Slow Food Asheville Convivium

Serving Western North Carolina and adjoining states

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© Slow Food Asheville 2003-2010

Thanks to Slow Food USA, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, Asheville Green Drinks,  ,Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau, Blue Ridge Food Ventures, NC Extension Service,  Organic Growers School and many others for contributing to this publication.

Slow Food Asheville Events

Have You Ever Wondered How Chocolate Was Made???
Well….
 

On February 20th, 2:00-4:30pm, David Mason from Black Mountain Chocolate will show us!  David will take us start to finish through the processes at his facility.  There will be several different origins of chocolate to taste along with some nibs.
We would like everyone to bring their favorite chocolate finger food or snack to share as we take our tour.  Fresh made hot chocolate, using David’s chocolate, will be available for sale and we will be having a raffle to win a goodie bag of chocolate!
The cost for this wonderful educational event will be $5.00.  Raffle tickets will be $1.00, and hot chocolate is $3.00 per cup.
All proceeds will support Slow Food’s on-going educational programs.
If you have any questions or need directions, please refer to David’s website:  www.blackmountainchocolate.com or contact Tia Bednar at 828-215-4684.Come Join Us For Chocolate Bliss Made Locally!!!

Cornbread Butterbeans and You Across the Table!
Appalachian Food Traditions Pot-luck
Thursday, February 25th, 6:30pm

Gary Paul Nabhan, founder of Slow Food's Renewing America's Food Traditions
(RAFT), will join us for an Appalachian supper at Warren Wilson College! We have a rich history of food in this area. Pork dishes, hearty bean soups, greens cooked to silky perfection, and corn pone are perfect winter food. Please bring a down home dish to share. Bring some wine or hard cider to share if you like. We will be in the Ransom Fellowship Hall on the upper level. Please see this link to the campus map for more detailed directions http://www.warren-wilson.edu/info/campus_map.php.
Space is limited to 60 for this event so please register at http://www.slowfoodasheville.org/Forms/attend_aft.htm to RSVP or

Comfort Foods: Love, Memories, and Stories
Sunday, March 14, 6 pm at the Hawk and Ivy B&B

Foods from the heart. Bring your own favorite comfort dish, its story and the recipe. This will be great fun as we eat and share tale. We will supply dishes, utensils, tea/cafe, and a little wine. Space is very limited. Please call or email to reserve. Cost: $10 a person. Call Eve or James Davis 828-626-3486; email:  info@hawkandivy.com.

Directions: Coming from the south, east or west  toward Asheville, take 1_240. Turn north on 19/23 North, now called I-26 W, at Exit 4A, toward Weaverville. Go 12 miles to the Jupiter/Barnardsville Exit. Exit 15. Turn right and continue 6.5t miles to our house #133 on the right, green house with a red roof. From the north take I-26 to Exit 15, turn left and continue 6.5 mi. to #133 on the right. Park in the field to the left, across the street from the Hawk and Ivy.

Dear friends,

More than 31 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program. Many consume as many as half their daily calories at school. Helping schools serve real food may be the most promising way to end child obesity - but it simply can't happen unless Congress invests in healthier food in the upcoming Child Nutrition Act.

Will you send an email to your legislators to help schools serve real food?

As an organization, Slow Food gets involved in policy when we see big problems with America's food system that can only be solved if citizens speak up. Teaching children to make good food choices will require hard work from parents, schools, non-profits, the private sector and government. But an enormously important step is to ensure that the National School Lunch Program isn't undermining those efforts, and is instead serving kids the healthy food they need to grow up into able, productive adults.

On a conference call this week, USDA Secretary Vilsack said that the most important thing citizens can do to get healthier food into their local schools is to urge Congress to pass a strong Child Nutrition Act. This issue has broad public support, he said, but it isn't appearing in the national media - so we need to make sure Congress gets the message.

That's where you come in. Now that Michelle Obama is leading the charge, Congress will begin updating the Child Nutrition Act this month. If legislators hear support from citizens back home, they'll have the opportunity to invest in healthier food, strengthen nutrition standards, and equip schools to buy local and cook meals from scratch.

So please take a minute to email your legislators today.

Thank you, Gordon Jenkins - Advocacy Manager - Slow Food USA

Regional Events:

Celebrating the Second Annual National Truffle Fest
February 25th through 27th at the majestic Grand Bohemian Hotel, Asheville, NC.
Truffles: An exquisitely earthy mushroom that connects farmers to chefs and dog-trainers to foodies!

Award-winning chefs and outstanding winemakers are celebrating North Carolina's growing truffle industry. In North Carolina, truffle farming and truffle-hunting dogs are grabbing headlines. The crops are competitive and commanding $700-$2,000 per pound!
At this decadent weekend event guests will indulge in samplings of the French Perigord truffle, rub shoulders with their favorite local chefs, take part in cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and even a truffle-dog hunting course.

