Slow Food BU

Diesel Café

2011-08-10T14:09:00.001-04:00

After six days straight of working, I finally had a day off. Marcus and I had a hike scheduled but unfortunately the heat wave held us back. Instead we went down to Davis Square in Somerville and had a leisure lunch at the Diesel Café. The environment is hip, friendly and fun. There are antique automotive signs and car memorabilia on the walls along with paintings from local artists. There is a lot of seating but it is always crowded. It is a good idea to have someone from your party search for a table while someone else waits in line.

The best part about Diesel Café is that they are a green café. You will not find any trash bins, but instead will find bus bins that are sorted into compost and recycle bins at the end of the night. They also make an effort to buy their ingredients and supplies as local as possible.

Most importantly, the food and coffee are delicious. The menu is perfect for a trendy café in Somerville. They offer a wide variety of vegan, vegetarian and gluten free items that definitely do not skimp on taste. The menu mainly consists of sandwiches and salads that are anything but ordinary. However, if you are a picky eater and don’t enjoy trying new things, this may not be the place for you.

Marcus ordered The Little Piston; fresh mozzarella, pesto, onion and tomato on a baguette.

Crisp and fresh!

They even give you a few spoonfuls of pasta salad on the side.

I ordered The Bow; salmon, sun-dried tomato ricotta, onion and baby spinach on brioche. I love traditional salmon and lox but this was definitely a much interesting and more flavorful twist.

The brioche was crispy on the outside and fluffy in the inside and the smoked salmon was to die for. The ricotta is my favorite part of the sandwich. The sun-dried tomato ricotta was creamy, rich and paired perfectly with the smoked salmon.

They also offer scrumptious baked goods

My vegan chocolate chip cookie was good but I would have enjoyed it a bit sweeter.

Marcus loved his shortbread dark chocolate cookie.

The cafe is a very short drive from my house and I thought that I had found my new hot spot to work on my blog and papers. But I was very disappointed to find out that Wi-Fi is not free. You must pay a monthly membership fee. This was the only down side to the cafe.

I recommend the Diesel Cafe with 4 stars.

Relaxed yet fun atmosphere, delicious food with wonderful options and a neighborhood with lots to do after lunch!

Check out my new blog! http://wickedrealfood.blogspot.com/

Urban Gardening Part II

2011-07-11T17:31:00.009-04:00

Planning your own urban garden is quite simple with a little help from your local gardening shop and some careful research.

The most important steps to beginning your garden are:

· First, decide what you want to plant

· Second, research peak planting season for each plant

· And third, research the best method of planting for each variety

Research using a search engine had seemed like the best solution at first, but I soon found that the immense amount of information on the Internet from bloggers and websites is not always valid and can be overwhelming. You can save yourself the keystrokes and simply read the back of the seed packets. Instructions for planting will always be on the package. If peak-planting season is not provided, the staff at gardening stores are usually happy to help and enjoy sharing tips. If you find you have missed planting season don’t fret; instead buy starter plant.

The clerk at my local gardening shop explained that purchasing potting soil for a potted garden is key. The potting soil locks in moisture and nutrients. If you are using smaller pots I advise filling them with solely potting soil. If you are working with larger pots, as I am, fill the bottom third of the pots with regular dirt from your backyard and fill the top layer of the pots with potting soil. This helps to keep costs low.

Having missed planting-season, I bought tomato starter plants and planted basil, rosemary and pepper seeds. They are all maturing nicely and I cannot wait to incorporate these fresh slow food ingredients into delicious summer recipes. Picking your own tomatoes off your balcony for a salad to be prepared that afternoon while peering at the Boston skyline is truly an urban gardening luxury and a perk to being “green."

Urban Gardening Part I

2011-06-13T23:27:00.004-04:00

With the beautiful weather on its way to Boston, farmer’s markets are sprouting across the city and surrounding towns. The only thing better than summer produce from local farms is produce grown in your own backyard. For many foodies in the city it seems nearly impossible to begin a home garden. However, a small plot of land or none at all should not stop the urban foodie from gardening. Planting pots are a simple solution to tight quarters. Coming in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, pots can be placed on porches, balconies and small backyards. Living in a small city about five miles outside of Boston, I plan to begin a small home garden in my 20’ by 30’ backyard. With the tight space and not exactly ideal soil, I am going to use large pots to grow vegetables and herbs including cucumbers, tomatoes, basil and mint. Currently, I am waiting for the extra large pots to be delivered but I will keep you posted on simple solutions to gardening in the city and my other gardening adventures. Wish me luck!

By: Bianca Tamburello

A sandwich to write home about.

2011-03-26T22:00:00.031-04:00

Are you stuck in a sandwich rut?

Sick and tired of your ol' standby, PB&J?

If so, I highly recommend you get your booty to Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville ASAP.

Okay, so don't get me wrong. If I had to choose to eat one sandwich for the rest of my life it would probably be a peanut butter & jelly (& banana). But only if it was made with Teddie Super Chunky Peanut Butter.

However, if my beloved nut butter were to be discontinued, I would gladly eat any of the dozens of sandwiches scribbled on Dave's ginormous chalk board of wonder.

While part of me hesitates to reveal one of Boston's best, hidden gastronomic jewels, I feel that it is the right thing to do for hungry bellies around the world.

In order to make your first (or 24th) visit to Dave's as simple as possible, follow these steps:

1. Grab a friend, a significant other, your mother, or just yourself and take the Red Line to Davis Square. Dave's is a mere 3 minute walk from the T stop.

2. Enter Dave's Fresh Pasta. Don't be intimidated by the line; it moves quickly.

3. Use your time in line wisely to make a decision. Trust me-- the options are overwhelming.

4. When it's finally your turn give your order to one of the sandwich masters behind the counter. You can pay right then or you can wait until you have received your coveted sandwich(es).

5. Once you have obtained and paid for said sandwich, sit down. In the winter, grab a window seat in the sun. But in the summer, the outdoor sidewalk seating is all that and a bag of chips.

6. Pick up your sandwich, open your mouth as wide as possible and bite down.

7. The first bite-- complete with the earth-shattering crunch of the warm, rustic bread, ooey-gooey cheese, and the layers of cold cuts, veggies, and spreads-- is what my dreams are made of. I swear I shed a tear of joy every time I take that first bite.

8. Then proceed to shed a tear of sadness when you look down at the white parchment paper where your sandwich once was.

9. Plot your return ASAP.

10. For those of you still on Step 3, cracking under the pressure of having to make a decision, allow me to provide you with a few recommendations:

1. Caprese

The quintessential, classic Italian combination of tomato, basil, and mozzarella. However, the generous layer of perfect pesto and drizzle of balsamic vinegar make this a sandwich to write home about. This is my go-to summer sandwich when the tomatoes are practically jumping off of the vines and the basil is wreaking havoc in home gardens everywhere. It was my first sandwich here and the one that made me a Dave's disciple.

2. Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey

Layer upon layer of freshly sliced turkey breast with sun-dried tomato pesto, aged asiago, caramelized onions and baby spinach leaves. Certainly not your typical turkey sandwich. Order it and you will understand why this WAS my favorite Dave's creation.

3. Prosciutto & Fig (& Caramelized Onions)

I really don't like ordering the same thing twice when I eat out, especially in a place like Dave's where the possibilities are endless. But this gem right here has a piece of my heart and I can't but help but order it nearly every time. Paper thin-sliced prosciutto and oozing mozzarella with sweet, but not cloying, fig jam on a sinfully crusty ciabatta roll (my personal favorite). Oh and my addition of the caramelized onions? No explanation other than the fact that I have an unhealthy obsession with all-things caramelized. I am also a huge fan of the classic, yet timeless, combination of salty & sweet. Let's just say this sandwich is the next chocolate-covered pretzel.

So why is Dave's Slow Food-worthy?

Well, Dave's is a major supporter of fellow local businesses. Take Fiore di Nonno for example.

Fiore di Nonno is best-known for its handmade mozzarella but it also works its magic on those curds-and-whey to produce some mighty fine burrata, stracciatella, and string cheese. And all of it is produced right in Somerville. Fiore di Nonno was even kind enough to give a mozzarella-making demo for Slow Food BU this past November. Fiore di Nonno's amazing mozzarella can be found on Dave's sandwiches and on its shelves.

In addition, Dave's is also a purveyor of Iggy's Bread, another local staple. Its amazingly crunchy yet fluffy, carby goodness is the perfect vehicle for all of the cold cuts, fresh vegetables, and other sandwich goodies that complete Dave's panini. You can even take some rolls, croissants, etc. home to try and re-create your experience at Dave's. Or to make Croissant Bread Pudding. Either way, invite me over.

While I could rave about the sandwiches for days, Dave is actually more well-known for its (wait for it, wait for it...) PASTA. Homemade pasta to boot.

In a world where "spaghetti" is king, Dave's attempts and succeeds to remind Bostonians that pasta comes from something other than a blue box. It is rather ironic that one of the simplest recipes (flour, water, and possibly an egg or two) with such rewarding results can seem so intimidating to make.

Dave's offers a wonderful selection of pasta in any flavor, color, shape, etc. one could ever desire. Aside from your decision about whether to order the Caprese or the Prosciutto&Fig, the choice of which of the dozens of pasta to select will be the most difficult one you make all day.

While you can always select the classic egg pasta, why not get a little crazy and go for the sweet red pepper or the lemon basil? There is angel hair, linguine, fettucine, pappardelle, or even lasagna sheets, all which are cut to order right before your eyes. And to further complicate things, there is also an extensive selection of handmade ravioli. Be still my heart.

In addition, if you are as fascinated by Italian cuisine as I am, Dave's offers an array of classes that will temporarily curb any Italophile's insatiable hunger. Classes include topics such as pasta, risotto, gnocchi, saucing, and wine. By teaching traditional culinary techniques and making Italian food more approachable to its customers, Dave's certainly deserves the Slow Food stamp of approval.

With an abundance of high-quality ingredients and prepared foods, Dave's provides its customers with the tools to be his or her own domestic Italian god/goddess. After perusing the aisles filled with beautiful pastas, cheeses, produce, and other goodies, I am inevitably inspired to go home and get into the kitchen. But only after I digest my sandwich.

So if you are sitting around on a Saturday afternoon about to bite into yet another PB&J, I beg you to put that thing down, hop on the T and run (don't walk) to Dave's Fresh Pasta. Your stomach can thank me later.

By: Julia Sementelli

The Bee's Knees.

2011-03-03T08:45:00.023-05:00

We shut off the lights when we leave a room. We recycle every can, plastic bottle, and cardboard box that crosses our paths. We (hopefully) compost our fruit and vegetable scraps. We remember to bring our reusable bags to the grocery store.

With the world's ever-increasing awareness of the condition of the environment, more and more individuals are taking responsibility for themselves and their daily actions in order to preserve their future and that of the generations to come.

However, how many times a day do you think about...bees? Sure, we all have that cute, little teddy bear filled with golden nectar sitting in our cupboard that, albeit most likely crystallized, you reach for every time we need to sweeten our cup of tea or yogurt. But other than that, bees are probably not at the forefront of our minds.

However, according to "Vanishing of the Bees," bees provide us with a lot more than an unrefined sweetener.

On Sunday, February 27th, Slow Food Boston graciously hosted a screening of the documentary "Vanishing of the Bees" and subsequent panel discussion at Boston University. Given the turnout for the event, apparently a great deal of people are concerned with the well-being of the bees.

The focus of the documentary was the increasing prevalence of a condition known as "Colony Collapse Disorder," a phenomenon in which bees mysteriously disappear from their hives.

FASCINATING. And your point is...?

Well, according to the film's synopsis, "commercial honeybee operations pollinate crops that make up one out of every three bites of food on our tables." In other words, if bees are disappearing, beekeepers cannot stay in business, and thus are unable to raise the lovely little bees that pollinate our plants. Therefore, this problem has both economic and personal consequences.

