† The Farm Bill passed the House and the Senate: After passing the House by a vote of 318 to 106, the Farm Bill passed the Senate today by a vote of 81 to 15. Although President Bush has threatened to veto the bill, the Congressional votes indicate sufficient support to override such a veto. An overview of the final bill is available on the New York Times website in a piece by David Herszenhorn and David Stout.
† Fields of Green in Manhattan Beach:The second Fields of Green event will be held Sunday, May 18, at 13th Street and Metlos Plaza in Manhattan Beach from 2:00pm until 5:00pm. Cooking and gardening workshops, food samples provided by local farmers' markets and restaurants in the Manhattan Beach area, and healthy lifestyle presentations will be among the features. More information about Growing Great, one of the cosponsors of the event, can be found on their website.
† The Case of the Missing Bees: Reservations are still available for a June 5 presentation and Q&A with Professor May Berenbaum, one of the leading researchers into colony collapse disorder and the dramatic decline in the honeybee population. Considered by some to be one of the most significant threats to our food system, the disorder is still a mystery, though some causes have been ruled out and others are the subject of new investigations. Shortages of bees to pollinate crops is also contributing to an increase in the cost to rent bees and in bee heists. Details of this event, which is open to all, are available here.
† Taste of the Nation 2008: A popular event among many Slow Food members and friends, Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation will be held at Media Park in Culver City on Sunday, June 1, 2008, from 1:00pm until 4:00pm. Information about participating chefs and event highlights is available on the TOTN website, and tickets are now available online. As one of 55 annual events, the goal of Taste of the Nation is to raise fund to combat hunger, and local organizations that will directly benefit include the Garden School Foundation, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, California Food Policy Advocates, the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness, and St. Joseph's Center.
If you haven't read Omnivore's Dilemma or In Defense of Food or if you missed Michael Pollan's appearance last week on "Nightline," the segment is a straightforward introduction to some of the ideas that have contributed to the popularity of Pollan's writing on food, foodlike substances, and food choices. (Thanks to Serious Eats for the pointer.)
Can one little produce market save the world?
Eat at Bill's is a video documentary about the phenomenon that is the Monterey Market, a small family-owned produce market in Berkeley, California that has served as crossroads and wellspring, an oasis that sustains a small army of customers, artisans and farmers. What are the characteristics that sustain this successful small enterprise?
Some people (who were there) insist that the birthplace of California's food revolution was in the market's stock room back in the 70s.
Over the last 30 years owner Bill Fujimoto has been a tireless supporter, mentor, and Customer #1 for the hundreds of small (and formerly small) farms the market supports. Bill's enthusiasm and experience fuel the enterprise and illuminate the Market's wide world of small growers and diverse customers, which include a small army of well known chefs and food thinkers such as Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, and Judy Rodgers. This movie is a celebration of the Monterey Market's colorful network of customers and suppliers, and a valentine to small enterprises everywhere.
Documentary director and tangerine grower Lisa Brenneis, "Eat at Bill's" star Bill Fujimoto, and Slow Food Los Angeles leader Jordan Vannini will attend the screening and lead a post-screening discussion on the peril and promise of sustaining successful small enterprises in the Land of the Big Box.
When: Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 4:30pm
Where: Beyond Baroque, 681 Venice Boulevard, Venice 90291
Cost: Free admission (donations supporting Beyond Baroque gratefully accepted; suggested donation is $5). Admission will be on a first-come basis until we reach capacity. No reservations are required.
About Director/Producer Lisa Brenneis:
Lisa Brenneis grows organic citrus with her husband Jim Churchill in Ojai, California, and recently finished her first feature-length video documentary, "Eat at Bill's". She is also the author of Final Cut Pro: Visual QuickPro Guide, now in its seventh edition.