This year's National Truffle Fest takes place in the rustic beauty of the Grand Bohemian and pairs some of Asheville’s most highly-acclaimed restaurants, The Red Stag Grill, Bouchon, and The Flying Frog, with outstanding winemakers for an evening of unforgettable dining.

Six top chefs, including John Currence, the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef South” 2009 award-winner, will go head to head in a sumptuous risotto competition.  Click here to see which talented chef may create the finest dish of the event!  See the schedule of events and book your stay at:  www.NationalTruffleFest.com

Want to know more about Truffles? check out http://www.wncmagazine.com/blog/taste_of_wnc/black_gold

Announcing Two Contest Opportunities for Youth 

www.cookingupchange.org
Cooking Up Change challenges teams of high school and college students to create a healthful and delicious school meal that meets the Institute of Medicine nutrition standards, incorporates a local food item, draws from ingredients commonly available to food service, and can be easily prepared in a school kitchen. Finalists will prepare their recipes in Detroit for a prestigious panel of judges. Conference participants will sample the teams?
delicious creations. Submit your recipes online by March 26, 2010. For contest guidelines and information, visit www.cookingupchange.org.

Real Food Is?2010 National Video Contest challenges students to define what real food means to them by creating a short video that completes the phrase "Real Food is..." Created by the National Farm to School Network <http://farmtoschool.org>  and sponsored by the Lunch Box Project <http://www.thelunchbox.org/> , this contest is open to K-12 and college students and runs until March 29, 2010. The winners will receive $1,000 and an all expenses paid trip to the conference to show their videos during the opening plenary. More info is available at video.farmtoschool.org.

 Asheville Artisan Bread Bakers Festival – 2010
MARCH 20, 2010

GREENLIFE GROCERY (70 Merrimon Ave)  10am – 2pm:  Bakers’ showcase. Taste bread from 15 local, artisan bakeries. Meet the bakers. Taste cheese from two local dairies. Buy a loaf of bread and get a ticket to any workshop.

GREENLIFE GROCERY – teaching kitchen (70 Merrimon Ave) 1:00 – 2:30pm:  EMILY BUELHER – baker, author

Hand Kneading for Beginners  Learn to knead a basic loaf of bread!  We'll make a simple recipe, and talk about the chemistry of the dough, ways to make kneading easier, and how to tell when the dough is "done."  Then we'll discuss how to bake your dough when you get it home!

3:00 – 4:30pm:  JEN LAPIDUS – baker, project coordinator of the North Carolina Organic Bread Flour Project, an initiative of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

Linking the Farmer, the Miller, and the Baker: A North Carolina Local Bread Wheat Endeavor  As a project of Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, the North Carolina Organic Bread Flour Project has received a two-year grant from the NC Tobacco Trust and Santa Fe Tobacco to lay the groundwork for the cleaning, storing, and milling of North Carolina organic hard and soft wheat, and other small grain in western North Carolina.

1pm – 4:30pm: MARK ROSENSTEIN – chef, author

  Wood-fired Brick Oven Workshop
  Chef Rosenstein, who just sold his restaurant after three decades of providing Asheville with his ground-breaking approach to local food, will demonstrate the use of a back-yard wood-fired brick oven. (Directions to the workshop will be available at the festival.)

1pm – 4:30pm: DAVE BAUER – baker, owner Farm & Sparrow Bakery

  Wood-fired Brick Oven Workshop
  Farm & Sparrow Bakery has just christened its new 6' by 10' wood-fired brick oven. Dave will demonstrate the workings of this unique oven – an triple-wide door system with semi-automatic opening,advanced flue technology, etc. (Directions to the workshop will be available at the festival.)

A-B TECH  MAGNOLIA  BUILDING – demonstration auditorium

2:30 - 4pm:  PETER REINHART – author, baker – Johnson&Wales University

Artisan Breads Every Day   In this demonstration class,  we will examine some of the  recent new methods and books, such as "Artisan Baking in Five Minutes a Day" and "Kneadlessly SImple," also the NY Times/Jim Lahey French Bread method, as well as Reinhart's new book. All of these books challenge standard baking conventions and norms, even those of artisan bakeries, and push into new frontiers and possibilities for making great bread, simply and easily.   

A-B TECH  MAGNOLIA  BUILDING – baking kitchen

Noon – 2:00: LIONEL  VATINET – baker, owner Le Farm (Cary, NC)

   Country French Bread
  Lionel Vatinet leads this introductory bread class about the basics and fundamentals of "le pain francais". Learn everything about the essential elements of great French bread including Lionel’s signature kneading technique, shaping the dough and how to build the crust in your home oven.

