Tomorrow is the big day! We have almost 40 vendors lined up and some great, and big buyers lined up to make tomorrow afternoon a fun celebration of our local food system and the advent of spring.
Pop city wrote a great article about it, and Allegheny Front will be there tomorrow to do a roving ‘ ask the Chef’ segment with Chef Bill Fuller, so listen to WYEP tomorrow evening.
Chef Keith Fuller of Six Penn Kitchen will be making mushrooms stuffed with homemade chorizo sausage. Chef Dan Dooley of Parkhurst Dining Services at Chatham University will be making beef sliders on homemade cornbread. YUM!
This is open to the public, with no pre registration necessary, just come and have a good time!
Here is the list of vendors:
| American HealthCare Group |
| Backyard Gardens LLC |
|
| Clarion River Organic’s |
| Curran Taylors, Inc. |
| Dillner Family Farm |
| European Desserts |
| Frankferd Farms Foods, Inc. |
| Friendships Farms Inc. |
| Grow Pittsburgh |
| Harvest Valley Farms |
| Hillsprings Farms |
| Kretschmann Farm |
| Latimore Valley Farms Inc. |
| Mary Mac Bake House |
| McElhaney Family Farm |
| Milestone Specialty Produce |
| Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance |
| Studio 4 Cooking |
|
| The Progress Fund |
| The Purple Spoon |
| Turner Dairy Farms |
| Wilson Family Farms |
| Enrico Biscotti |
| PASA |
| Herbal Delights |
| Jamison’s Farm |
| Najat’s Cuisine |
| Don Gibbon |
| Schramm Farm and Orchard |
| Logan Family Farms |
|
| Keswick Creamery |
| East End Food Coop |
| Greek Gourmet, LLC |
| Green Ciricle Farms |
| Emerald Valley Farms |
| Edible Allegheny |
| Forbes Buffalo Farms |
Posted 3 days, 6 hours ago at 3:17 pm. Add a comment
Will Walmart, not Whole Foods, save the small farm and make America healthy? An interesting article from The Atlantic.
Posted 1 week, 3 days ago at 3:11 pm. Add a comment
A little off topic from local food, but still interesting from the living lightly standpoint.
Hugh Pickens writes “The LA Times reports that Orange County officials are locked in a legal battle with a couple accused of
violating city ordinances for replacing the grass on their lawn with wood chips and drought-tolerant plants, reducing their water usage from 299,221 gallons in 2007 to 58,348 gallons in 2009. The dispute began two years ago, when Quan and Angelina Ha tore out the grass in their front yard. In drought-plagued Southern California, the couple said, the
lush grass had been soaking up tens of thousands of gallons of water — and hundreds of dollars — each year. ‘We’ve got a newborn, so we want to start worrying about her future,’ said Quan Ha, an information technology manager for Kelley Blue Book. But city officials told the Has they were violating several city laws that require that 40% of residential yards to be landscaped predominantly with live plants. Last summer, the couple tried to appease the city by building a fence around the yard and planting drought-tolerant greenery — lavender, rosemary, horsetail, and pittosporum, among others. But according to the city, their landscaping still did not comply with city standards. At the end of January, the Has received a letter saying they had been charged with a misdemeanor violation and must appear in court. The couple could face a
maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for their grass-free, eco-friendly landscaping scheme. ‘It’s just funny that we pay our taxes to the city and the city is now prosecuting us with our own money,’ says Quan Ha.
“
Here is the link to the slashdot article.
Posted 1 week, 3 days ago at 12:10 pm. Add a comment
The Local Food Showcase is really coming together. This fun event has confirmed twice the number of vendors expected during the brainstorm phase. The public and food professionals are invited to mingle with local farmers and food producers, learn from a master canner and see chef demos. This is a great place to find our where to find locally produced food for the upcoming season. It will be fun!
It will be held at Chatham University’s Anderson Dining Hall, March 11 from 1-4 pm.
The public is invited to attend; the entrance fee to the event is $5. For more info contact Penn State Extension, Allegheny County at 412-473-2540.
A list of confirmed vendors follows:
| Herbal Delights |
|
Kretchmann Farms |
|
| Latimer Valley Organics |
|
Milestone Specialty Produce |
|
| Cherry Valley Organics |
|
Clarion River Organics |
|
| Dillner Family Farms |
|
Backyard Gardens |
|
| Enrico Biscotti |
|
European Desserts |
|
| Frankferd Farms |
|
Friendship Farms |
|
| Harvest Valley Farms |
|
Hillspring Farms |
|
| Jamison’s Farms |
|
Le Ara Farms, LLC,
Wilson Family Farms |
|
| Logan Family Farms |
|
McElhaney Family Farm |
|
| Najat’s Cuisine |
|
Six Penn /Parkhurst |
|
Penn’s Corner Farm
Alliance |
|
Schramm’s Farm |
|
| Standing Chimney Breads |
|
Studio 4 Cooking |
|
| Sturges Orchard |
|
The Purple Spoon Jams |
|
| Turner Dairy |
|
Curran and Taylor |
|
American Health Group
(Farm to Table) |
|
East End Food Coop |
| Logan Family Farms |
| Grow Pittsburgh |
|
PASA |
| Keswick Creamery |
| yumpittsburgh.com |
Posted 1 week, 4 days ago at 1:58 pm. Add a comment
The room was packed with residents who lined up to voice their opinions about the proposed agriculture zoning ordinances. Members of many organizations including Penn State Extension, Grow Pittsburgh, East End Food Coop, Burgh Bees, The Kingsley Association, PASA, Landslide Farm, GTECH and others applauded the City’s efforts and interest in helping to guide the evolution of urban agriculture in Pittsburgh. Concerns regarding permitting fees, and regulations surrounding bee keeping and chicken keeping are at the heart of the changes the urban agriculture community would like the city to consider rewriting. The request was put forth by Grow Pittsburgh, and supported by others in the room, for 4 weeks time to craft ordinances that reflect the needs of the community.