Churchill Orchard is a longtime supporter of the Slow Food community, and first commercial growers of the Pixie tangerine (introduced to the world by Bill Fujimoto at Monterey Market!). The Pixie was inducted into the Slow Food Ark of Taste in 2003. Slow Food Los Angeles and Slow Food Ojai members toured Churchill Orchard after the January 2007 citrus freeze.
For more information, visit the film's website at:
http://tangerineman.com/eab.htm
You can also watch a clip at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6750096205385977686&pr=goog-sl
Reviews:
"A non-fictional look at the history and 'backstage' stories behind California's Monterey Market and its second-generation owner Bill Fujimoto, this engaging film goes right to the heart of how individual buying decisions really have made a difference in local food communities."
-- Bruce Cole, Editor, Edible San Francisco on ediblenation.com
http://www.ediblecommunities.com/ediblenation/?p=53
"What the film does is show how simple it could be to build a local, sustainable food system. I wish every produce manager in the world could see it. … I think it comes across that Bill is "making" farmers. I mean he's selecting them, encouraging them, carrying them, promoting them, and playing a pivotal role in helping them to achieve economic viability. But he's also "making" shoppers. It's clear that he introduces new foods and tastes, and supports his customer base to be adventurous and alert to pleasure. He does it in part by sharing his own great adventurous spirit and pleasure connected to food, and by purchasing and presenting the best food he can find."
-- Janet Brown, Center for Ecoliteracy
http://www.ecoliteracy.org/
"Bill was doing specialty produce before it was chic or popular, and proves it doesn't need to be expensive or out-of-reach to anyone who wants it (save for the ride to North Berkeley and dodging all the Volvos.) ...This is a loving, insider's look at one of the most unique characters who with good cheer and the best of intentions, built a strong community and strengthened the bonds between farmers, chefs, and customers"
--David Lebovitz "…living the sweet life in Paris" blog
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2007/07/eat_at_bills.html
Bill Lewis, an experienced beekeeper and long-time participant in the South Pasadena and Santa Monica farmers' markets, has once again generously agreed to host a private tour of his bee-keeping and small-scale honey production operation and to share his vast knowledge of bees and honey with Slow Food Los Angeles members.
Bill's Bee Ranch is a rural oasis, located high above the city. The site has active bee hives and there is an ambient bee population. The morning event will include a tour of his honey-making facility, an opportunity to learn about the production and uses of honey, a close inspection of hives and bee colonies, and a comparative honey tasting. Bill's honey and bee products will be available for sale.
When: Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 10:00am
Where: The Bee Ranch, located in the Angeles National Forest above Lake View Terrace. Directions will be provided with confirmation of reservation.
Cost: $20.00 per person for adults; $15 per child under 12 years of age
Attire/Precautions: While the prospect of a bee sting is unlikely, those who are concerned about, sensitive to or allergic to honey, bee stings, and/or insect bites should not attend this event. Late spring brings rattlesnakes out for sun in the California hillsides. Wear pale-colored, full-length clothing and socks and walking/hiking shoes suitable for unpaved, farm/hilly terrain ( = no shorts, capris, skirts, sandals, bright-colored or billowy clothing). Please refrain from using perfume or floral-scented lotion, sunscreen, soap, or shampoo. Long hair should be confined to a braid or placed under a cap/hat; bees are attracted to long hair when it is blown in the breeze.
Maximum of four people per reservation. Please carpool if possible. Each child under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. The event will last approximately 1.5-2 hours. Please note: There are no restroom facilities on site.
To reserve your place:
FIRST: Email your reservation request to snailwrangler [at] slowfoodla [dot] com with the number in your party (adults + children) and the name of the Slow Food convivium to which you belong.And don't forget: Professor May Berenbaum's presentation on colony collapse disorder will be held on Thursday evening, June 5, at the Beverly Hills Public Library. For information, see our original announcement.THEN: Send your check, payable to Slow Food Los Angeles to:
Slow Food Los Angeles
8033 Sunset Blvd #395
Los Angeles, CA 90046.Please include with your check the name under which your reservation was placed. Your reservations will be confirmed by email when your check has been received. Checks must be received by May 20th to hold a reservation.