2:30 – 4:30pm: LIONEL  VATINET – baker, owner Le Farm (Cary, NC)

Whole Grain Breads
Whole Grain is THE buzz word now.  Come learn the art & expertise of working with La Farm’s master baker on whole grain breads: 100% whole Wheat bread and La Farm's popular Multi-grain bread.

Each workshop has limited space; a separate ticket is required for each session. You can get a workshop ticket for each of loaf of bread you purchase (as long as tickets are available).

Driving directions from Greenlife Grocery to the A-B Tech Magnolia Building:

 * turn right out of the Greenlife parking lot onto Merrimon Avenue.
 * go south on Merrimon Ave., under the interstate and through town (the name changes to Biltmore Ave.).
 * keep going south on Biltmore Ave. for a total distance of about 1.6 miles.
 * turn right onto Victoria Road towards the A-B Tech campus.
 * turn right at the sign for the Bread Festival and up the hill to the Magnolia Building.

Looking for a CSA Share?

Gladheart Farms is located within the city limits of Asheville, NC, just five minutes from the downtown. Our unique location enables us to deliver the freshest possible produce to many local retailers and restaurants, as well as offer a convenient CSA pickup at our farm stand. Local food is fresher because it is picked and delivered the same day. Our produce doesn’t have to travel thousands of miles before it gets to your plate or home. When you buy from Gladheart Farms your food is coming from your neighbors right down the road.  http://gladheartfarms.com/

Basic Agricultural/Radioics class

This is a class that will explain how to determine if the nutrients we are using on our soil are beneficial or not. Lutie Larson, the foremost Agricultural/Radionic teacher in the world, has been using a technique called radionics on her experimental farm for over 20 years. Learn how to analyze soil, to correctly determine the needed nutrients, pest-control etc.

We will learn what the Life Field is and how to monitor it. This will be a weekend intensive on March 12, 13 and 14 in the Asheville area. The cost is $300 which will include extensive material and the needed technology to monitor the Life Field. Daily schedule and exact location to be determined soon.

Please contact Michael Bahnson in the Asheville area at 828-683-6935 Lisa Black in the Hendersonville area at 828-692-7096 or 828-699-9120

Seeking Input for New Fermentation Book - Sandor Ellix Katz

In the years since I wrote Wild Fermentation, not only has my personal fermentation practice expanded and evolved considerably, but also I have had the unique privilege of discussing fermentation and corresponding about it with thousands of people. This has yielded much new information, caused me to investigate new aspects, and brought me new insights. I wish to share this, and so I am writing another book about fermentation.

I am writing to invite you and other fermentation enthusiasts to contribute information, ideas, and images to this project. Here are a few ways you can help:

QUESTIONNAIRE: Please give some thought to the questions below and email me your responses. Also, please forward to other folks who might be interested.
IMAGES: This book will feature more graphics, so I am on the lookout. Specifically, I am seeking:
ART depicting fermentation themes or using fermented materials;
MICROSCOPY of fermented foods and the organisms that make them;
QUALITY PHOTOS of ferments, either homemade, or in indigenous contexts.

SMALL-SCALE PRODUCERS: This book will include a chapter with information pertaining to starting fermentation-related business enterprises. Following the general questionnaire below are some questions for commercial fermenters about special considerations for people starting up fermentation businesses.

BEER-MAKER-MALTERS: Anyone out there malting their own barley? Or using wild fermentation for beermaking? If you do, or if you know any, please do be in touch. I am also on the lookout for folks who ferment POI, FUFU, GARI, SORGHUM BEER, CHANG, or other ferments not covered in Wild Fermentation.

And a few other matters:

EMAIL ADDRESS CHANGE: Please update your address books. My correct and current email address is sandorkraut@wildfermentation.com. I am phasing out sandorkraut@heartoftn.net, which I used for years.

QUESTIONS FOR FERMENTERS
1. Can you think of any practical tips you wish you had had when you embarked upon a fermentation project?
2. Are there any common misunderstandings or fears that you have encountered talking to people about your fermentation projects?
3. Can you describe any unusual flavor, ingredient, or process variations that you have tried and especially liked?
4. Can you articulate any important life lessons you have learned from your fermentation practice?

QUESTIONS ABOUT COMMERCIAL FERMENTATION
1. Please describe your fermentation business: type of products, scale of business, geographic location.
2. Can you describe any special scrutiny or hurdles you faced in commercial licensing because you are producing fermented products?
3. When you scaled up to commercial production, were there any specific challenges related to fermenting at a larger scale, or maintaining consistency? Could you articulate some of what you learned from that?
4. What do use for fermentation vessels? Please describe your physical set-up.
5. What advice or reflections would you offer to someone thinking about starting a fermentation venture?

Please email: sandorkraut@wildfermentation.com