Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

Posted by Christopher Bradshaw | July 11th, 2011

Aya Community Markets (Aya) is a community-centered economic and holistic health experience that combines education, farmers’ markets and community supported sustainable agriculture to provide access to healthy food and improved nutrition in “food deserts” and underserved communities in Washington, DC.

Join us for our launch on Saturday July 30th from 11am until 5pm at Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church (3000 Penn. Ave. SE).

Aya’s physical farmers’ markets will be a vibrant gathering places and destination points where consumers will come to not only shop for produce, but will be able to access various vendors for goods and services for mental, spiritual and financial health. This holistic approach will attract customers in search of other health experiences such as yoga, exercise classes, or credit counseling which help to improve the community.

Aya Community Markets will offer fresh, local produce, flowers, prepared foods and handcrafted items directly to Ward 7 residents. In addition Aya will host a wide range of family and nutritional programs, including live entertainment, chef demonstrations and youth activities.

Aya will feature:

• Fresh produce and baked goods;
• Handmade arts and crafts;
• Live musical performances;
• Massage therapy, acupuncture and other holistic health services.

Visit http://dreamingoutloud.org/ayamarkets for more!

Posted by aibmin | July 8th, 2011

GET YOUR GROW ON with the Edible Urban Garden Tour, hosted by Loulies.com, Friday, July 15th from 5-8PM. Explore city spaces and residential gardens that will open their doors and gates for the public to see what growing good food in our own backyards, front yards, rooftops, and empty lots is all about. It’s a [...]

Posted by T. Cunningham | June 16th, 2011

Healthy Solutions, Black Agriculture, Southeastern African American Organic Network (SAAFON), and community stakeholders will host advocacy events, programs, and services nationally to “Create opportunities for: Awareness, Education, Outreach, and Volunteerism around Black Agriculture” for the first ever National Black Agriculture Awareness Week during the week of July 10- 16, 2011.

National Black Agriculture Awareness Week is about recognizing, educating, and celebrating the contribution of African Americans, and People of African Descent, to agriculture in our everyday lives. The National Black Agriculture Awareness Week encourages everyone to:

• Understand how the decline in Black Agricultural Producers is an issue that needs immediate attention.
• Educate youth to want to pursue Agriculture as a viable option to build a foundation for themselves and communities.
• Appreciate the many agriculturally related accomplishments that benefit not just black agricultural producers, but agriculture as a whole, and impact us on a daily basis.
• Bring awareness to food and agricultural issues in the African American community as a whole.

Currently Black agricultural producers, farmers, and ranchers make up 1% ( 1 in 100 farmers) of all agricultural producers, farmers, and ranchers nationally, and combine for an average of 63 years of age. “This time is critical point and time for black producers”, says Tanikka Cunningham, Healthy Solutions Executive Director, “we are at a point and time in our lives, where if something is not done soon to create more black farmers, sustain our current black producers, and educate our communities about agriculture, we can see the extinction of Black Agriculture as we know it”.

“We believe that with creation, and implementation of this necessary National Black Agricultural Awareness Week can help plant the seeds to revitalize black agriculture while paying respect and celebrating what black agricultural producer, farmers, ranchers, inventors, scientist, and communities have done for agriculture in the United States, and beyond”.

“This week is not just about Black Farmers, but it is a week to eliminated artificial barriers and continue to make progress toward implementing a National Black Agriculture Action Agenda that bring together federal, state and local; U.S. Agriculture stakeholders, toward expanding job creation, career development and sustainable communities around Agriculture”, says Michael Harris, publisher of Black Agriculture.

For more information about how to get involved, plan events, sponsorship, or supporting this week in anyway more information about the National Black Agriculture Awareness Week, can be found at www.saveblackfarmers.org.

Posted by Ibti Vincent | June 13th, 2011

It’s time for summer’s first garden celebration with City Blossoms…. Come join food lovers and community gardeners on Thursday, June 23 for City Blossoms’ 3rd Annual PROPER TOPPER Garden Fiesta. Friends, put on your best hats (homemade or store-bought) and enjoy an enchanting evening in the garden under the stars. The event will take place [...]

Posted by Kate Sims | May 31st, 2011

A Spring Harvest Celebration in D.C. Schools

“Salad greens! Salad greens!” was the surprising, yet endearing chant heard loud and clear in the cafeteria of Bancroft Elementary of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood at DC Farm to School Network’s 2^nd annual Strawberries & Salad Greens event on May 25, 2011.

