Thank you so much for contributing to the success of the Brooklyn Food Conference. We had over 3300 people going to workshops, food demos, expos, films, lunches, dinners, speeches, and a kids’ food fair. There was so much learning and networking going on that the air was electric! We saw a broad movement for Food Democracy in Brooklyn in bloom.
Everyone is asking, "What's next?"
Neighborhood meetings
We are planning neighborhood-based meetings in June that we hope you’ll attend. In those meetings we will discuss how to advance any food projects that people in your neighborhood are interested in pursuing and what role a Brooklyn Food Coalition could play. Please let us know if you’d like to help organize a meeting in your neighborhood. We will also organize neighborhood meetings with legislators to discuss ways that our elected officials can help us change the food system. Please see our new neighborhood meetings page for updates.
Opportunities to Get Involved
We will send periodic e-blasts announcing volunteer opportunities to maximize the effectiveness of ongoing organizations and projects working on food issues in Brooklyn. For example, join up with Food Summer and help Brooklynites in low-access communities learn how to get on to food stamps and gain access to healthy food. Help win a strong Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act this year with New York Alliance for CNR. We will also post these opportunities on our Get Involved page.
We would like to thank everyone who made this conference possible!
Kim Pistone, our great executive chef for the lunch and dinner, who made some great food for us all.
Donors, big and small, including Jesse Smith Noyes Foundation, Independence Community Foundation, Small Planet Institute, Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, Park Slope Chamber of Commerce, New York Methodist Hospital, Lutheran Medical Center, Park Slope Civic Council.
Co-Sponsors, Brooklyn Rescue Mission, Brooklyn's bounty, Caribbean Women's Health Association, Park Slope Food Coop, World Hunger Year.
Over 200 Partners.
And you, over 3300 Conference Participants!
Yours Toward Food Democracy,
The Brooklyn Food Conference Coordinating Committee
Kathie Borowitz
Nancy Romer
Mandu Sen
Adriana Velez (website coordinator)
Friday, May 29, 2009
message and opportunities from BFC.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Food, Inc. - Special Action Packed Premiere in Brooklyn!
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| Type of Ticket: | General Admission - $25.00 GET YOURS HERE: http://bit.ly/Jq8CX | |
Saturday, May 16, 2009
The Minimalist - Out of the Wok, Tofu Stars in Dessert
from MARK BITTMAN
FOR many people tofu has become a staple in their diets, and rightly so. Though it is made from soy milk in roughly the same way cheese is made from mammal milk (a curdling agent is added, and it’s drained of excess water), tofu doesn’t take nearly as many forms as cheese. But neither is it solely the stuff of stir-fries.
For example, I can almost guarantee you will be impressed by this dessert, a pudding that takes about as much time to make as hot chocolate. But there are a few qualifiers. Without chocolate, the flavor is unimpressive; it tastes like sweetened tofu. Add chocolate and a few Mexican spices, however, and you have a real winner. And certainly no one I’ve fed it to had any inkling that it was dairy free.
The texture of the pudding, which must be made with silken tofu, is almost unbelievably good. The silken tofu packed in aseptic boxes yields a slightly better texture than that packed in tubs. I have no doubt that if you make your own tofu, or buy it from an artisan, you could improve the texture even further.
More important than which brand of tofu you buy is the brand of chocolate. Without mentioning names, let me just suggest that you use the highest quality chocolate — semisweet or bittersweet, please — you can lay your hands on. After all, it’s the flavor of the chocolate, not of the tofu, that will dominate.
[follow the link for a how to video that will make your mouth water. Yum.]
Sunday, May 10, 2009
NYTimes.com: Heifer Runs for Her Life, and It's Working So Far
NEW YORK REGION | May 07, 2009
Heifer Runs for Her Life, and It's Working So Far
By AL BAKER and ANN FARMER
An animal shelter in Brooklyn gives the 350-pounder who escaped in Queens a name, Molly, and a chance at a longer life.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
from a list my dad sent me...most likely NY Times
OUT Premade pie crusts. O.K., these are a real convenience, but almost all use inferior fats. I’d rather make a “pie” or quiche with no crust than use these.
IN Crumble graham crackers with melted butter and press into a pan. But really — if you put a pinch of salt, a cup of flour, a stick of very cold, cut-up butter in a food processor, then blend with a touch of water until it almost comes together — you have a dough you can refrigerate or freeze and roll out whenever you want, in five minutes.
CANNED COCONUT MILK Try this: cook some onions in oil with curry powder; stir in coconut milk; poach chicken, fish, tofu, or even meat in that. Serve over rice.