† The Grim State of Bee Health: On the heels of yesterday's announcement of a Slow Food Los Angeles event featuring a presentation by Professor May Berenbaum, one of the nation's experts on the declining bee population, this article via the SFGate noting that bees are dying at a substantial rate, with losses estimated as high as 36.1% of the commercially managed beehives in the United States. The article is available online here; details of the Los Angeles event, which is open to Slow food members and nonmembers, are available here.
† Farm Bill Update: Carolyn Lochhead's update on the Farm Bill considers the seemingly odd position of the Bill's political players, who are divided over billions of dollars in subsidies. Among the interesting details, Lochhead notes: "To secure votes, negotiators added a $93 million write-off for thoroughbred racehorses at the behest of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Arkansas Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln. That is nearly as much money a organic farmers will get for research, data collection, and certification help for small growers." [emphasis added] Read the full article online.
† From the Los Angeles Times: Several pieces, last week and this week, that may be of particular interest:
+ What happened to the farmers of the South Central Community Garden that was the subject of such controversy? They're now farming at Buttonwillow, west of Bakersfield, and are continuing to sell their produce at farmers' markets across Los Angeles. Steve Chawkins visited with them and wrote about their new--and growing--farm.† And over at the New York Times, a bounty of articles that examine food choices of many kinds:+ Russ Parsons looks at the next generation of farmers and the hurdles and rewards they face.
+ Charles Perry considers the history of farm stands and the role they might play in encouraging consumption of more local products.
+ As a general note, readers may wish to bookmark the series page for "The Food Chain," the NYT's series about food production around the world. Articles in the series, and others of interest:+ The Environmental Cost of Shipping Groceries Around the World: How else do we see kiwis, strawberries, tomatoes, and other produce month after month in grocery store bins and on menus? Because somewhere, someone is growing it, and shipping it.
+ The term RAFT may be familiar to Slow Food members, but to many others, the food context is not clear. Kim Severson writes about Gary Paul Nabhan and his new book, Renewing America's Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent's Most Endangered Foods. In a nutshell, the philosophy of RAFT is "eat it to save it," an idea that inspired Heritage Foods (founded by Patrick Martins, a founder of Slow Food USA) and continues to be a focus of Slow Food USA's efforts.
+ Tracie McMillan spotlights urban farmers and the benefits of urban agriculture in Brooklyn and other cities across the country, citing examples from Detroit, Oakland, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia.
+ Last, but not least, Mark Bittman, aka The Minimalist, considers the real cost of cheap food. The report to which he refers, "Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America," has been released by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production and is available online. In sum: "The current industrial farm animal production (IFAP) system often poses unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and the welfare of the animals themselves."
Marion Nestle, a member of the Commission, notes in her blog post that the two big issues are antibiotics and waste, and includes links to related pieces in the Washington Post and Kansas City Star. (If you've not bookmarked Dr Nestle's "What to Eat" blog or added it to your RSS/newsreader, we encourage you to do so. It's a great source for timely information, and Dr Nestle's brief but incisive commentary provides helpful context.)
Slow Food Los Angeles is delighted to welcome Professor May Berenbaum to Los Angeles for a timely presentation on the as-yet unexplained disappearance of honeybees and the potential effects of this ecological crisis.
The "pollinator crisis"--the widespread decline in the viability of animals that transport pollen and allow most of the planet's flowering plants to reproduce--may lack marquee appeal as a form of global change but it has real potential for profoundly altering the terrestrial world. Close to 100 crop plants in the U.S. rely on a single pollinator--the honey bee--to survive and reproduce.