While there are several theories as to why this bee epidemic is on the rise, there are two major hypotheses that resounded:

1. The increase in the use of pesticides, and in particular systemic pesticides

When we typically think of pesticides, the image of a plane flying over fields of crops, dousing our food with a disparaging amount of pesticides comes to mind. While spray pesticides still flow like water, one of the primary culprits of the bee epidemic is the rise of systemic pesticides. Essentially, the seeds of our favorite fruits and vegetables are manufactured to absorb the pesticide as they grow and thus incorporate it into the plants' tissues. BRILLIANT, RIGHT?! Ehh... not so much.

This is disturbing because no matter how much we wash our beloved apples and romaine lettuce in an attempt to "remove" the pesticides, it is impossible to do so when the pesticide is an actual component of that fruit or vegetable. And although pesticides are helpful for farmers because they poison the pests that eat their crops, the cost is the lives of bees. Without bees, our crops will not be pollinated. Without pollination our crops will not grow. Without crops the United States' infamously endless supply of food will diminish.

2. The ubiquity of "monocultures"

A monoculture refers to a large area of land that is devoted solely to one crop. Want to guess the most prevalent monocultures in the United States? Corn and Soy. Yup, that's right-- the usual suspects. According to the film, nature is not meant to exist as a monoculture. Mother Nature has no uniformity. While the pervasiveness and subsequent implications of corn and soy crops in America is a whole other blog post, it goes without saying that the United States' food production is working against the natural diversity and as a result, the bees are not tolerating it. In order to eat pollen, bees must ferment it. And without a diverse diet, that nature typically provides, the bees cannot ferment the pollen and consequently cannot survive.

The condition of the bee population is directly related to the condition of our environment. Why? Well, since bees are the entities that pollinate our fruits and vegetables and thus determine whether or not we will have those strawberries in June or those apples in September. If something were to happen to those furry little buggers, what would happen to our beloved produce?

What shocked me the most was that both the film and the panel discussion mentioned the dishonest sale of "pure" honey. In fact, the majority of the honey on supermarket shelves is not 100% honey even if the label claims to be. The most common additives used are water and syrup made from beet juice or palm sugar. Sure it reduces the cost of production for the manufacturers but all we receive is another dishonest product that we need to be wary of.

How do you ensure that you are spending your precious dollars on a genuine product? Buy local. According to the panel of beekeepers, the only way to know the contents of your honey is to form a relationship with a beekeeper. If you are unsure of the authenticity of a beekeeper's honey, simply ask "What do you feed your bees?" Their answer will let you know.

The three beekeepers in attendance were Wendy Mainardi of Allandale Farm in Brookline, Laurie and Dean of Golden Rule Honey in Leominster, and Mike Graney of eatlocalhoney.com. All three offer pure, authentic, and most importantly, local, honey. After taste-testing all of the honey and honey-based products, I don't see why you would trust your honey purchases to anyone else.

So. What can we do to help?

1. Reduce the use of toxic chemicals in our homes.

So rather than using that bottle of neon yellow Clorox to mop your floors, try to find a natural cleaning alternative. This website is particularly helpful.

2. Choose organic produce.

After all the talk of the ubiquity of pesticide use, this should be pretty self-explanatory. And while organic produce IS more expensive than conventional, wouldn't you rather pay the few extra dollars now rather than pay a much heftier "price" in the future?

3. Go to the Farmers' Market.

While this is not the easiest feat to accomplish in the dead of winter in Boston, there are alternatives out there. The Somerville Winter Farmers Market is an amazing initiative in which every Saturday, local farmers to bring their seasonal, delicious, produce, meats, dairy, etc. to those of us who are fed up with the unnaturally shiny Granny Smith apples that you can practically see your reflection in and the wrinkly, lackluster greenhouse tomatoes that we encounter in our neighborhood grocery store in the winter. The Winter Market is an awesome alternative when our beloved summer produce is not available. But when summer does finally come around (it's already spring!) you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be at the Copley or Newton farmers markets wandering around the stands, oogling the breath-taking bounties, utterly intoxicated by the deep, sweet scent of strawberries in June and the aroma of blood-red Heirloom tomatoes and just-picked peaches in August. In other words, there is no (good) excuse not to check out your local Farmer's Market.

These sustainable acts are often done in hopes of helping the environment but with little direct and tangible benefit. However, after learning about the condition of the bee population and how little acts can make a big difference, the decision between the organic and the conventional head of broccoli should be an easy one.

Save the ~~whales~~ bees!

-Julia Sementelli

Bond(ir). James Bond(ir).

2011-02-02T20:26:00.030-05:00

On a snowy, frigid Saturday night in mid-January when most people default to the classic pizza-and a-movie while snuggled up with their dog or significant other, I chose the path less traveled and decided to knock off one of the 539 restaurants on my "Boston Foodie Adventures" to-do list (an actual bookmark folder on my computer). After a quick T ride to Central Square and a few blocks later, I arrived at my destination: Bondir.

On an unassuming street in Cambridge, Bondir offers "sustainable modern American cuisine." Such cuisine seems to be more ubiquitous than foie gras and white truffles in restaurants across the country. Nevertheless, when I see farm-to-table in a restaurant's description, I'm sold.

As I walked into the restaurant, consisting of exactly ten tables and in a space no bigger than my apartment bedroom, I realized that I had not sacrificed much on this wintery night- I was immediately greeted by a roaring fire and a smiling hostess. Entranced by the homey, cozy feel that the space offered, I felt like I was eating dinner in a dining room rather than a restaurant. While I am all for the grandiose restaurants with choreographed service and nine different dinner forks, on this chilly night I was craving a warm, laid-back, yet delicious meal, with unfussy service- and Bondir did not disappoint.

So. The food. Well, as I said I am a sucker for all things local, farm-to-table, seasonal, organic, etc. The menu at Bondir definitely hits the nail on all four of these heads.

To start: A selection of breads: 9-grain, cranberry, and sepia-sea salt- all made in-house. They were all rustic and made with whole grains. The sepia-sea salt was particularly remarkable both because of its ingredients and because it was my favorite of the three. For the who don't know, sepia= squid ink. While I have had squid ink pasta in Italy a handful of times, I had never consumed sepia in bread-form. But I liked it. I thought the combination of squid ink, a naturally briny and very deep flavor, with sea salt was rather clever. The bread was served with fresh goat's milk butter. I've only had it once before, and while the flavor is not that distinguishable from that of cow's milk, I am not one to turn down fat (other than those of the partially-hydrogenated family). And to quote the eloquent Paula Deen, "Butter makes it better!"

Once I quelled my excitement for squid ink bread, I mustered up enough composure to give the menu a gander.

Bondir's menu changes on a daily basis, according to what ingredients are local and in season. There were no tomatoes or asparagus or salmon on this menu- just the way I like it. I have the utmost respect for chefs who respect their ingredients. A tomato is meant to be eaten in August when it is gushing blood-red juices and just begging to be made into a caprese salad or a tomato sauce. It is not, however, meant to be a pale pink garnish on a house salad in the middle of January, a mere shadow of its summertime self.

Aside from its meticulously selected ingredients, the highlight of Bondir's charming menu is the opportunity to choose between half-portions or full-portions of its entrees. While this may seem undesirable, with all of the enticing choices on the menu, the half-portions concept is more than welcome. They give you the option to try more menu items, but not to pay more. And if you are anything like me, this is a god-send for those of you who suffer from a condition known as "Eater's Remorse." No longer will you order one thing, only to spend the rest of the meal eye-balling your date's better selection, or day-dreaming about that other menu item that you just should have ordered.

Anywho, our waiter came, we ordered, and we proceeded to wait.

After much anticipation, the food arrived. *Cue the angelic gospel music*

Roasted Golden Hubbard Squash Soup: Ras el Hanout Marshmallow, Crisp Shallot, Bee Pollen, Caviar Lime.

Keener Corn Grits: Vegetable Mignardises, Roasted Butternut Squash, Mustard Oil.
Hand-Made Burrata: Shaved Vegetable Salad, Mountain Honey-Walnut Vinaigrette, Sour Flat Bread.
Tyrolean Ragu: Wild Boar, Venison, Bitter Chocolate, Red Wine over Cavatelli.
Scituate Cod: Kohlrabi, Capers, Brown-Butter Hazelnut, Turmeric, and Celery Fondue.
Assortment of Creams and Ices: Blood Orange Yogurt, Cranberry Sorbet, Chocolate Sorbet
Tangerine Dream: Genoise, Vermouth-Infused Tangerine, Thyme-Buttermilk Ice Cream, Meringue Brulee.

All of the food was presented beautifully and tasted delicious. If I had to choose, I would say the squash soup was my favorite. The silky-smooth yet sinfully thick broth provided a delicate yet savory backdrop to the myriad of unique flavors. The Ras el Hanout marshmallow was amazing and I loved the fact that there was marshmallow in my soup! I had never tried bee pollen before but it paired perfectly with the earthy hubbard squash. The caviar lime offered the perfect dose of acidity to cut through yet brighten all of the deep flavors. I shed a tear when it was all gone.

So, if you're looking for a new, modern restaurant with delicious, local food yet that is still affordable, I would highly recommend you take a trip to Bondir. With a menu this unique and such a welcoming environment, it won't be long until this restaurant will be making headlines.

-Julia Sementelli

"The Locavore Way" with Amy Cotler

2010-12-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

Author of "The Locavore Way" Amy Cotler hosted a discussion and booking signing with Slow Food BU this past Wednesday. The dreary weather didn't stop a committed group of slow foodies, who listened intently to Cotler's tips and engaging stories. With a background as a chef and recipe developer, she originally approached local, fresh food from a taste and pleasure perspective.

She acknowledged that we may all come from different places in our interest in sustainable, local foods. But the benefits, to the environment (less toxic), economic development (keeps your money close to home), and personal health, benefit us all. Cotler reiterated that change happens from the ground up, that small things can start in the community and build to a big-scale change. Often this starts with a simple self-interest. "I want local foods because____."

When the issue of budget and high price of local foods was brought up, she shared some simple tips for cutting costs, such as buying in bulk, sharing 2nd offerings from farmers, and savoring fruits and vegetables ONLY when in peak season. She reminded us that grains and beans, dried, are very very inexpensive, and meat needs to only be eaten occasionally. Learning to cook is a precious skill that will save you a lot of money, and probably earn you a few new friends. It was a great way to beat a rainy night! Thanks to all that came, and to Amy for sharing her wisdom and time with us!

Looking for winter local food?
Check out the Downtown Crossing Holiday Market, Somerville Winter Farmers Market, or Sherman Market!

If you want more information on Sustainable Agriculture check out the National Sustainable Ag Coalition.

What makes YOU choose local foods? What are some of your tips for staying local in the winter?

Mozzarella Demonstration

2010-11-29T21:22:00.010-05:00

Mozzarella Making with Fiore Di Nonno

On Wednesday November 10th Slow Foodies gathered in the Myles Dining Hall kitchen to watch Lourdes Smith, owner of Fiore Di Nonno Mozzarella, make mozzarella by hand. Lourdes talked about her family's history of mozzarrella-making, especially her grandfather. She also discussed the importance of using the fresh, local milk, which she buys from Shy Brother's Farm in Westport, MA.

Lourdes makes her mozzarella by hand in small batches using a wooden paddle. This is rare, even in Italy, because of government restriction on the use of wood in food production.

After slowly heating the curd with boiling water, Lourdes had prepared enough fresh mozzarella for everyone to try.

Thank you so much to everyone who came, especially Lourdes for a great demo and delicious mozzarella! Also, thank you Joyce Chan for the pictures!

