pick organic farm
Pastry or bread baking classes
Fund raising event

You can also email your ideas to eugene@slowfoodusa.org

Also featured in the February issue of the Slow Food Eugene Newsletter:

Slow Food Weekend On The Coast--March 8-9
2007 Was A Very Good Year
New Look For The Slow Food Eugene Website
Safer Food Handling
Volunteers Welcome

January 2008 Newsletter: Truffle Festival Update & More!

2008-01-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

In this issue:
- Oregon Truffle Festival--January 25-27
- Annual Meeting--February 10
- Slow Food Weekend On The Coast--March 8-9
- Helios Network Potluck-January 19
- 2007 Recap
- New Look For The Slow Food Eugene Website
- Safer Food Handling
- Volunteer Opportunities

MORE >>

Eugene/Newport Convivia, March 8-9, 2008

2007-12-12T22:25:00.000-08:00

SAVE THE DATE!

Mark your calendars!! It's a weekend in Newport and an opportunity to get to know Slow Food Newport members. Oregon Coast magazine in the November/December issue gave full coverage to Newport and its 125th celebration. In March you'll meet several of the people mentioned in the articles.

In one article they state, "Newport is the last community on the Oregon coast where fishing produces more personal income than tourism - - $95.4 million vs $89.9 million in 2003, the last year in which statistics are available." Slow Food Newport members will probably have something to share about harvesting or consuming seafood.

Saturday afternoon

seafood and wine pairing at the Nye Beach Gallery
dock walk to take a closer look at the fishing vessels in the harbor
presentations on wave energy, barcoding fish products, zero fish waste recycling and connecting local growers with local businesses

Saturday evening

Dinner served at Local Oceans where owner, Laura Anderson buys seafood from the local fleets

Sunday morning

Clamming with instructor, Bill Lackner. He will take us to Siletz Bay to dig purple varnish clams. He says you'll have your limit in 30 minutes. You'll need a license, shovel or spade, bucket or bag and really old shoes. Besides the shoes there are several locations on the harbor where needed items may be purchased.

There are several alternatives for lodging. A few of the Newport members will be offering home stays to Eugene Slow Food members and we are looking into best rates at motels in the area. This information will be included in the registration form that will be sent early February.

You may participate in all of the activities of the weekend or just some of them. The presentations and dinner location will depend on the numbers involved. If you are giving this serious consideration, please send a message to nicki_maxwell@comcast.net and let her know. It will help a lot in planning.

Sustainability Survey (Splendid Table)

2007-12-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

"Splendid Table" listeners might not be a random sample of the US population, but the results of this survey are interesting nonetheless. Locally-grown is especially important.

Preserve Oregon: An Open House & Tasting Buffet Of Home Processed Foods

2007-10-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

On November 4, 2007, Slow Food Eugene and the OSU/Lane County Extension Master Food Preservers present PRESERVE OREGON: EAT LOCALLY. This event will be an open house and tasting buffet to celebrate the best of Oregon's bounty.

Join the Extension Master Preservers to sample their safe, delicious home-processed foods and specialty items. Press, and taste cider. Ideas for the holidays on display. Health, safety and nutrition information available. Get directions on how to "do it yourself".

Sandy Scheetz, LCC baking instructor, will prepare the breads.

There will be drawings for jams, jellies, specialty items and fall centerpieces.

Where: The Extension office at 950 W. 13th Ave., Eugene
When: Sunday, November 4, 2007 from 1 to 4pm
Admission: a donation of $10 ($15 for two), children under 14 free.

Parking on the premises

Tickets are available at the Extension office, Long's Meats, Newman's Fish Market and at the door.

COME ENJOY SOME OF THE BEST OF OREGON
PRODUCTS

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL EXTENSION SERVICE

September 2007 Newsletter

2007-09-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Featured in this issue:

Fall Membership Potluck & Meeting: October 9, 2007, 6 pm, at the Campbell Senior Center, 155 High St. *PLEASE NOTE LOCATION CHANGE!*
Slow Food Eugene Pig Roast
New Look For The Slow Food Eugene Website
Slow Food National Director Coming To Eugene To Talk About Cheese
Upcoming Events
Safer Food Handling
Volunteers Welcome

Read the entire issue here (pdf version)

What A Great Day For A Pig Roast

2007-09-12T22:46:00.000-07:00

Ed Durkee wrote the following report on the Sunday, August 26, Slow Food Eugene Pig Roast.

To see Tom Barkin's slide show of the event, click here.