Strawberries and salad greens from farms of the mid-Atlantic region were incorporated into the lunch menufor the day in all 123 DCPS elementary, middle, high schools and educational campuses. Other schools in the city to participate included Friendship Public Charter Schools, CentroNia/D.C. Bilingual PCS, E.W. Stokes PCS, Cesar Chavez PCS (all campuses), Yu Ying PCS, Washington Jesuit Academy, Next Step Public Charter School, and The SEED School.

33 cafeterias across the city also featured a “Where Food Comes From” table. Educational materials provided for those tables included a map and pictures of the farmers who harvested the plants, packets of seeds to grow the plants, and a strawberry and salad green plant to discuss with the kids the process of how part of their lunch was planted, grown, and then harvested.

Festive stickers with the Strawberries & Salad Greens logo were also provided to all students, which they wore proudly on shirts, hands, and even foreheads, as they munched and commented on the special additions to their school lunch: How does it taste? Sweet! Do you know where strawberries come from? The farm! A garden! What do you think these seeds need to grow? Water! Sun! Love! What do you eat strawberries in? Smoothies! Cake! Salad!

Strawberries & Salad Greens is just one example of how DC Farm to School Network is helping introduce fresh produce to kids and create an interest in tasting and learning about where nutritious food comes from.

For more information on upcoming DC Farm to School Network events, please visit www.dcfarmtoschool.org

Posted by Barbara Fallon | May 31st, 2011

Food pioneer Dr. Oran Hesterman will be speaking about his new book, FAIR FOOD, Growing A Healthy, Sustainable Food System for All, at 7 p.m., June 6, at Politics & Prose in Washington.

While many books have given advice to buy local and eat organic. Dr. Hesterman is calling for a complete reform of the U.S. food system, to bring us back to health. The book deals with all aspects of a food system in crisis, including chemicals, shortages, mistreatment of workers, and unsanitary conditions. Hesterman, president and CEO of Fair Food Network, is a former professor of agronomy, and determined to help change how food is produced, packaged, and delivered.

Here in the link to the book’s website, www.fairfoodbook.org

Dr. Hesterman will discuss problems on a national scale as well as inequities in the food system here in DC — and positive steps being taken as well.

Posted by Grace Lichaa | May 26th, 2011

The buttoned-up town of Washington, DC was gifted with the Grey Market this past Saturday May 21 at Local 16. Underground, porkers, picklers, bakers, brewers, and schemers all came together to sell their wares in what was a delicious display of what unlicensed food vendors can churn out. The big name White House Meats had a Meat Up- basically a draft style way to sell an entire cow! Seth and Jon also brought us a taste of what their smoked pork brain-child would taste like and the future is looking good. Other pork products included a truly Southern style gumbo that was receiving rave reviews, a pork shoulder and swiss sandwich, and the treat I missed (chocolate covered bacon).

The Pickle wowed me with Chimmichurri sauce and some fantastic pickled garlic. The solo pickler uses lacto-fermentation and locally or organically produced ingredients to a fantastic fermented variety of pickled products including chutneys and krauts.

The baked goods were absolutely overwhelming, There were cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and short breads. Pollystyle won my heart with the most delicious and buttery cookies. The most fantastic outfits and the cupcakes that were equally fantastic were Crunkcakes. Booze in the frosting and if that wasn’t enough, each cupcake was soaked in booze! Fantastic flavors including a mudslide, the dude, and the buttery nipple. I only could fit in some of these fantastic flavors since I had to get home safely but these were well worth the trip!

The yogurt and Lebneh were a break from meats and treats and I have been enjoying my $5.00 quart of yogurt this week.

Other offerings were the sweet potato butter, saucy sauces, and I would be remiss to not mention the sweet ending of the macaroons.

This was a great second market and I am looking forward to the next event. I would love to see a more robust showing of what DC has to offer.

Posted by Cintia Cabib | May 17th, 2011

Please join us for a film screening of the new documentary A Community of Gardeners and a discussion on getting more gardens growing in the District on Tuesday, May 24, from 5:30-8 p.m., at Bread for the City. There will be a tour of Bread for the City’s new rooftop vegetable garden at 5:30 p.m. The screening and discussion will take place from 6-8 p.m. A Community of Gardeners explores the vital role of seven community gardens in Washington, D.C. and how these green spaces are changing people’s lives, their communities and their environment. Speakers will include filmmaker Cintia Cabib, Dennis Chestnut, Executive Director of Groundwork Anacostia, and Bea Trickett, Program Director of the Neighborhood Farm Initiative, who will present the brand new Guide to Starting Community Gardens in Washington, D.C. Attendees are encouraged to bring a dish to share or make a small donation. Please RSVP to Allison at aburket@breadforthecity.org or call (202) 386-7006. Bread for the City is located at 1525 Seventh St., NW, walking distance from the Shaw-Howard University Metro on the Green line. We hope you can join us!