Archive for October, 2010
With tomorrow’s municipal elections in mind, I just came across an interesting reminder by Debbie Field, Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto, about the important role food plays in our communities:
www.foodshare.net/foodpolicy-cityagenda.htm.
Let’s make good food more accessible, not less.
Ever been to the Greenmarket at Union Square in NYC?
They got it goin’ on.
I had the pleasure of visiting this market a few days ago and, chatting with one of the GrowNYC reps, I learned that it has been around since 1976.
What struck me about this market, I mean, aside from being open an impressive 4-days a week, year round, and hosting over 140 different local suppliers who provide New Yorkers with picked-that-day-or-the-day-before fruits and vegetables, it was that this market was situated right downtown in the middle of all the action.
Any farmer’s market I’ve ever seen has been sequestered away in a residential neighbourhood, often with operating hours that only the stay-at-home can adhere to.
But the Union Square Greenmarket sits right there like an icon to grassroots urban development; in a previously crime-ridden neighbourhood, this market now holds its own amongst office towers, megastores and trendy boutiques.
No doubt there is a price tag attached to this convenience, but the place is packed! Proving that movers & shakers, students, chefs, hipsters, neighbours and tourists are willing to rub shoulders and strike up some small talk all for the sake and the pleasure of eating some real food.
This is a market that is located where the people are.
If you’re in NYC, do check it out. This is how it should be.
It’s been a busy few weeks around the LocalFoody ranch. Last Friday October the 1st was Anne’s birthday (!!) and also marked the start of our Beta period. We’ve been sending out the first few beta invites and have a handful of dedicated beta testers looking around and kicking the tires. We’re rolling the beta out at a slow but steady pace to ensure things are stable and we can respond quickly to feedback.
In other news, today we launched our new Blog theme, which I think you’ll agree is much nicer and synchs up well with the rest of the site. Let us know what you think.
If you haven’t already, please sign up for the beta. We are just beginning our mission to help people find good, whole, sustainable food and we would love to have you join us on the journey!
The Great Big Crunch is when 700 students gather on the front lawn of Queen’s Park and simultaneously bite into a fresh, local apple. And it’s happing this Friday at 2pm, Oct. 8.
The Great Big Crunch is part of a province-wide Eat-In Ontario fall harvest celebration, which aims to teach students of all ages the joys of cooking, growing and tasting good, healthy food.
Eat-In Ontario is part of FoodShare’s Recipe for Change initiative, which is working hard to improve food literacy across Ontario.
So pack an apple and come on down to show your support! It’ll be worth the trip just to see 700 kids do anything simultaneously.
Who: Students, JK-12 and anyone else who eats food
Where: Front lawn Queen’s Park
When: Fri, 8 Oct. 2 pm
Why: Because good healthy food matters, and not just for kids
Not far from the Tree’s fruit picking program organizes volunteer groups in Toronto to harvest fruit from trees on residential properties that would otherwise go to waste.
If you have a fruit tree that yields more than you can handle, consider calling these guys to come pick the fruit and put the unwanted bounty to good use.
One third goes to the fruit tree owner, one third goes to the volunteer pickers, and one third goes to community organizations in the neighbourhood.
And Not Far from the Tree is sharing their return with the public tonight as part of the Gladstone’s Fly by Night exhibition for Nuit Blanche. Starting at 6:57 pm today, they’ll be pressing apple cider from dusk till dawn.
Enjoy a cup of local love … a tireless cider-pressing extravaganza that animates the urban orchard!
Snap snap!