What a great day we had at the pig roast! And in so many ways. Slow Food believes that food should be good, clean and fair--we succeeded on all counts on Sunday. The food sure tasted good. It was grown right here at one of Eugene's organic farms. And our farmer host joined us for the meal with his family and his entire crew.

We got to do some other things too. We got to show some kids that food grows out of the dirt. In fact, this particular food was grown in that dirt right there. And the pig was raised right over there. Indeed you could stand in one place on Sunday and behold the entire landscape where the dinner was grown. A rare and wonderful thing.

We also wanted to bring together the people who grow the food with the people who eat it. So there we city folk were sharing dinner with David and Laurie Hoyle, their extended families and the entire crew. We should do this kind of thing more often.

Because we wanted families to attend we had to make it affordable. That meant lots of volunteer labor to make a special event. The thank yous must start with our hosts--David and Laurie Hoyle. David really went the extra mile for us. Actually it was close to 200 extra miles. Even though the pig was raised about 50 yards from where it was cooked and eaten, David had to drive it to McMinnville for slaughter. There simply aren't any USDA processing plants any closer. (This would be a good topic for your next letter to your Congressman. We spend billions a year to subsidize food in this country--yet David has to drive 200 miles to a meat processor.). David and the crew also did lots of extra work to prepare a working farm for 125 paying guests. Even though we paid full price for all of the food (that's a Slow Food Eugene principle) David was still the event's greatest benefactor.

Melissa and Adam (from Adam's Place Restaurant) provided the experience and talent to cook a five-star, on-site meal for 150, including the farm crews. Melissa started prepping veggies on Friday night and was at the farm at 5:00 am Sunday to start slow roasting the meat. By the way, she helped David build the cinder block oven on Thursday night. (We told you this was a lot of work.) My favorite thing about Melissa was how fun she made the entire day. She was there to enjoy the day and she made it fun for the volunteers who were there to help.

The Slow Food team showed up in a big way too. Dani Emrick and Bev Mazzola were the reasons why the event was beautiful and affordable. They schemed for months on how to get tables, chairs, flowers and everything else we needed for a comfortable and beautiful setting without spending a lot of money. They had help from Erin Walkenshaw, Daphne Dervin and Terri Chrones in setting up on Sunday. In total we probably had 20 people spend the whole afternoon setting up and having a ball. My boy Shelby is still tired from running around with Hilde the dog!

Some others who deserve thanks include Greg Heath who loaned us the oven and grate to cook the Pig. Mike Wooley and Rick Baylor from Long's Meat Market who butchered the pig and helped out all day long on Sunday. Victoria Charles-Wilson brought her wines from Territorial Winery and helped us serve the Ninkasi beer. And Scott Sherwood who played his guitar during dinner.

Finally, Tom Barkin will try to edit this out, but I won't let him. Tom is the steady, encouraging hand behind all of the Slow Food events. His enthusiasm and constant encouragement are what brings everyone's efforts together.

The event came together for me when I greeted some late arriving friends at the top of the drive to the farm. As I turned to walk back down with them I beheld this wonderful thing. Music and laughter in the air. Children playing. People at flower-filled tables shaded from the sunset by a majestic oak tree. My friend saw the same scene and said, "This is beautiful."

Slow Food Nation, May 1 - 4, 2008

2007-09-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Slow Food Eugene Newsletter for August, 2007

2007-09-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the current issue of the Slow Food Eugene Newsletter:
highlights:
- Slow Sunday Pig Roast on August 26
- Dinner And A Movie To Be Rescheduled
- Upcoming Events
- Volunteer Opportunities

Oregon Rose featured on Splendid Table

2007-09-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to A to Z Wineworks for their high-profile mention in this week's Splendid Table radio show. Sante!

Wine wizard Josh Wesson goes after those much maligned and overlooked pink beauties: roses. Here are some of his recommendations to try:

- A to Z Oregon Rose of Pinot Noir. About $14

- Yalumba Y Series Limited Release Sangiovese Rose. About $10

- Domaine Sorin Cotes de Provence Rose. About $10

Slow Sunday Pig Roast 8/26/07; August Newsletter

2007-08-08T07:05:00.000-07:00

Slow Food Eugene Invites You To A Slow Pig Roast Picnic On The Farm

This is the event that we have all been waiting for--A Pig Roast at one of Lane County's premier organic farms. David Hoyle of Creative Growers Farm is opening his gate to Slow Food Eugene and friends. We will have an afternoon to explore Oregon's wonderful bounty of farm raised pork, produce from the field, and our own conviviality. There to prepare this magnificent repast will be Adam Bernstein of Adam's Place Restaurant in Eugene.