Over the past year, the mysterious disappearance of one-third of America's honey bees, due to what has become known as colony collapse disorder, has focused attention on how little is known about U.S. pollinators and how dependent we are upon them. Professor May Berenbaum, Professor and Head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois, will discuss the pollinator crisis, the plight of the honey bee, and advances in entomology that provide hope for the future of America's bees.
When: Thursday, June 5, 2008 from 7:00pm until 8:30pm
Where: Beverly Hills Public Library, 444 North Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills
Cost: $12 per person, reservations required. Please visit our event page at Brown Paper Tickets to reserve your place.
Free parking is available in the adjacent garage after 5:00pm.
Professor Berenbaum will also share with us recent research about the nutraceutical properties of honey. It is now understood that honey is a potentially rich source of antioxidants, compounds that can reduce or counteract toxic oxygen radicals. In view of the fact that oxygen radicals have been implicated as factors contributing to a wide range of human health problems including heart disease and cancer, incorporation of honey into the diet, particularly in place of sugar, may have health-promoting, or nutraceutical, value.
An entomologist, author, and founder of the University of Illinois Insect Fear Film Festival, Professor Berenbaum has been head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign since 1992 and holds joint or affiliate appointments in the Department of Plant Biology, the Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, and the Division of Ecological Entomology at the Illinois Natural History Survey. Frequently named an excellent teacher by students, she is devoted to fostering scientific literacy and has authored numerous magazine articles, as well as four books, about insects for the general public. Her research interests are in the area of insect chemical ecology and for over two decades she has studied the ways in which naturally occurring chemicals affect the distribution and abundance of plant-feeding insects. In recognition of her work, she has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. The campus has honored her with a Swanlund Chair and Jubilee Professorship. She received a B.S. from Yale University in 1975 and a Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1980.
This event is open to Slow Food members and nonmember/friends alike.
"Celebrate the Farmers' Market" is a reception and dinner celebrating the Santa Monica Farmers' Market and honoring Josie LeBalch of Josie Restaurant and John Tenerelli of the Tenerelli Familiy Orchards.
When: Sunday, May 18, 2008 from 6:00pm until 10:00pm
Where: The Fairmont Miramar Hotel Santa Monica, 101 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica 90401
Cost: $125 per person, available only in advance. Secure your reservations by calling 310.455.0181 or by email to howell@sfma.net.
Proceeds of the event, which also includes a silent auction and raffle, will benefit the Southland Farmers' Market Association, a nonprofit organization representing the interests of growers in California certified farmers' markets.
Participating chefs include Raymond Alvarez (Border Grill), Josiah Citrin (Melisse), Ben Ford (Ford's Filling Station), Neal Fraser (Grace & BLD), Raymond Garcia (Fairmont Miramar Hotel Santa Monica), Mark Gold (Private Chef), Gwen Gulliksen (Artainable Cuisine), Andrew Kirschner (Wilshire), Josie LeBalch (Josie), Michael McCarty (Michael's), Rich Mead (Sage & Sage On The Coast), Joe Miller (Bar Pinxto), Jessica Mortarotti (Carmela Ice Cream) Mark Peel (Campanile), Amy Sweeney & Benny Bohm (Ammo), Jeremy Tummel (Ciudad), Jason Travi (Fraiche), Terri Wahl (Auntie Em's Kitchen), and Sherry Yard (Spago). The chefs will prepare a special dinner in partnership with farmers from the Santa Monica Farmers' Market.
If your travels take you south of Los Angeles, our colleagues in the Slow Food Temecula Valley convivium have asked us to share their invitation to Slow Food Los Angeles members and friends to Field to the Fork, an event celebrating fresh, local, and sustainable foods.
When: Sunday, May 25, 2008 from 1:00pm until 5:00pm
Where: Leonesse Cellars, 38311 De Portola Road, Temecula 92592
Cost: $65 per person for tickets purchased in advance; $75 per person at the event. Advance tickets can be purchased via Brown Paper Tickets.
Wine and beer pairings will be available from local wineries and breweries.