Jamming Workshop

2010-11-01T17:35:00.007-04:00

Jamming with Slow Food

Slow Food BU's Katie Enzer and Julia Sementelli demonstrated how to make and preserve cranberry jelly on Wednesday October 27th. Using local cranberries, honey, and pectin makes this recipe an easy way to preserve the fall harvest.

Orange and Ginger Spiced Cranberry Jelly
*Adapted from Pomona’s Universal Pectin Cranberry Jelly Recipe

Ingredients (makes about 35oz)
24oz fresh cranberries
3 cups water
1/2 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons calcium water
3 teaspoons pectin stirred into 1 cup honey
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh orange zest (about 1/2 orange)

Instructions:
1. Wash jars and lids in hot, soapy water, then put them into a large pot of water. Bring water to a boil, then lower to simmering.
2. Rinse and drain cranberries. Add to a second large pot of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until cranberries burst and soften.
3. Meanwhile, prepare rest of ingredients:

a. Add pectin to honey
b. Juice limes
c. Zest orange
d. Peel and chop ginger

4. When cranberries are fully cooked, remove from heat and strain to remove skins.
5. Combine 4 cups of pulpy cranberry juice with calcium water and lime juice. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
6. Add pectin/honey mixture, orange zest, and ginger. Stir immediately and vigorously for 1-2 minutes until pectin completely dissolves.
7. Add sugar. Stir to dissolve.
8. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove jars from boil water and fill with jam leaving 1/2 inch empty at the top. Wipe the rim of each jar with a wet paper towel, and quickly top with a lid (NOTE: be careful in this step because the jars will be very hot!).
9. When all jars have been filled, begin processing: Place jars in a large pot and fill with water to cover jars. Cover pot and boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars from pot with canning tongs.
10. Allow jars to sit and cool until the lids seal and the jam sets.

Local cranberries gave the jelly great flavor and color.

Slow foodies enjoyed samples of the jam on New England Night bread, filled with pecans and cranberries, from Clear Flour Bread.

Sterile and safe canning practices are important.

Thank you to everyone who attended the demonstration! Canning is a great way to enjoy seasonal produce year round. We encourage you to try this recipe while local cranberries are still available. Check out the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers Markets to find a place to buy cranberries or other local jamming produce.

Special thanks to Emily Jones for taking some great photos!

Rustic Pastry: Pear Ginger Crisp

2010-10-17T14:27:00.000-04:00

On a crisp fall evening Chloe Nolan and Mary Ting of Clear Flour Bakery demonstrated how to make a Pear Ginger Crisp

Pear Ginger Crisp
Serves 8-10
Topping:

½ cup flour
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½” cubes
1 cup rolled oats
½ cup walnut pieces
Fruit Filling:

½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
6 large or 7 med. pears (Bartlett work great here)
1 TBS grated fresh ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For the topping, whisk together first four ingredients in a medium bowl. Work butter into dry mixture until it resembles moist, coarse meal. Stir in nuts and oats. Chill while preparing filling. Peel and core the pears. Cut into roughly 1/2” cubes and place in a large bowl with ginger. Add dry ingredients and combine until fruit is evenly coated. Pour into 9 x 13 baking dish.

Scatter topping evenly across fruit and bake until top is golden and filling is bubbling –about 50 minutes. Enjoy warm with vanilla ice cream
It was a perfect evening to spend as the nights start to get chillier! We highly recommend that you check out Clear Flour, a local, hidden gem. Be prepared for a very long line on weekends, but I assure you, it is well worth the wait. You will be dreaming about their baked currant donuts, and chocolate pudding cakes for weeks afterward! Thank you Mary and Chloe for taking the time to show us a simple, rustic recipe!

Carlo Petrini in Boston

2010-10-13T16:27:00.001-04:00

Last week, the founder of Slow Food, Carlo Petrini, spoke at Tufts and at Harvard as part of a series of conferences at American universities.

Over 300 students, staff, and community members attended Petrini's talk and book signing at Harvard. Carlo Petrini's speech, in Italian, was translated by Corby Kummer, author and senior editor of The Atlantic.

Corby Kummer (left) and Carlo Petrini (right)

Petrini spoke about numerous aspects of the Slow Food movement, which supports the pleasure of good food, while supporting the community and the environment.

Petrini began by discussing the current food system, which is detrimental to our environment. The constant selection for highly productive crops has decreased the fertility of the soil, and has caused a significant loss in biodiversity. Petrini also touched upon food subsidies, which have led to cheap food, health problems, industrial disasters, and environmental degradation.

In addition, Petrini gave many suggestions for changes that can be made. Food shouldn't be wasted, and leftovers should be savored. Foods should be eaten when they are in season, and food shouldn't be transported long distances, because this requires more fossil fuels. He also suggested that we should buy less food, and buy higher quality food.

Although there are many changes that need to be made to the current food system, Petrini noted that many positive changes have already been made. Although it was hard to come by farmers markets just ten to twenty years ago, now farmers markets are much more common. In 2000, Slow Food U.S.A. campaigned for raw milk cheeses to be allowed to be produced in the U.S. rather than just importing them from Europe, and now raw cheeses produced in the U.S. can be found in more and more stores.

Despite the lack of infrastructures to support new and young farmers, there is an increased need for young farmers. Luckily in the Boston area, there is the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, which supports and offers training to those who are interested in becoming farmers. Petrini asked for everyone in the audience who was under 30 and planning to work with the land in their future to come up, and many people did.

Farmers to be

Finally, Petrini spoke of and encouraged people to attend Terra Madre, a bi-annual international gathering of over 5,000 food lovers who support and want to learn more about sustainable and local foods and food production. The next, and fourth, Terra Madre event will begin next week, in Turin, Italy.

After Carlo Petrini's speak, many eager audience members came up to get signed copies of his new book, Terra Madre.

It was an inspirational experience to hear the president of Slow Food speak. Read about his visit at Tufts on the Slow Food Tufts blog, and another article and videos of his Boston visit from the Slow Food website.

Taberna De Haro

2010-10-04T10:41:00.008-04:00

Last week Slow Food BU had the pleasure of working with Deborah Hansen, chef and owner of Spanish restaurant Taberna de Haro. Hansen invited us into her kitchen to share a recipe for Tortilla Española, a staple of traditional Spanish diets, and discuss her start in the culinary world.

Hansen was smitten with Spain after a visit during her college years, and later returned to live in Madrid. During eight years living in the heart of Spain, Hansen opened a restaurant serving American food; however, her down time was spent mastering the rustic elegance of traditional Spanish cooking. Hansen took her education back to the United States where she opened Taberna de Haro. The restaurant has since become a sanctuary for anyone seeking comforting food, authentic cuisine, and local ingredients.

Hansen spoke with high esteem of the Massachusetts-based farmers who provide produce, seafood, meat, eggs, and more for her restaurant. In addition to sea salt and olive oil (two of Hansen’s few exceptions to her all-local ingredients rules), Hansen used potatoes from Swaz Farm in Hatfield, onions from Old Friends Farm in Amherst, and eggs from Country Hen, based in Hubbardston.

Tortilla Española, one of the most popular items on the menu at Taberna de Haro, is a great addition to any home cook’s repertoire. The five-ingredient recipe makes it an easy dish for any time of day.

Deborah Hansen's Tortilla Española Recipe:

4 large potatoes, any type except golden or red bliss, peeled and sliced thin

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thin

2 cups cooking olive oil, preferably Spanish, “pure” grade (“puro” in Spanish or Italian)

5 free-range eggs

1 ½ Tbl. Sea salt

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the potatoes and fry on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to ensure even cooking. Add onions, stir, and continue to fry 10 more minutes. Meanwhile, set up a strainer or colander over a bowl for draining potatoes.

Whisk eggs and salt in a large bowl. When potatoes are cook thoroughly, spoon into strainer and allow oil to drain. Reserve a tablespoon of oil, and save the rest in refrigerator for another use. Add potatoes to eggs and stir thoroughly.

Heat a 9” non-stick pan with a bit of the used olive oil. Coat thoroughly. Add egg mixture and simmer on low to medium heat for 4 minutes. Cover with a plate and turn pan upside down to flip tortilla. Slide back into pan, smoothing edges with a spatula. Cook 3-4 more minutes. Turn out onto a plate.

Serve hot, warm, or cold.

Boston Local Food Fest!

2010-10-04T10:10:00.003-04:00

The first annual Boston Local Food Fest was a smashing success!
Check out some of these great recaps and roundups:
BLLF Facebook
BLLF Twitter
Featured Festival Bloggers
Elizabeth of Don't White Sugar Coat It
Jessica at A Fete for Food

Did you make it there? What were your thoughts? Any more recaps to share with us?

First Annual Sustainability@BU Festival

2010-09-18T10:42:00.002-04:00

This past Thursday, BU held its First Annual Sustainability@BU Festival.

It was a beautiful day for the festival in conjunction with the BU Farmers Market,

and music from the Tumbleweed Company.

One of the most apparent changes in BU's sustainability efforts this year are the compost stations at the George Sherman Union, with separate bins for composting and recycling, and the option of re-usable plates if you decide to eat at the GSU. Read more articles about BU Going Green.

At the festival, Sustainability@BU gave free mugs to those who joined the challenge,

and student organizations present at the festival included the Organic Gardening Collective and Slow Food BU, among others.

Stay tuned with BU's sustainability efforts at Sustainability@BU. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!

The BU Farmers Market is Back!

2010-08-04T09:35:00.002-04:00

The Boston University Farmers Market returns next week!

When: Thursdays, 12:00pm – 5:00pm, August 12 through October 14

Where: George Sherman Union Plaza, 775 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215

The vendors:

And if you haven't yet, like the BU Farmers Market on Facebook!

For other farmers markets in the area, check out the Farmers Markets Map and Farmers Markets Google Calendar by the Boston Localvores.

FRESH Panel

2010-06-28T18:06:00.008-04:00

On June 16th Slow Food BU hosted a panel of local food experts in preparation of the Boston screening of FRESH, a movie about the broken American food system and how people are working to change it. A ticket to the event included a pass to see FRESH at The Brattle Theater in Cambridge.

The panel included (left to right) Willow Blish, the chapter leader of Boston Slow Food; John Lee, owner of Allandale Farm; JJ Ghonson, a personal chef who uses only local ingredients in her business Cuisine en Locale; and Jeff Morin, manager of City Feed and Supply.
All panelists agreed that while consumer awareness has increased in recent years, there is still much progress to be made. Consumers need to become more connected with their local farmers rather than just buying what is convenient. For example, even though produce may be more expensive at a local farm than from a chain supermarket, consumers should consider where the price difference came from. Many people might not realize lower prices come at a cost to farmers and the environment. By purchasing local foods, consumers are making an investment in their communities and getting healthy, delicious foods at the same time....doesn't sound like such a bad deal after all! The panelists also noted that if consumers are concerned about the cost of local foods, they could save money and reduce their carbon footprint by cooking at home more rather than eating out.

After each panelist spoke, the floor was opened to audience questions. Many interesting topics were brought up such as school lunches, city planning and how to get more local produce in grocery stores.

Thank you to all our panelists and guests for such an informative and interesting discussion!

Fresh Boston

2010-06-01T07:00:00.003-04:00

Last summer I had the chance to see a great movie about the American Food system, called FRESH. FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system.

In the weeks leading up to the Boston FRESH premiere, several amazing, sustainable restaurants & organizations will be hosting dinners and events in the name of FRESH, highlighting their efforts to be more sustainable.