Make It Family Style
The menu includes one of David's farm raised pigs, grilled, fresh vegetables right from the field, and an Bernstein special, zabaglione for dessert. Beer from Ninkasi will be on sale. We will have wine from Territorial Vineyards for $5 to $6 per glass. Soft drinks will be provided with the dinner ticket.

This is a family-style picnic, so bring your own table cloth and place settings. We'll have the tables, chairs, and lots to eat and drink. Come at 4:30pm and join David for a tour of the farm. The heirloom tomato appetizers hit the table around 5pm.

Because this is a family-style event, we would like everyone to chip in and help clean up at the end. The Creative Growers Farm is a working farm. We should be good guests, by helping pick up after ourselves before we leave.

Ticket Prices And Information
To make our event affordable, we are keeping our prices as low as we can. Tickets for adults are $25. Tickets for kids from 5 to 12 are $5. Little, bitty kids 4 and under are free.

Tickets are available at Newman's Fish Market, Long's Meat Market, and Pepperberries in Sheldon Plaza.

We also want to raise some much needed money for our friends at the School Garden Project. We are requesting that attendees bring an additional, voluntary, sliding scale contribution of $5 to $20 per person.

If you can help out or have questions about the event, contact Ed Durkee at 501-1208.

Click here for more details and directions to the farm.

Other items this month:
- Upcoming events
- volunteer opportunities

Slow Food Eugene Newsletter (March, 2007)

2007-03-04T14:40:00.000-08:00

Don't miss the current issue of the Slow Food Eugene Newsletter! Featured this month:

Rocky Maselli and Cathy Whims "March with the Chefs" to benefit Slow Food Nation, Slow Food's celebration of America's food traditions. March 19 at Marche Provisions
Volunteers Make All This Happen
Friends and Activities

Full version here.

School Garden Project partnership

2007-02-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

School gardens are a major initiative for Slow Food USA, and Slow Food Eugene has a long-running partnership with the School Garden Project of Lane County. From the SGP website:

The School Garden Project provides the following services for local schools:

Teaching students in school gardens

Organizing garden work parties

Assisting with garden construction

Recruiting volunteers to help

Consulting on site choice and design

Organizing a garden committee

Advising on curriculum integration

Sponsoring teacher in-services and UO School Garden seminars

Obtaining donations of gardening materials from local businesses

Providing a lending library of gardening tools, books, and videos

Maintaining an email listserve and website
More >>

Food On - Farm to Cafeteria partnership

2007-02-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

Slow Food Eugene is proud to add the Willamette Food & Farm Coalition's Food On - Farm to Cafeteria program to our list of partner organizations. From the website:

......Food On - Farm to Cafeteria was created to promote locally produced foods in cafeterias of K-12 schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, nursing homes, businesses, and other institutions. We will offer schools and other institutions the tools to connect with farms though their own or other distributors, special event planning, promotional material, and community outreach. We help make the connections: helping communities, schools and private business understand that the bottom line involves more than just financial profits. The costs of tomorrow - long term health care costs, quality of life, food security and our local landscape must be accounted for in today's bottom line.
... As a project of the Willamette Farm and Food Coalition, Food On wants to work in partnership with school districts, food service providers, parents, students, community members, farmers and food distributors to create the best possible Farm to Cafeteria program here in Lane County.... more >>

Sweet Briar Farms on Martha Stewart

2007-01-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

Congrats to local farmer Keith Cooper (Sweet Briar Farms), who got a call in December asking for a rush shipment of his Duroc heritage-breed premium leaf lard for a lard rendering demonstration on the Martha Stewart show!

Small Farms Conference at OSU, Feb 17

2007-01-18T21:14:00.000-08:00

FYI from Linda Brewer, Oregon State University Small Farms Program. Please pass this along to farmers & any other interested parties. Best,

Andrew

------
The 7th annual Extension Small Farms Conference is scheduled for Saturday, February 17, 2007, from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The one-day conference will be held on the Corvallis campus of Oregon State University at the LaSells Stewart Center. The keynote speaker, Dr. Marion Nestle of New York University, will examine what individuals, agribusiness, and the government can do to build a better food system Lucy Norris, of the Hartman Group, Inc. is the capnote speaker and will focus on understanding consumers. Find registration materials on-line at: <http://smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/> or call the Benton County Extension Office at 541-766-3556 or toll free at 1-800-365-0201.

The conference includes 9 concurrent sessions, covering a range of topics of interest to growers who market their production directly to the public, for farmers’ markets managers, and for community food advocates.