MISO PASTE Never goes bad, as far as I can tell, and its flavor is incomparable. Whisk into boiling water for real soup in three minutes; thin a bit (with sake if you have it), and smear on meat or fish that’s almost done broiling; add a spoonful to vinaigrette. Etc.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Taste Buddies!
Join the TastebudsNYC team!
TastebudsNYC is expanding to do even more great events and fun food adventures! If you'd like to join our team and help us achieve our mission of creating a community for foodies, please respond by May 20th with the following: 1) a little about yourself 2) your interest in food 3) projects that interest you 4) anything else you'd like me to know.
"The Connection between Food and Lifestyle" workshop with holistic health counselor Erica Mather
You've heard it before-"you are what you eat," and, "junk in, junk out." These are examples of adages that express knowledge so many Americans have lost touch with: that there is a direct connection between what and how you eat, and how you feel, think, and behave. Here in this 90-minute workshop we will explore these relationships. If you're interested in learning more about the food-mood connection, how we burden food with the responsibilities of other area of our lives, and getting some new tips on how to elevate your eating habits (or gain ammunition to educate those around you!) this workshop will prove satisfying. Also, attendees will receive a special offer for a steeply discounted holistic health initial session with Erica.
Date: Wednesday, June 17th, 6:30 PM
Location: Jena Wellness Center, 1133 Broadway, Suite 1107 (26th Street)
Cost: $15
RSVP required. Please email heidi@tastebudsnyc.com
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
a long letter from Food Democracy Now.
Food Democracy Now! http://www.fooddemocracynow.orgThe First 100 Days - Thank YOU! Together WE Made History!
Here at Food Democracy Now!, we’d like to thank everyone who signed the original petition and helped make Sustainable Change at the USDA possible. So far more than 94,000 Americans have signed up at Food Democracy Now! to send a unified voice that America must create a truly sustainable food system for the 21st century.
Because of your remarkable involvement, for the first time in our nation’s history we have a Secretary of Agriculture, former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack, speaking about the importance of organics, local foods and nutritious school lunches.
Not only does Secretary Vilsack speak about these important issues, he understands the role that sustainable practices will have in helping family farmers meet the challenges of 21st century agriculture. With looming water and energy shortages and the possibility of feeding a world population estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050, the only logical solution that our nation can embrace is sustainability.
Fortunately, this Administration has allowed the voice of reason back into the USDA.
With the naming of Kathleen Merrigan as Deputy Secretary, President Obama has heard the voice of the people. Not only was Deputy Secretary Merrigan one of our Sustainable Dozen, but she has also had a long and distinguished career in guiding positive change in agriculture, crafting the national organic standards and serving as the director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program at Tufts University. We are encouraged by her depth of knowledge and experience and committment to increasing opportunities for farmers.
During the cold winter months of December, January and February, when many thought that the future of agriculture was going to continue down the same old trodden path, members of the sustainable ag, farm and food community rallied at Food Democracy Now! to call for significant changes in U.S. agricultural policies that would benefit independent family farmers, protect the environment and return the right of safe and healthy food to America’s citizens
Because of your united efforts we have gained some significant changes at the USDA and beyond. Not only was Merrigan named as the USDA Deputy Secretary, but Iowa native Doug O’Brien, also a member of the Sustainable Dozen, was chosen to serve as Merrigan’s Chief of Staff.
In addition, another member of the Sustainable Dozen, Drake University professor Neil Hamilton, a fellow Iowan, was named as an informal advisor to Secretary Vilsack.
While we’d love to take credit for their selection, really it's a testament to your commitment in helping create an atmosphere where more sustainable choices were encouraged at the USDA. By coming together and presenting a united voice to the Administration, our community has shown what we can do when we work together towards a common goal.
Changing the Future of Agriculure
These selections will have a positive influence on the future of agriculture in the U.S., helping end the revolving door between government and corporations and returning the USDA to “The People’s Department” as originally envisioned by President Lincoln.
Now more than ever, it’s important that we continue to work together to help this Administration create positive change. And while we may sometimes disagree, it’s vital that we stay involved to educate leaders and citizens on how important sustainable solutions will be for our collective future.
Now is the time to plant the seeds for a truly sustainable food system for the 21st century. There will be trials ahead, but like all the great challenges in the history of our nation, these challenges will be met with enthusiasm and a spirit of cooperation to achieve a common goal.
At Food Democracy Now!, we firmly believe that a nation that can put a man on the moon will be able to meet the challenges of implementing sustainable practices in agriculture and other endeavors.