June 1 at 6pm: FRESH Perspectives on Local Food: An Evening Celebrating Youth
June 12 at 2pm: Wine Bottega and Taza Chocolate Tasting
June 16 at 6:30pm: Farm to Fork: A Panel Discussion about how we get the food we eat
(at BU and CoSponsored by SFBU -Come hear leaders of the Slow Food Movement in Boston talk!)
June 18-23: FRESH Screening at the Brattle Theater

There is also a series FRESH Farm to Table Dinners, where restaruants craft all-local meals and then invite the chefs to the table to talk with the diners. Not only do these promise to be delicious, I'm sure they will also be enlightening-our favorite!

Henrietta's Table, June 7th-17th at 7pm:

Ten Tables, June 14 at 5:30pm:

Rendezvous, June 15 at 5pm:

Craigie on Main, June 16 at 5:30pm:

Coda, June 15-17 at 5:00pm:

We hope to see you at some of these events!

SlowFest

2010-05-19T08:39:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, Slow Food BU participated in SlowFest, Boston's first Session Beer Festival, with our friends at Slow Food Boston.

Session beer is beer with a lower alcohol content. According to the Session Beer Project, session beer is 4.5% alcohol by volume or less. This is the perfect excuse to slow down and enjoy more beers, and the session beers were the perfect pairing to the local food vendors present at the festival.

There were session beers of all kinds at SlowFest, and beer vendors present included Boston Beer Works (Boston, MA) and Cisco Brewers based in Nantucket, MA. See the complete list of beer vendors here.

(from left to right): Boston Beer Works and Cisco Brewers

Slow Food Boston brought together the local food vendors at the festival. The food vendors included Don Otto's from Boston's South End, Sherman Market from Somerville, Cuisine en Locale from Cambridge, and Nourish Restaurant from Lexington. For the list of local food vendors, go here.

Samples from Don Otto's

Speakers spoke about craft beer, and panel discussions addressed the local food movement. At the Saturday Session 2 panel, speakers included Jamey Lionette, previous owner of Lionette's Market in Boston, Niaz Dorry, coordinating director of the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance, Pete Lowy of Verrill Farm and Pete & Jen's Backyard Birds, and Jennifer Hasley of Pete & Jen's Backyard Birds and director of the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. Topics that were brought up included how the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project helps to connect people with limited resources who have an interest in agrculture to the resources that they need to begin a farm, sustainable fishing, ways to eat more locally and sustainably, and farmers who practice sustainable practices, such as integrated pest management, but are not certified organic.

Slow Foodies at the Slow Food table handing out Slow Food literature and samples of Iggy's bread, When Pigs Fly bread, Bonnie's Jams, and sauerkraut and kimchi from Real Pickles.

SlowFest was a wonderful way to end Earth Week, and a perfect excuse to slow down and enjoy craft beer and local food.

Massachusetts Raw Milk Protest and Hearing

2010-05-17T09:15:00.012-04:00

In January, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) sent cease-and-desist orders to four raw milk buying clubs in Massachusetts.

For weeks, citizens anticipated a public hearing on May 10 to discuss the amendments to the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) 330 CMR 27, "Standards and Sanitation Requirements for Raw Milk," which would outlaw buying clubs and make it illegal for individuals to entrust another person to purchase raw milk at the farm on their behalf.

However, just 3 days before the hearing, at around 5 pm on Friday, May 7, the MDAR announced that the proposed language related to raw milk purchase in section 27.08, which would make buying clubs illegal, would be removed and unavailable for commentary at the hearing until the MDAR took a "broader look at the issues" due to "passion and concern" on the raw milk debate.

Despite the confusion on whether or not the MDAR had backed off on the new proposed language, last Monday, over 200 citizens, including raw milk enthusiasts, dairy farmers, and Suzanne the cow, gathered on the Boston Common to protest for their right to access raw milk before the hearing at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.

Protesters at the rally marched to the hearing at the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture. In fact, because so many people wished to attend the hearing, some were not given access to attend, hear, see, or participate in the public hearing.

Although certain portions of 330 CMR 27 had been withdrawn, individuals were still allowed to testify about the buying club issue to Commissioner Soares, which many people did.

Over three and a half hours, 49 people testified about their passion for raw milk. Issues raised regarding section 27.08 included benefits of raw milk, the right for individuals to decide what they eat and drink, decreased access to raw milk and increased fossil fuel consumption if each consumer needs to drive long distances to the isolated dairy farms, and the economic impact of individuals losing jobs if buying clubs become outlawed. Some other issues:

Pasteurization was invented in 1864 and was not applied to milk until years later. Prior to that, people consumed raw milk for thousands of years.
Small dairy farms already go through rigorous inspection to ensure that the raw milk that they produce is safe (read the Massachusetts Raw Milk Laws and Regulations).
Although the MDAR states that they support the purchase of local products from local farms, making buying clubs illegal will put many small dairy farmers in Massachusetts out of business.

Numerous raw milk enthusiasts and raw milk dairy farmers testified, and some familiar faces included Mark McAfee from Organic Pastures in California, Max Kane from Wisconsin, and David Gumpert, author of the Raw Milk Revolution and The Complete Patient.

While some individuals stated that the regulations should go back to as they were so that the buying clubs can still operate, others argued that raw milk should be made even more accessible.

In some states of the U.S., such as California, raw milk can be sold in retail stores. In other states, any sales of raw milk are considered illegal. In Massachusetts, raw milk can only be sold at the dairy farm. Check out this map. Meanwhile, in Europe, there are even raw milk vending machines.

After listening to the numerous testimonials in support of raw milk, Commissioner Soares stated that a decision would be made within 30 days, and that many of the testimonials made regarding the buying clubs would be "more applicable" at future hearings on the raw milk debate as the MDAR continues to take its "broader look" into raw milk.

In the meantime, the cease-and-desist orders still haven't been withdrawn, the buying clubs are still not allowed to operate, and small dairy farmers continue to lose money daily.

Related coverage:

5/18/2010 - Feed Me Like You Mean It: Boston Raw Milk Rally, Drink-In, and Hearing Wrap-Up
5/17/2010 - Raw Milk Advocates Call on Attorney General Coakley to Investigate MDAR Commissioner Scott Soares -Scores of Citizens Denied Access to Public Hearing on Controversial MDAR Proposal Against Raw Milk
5/14/2010 - The Complete Patient: When They Play Hard Ball, It's Essential We Not Play Wiffle Ball: Lessons from the MA Protest, and Spillover Continues
5/12/2010 - Kitchen Porch: Soares is not listening to the Small Dairies or to the People who support them!
5/11/2010 - Feed Me Like You Mean It: Boston Raw Milk Rally And Hearing (Guest Post By Max Kane)
Boston.com (video): Got raw milk? Ralley on the Common touts unpasteurized variety
5/10/2010 - Fox 25 (article and video): Cow in Boston Common for raw milk enthusiasts - Protestors against proposed raw milk ban
5/10/2010 - The Complete Patient: Dozens Plead, Cajole, Argue for Hands Off Raw Milk Buying Clubs, But Commish Hears a Different Story

More Info on Raw Milk in Massachusetts:

Massachusetts Raw Milk Hearing

2010-05-04T08:41:00.005-04:00

*IMPORTANT UPDATE: May 8, 2010* (see below).

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is holding a hearing on Monday, May 10th to review a proposal that threatens Raw Milk Buying Clubs and the access to raw milk in Massachusetts.

What can you do? Become more informed about the issue by visiting some of the links below, contact your local representative, write to Commissioner Scott J. Soares, Department of Agricultural Resources, 251 Causeway Street, Boston, MA 02114, and attend the raw milk hearing on Monday, May 10th, at 10 am at 100 Cambridge St., Conference Room A, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA, 02114.

Slow Food Boston: Raw Milk Buying Clubs Threatened
Boston Localvores: Why this raw milk debate matters
Feed Me Like You Mean It: Massachusetts Raw Milk/Food Freedom Hearing in Boston, May 10
NOFA/Mass: NOFA MA Raw Milk Network and MA Raw Milk Farms Threatened as State Moves to Make Buying Clubs Illegal
The Complete Patient: The Food Rights Firestorm Spreads: Is Big Dairy Helping Regulators Use MA as a Test to Bust Raw Milk Buying Clubs? and At a NH Restaurant, a Waitress Asks, "And How Would You Like That Milk, Raw or Pasteurized?"; MA Hypocrisy
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group: Hearing on Proposed Changes to Massachusetts Raw Milk Regulations

*IMPORTANT UPDATE: May 8, 2010*:

"MDAR Drops Proposed Raw Milk Language in Favor of 'Broader Look' at Raw Milk. Marketing Agency cites 'passion and concern' associated with the issue." Read more info here and read David Gumpert's opinion on this update.

Nevertheless, the hearing will go on as scheduled (Monday, May 10th, 10 am at 100 Cambridge St., Boston), but certain provisions won't be discussed.

In addition, the Raw Milk Drink-In demonstration will still be held this Monday, May 10th, at 8:30 am on the Boston Commons near the Park St. T Station. (More info in this comment and on Facebook). Be there!

Earth Week 2010

2010-04-26T20:55:00.002-04:00

Last week, the BU Green Groups, Sustainability@BU, and BU's Dining Services participated in Earth Week in honor of Earth Day.

Events throughout the week included Meatless Monday at lunch throughout all the dining halls, free Bike Workshops sponsored by BU Bikes, a screening of the film Earth 2100, and a compost awareness day. (In fact, BU composts much of their waste regularly to Save That Stuff. Read more about what BU Dining Services is doing about food and sustainability here).

Slow Food BU participated in the Earth Day Celebration on the GSU Plaza last Thursday with environmental groups from BU and the Boston area. This year, we teamed up with Fair Trade Boston to bring students free fair trade banana splits, made with fair trade bananas from Equal Exchange and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Ben & Jerry's aims to expand their full product line to Fair Trade Certified ingredients by 2013 as announced in their press release.

Other groups present at the Earth Day Celebration included BU Dining Services,

BU Bikes (with bike-powered smoothies, of course!), and BU's Organic Gardening Collective, among others.

As always, Earth Day was a great success, and the students and the groups involved in Earth Week learned a lot and had a good time. We look forward to participating again next year!

April Events

2010-04-03T12:50:00.012-04:00

There is a lot going on this month! For more details, look at our calendar.

Wednesday, April 7th - Slow Food BU Potluck in Sargent College (635 Commonwealth Ave.), Room 218
Throughout April - Sustainable Food Films: free film screenings throughout April thanks to Whole Foods.
April 9-11th - Down:2:Earth - Sustainable Living Expo at the Hynes Convention Center
Wednesday, April 14th - Screening of "The Garden" thanks to the Harvard Food Literacy Project
Saturday, April 17th - Slow Food Founder Carlo Petrini at Tufts School of Nutrition *CANCELLED and to be rescheduled*
Sunday, April 18th - Slow Food Founder Carlo Petrini at Harvard University *CANCELLED and to be rescheduled*
April 19th-23rd - Earth Week at BU, with various events sponsored by us, BU, and BU's Green Groups
April 23rd-24th - SlowFest. Check out the local food vendors that will be present.

Kombucha Demonstration and Potluck

2010-04-01T16:52:00.007-04:00

Last week, we learned how to brew the fermented tea kombucha at our Kombucha Demonstration and Potluck co-sponsored by the Boston Localvores. The kombucha workshop was led by Annabelle Ho, an officer of Slow Food BU and author of Kombucha Fuel.

Thanks to everyone who attended, and read the recap of the event at the Urban Homesteaders' League, written by Annabelle:

"Last week there was a Kombucha Demonstration and Potluck put on by Slow Food BU, the Boston Localvores, and Kombucha Fuel, a blog of which I am the author. Thanks to the Urban Homesteaders’ League for supporting this event!

Kombucha, sometimes referred to as 'the elixir of immortality,' is a fermented tea traced back to Chinese origins to around 220 B.C. Various health benefits have been attributed to kombucha, which is said to have probiotic benefits and detoxifying effects. It’s been claimed that kombucha reduces blood pressure, boosts the immune system, and even cures cancer..."