· Novel Crops for Niche Marketing
· Women and Small Farms: Exploring an Oregon Women’s Agriculture Network
· Soil Fertility Management
· Farm to Cafeteria: How Small Farms Can Sell to Big Institutions
· Farmers’ Markets: Finding Your Best Fit
· Explore Diverse Direct Marketing Opportunities
· Conversation with Marion Nestle
· Organizing Community Support for Local Agriculture
· Debit and Food Stamp Electronic Programs: What You Should Know

Pre-registration is $30 or $50 for two registering together, and includes lunch; $40 at the door.

This event is sponsored by Oregon State University Extension Service; Oregon Department of Agriculture; Wait and Lois Rising Lectureship Fund and Department of Horticulture, OSU College of Agricultural Sciences; Western SARE; Extension Family and Community Development Program, OSU College of Health and Human Sciences.

Linda J. Brewer
Faculty Research Assistant
Extension Small Farms Program

Oregon State University
203 Ballard Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331-3549
541-737-1408
linda.brewer@oregonstate.edu

Annual Meeting, Tuesday January 30, 7 pm

2007-01-10T14:21:00.000-08:00

It's Time for Slow Food Eugene's Annual Meeting

Here are the details:

DATE: January 30, 2007
TIME: 7 pm
PLACE: Eugene Water & Electric Board Community Room (500 East 4th Avenue, Eugene)

Let's get Slow Food Eugene off to a great start in 2007! The annual meeting is the best place for members to weigh in on the direction of the organization for the coming year. At our meeting, we will:

Elect officers (We are looking for candidates to serve as Secretary, Public Relations Coordinator, and Events Coordinator.)
Brainstorm and select events for the coming year
Present our annual gift to the School Garden Project
Discuss additional ideas for social action
Hear about Terra Madre 2006 from our own delegates

Anyone interesting in becoming an leader of Slow Food Eugene should contact Tom Barkin. His contact information is listed below.

Here are some of the events that we held in 2006:

Cheese potluck
Pasta making at Pasta Plus
Pizza making class and tour of Hideaway Bakery
Pot luck dinner featuring the foods of Greece, Turkey, and the countries of the former Yugoslavia
A potluck book group talking about our favorite food oriented books
A day at Sweetwater Farm and Nursery
The Slow Sunday Dinner fund raiser prepared by chefs from Iraila, Koho Bistro, Marche, and Adam's Place

Slow Food Eugene also had informational booths at the Eugene Saturday Market, Oregon Truffle Festival, and the KLCC Garden Tour.

The annual meeting is a Slow Food event, so that means we eat. If you are inclined, bring a dozen cookies or other snack to share. Copies of recipes are appreciated. We'll supply the coffee and beverages.

Nonmembers, particularly those considering joining Slow Food, are welcome to attend the annual meeting, although they cannot vote.

If you can't come to the meeting, but still want to offer some suggestions for 2007 activities, volunteer to join the leader committee, or volunteer to help out on an event, send an email to Tom Barkin at eugene@slowfoodusa.org.

For those preferring the telephone, call Tom at 541-343-2619.

Visit our web site for more information.

eugene@slowfoodusa.org
http://slowfoodeugene.org

Slow Food Eugene | 2190 Charnelton Street | Eugene | OR | 97405

Waste Not, Want Not

2006-11-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

another timely seasonal feature from our friends at NPR:

Anthropologist Suggests Ways to Stop Wasting Food

by Ted Robbins

Morning Edition, November 27, 2006 · If you're feeling guilty about all the food you ate on Thanksgiving, don't dwell on it. Instead, anthropologist Timothy Jones would like you to think of all the food you wasted! Jones says Americans throw away nearly half the food they grow.

School Gardening & Dining (NPR story)

2006-11-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

This was a nice feature for Thanksgiving, 2006:

Oregon School Cafeteria Makes It from Scratch

by Jane Greenhalgh

Third-grader Devina Boughton holds a carrot harvested from her school's garden. photo by Jane Greenhalgh NPR © 2006

Morning Edition, November 23, 2006 · Thanksgiving is a time to savor good food, something you don't expect to find in a school cafeteria. In fact, most schools across the country serve reheated, premade food that is trucked in from central kitchens. Daily offerings are often uninspiring: chicken sticks, macaroni and cheese, and pizza.

But there is a move in some parts of the country to bring real cooking back to school kitchens. Last year, Abernathy Elementary School in Portland, Ore., bought a second-hand stove and a big mixer and started cooking all its food from scratch... more>>

Check out the recipes for Pumpkin and Sage Risotto & "Last of Summer" Provencale Soup.

Related story: Kids' Nutrition and the Trickle-Up Effect