THINGS FOR JANUARY MEETING

There is so much going on with our little group -- I want to summarize a few of the ideas / updates so we have something of a meeting agenda in January when next we meet!

WORKSHOPS / EDUCATION
Stephanie has taken the initiative to create a fermentation workshop for those of us who want to avoid botulism on our next sauerkraut experiment. This is a great first step in what could be a series of workshops to outreach to the CSA community with educational opportunities. We have talked as a group about being something like a satellite of Just Food's education program to the community -- and inasmuch as we want to work in a neighborhood that might be unfamiliar with organic food / cooking / nutrition -- it is a great outreach idea to think about being a source of information for the community through these kinds of workshops. We should think about how we can begin to make people aware of us.

It can also of course just be info-sharing between us.


WEBSITE / IDENTITY
We're talking about naming and creating an online identity -- which will be critical for our accessibility. I think Unitey, Stephanie, and I are the only ones who have website -ish experience and are willing to work on the site. If you're interested in being involved in the technical end of the site construction, let it be known! Otherwise, I imagine it will progress with a lot of content-input from the group, but the technical parts will be handled somewhere between the 3 of us.

Naming is another matter. We will have to resolve that ASAP and need everyone's input! What it seems we agree on is that CSA is a bit too opaque a term for what we hope to be -- something very open and community-generating. It should be clear from our name what we are up to.


TECHNICAL DETAILS
um, we need a distribution site. Hopefully we'll hear from Paula soon. I think everything is progressing fine -- soon we'll all know everything we need to know.


PRESS!
We were video-ed at our PotLuck the other night by Lisa and Deanna for what might become a segment of a documentary. I think they'll be showing up here and there at our events, which is great.

Also a lingering opportunity that no one has expressed interest in: there's a book that wants to give us a chapter, to be out next year. But I need help!


POTLUCKS
Ghost-member Paula Crossfield was unable to make our meeting last Sunday, but she's very tied into the NYC food community as a writer for SLow Food, and suggested we should have monthly potlucks not limited to our CSA group. She'd like to host one in January (I think you said that Paula ! -- and can I recommend the 22nd? ). It'll be great for networking and getting ideas for what we can do as a group.


FARM TRIPS
Leah is initiating a trip to Stone Barnes, and it might be nice to visit a few farms in the area if they accommodate that kind of thing. I went up to a farm to plant garlic a few weeks ago -- and while it was terrible experience -- it puts real perspective on the issues farmers are facing. Very powerful.

FOOD-EXTENSIONS
Leah is excited to think beyond farmshares and into eggs, milk, composting -- etc. I'm a bit into Fair Trade too, which may or may not have a place in our little group. Things to keep in mind.


GRANTS
Just Food is doing quite a bit of work for us, but Paula mentioned at our last meeting that we might look out for grants, ourselves. The more money we have, of course, the more we can do!


I'm sure there are things I'm leaving out. Let me know. We're bouncing a lot of ideas around all the time, and I don't want to lose track of them. I am seeing a nonprofit or something developing out of everyone's synergy. It's great to be a part of!