Read the rest of the post here.

*Special thanks to Darry Madden of the Boston Localvores for taking some great photos of this event.*

Sustainable Foods Video

2010-03-29T15:59:00.007-04:00

Watch this Sustainable Foods Video by Anna Webster featuring JJ Gonson from Cuisine en Locale, Claire Kozower from Waltham Fields Community Farm, and Annabelle Ho from Slow Food BU.

"Two Angry Moms" with Slow Food Boston

2010-03-06T17:37:00.009-05:00

Last week, Slow Food BU hosted a film screening of Two Angry Moms with Slow Food Boston.

Two Angry Moms is a documentary following filmmaker and mother Amy Kalafa, who searches for schools that offer healthier school lunches. Susan Rubin of Better School Food is the other "angry mom" in the documentary, and the film shows the efforts of Susan and other leaders in the movement to improve school lunches. The film offers steps for those interested in improving the quality of food in children's schools, such as:

Have lunch with your child in the school cafeteria
Join a committee or coalition
Survey your district
Read your contracts
Market your new program

Read the more detailed action plan here.

After the film, Alex Loud of Slow Food Boston spoke about Slow Food's Time for Lunch Campaign. The Child Nutrition Act is a federal law that was created in order to help meet the nutritional needs of children in the National School Lunch Program. Because the Child Nutrition Act is reauthorized every five years and is planned to be reviewed by Congress in early 2010, it is the perfect time and opportunity to make change. Currently, Congress allots $2.68 per school lunch, with $1 allotted towards ingredients. Only 20¢ of that $1 is devoted to fruits and vegetables, which simply isn't enough to provide children the real food that they need. If you are concerned about this issue or would like to become more involved, look at Slow Food's Time for Lunch Campaign.

A panel discussion followed, featuring JJ Gonson of Cuisine en Locale, Claire Kozower of Waltham Fields Community Farm, and Kim Szeto of the Farm to School Initiative.

Claire discussed some of her previous involvement with the Farm to School Initiative in Somerville. In Somerville, children only have 12 minutes to eat lunch. 12 minutes is hardly enough time to eat lunch, much less enjoy it. It is because of this short lunch time that they found that children ate more apples and left less waste when the apples were small- children simply do not have enough time to eat a large apple during lunch. These small apples are now provided to the public schools in Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston, and are locally sourced from Lanni Orchards based in Lunenburg, MA.

Kim is involved with the Farm to School Initiative in the Boston Public Schools. Despite the mere 20¢ devoted to fruits and vegetables per meal in school lunch, they have found that buying local is sometimes cheaper, and they have been able to serve local and seasonal produce including corn on the cob, collard greens, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash.

JJ, involved in Cambridge's Healthy Service Task Force Food Advisory Board, provided a parent's perspective on the issue.

Because the 12 Cambridge schools feed thousands of kids a day, commodity products are extremely important in controlling costs. Commodity products are provided for free to schools, because they are excess products available from the government as a result of agribusiness subsidies. However, one needs to question the health implications of these commodity products, such as tuna, which poses health risks for children due to the mercury levels in tuna and the potential health risks from the can linings.
The classic yet deceptively innocent PB & J sandwich has its health implications as well. The bread and peanut butter contain hydrogenated oils, the peanut butter and jelly contain high fructose corn syrup, and the jelly contains unnatural colorings.
Schools are not allowed to serve water because it has "no nutritional value." Schools typically only offer milk, chocolate milk, and apple juice.
Read more about what JJ has to say on school lunches here.

All three acknowledged how significant Lanni Orchards has been in providing local produce to public schools within the area.

Although there is a lot that needs to change in the school food system, there are many ways to become more informed and to become more involved. Here are a few resources to get you started:

Find more ways to become active at the Two Angry Moms site and review their action plan
Better School Food
Slow Food's Time for Lunch Campaign
The School Nutrition Bill (H2092) and the Local Farm Products Bill (H2107/S1437) were recently passed by the House of Representatives in MA. However, these bills still need to be passed by the Senate. Read the article on the passage of these bills, and keep updated and find out more about what you can do through the Massachusetts Public Health Association

For another recap of this event, read Slow Food Boston's followup.

Sugarbushing in the City

2010-02-20T23:33:00.001-05:00

This weekend, Slow Food BU joined the Urban Homesteaders' League for Sugarbush in the City: A Walk and Talk with Meg Rotzel. Meg took us through her neighborhood in Jamaica Plain, showing us how to identify Sugar Maples.

Key traits to look for when identifying a Sugar Maple:

shaggy, grey bark, a dome crown shape, and three-pronged winter buds

We then learned about the sugaring process, or boiling down the sap into maple sugar. Meg recommended doing this outside over a turkey frier, although it can be done indoors as well (especially if you have a wood stove). Did you know that it takes 40 gallons of Maple sap to produce just 1 gallon of syrup?! The sap is boiled at 119 degrees fahrenheit until most of the water is boiled off, at which point it is moved to a finishing pot and heated to 218 degrees fahrenheit. It is then filtered into containers of your choice (Meg uses jam jars).

Grades A, B, and Meg's homemade syrup on

waffles from Centre St. YUMM...

The day ended with delicious waffles at the Centre St. Cafe where we got to taste test Meg's syrup with other A and B grades. I think it is fair to say that Meg's home batch came out on top!

Bread Makin' & Bakin' with the Urban Homesteaders' League

2010-02-08T01:48:00.001-05:00

Last weekend Slow Food BU joined forces with the Urban Homesteaders' League for a Bread Making workshop at Myles Kitchen. The Urban Homesteaders' League's Lisa Gross showed us how to make whole-wheat no-knead bread.

Lisa mixing the no-knead dough.

Charlotte Dion of Northshore Permaculture walked us through the process of making our own sourdough as well as sourdough culture.

Charlotte showed us how to shape the sourdough...

...then everyone joined in the fun!

Everyone went home with their own loaf of sourdough and sourdough culture (did you know that every sourdough culture is named for where it originates?).

The final product. Lisa's bread was so

delicious it was gone before it was even cooled!

Lisa's No-Kneed Whole-Wheat Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

4 c. lukewarm water

1 1/2 tbsp. instant yeast

2 tbsp. kosher salt

5 1/2 c. whole wheat flour

2 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 c. vital wheat gluten

cornmeal for the baking surface

Directions:

1. Warm the water to about 100 degrees (lukewarm).

2. Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix.

3. Pour in the water.

4. Mix in the flour with a spoon. Do not knead.

5. Cover with a lid (not airtight). Allow the mixture to rise for 2-5 hours.

6. Refrigerate, or proceed onto the next section.

7. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 10 days.

On Baking Day:

1. Prepare a pizza wheel or cutting board with flour.

2. Sprinkle the surface with of the dough with flour.

3. Take half of the dough.

4. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. The bottom of the loaf will appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but this will flatten out during resting and baking.

5. Gently mold the ball into an oval.

6. Fold one side of the dough in thirds like a letter--don't fold down too much.

7. Bring up the other side to meet it and pinch in closed (this is called a letter fold).

8. Place the loaf on the cornmeal covered pizza wheel or cutting board, let it rest, loosely covered with saran wrap for about 40 min, if fresh, 90 min if refrigerated.

9. 20 mins before baking preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a dutch oven or large cooking pot (WITHOUT plastic handles) on the middle rack.

10. Dust the top of the loaf with flour, make diagonal slash marks with serrated knife.

11. When the dough is ready, take the pot out of the oven, and place the loaf inside it. Cover the pot with the top.

12. Bake for 30 mins with the top on and 20 mins with the top off.

13. When done, allow the bread to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before cutting and eating.

HomeGrown Film Screening with Slow Food Boston

2010-01-25T20:42:00.000-05:00

Slow Food BU kicked off the semester with a film screening of HomeGrown in a collaboration with Slow Food Boston.

HomeGrown explores the urban, organic farm Path to Freedom run by the Dervaes family in Pasadena, California. Although the family of four began the farm in order to feed themselves, they were doing so well that they began to sell their produce. Now, the Dervaes produce over 6,000 pounds of produce annually in less than a quarter of an acre! The family also produces their own biodiesel, power their computers using solar panels, use non-electric appliances such as those from Lehman's (hand-cranked blender, anyone?), and more. If you missed the film screening, we highly recommend watching the documentary and reading more about the urban homstead on their website and on their blog.

Following the film screening was a discussion panel featuring Jess Liborio from The Food Project, Lisa Gross from the Urban Homesteaders' League, and Nathan Phillips from BU (previously featured in the Boston Globe for his carbon neutral office!), moderated by Willow Blish from Slow Food Boston.

Panelists Jess Liborio, Lisa Gross and Nathan Phillips

The audience asked good questions for a lively and engaging discussion. We learned that there are many ways to incorporate growing your own food in urban areas with or without a backyard. If you live in an apartment, you may consider sprouting, growing herbs, or growing microgreens in your kitchen or on your windowsill. Or if you live in Boston and have a backyard, The Food Project may help you to build your very own raised bed through their Build-a-Garden program! Meanwhile, Green City Growers in Somerville installs raised beds, and even helps to maintain them for you. In addition, farmers markets now abound, more people are signing up for local CSA's (community supported agriculture), and more winter farmers markets are cropping up!

If you want to get your urban homestead on, you may consider joining the Meetup Group The Urban Homsteaders' League. Run by Lisa Gross, the UHL hosts and sponsors various urban homesteading events around the Cambridge area, and we will be co-sponsoring our next event with them, a No-Knead Bread Making Workshop, on January 31! (Our apologies, but this workshop is full! E-mail us if you want to join the waiting list).

Thanks to all the volunteers and speakers who helped to make this event happen!

If you missed HomeGrown, this was only part one of Slow Food Boston's 3rd Annual Film Series! Watch Two Angry Moms with Slow Food BU and Slow Food Boston on February 21, or join Slow Food Boston at Tufts for film screenings of The End of the Line and Bullshit. More details can be found here.

Fall Wrap-Up

2009-12-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful fall semester, learning important knife skills, going cranberry bogging, canning green beans, discussing Fair Trade, and fermenting sauerkraut, all with good food and amongst good company!

This year we wrapped up the semester with a Green Groups Potluck in BU's Women's Resource Center, with the fabulous folks of the other sustainability groups on campus, including the Environmental Student Organization, BU Bikes, the Compost Club, the Organic Gardening Collective, and more.

Thanks to everyone for a great fall semester. Enjoy the winter break, and be ready for fun foodie events in the spring! First-up: Screening of HomeGrown with Slow Food Boston, to be followed by a discussion panel on Sunday, January 17th. More details, TBA.

Happy Holidays!

Gift Alert! Electrolux Cocoon

2009-12-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

How futuristic is this? A meat- and fish-growing "Cocoon" designed by Rickard Hederstierna of the Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden won this year's Electrolux Design Lab 2009 competition that challenged industrial design students around the world to create home appliances following the theme “Designs for the next 90 years."

The cocoon is a concept design intended for every day use that "prepares genetically engineered and prepackaged meat and fish dishes by heating muscle cells identified by radio frequency identification (RFID) signals."

Hederstierna said in an interview that he had sustainability and a minimal environment impact in mind when designing it. By using science to create food, it would reduce the need for intensive farming and fishing: "The negative effects of this process, including the mass transportation of food around the world, clearing of land and distortion of ecosystems, are then negated."

Future of food? We shall see.

Make Your Foodie Voice Heard: Take the 2009 BU Dining Services Survey

2009-11-30T19:55:00.000-05:00

Ask the average BU student how often the Administration asks for their opinion and the answer would most likely be: not often. Well, BU Dining Services is doing just that. They've just released their 2009 Student Dining Survey asking for student feedback about their dining experience.