Pop City wrote a good summary you can find here.
Posted 3 weeks, 3 days ago at 4:08 pm. Add a comment
Attention: Community Oriented Business Owners, Language Instructors, Green Business Managers, Artists, Accountants, Consultants, Real Estate Agents and Urban Farmers:
We want YOU to teach at our school!
Start-Up!
A School for Local Living Economy
Start-Up is an incorporated, instructor-owned school whose mission is to empower the people of Pittsburgh in building locally-own, environmentally- friendly businesses that enrich our local community. Start-Up is partnering with The Kingsley Association to bring affordable business, environmental, and cultural education to the people and neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.
We are inviting potential instructors to an Open House to learn more about sharing your skills through Start-Up!
Start-Up! Open House
Saturday, February 20
10am – 12pm
Kingsley Association
Corner of Frankstown Rd and E. Liberty Blvd
Admission free with RSVP. Register by phone, 412-677-3109, or by email at startupinfo@startup1.org. $2 at the door.
Visit our website at www.startup1.org
Posted 3 weeks, 4 days ago at 5:24 pm. Add a comment
PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Childhood Food Education Training by Visiting Author “Food Is Elementary” Comes to Pittsburgh March 6th and 7th
Program aims to combat childhood obesity through hands-on food education
[PITTSBURGH, PA]– February 10, 2010—The innovative, award-winning Food Is Elementary curriculum is coming to Pittsburgh! This hands-on approach to teaching children about nutrition will be the subject of a two-day training led by author, Dr. Antonia Demas. The trainings will be held March 6th and 7th from 9am to 4pm at the Center for Victims of Violence and Crime, 5916 Penn Circle in East Liberty. They are open to anyone interested in teaching the curriculum in elementary schools as a certified Food Educator.
Based on the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, the Food is Elementary Curriculum teaches children about the relationship between food choices and disease prevention in a fun, practical, and sensory way. The curriculum is the result of the pioneering work of Dr. Antonia Demas, founder and president of the Food Studies Institute (www.foodstudies.org). Demas hopes to teach the 28-unit curriculum to a new generation of Food Educators who will take the lesson plans and healthy foods into elementary school classrooms. Food Is Elementary has won national awards from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Society of Nutrition Education. Currently it is taught in more than 2,000 schools nationwide, including three in Pittsburgh so far.
Rosemary Traill, a certified Food Educator since 2003, teaches the curriculum in Colfax Elementary, Faison Primary, and the Kentucky Avenue School. Traill explains, “Children learn to prepare healthy foods as well as learn about the cultures they come from. The wonderful thing is— it works! Children get excited about fruits and vegetables when they learn about them in a fun way and get to prepare foods right in the classroom.”
Unhealthy diets are a major cause of health problems like obesity, which are on the rise in childhood. The number of children who are overweight or obese has more than tripled since 1980. That is over 9 million children in the U.S. The Food is Elementary program is a practical and direct approach to addressing this problem.
Registration for the Food Educator Training is open until full, but space is limited. Fees apply. For more information or to register, contact Rosemary Traill at 412-741-5167 or at macrorose@msn.com.
Chris Farber, Outreach Coordinator
East End Food Co-op
412-242-3598 ext. 208
outreach@eastendfood.coop
Posted 3 weeks, 4 days ago at 5:16 pm. Add a comment
Yum is sitting in a packed room awaiting the start of this meeting. The ag community is out in full force. It is easy to tell who is here on the side of bee and chicken keeping. Yum will report back on how things go.
Posted 3 weeks, 4 days ago at 2:13 pm. Add a comment
Public Hearing Regarding Proposed City of Pittsburgh Agriculture Zoning Ordinance
The City of Pittsburgh, in an effort to help guide and support the development of urban agriculture, community gardens and greening projects, has drafted a set of ordinances. These ordinances are related to production of produce as well as bee and chicken keeping. Penn State Extension, Allegheny County welcomes the Planning Commission’s work and the City of Pittsburgh as a valuable partner in shaping the evolution of urban agriculture.
The benefits of urban agriculture extend past the value of the calories grown and harvested. Creating and sustaining gardens can beautify neighborhoods, create a sense of community and neighborhood pride, positively affect property values and increase food security. Having guidelines in place is a valuable tool to help guide development of urban agriculture activities.
There will be an opportunity for public comment on the proposed ordinances. While the proposed ordinances are mainly positive, some members of the urban agriculture community would like to request that the Planning Commission clarify some areas related to permitting fees, and bee and chicken keeping.
The public hearing will be held Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010 at 2pm, at 200 Ross Street.
Penn State Extension, Allegheny County, is requesting that the ordinance be tabled for a period of four weeks at the February 16th meeting as it pertains to bees, chickens and other non-domestic farm animals, but passed for vegetable production with the exception of permit fees. The request for an additional four weeks of time would be used for the urban agriculture community to come together and propose changes related to the aforementioned areas.
Posted 1 month ago at 4:36 pm. Add a comment
Yum is swooning over the fact that Michael Pollan is speaking at Allegheny College on February 25th.
What: Michael Pollan – best-selling author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food” – will present “The Sun Food Agenda,” a multimedia lecture, on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. in Shafer Auditorium on the Allegheny College campus.
When: Thu Feb 25 6pm – Book signing at 7:30 pm
Where: Allegheny College, Shafer Auditorium
Posted 1 month ago at 11:29 am. Add a comment