Sustainability is the future… It is ours to make together.
Let's put our shoulder to the wheel.
Many Thanks,
Food Democracy Now!If you’d like to see Food Democracy Now!’s grassroots work continue, please consider donating as little as $10 or $25.
http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/donate/
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Green Renter Lecture Series: Dispatches from the White House Organic Farm Project
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
___ food movement leaders have their say, in under 5 min.
TakePart and Grist.org got together at the Slow Food Nation Convention in San Francisco recently to talk to leaders in the Food Movement. Listen to what they have to say and let them know your thoughts.
Eric Schlosser, Jennifer Fearing, Andrew Kimbrell, Deborah Koons Garcia, Wes Jackson, Raj Patel, Dan Barber, and Anna Lappé
Saturday, April 4, 2009
One way to deal with climate change and the resources demands that traditional agriculture make could be to grow food in the urban centers where the majority of people now live. This event will look at potential strategies, including "vertical farms."
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
21st Century Plowshare: Pecha Kucha Tonight!
Deborah Fisher from 21st Century Plowshare posted a list of presenters and links to their projects.
Friday, March 13, 2009
25th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether
Saturday, March 21, 20099:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
You are invited on March 21 to join a thousand community gardeners and greening professionals from all over New York City for a day of learning, sharing, networking, and greening inspiration at the 25th Annual GreenThumb GrowTogether!
Not only is it the 25th Annual GrowTogether, but this year also makes 30 years since GreenThumb began. This year's workshop schedule is full of fun, interesting, and educational workshops for all ages. Highlights include special anniversary events and return dance performances by the American Ballroom Theatre Youth Dance Company, the youth dancers that inspired the hit documentary Mad Hot Ballroom.
Pre-register by March 10:
$3: Breakfast, workshop, lunch, t-shirt
Register at the door on March 21:
$5: breakfast and workshop
If you do not register, you are not guaranteed lunch or t-shirt, however, t-shirts can be purchased seperately.
Location
Hostos Community College
BronxContact Number
(212) 788-8073
Outlook[BEST deal in the city. Get your garden on!]
Monday, March 9, 2009
Pretty Girl.
Practical and prophetic, particular and poetic, and entirely personal, this is how I would describe Our Life in Gardens. Composed of nearly 50 essays arranged in alphabetical order, the book is termed by its authors a “gypsy trunk of this and that.” I’d think of it more as an old-time curiosity cabinet, a curio full of treasures to be pulled out and carefully savored, one by one. Part memoir, and part garden how-to, it is a completely engaging book to enjoy, perhaps while sitting in a favorite chair in the garden on a sunny afternoon, or by the fire on a cool, wet day, when gardening might be more of an intellectual pursuit. Read More
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Sign-Up Now for a new CSA in Brooklyn
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Monday, March 2, 2009
And one more from Organic Bytes
The February issue of the Journal of HortScience reports the average vegetable found in today's supermarket is anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in minerals than those harvested just 50 years ago. As Davis points out, more than three billion people around the world suffer from malnourishment and yet, ironically, efforts to increase food production have actually produced food that is less nourishing. If you're still not buying the whole "organic-is-better" argument, this study might convince you otherwise...
More Organic Bytes: Share your Nat'l Organic Action Plan
| Share Your Organic Vision for a U.S. National Organic Action Plan |
 This week, OCA's Alexis Baden-Mayer is in LaCrosse, WI at the U.S. National Organic Action Plan summit where a grassroots group of organic producers and consumers discussed the creation of a coordinated plan articulating a shared vision, set objectives and benchmarks for measuring organic agriculture's social and environmental benefits, and proposals for the future growth of U.S. organic food and agriculture for the next decade and beyond. Countries all over the world have developed and implemented national organic action plans with clear targets, benchmarks, and protocols to facilitate public accountability of agricultural policies. The U.S. National Organic Action Plan builds on this experience, but it is driven by a non-governmental group of grassroots participants. Read more and share your vision for the National Organic Action Plan |
Via: Organic Consumer's Association newsletter
| Web Videos of the Week: "Meet the Farmer" TV |
 This new program looks at the links between eating local and the costs of not doing so. Explore the business of small family farms, and the health benefits derived from eating organic, not to mention the economic benefits to the community from supporting local farms. We've posted two of these half-hour programs to our website for your viewing. Watch how one family starts up their own small farming operation from scratch. In the second episode, watch how this group of people fulfills Obama's request to U.S. citizens to begin volunteering one day per week when they start getting involved helping out at a local sustainable farm.Watch |