So, for those of you who are currently eating, or who have ever eaten at the dining halls in the past, now is the time to voice your opinion about Dining Services! They really do take what the students have to say into account, so the more of us who fill out our foodie preferences on the survey, the better!

Want to see more Vegan, Vegetarian, Fair Trade, Organic or Local options? Let them know!

Take the Survey here: http://www.bu.edu/dining/survey/

Willy Wonka's LOCAL Chocolate Factory

2009-11-30T10:23:00.000-05:00

Coffee and Chocolate are the two biggest for those trying to maintain a mostly Local diet. But if one is going to indulge, its best to enjoy those that are fairly produced, and easiest on the environment. And it doesn't hurt if they are created by local, artisan crafters. Enter our favorite purveyor of Chocolate-Taza!

December 5th 2009: Tour the Taza Chocolate Factory!

Ever wanted a firsthand look at the inside of a chocolate factory

? Now's your chance! Just in time for the winter holidays, Their opening the doors

to the public for chocolate tastings and tours of the factory.

On Saturday, December 5th 2009, visit them in Somerville, MA

and see how chocolate really comes to be. Tours run from 10 AM to 6 PM, and are free and open to the public. Be prepared: There will be lots of tastings.The factory is quite small, so come early or late if you can't stand to wait!

Still need some Holiday gifts? There will be lots of tasty chocolate and holiday gifts for sale, at factory discount prices

We went last year and it was so cool to see how they stone-grind their chocolate using traditional Mexican Methods. Check out their website for some great information about how they make the chocolate, and drool over the fantastical flavors ( Guajillo Chili is my fave!)

See you there!

Root Cellaring

2009-11-29T22:26:00.000-05:00

Concerned about getting your local vegetables during the cold winter months and didn't sign up for that winter CSA? It is the perfect time of year to consider Root Cellaring!

Root cellaring involves building a structure to store fruits, vegetables, and other food items at low temperatures and steady humidity to keep them from freezing during the winter months, to keep them cool during the summer months, and to prevent spoilage.

Tim and Bronwyn Wiechmann of TW Food in Cambridge store vegetables in their root cellar, allowing them to serve local produce in their restaurant throughout the winter. In addition, root cellaring is making a comeback according to the NY Times article The Return of the Root Cellar.

Interested in getting started?

Recommended Read: Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel. Their condensed version on root cellaring can also be found here.

Live in the city? You can make a DIY garbage can root cellar if you have a backyard, or find other urban ideas at SuperNaturale.

If you need some local vegetables for your root cellar, the farmers markets in Boston are not over yet! Numerous farms and local vendors will be at Downtown Crossing's Holiday Market until December 24th. See the list of vendors.

Krautin'

2009-11-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

Alex Lewin, a lacto-fermentation expert, demonstated the basic how-to of sauerkrauting to a group of us this past Tuesday. Lacto-fermentation is way to preserve the fall harvest so that we can eat local vegetables year-round.

Why Preserve? It extends the "window of edibility" for that particular food and makes it available year-round. If you're not near the equator or in sunny cali, this is important if you strive to eat locally. In addtion, preservation create new tastes and textures; and in the case of sauerkraut, it also increases the nutrient and digestive benefits of the food. Besides fermentation, other methods of preservation are canning, freezing, refrigerating, and drying.
Is it Safe?? The Danger Zone for pathogenic bacteria is 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit. Alex believes that fermenting is much safer than canning, because you will KNOW when something has going wrong. IE if its slimy or furry-TOSS IT! If your senses are telling you something is not right, steer clear. Also, our ancestors all ate food that wasn't refrigerated-if that helps settle your stomach.
Doesn't That just get Moldy and Gross?? Leave a vegetable out to sit in the air, and yes, you'll get mold, and it will turn into an awful slimy mess. But, leave out a vegetable covered in liquid you get acid-forming bacteria (=good). These probiotic bacteria begin to pre-digest the food, making our digestive tract's job a little easier, and keeping things regular, if you know what I mean.

And without further ado, This is Alex's recipe:

Ingredients
Cabbage (the fresher the better!)
Sea Salt

Equipment
Wide Mouth 1 pint Mason Jars
Large Mixing Bowls
Cutting Board
Large Knife
Kitchen Scale

Preparation:
Weigh Cabbage and then chop, using a large chefs knife or a food processor

we're all about assembly-lines

You will need 1 pint jar and 2 tsp of salt for every pound of cabbage. Add the chopped cabbage and measured salt into a large mixing bowl and start to "knead" the cabbage (with clean hands!!). You want to start to break down the cell walls of the cabbage with the help of the salt, and draw the water out of the cabbage.

you too could have forearms like this, if you start 'krautin

Once the cabbage has released its liquid, pack it into the mason jar. You want to make sure that the liquid covers the cabbage and that there is room at the top. A smaller 1/2 pint jar make it easier to push down the sauerkraut. (again, we want liquid on top to prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria). If the liquid does not cover the cabbage completely, make a brine (1 T salt:1cup water) as a substitute. (if your cabbage is fresh, preferably local, then the juice should not be hard to get out). Cover the jar and wait... Come back everyday to push down the cabbage, making sure it is always covered. After four days, taste it. If you like the way it tastes, put it in the fridge to bring the fermentation to a halt. At this point, it's all up to how sour you like your sauerkraut! It could be "ready" in a few days, or a few months, depending on personal preference and temperature.

Warning: Making Sauerkraut does produce a slight smell. Warn your roommates. They will probably be swayed after tasting your creations.

Variations-Wanna spice it up?? Well you can, literally!

Add purple cabbage to make a more aesthetically pleasing 'kraut!

Add herbs and spices!! Alex likes caraway, fennel, and anise seeds. You can add this pre-fermentation, or when serving

Try fermenting other vegetables! parsnips, raddishes, turnips, carrots, or really any vegetable!

Alex is our new go-to sauerkraut guru. If you have any questions, check out his site- Feed Me Like You Mean It, or @reply him!
Sandor Katz's Book and website are also valuable resources!

**Thanks to Rachel from BU Today for taking some great photos with her fancy DSLR camera :) **

Local New England Fall Soup!

2009-11-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

What IS this creature??

Celery Root is definitely the ugly duckling of the root vegetables. But there's no need to be afraid; for not only is it a great source of vitamin C and phosphorus, but its delicious and versatile! Because it is a starchy root vegetable, its good in 'mashes, and lower in carbohydrates and calories than potatoes. And-its a Local!

Local New England Celery Root, Apple and Potato Soup

*Adapted from marathastewart.com

1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups peeled, chopped celery root
1 lb red potatoes
10 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought vegetable stock
2 cups peeled, cored, and quartered local apples

1.In a large heavy-bottomed pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and season with salt; cook, stirring until onions are soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Add celery root, potato, and vegetable stock; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Add apples and continue simmering for 5 minutes.
4.Remove saucepan from heat and puree using an immersion blender or, working in batches, using a conventional blender; season with salt and pepper.

Not Lucky enough to own an immersion blender???? Just do it in batches in a conventional blender:

Enjoy this warm soup on these perfect Fall days, in beautiful New England!

Talking Fair Trade with Ben Cressy

2009-11-11T22:14:00.001-05:00

This Tuesday, Ben Cressy from the Fair Trade Boston Campaign joined Slow Food BU for a potluck graciously hosted by the H.E.R. House. Over a delicious meal, Ben talked to us about how he got involved with the Campaign during his time as a student at Eastern University, and about his work with other Boston area schools that are striving to include more Fair Trade products in their dining halls and on their campuses.

Students got the chance to pose questions about Fair Trade and the Campaign, ranging from how to generate student demand for Fair Trade to how labeling is regulated.

Ben explained the standards and qualification process for becoming Equal Exchange certified and about how sometimes smaller vendors skip the certification process because of cost, but that does not mean that they aren't meeting Fair Trade standards!

When in Whole Foods look for this logo!

He also discussed ways to generate enthusiasm on campus by hosting on campus events, such as an outdoor 'coffee house,' that engage students in the Fair Trade mission. Students discussed ways to raise more awareness on the BU campus and expressed interest in continuing to work with the Fair Trade Boston Campaign.

At the end of the night everyone went home with Equal Exchange goodies, yummm...

Thanks to Ben, Tyler, Rae and the H.E.R. House for a lovely evening!

It's pomegranate season!

2009-11-06T12:30:00.000-05:00

These beautiful, mythical fruits are also an enigma when it comes to extracting the seeds (which are actually filled with bright red juice, delicious and nutritious). The blog Gimme Some Oven! recently posted some demystification-information worth checking out. HOW TO: Open and de-seed a pomegranate.

Preserving the Harvest - Canning Workshop!

2009-10-29T23:18:00.000-04:00

Last week, Sarah Garlington taught us the basics of water bath canning in Myles Kitchen. In water bath canning (which is not the same as fermentation), the contents need to be acidic- naturally or by the addition of vinegar. This method can be used to process fruits, pickles, relishes, and jams and jellies, preserving them for year(s)!
Slow Foodies participated in all steps of the process, including preparation of the food (produce to be canned should be firm), preparing the brine, and sterilizing the jars.

Our Recipe: Pickled Green Beans
Produces 6 half pints

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup salt
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 bunch fresh dill weed (or dried)
3/4 teaspoon fresh peppers (or cayenne)

Directions:

Trim the green bean ends.
Chop the garlic, dill, and peppers.
Bring the vinegar, water, and salt to a boil.
Divide the spices up into each jar equally.
Fit as many green beans in each jar as you can.
Pour over the hot liquid.
Seal the jars.

Recipe courtesy of Sarah Garlington

Preparing the jars for the beans. "We're going to take a spoonful of the pepper garlic mix and then a spoonful of the dill and we're just going to spread it out throughout the jars."

Using the big boilers. Jars should be placed on a rack, steamer, or something similar in the pot, because of the high heat of the stove. "It's just a matter of the jars not touching the bottom of the pot and not touching each other. Um, so anything that you can figure out."

Several of the jars were processed at the demo, and individuals were each able to take a jar to take home to process on their own. Ready to start pickling? Read Sarah's post on the Persian pickle Torshi on the Boston Localvores' blog, and learn more about water bath canning from the Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Check out our new bog, I mean blog post: Slow Food BU goes cranberry bogging!

2009-10-13T20:48:00.000-04:00

Look its us in an old Ocean Spray Truck!

On Saturday, we got a crew gathered for Slow Food BU and zipped down to the Cape to go to a Cranberry festival and check out some bogs!

Did you know that the cranberry is one of three fruits that are native to North America? Along with the blueberry and concord grape, cranberries were first used Native Americans, as food, dye and for its healing properities. New England is a major site of cranberry production and some of the plants the grow today have been around for more that 150 years!

Our first stop was the Cranberry Harvest Festival Of course there were cranberries galore!

Lots and Lots of Vendors with assorted homecrafts

we drove down to the actual farm-Flax Pond Farm.

Jake and Dot have owned this farm since the 60s. It is not organic, but Jack says he limits the amounts of pesticide they spray because 1) its ridiculously expensive and 2) he has grandchildren running around the farm all the time.

Flax Pond is a dry bog-which means they never flood it to harvest. Berries from dry bogs are what you'll find fresh or frozen, where the berries remain intact. Wet bogging can squash the little berries so they turn into processed sauces, juice or dried snacks.

Jack with the berry picker!

Ocean spray sells the berries for them-dividing up profits amoungst their co-op of growers

This Man was Like the Encyclopedia of Cranberries

Video to come soon!

SFBU Makes BU Today

2009-10-11T19:20:00.000-04:00

Check us out in BU Today!
Edward Brown edited a great video
of our Knife Skills Demo with Kenji Alt
Watch it Here!!

Slice/Dice Highlights from the Demo

2009-10-03T19:04:00.000-04:00

Last week Kenji Alt told SFBU everything we ever wanted to know about kitchen knives. From sharpening on the stone, to making "the claw" with your left hand to protect your fingers and guide the cut, we're a little more skilled now in the slice and dice department. Practice makes perfect, so check it out- short videos to jog your memory:

The picture of efficiency, Japanese knives for chopping.

"Regular julienne is probably 1/8 inch to 1/16 inch or so, so you wanna try and cut it into straight planks like that, um and again you always use your left hand to guide the blade. And once you get about 4 or 5 slices, we'll go to the next step."

"Trim off a quarter inch and put it aside, and then we're just gonna cut them into 1/8 inch to 1/16 inch little sticks, and thats called a julienne."

"And if you were really serious about this, I mean, if you wanted a really sharpened blade you would do this for about 20 minutes or so."

Bottom line: Knowing how to cut precisely and in uniform pieces allows food to cook more evenly and ultimately, you have a better result. Looking like a pro and impressing your friends is also a plus. Find more photos from the demo here and check out Kenji's blog, goodeater.org. Thanks to the Myles basement kitchen crew for letting us use their space, Kenji for an awesome and informative demo, and everyone that came out to participate!

More Maps!

2009-09-23T18:55:00.001-04:00

Visual food for thought:Who eats the most meat per capita? via GOOD magazine.

The contiguous United States visualized by distance to the nearest McDonald's. See it larger here.

Thanks Urban Cartography, you are great.

SFBU's First Potluck and Meeting for the Fall!

2009-09-09T09:10:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came to SFBU's first potluck of the semester and made last night a success!

Slow Foodies gathered on the Esplanade Dock by the Charles River and enjoyed a fabulous meal with some great conversation and a beautiful view. Tasty treats included an amazing egg casserole, chicken tikka masala, vegan pumpkin cookies, and much more!

Look forward to our next meeting on Tuesday night, September 22. Specific location and time, TBA!

On another note, join our friends from the Boston Localvores at their Local Pickle Tasting at The Growing Center in Somerville on Thursday! For more details look at the event on Facebook or see SFBU's calendar on the right.

And if pickling on Thursday isn't enough for you, head over to JP on Friday from 7 - 9 pm for the workshop "Preserving the Bounty of the Harvest" with Ana Micka, author and publisher of the Fresh Girl’s Guide to Easy Canning DVD and guidebook. More details about the event here.

Sustainability Dinner

2009-09-08T13:43:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday, the officers of SFBU attended a Sustainability Dinner with The Director of Sustainability at BU, Dennis Carlberg. It was in StuVii 2- the new residence hall, which is unbelievably nice and fancier than many hotels we've been in! The dinner was up on the 26th floor and just check out the view!!!

It was a gathering for the student groups and administration to talk about what BU is doing sustainably and where there was still room for improvements. All while eating a Zero Waste, locally grown meal!

Love Food Hate Waste!

Kelly Dunn, our favorite Sustainable Dining Coordinator, did a presentation working to reduce food waste at BU.

SFBU has worked with Kelly on ideas for making dining services more sustainable, and she is very receptive to our suggestions.

Ok, time to turn off the computer!

SPLASH!

2009-09-08T13:05:00.000-04:00

Slow Food BU represented at SPLASH! at BU last week.

Kate and Annabelle signin kiddies up!

SPLASH! happens every fall, to introduce all the freshman to Clubs and Activities on Campus. We were part of the "Green Section," where all the clubs dedicated to sustainability were congregated.

Next to our friends the Organic Gardening Collective

Dory and Elizabeth sharing some words of wisdom : Ride it like you stole it and Eat more Kale

We met a lot of fun people and Spread the Word:

Hello BU!

Your Local Farmers Markets!

2009-08-31T22:13:00.000-04:00

With farmers markets popping up everywhere, more people participating in CSA's, and with cranberries, pumpkins, and winter squashes just coming into season for the fall, there has never been a more perfect time to get your local produce!

BU now has a farmers market right on campus, in front of the GSU! At 775 Commonwealth Ave., it runs on Thursdays from 12 pm - 4 pm, from June 25 - October 29. Read our previous post about it.

However, if you are otherwise occupied on Thursdays, or if you would like to venture beyond the grounds of BU for local produce, we have conveniently mapped the farmers markets that are in the Boston area! Go the the map link here.

For more information and listings about farmers markets in Massachusetts, look at Mass Farmers Markets, LocalHarvest, MassGrown's listing, and Edible Boston's list. LocalHarvest is also a good resource for those of you interested in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

And if you are unsure of when various produce is in season, check out this chart!

Photo source link

Enjoy the fresh produce while it's in season!

Gearing Up for the Fall!

2009-08-26T23:20:00.000-04:00

With the summer coming to a close, we're excited to bring the fall semester into full swing!

Ideas for events to look forward to this year include:

Urban Beekeeping

Cranberry Bogging
Eat-Ins with other schools
Green Roof Hopping
Seed Saving Workshop

Knife Skills Workshop
Pickling/Canning Workshops
Kombucha Demonstration
Speaker Series, Food Movies
and plenty of potlucks, of course!

Dates: TBA

In addition, here are a few events you can add to your calendar:

Monday, August 31 - Look for Slow Food BU's table at SPLASH! from 11 am - 2 pm at Nickerson Field

Wednesday, September 2 - Buy some tasty, local treats at SFBU's BAKE SALE at the GSU Link (775 Commonwealth Ave.) from 10:30 am - 3 pm to help us raise money for transportation costs for the fall!

Tuesday, September 8 - SFBU's FIRST MEETING at 7 pm in the Fuller Building (808 Commonwealth Ave., entrance on Essex St.). Look for us in the main lounge or follow the signs! We will be having a potluck and screening food-related shorts. Anyone is welcome to come, and if you cannot bring a dish, just remember to bring a plate and utensils!

We are also looking for Freshman and Sophomore Representatives to join our SFBU team. If you think you are interested, come to our meetings and let one of us know!

If you would like to help out with any of our events, or if you have any ideas, comments, questions, or suggestions, do not hesitate to contact us!

Looking forward to seeing you this fall!

-Dory, Kate, Annabelle, and Elizabeth

Cartography: Boston Street Food

2009-08-12T23:22:00.000-04:00

For those who may be new to Boston and/or find themselves combing the streets for hidden urban treasures, let this is your guide. Boston officially doesn't allow mobile food vendors to operate in the city, but there are still some renegades that roam, and more beyond city limits, in Cambridge. There is nothing quite as good at establishing a sense of place than eating a dirty dog with mustard in the park, or feeling the high noon sunheat off the side of a taco truck, to remind you of where you are, who you're dealing with, and how to "do lunch" informally.

Street food is (usually) affordable, simple, and delicious, if only for the impromptu, almost clairvoyant nature of its existence. You're just starting to feel hungry, and there it is. A mobile outpost that is surprisingly, exactly what you want.

Check out this map of Boston carts from New York Magazine, and the full article here. And if you run into a good one not on this map, let us know so we can go there too!

Hive Design and Urban Beekeeping

2009-08-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

More information on urban beekeeping:
from The Infrastructurist
from Anarchy Apiaries in Red Hook, NY

About Colony Collapse Disorder and why we need bees to live:
from NRDC

The Changing Face of Cooking Shows

2009-07-09T12:48:00.000-04:00

Hi,

I recently wrote an article for the blog GoodEater.org ("Our food and where it comes from") about the history of the Food Network and the transition of cooking shows from television to online, where most shows that relate to local, organic and "green" food can be found. Enjoy!

http://www.goodeater.org/2/post/2009/07/the-changing-face-of-cooking-shows.html

Boston University's Farmer's Market!

2009-06-22T12:10:00.000-04:00

We are very excited to announce that BU's Farmers Market will begin this Thursday, June 25th!!

For the first time the farmers market will feature several local farmers and vendors from the area, including baked goods from Big Sky Bakery based in Newton, MA and locally grown fruits and vegetables from Lanni Orchards of Lunenburg, MA!

Local artists will be present, selling artwork, jewelry, homemade crafts, and soaps. And to spice things up further, the farmers market will include rotational vendors!

So help support the local community by stopping by the George Sherman Union Plaza at 775 Commonwealth Ave. on Thursdays from 12:00-4:00 pm (June 25th-October 29), and get some fresh fruits and vegetables while you're at it!

The BU Farmers Market is run by BU Dining Services. Read their announcement of the farmers market here.

Future of Food Conference at Boston University

2009-05-21T11:01:00.000-04:00

SFBU had the pleasure of attending and helping out at the Future of Food Conference held May 8th and 9th at the BU Law School.

The conference, which was organized by the Institute of Human Sciences, served as a forum for professionals interested in the global issues of food and sustainability, to highlight some of the current problems with our food systems, and suggest possible futures. IHS organized this conference in response to the growing concerns of local communities in both the US and Europe over the global food crisis, and presented a dialogue about what can be done to stem it. Participants gathered to see how they could shape the the current food system into something that is sustainable, and safeguards cultural and biodiversity, while providing safe, healthy food for all citizens both now and in the future.

Friday, May 8th, included the lecture and workshop "Wild Fermentation" by Sandor Ellix Katz, followed by another lecture and cooking demo with Bryant Terry. The day ended with a screening of King Corn, introduced by filmmaker and followed by a discussion with director, Aaron Woolf.

Saturday featured 5 panel discussions, starting at 9am and running until 9 pm. The panels addressed a myriad of issues, including food production, agribusiness, food security, food safety, climate change, and the ethics of eating.

Satish Kumar, nuclear disarmament advocate and editor of Resurgence Magazine, gave an excellent keynote address, and also spoke on the panel about the ethics of eating. Kumar is well known for his having accomplished an over 8,000 mile Peace Walk through the capitals of nuclear superpowers-America, England, France and Russia.

While he shared many interesting insights on the issue of food sovereignty, his statement, "If you don't have enough time to bake Bread, you don't have enough time to Live," seemed to strike a particular chord with conference participants.

Other presenters of note were Mark Winne, author of Closing the Food Gap; Tim Wise, director of Research and Public Policy at Tufts Global Development and Environment Institute; Benedikt Haelin, president of Save our Seeds; Jim Harkness, President of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy; Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of Center for Food Safety; Helena Norberg-Hodge, founder of International Society for Ecology and Culture; Sandor Ellix Katz, author of Wild Fermentation and the Revolution Will not be Microwaved, Harriet Lamb, executive Director of Fair Trade Foundation, and finally Michael Ableman, farmer and author of Fields of Plenty.

Another interesting topic that was touched upon in discussion by the third panel was the GMO debate. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists report "Failure to Yield" by Doug Gurian-Sherman, genetically engineered crops do not in actuality increase yields! See the press release here.

It was helpful to compare and contrast US food policy and reports with those from other places, especially from the EU. There was so much information to absorb, and the presenters were very knowledgeable and approachable!

Of course there were multiple coffee breaks, and breakfast and lunch were provided-with lots of things to nibble on. Fair Trade Coffee, hummus, and vegan cookies galore! Also Taza Chocolate had a booth, as did Gnosis Chocolate.

A video of the entire conference will be available on the website soon so that you can shape your future of food and eat the revolution!!!

The Food Project

2009-05-17T21:03:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who joined SFBU and BU Hunger Relief for our trip to The Food Project in Roxbury!

The Food Project's goal is to "grow a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work together to build a sustainable food system." The Food Project also has various opportunities for youth and adult alike to learn and participate in sustainable agriculture in the community, ranging from Summer Youth programs, to internships, to individual volunteering.

We started off the morning with the game "the Wind Blows," and learned things we had in common with the other volunteers, such as who else had access to a farmers market within their community.
The day involved making raised beds, weeding with hula hoes, and other tasks, all with the help of The Food Project's high school crew leaders!
After a short break, everyone joined in cleaning up several parts of Roxbury.
The three hours went by fast, and because we promptly ended at 12:30 pm, it was a great way to start off the day!

Another game in the afternoon involved "Stepping in the Circle," with the center of the circle representing the ideal food system that is concerned with the producers, the communities, the consumers, and the earth, and a food supply that makes fresh and sustainable food accessible to consumers. At the end of the game we were all outside of the center of the circle, teaching us that there is still a long way for us to go to reaching a sustainable and ideal food system.

Almost every state buys 85-90% of its food from someplace else.

If you would like to help us reach the center of the circle or if you would just like to enjoy a sunny day outside, volunteer with the Food Project! You can drop in any Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday in the Spring (April-June) or in the Fall (Aug. 28 - Nov. 1), from 9:30 am - 12:30 pm, at their Lincoln and Roxbury locations!

Conference - The Future of Food: Transatlantic Perspectives

2009-05-03T08:55:00.000-04:00

Slow Food BU is a proud partner of the conference The Future of Food: Transatlantic Perspectives, to be held on May 8-9th!

Among other events, Friday, May 8th, will include a screening of King Corn from 8 pm - 10 pm at the BU Law School (765 Commonwealth Ave). The screening will be FREE and open to the public, will be introduced by filmmaker Ian Cheney, and will be followed by a discussion with director Aaron Woolf.

Meanwhile, the Saturday conference will include the following:

Keynote addresses by:
-Satish Kumar, Editor, Resurgence
-Michael Ableman, farmer, photographer, and author of Fields of Plenty

Session I
From Farm to Fork: the Global Food Chain

Session II:
Then End of Cheap Food: Food and Geopolitics

Session III:
What's in What You Eat? Food Safety in a New Ecology

Session IV:
Eating Green: Food and Climate Change

Session V:
What is "Good" Food? The Ethics of Eating

The conference will be held at the BU Law School (765 Comm. Ave.), & will also be FREE and open to the public!

The panels are meant to encourage people to think more consciously about the kind of food they buy and eat; because food is not only pleasurable: our food choices can have serious ethical and political impacts.

What a great way to end finals week! For a complete schedule and more information, please look at the website!

Food in the News: 'Victory' in the White House and on College Campuses

2009-03-21T09:19:00.000-04:00

In a recent NYTimes article it was declared official that the Obamas will be breaking ground on the White House lawn, and planting a 1,100 sq. foot victory garden. This is, no doubt, in response to the Eat the View campaign and others like it that have working tirelessly to reinstate the practice of keeping a victory garden. The tradition of keeping a garden at the White House is not a new one, and in fact has a long history stretching back as far as founding fathers John Adams and, of course, Thomas Jefferson, notorious kitchen gardener and viticulturist in his own right.N ever before, however, has the planting of a vegetable patch at the White House been more symbolic. With environmental, economic, and health crisis looming, the First Garden is demonstrative of what each American could do locally her or himself to contribute and be part of the solution to these nation-wide crisis.

In a similarly related article on Campus Progress.org, which features our very own Annabelle Ho, Brittany Peats discusses what students are doing to become part of the solution, including running on-campus, student-led farm and garden initiatives as well as working with dining services to change the food consumption habits of their universities.

If there's anything to be learned from reading the news of this week, it's that if foodie activists continue to have it their way 'V' will soon stand not only for 'Victory,' but for 'Victory Garden'!

March Happenings

2009-03-14T01:14:00.000-04:00

There are lots of good events coming up for the remainder of this month!

March 15-20 & March 22-27: Restaurant Week Boston
What's better than supporting your local restaurant, while at good prices?! Participating resturants will offer 2-course lunches $15.09, 3-course lunches for $20.09, and 3-course dinners for $33.09. When diners use their American Express Card at participating restaurants, $.25 per transaction will also be donated to Community Servings! Read more about restaurant week and find out which restaurants are involved here.

Wednesday, March 18, 6 pm: Designing the Urban Ark: Biodiversity and the Future of Cities.
Can future cities support both biodiversity and healthy human populations? And how will climate change alter the context for humans’ relationships with other species?
Dr. Kristina Hill will outline a vision for biodiversity and urban planning based on human self-interest, development conditions, climate change , and lessons learned in other regions of the U.S. Located at Harvard's Geological Lecture Hall at 24 Oxford Street. Free and open to the public! Get more info here.

Monday, March 23, 7:30 pm- SFBU Meeting and Potluck!
Bring a dish to share if you can, and don't forget to bring your own plates and silverware, so we can cut down on waste! Location: Fuller Building (808 Commonwealth Ave.), rm. 117. Entrance is on Essex St.

Thursday, March 26, 7-9 pm: Food Locavorism event at MIT (Location: Building W20-Rm 306)
"Eat locally" has become the new moral mantra for citizen gastronomes concerned about global warming, corporate agriculture, and the dissolution of community...But how much do food miles matter?...Is buying "local" necessarily ethical, or is it more complicated than that?..."
Speakers will include David Pimentel of Cornell University, Susanne Freidberg from Dartmouth College, Steve Johnson of Rendezvous Restaurant, and moderator Steven Shapin from Harvard! Free and open to the public. Get some more details.

Friday, March 27, 6 pm: Henry Ford, Colonial Kitchens, and the Performance of National Identity

Lecture by Abigail Carroll. However, RSVP is required: call (617) 353-9852. Located at BU's Gastronomy building, 808 Commonwealth Ave., rm. 117. Also free and open to the public! Read more information here.

Photo:
© http://www.foodfreak.de/

Northeast Real Food Summit-2009

2009-02-26T16:33:00.000-05:00

This past weekend 8 members of SFBU joined over 300 college and high school students from more than 60 northeastern schools to learn, network and stratagize around food justice at The Real Food Summit in Amherst. The Northeast summit was one of 5 regional summits organized by the "Real Food Challenge" which is a project of The Food Project, the California Student Sustainability Coalition, and their partners. We joined other like-minded students to brainstorm new ways to get fresh food in dining halls, more campus gardens, or more critical food-related curricula, making our schools invest in healthy, community-based, fair, and environmentally sound food for all.

“Our food system affects the future of our country, from health to climate change to the economy,” says Anim Steel, Director of National Programs at The Food Project, and co-coordinator of the Real Food Challenge. Our current food system is like the Titanic. We have a huge system that's chugging along, but where is it going? We're headed towards a huge iceberg that includes the global food crisis and climate change. But like the Titanic, all it takes it a small part of the system, a rudder as such, to turn this ship around.The Real Food Challenge has set an ambitious national target for colleges and universities to meet: purchase 20% “real food” by 2020. Led by students themselves, the campaign believes that with collaboration, commitment, and collective action, it will be possible to turn around the university food service industry. Students have the potential to be a huge driving force, and not just consumers of Real Food. 4 Billion Dollars a year are spent for food in dining halls, which means we have a huge buying power, and the potential to turn this ship away from the iceberg. As Anim said, “The younger generation has the largest stake in the future, so they should have the loudest voice in shaping our food system. That’s what this summit is about.”

Workshops included "Building Food IQ and Sharpening Your Sound Bytes" by Dr. Susan Rubin, the founder of Better School Food, during which students learned, among other things, that the sweetener high-fructose corn commonly found in commercial foods has been indicated to be contaminated with mercury. Suggested reads included The End of Food by Paul Roberts and recommended movies included The Real Dirt on Farmer John and F.L.O.W.. Meanwhile, students discussed The Farm Bill and the Northeast with Simmons faculty member and NESAWG consultant Larry Dixon. Although improvements to the Farm Bill can always be made, students recognized some of the positive changes in the U.S.- including the transition of the Food Stamp Program to SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Dixon explained the provisions within the Farm Bill, such as value added grants, which students can utilize in order to get Real Food to their dining halls and gardens on their campuses. Though the Farm Bill has been passed for the next five years, there is room for on-going input in terms of where funding from the bill is allocated. NESAWG, the North East Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, is attempting to make funding more accessible by providing support and educational resources regarding the Farm Bill, which can be especially beneficial for university students who want to see change on their campus but might need funding to make it happen.

As well as attending other groups' workshops, Slow Food BU was asked to participate in a workshop held by Julia Middleton, Director of Youth Programs for Slow Food USA. Doing so provided us with the opportunity to share with other Slow Food members and would-be members our own ideas about running a successful Slow Food On Campus chapter, as well as to learn about the exciting things that other SFOC chapters have been doing.

Despite the Summit ending early due to the impending snow, it was a great success and lots of fun! Thanks to all who came from BU and a BIG thanks to the RFC organizers!

Kombucha Demo and Campus Kitchens

2009-02-19T13:53:00.000-05:00

Slow Foodies gathered together for a potluck and Kombucha Brewing Demonstration this past Tuesday. The menu included a beautiful vegan chocolate beet cake, curried chick peas, and vegan protein power bars. On the drinks list, there was fresh, lime, grapefruit, and chokecherry flavored kombucha.

The basics of brewing kombucha tea were explained. This fermented tea is made with a SCOBY, or a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. Also known as the "elixir of immortality, kombucha tea has been claimed to cure various ailments such as cancer, and is said to have detoxifying effects and probiotics, which are good for the digestive system. Read more about Kombucha tea and the demo here!

We also had two visitors from the Campus Kitchens Project! The CKP has various programs on college campuses, some of which take leftover food, prepare it, and serve it to those in need. They are hoping to start something up in the Boston area, and SF hopes to work with and support the CKP in the future.

Something else we're excited for: the 2^nd Annual NE Real Food Summit is this weekend! Look for a recap from us in the next week or so.

What's Valentine's Day Without Chocolate?

2009-02-11T23:06:00.001-05:00

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Cambridge Naturals in Porter Square will be providing organic and fair trade chocolate samples this weekend! Theo chocolate samples will be offered on Friday, February 13, from 1-5 pm, and Somerville's own Taza Chocolate samples will be available on Saturday, February 14, from 1-5 pm. Look at Cambridge Naturals' website to find out more!

Share Your SKILLZ!

2009-02-03T23:05:00.000-05:00

Do you make a mean sauerkraut? Willing to share your babushka's secret borscht recipe? Have any hints about sustainable living that you'd like to enlighten us with? How about soap making talents?

This semester SFBU would love to incorporate more skillshares into out biweekly potlucks, and we would love suggestions/offers for them!! So if you have a skill, or want to do a workshop on a special topic, shoot us an e-mail!! slowfood@bu.edu

P.S. If you're looking for something to do this weekend, don't forget the Movie Screenings by SlowFood Boston. See the Calender for more details!! And stop by our next potluck meeting on February 17th!!

Dining at Green U

2009-01-28T19:57:00.000-05:00

Read the article Dining at Green U, which talks about Kelly Dunn and sustainability efforts at BU, released today in The Boston Globe!

BU: Sustainability Update

2009-01-24T16:01:00.000-05:00

Improvements are being made at BU one step at a time. Thanks to Kelly Dunn, here's the latest scoop on BU's sustainability efforts!

To start with, let's welcome BU's new Sustainability Director, Dennis Carlberg! A former architect with a background in green buildings, Dennis really wants to get student input on what they would like to see on campus. To find out more, check out this article.

BU's farmers market will be held on Thursdays in front of the GSU link, from around mid-May to Thanksgiving. If you have any suggestions for farmers or vendors who you would like to see there, you can e-mail Kelly Dunn or let us know, so we can pass along the information to her!

BU dining services is still looking into composting everything at the GSU, from food scraps to utensils. There are still some details to work out, but be on the lookout for composting bins this spring or the upcoming fall semester!

And if you're hungry and want to eat out for a good cause, certain restaurants are participating in the Super Hunger Brunch this weekend, January 24-25, to help end hunger and benefit the Greater Boston Food Bank! Read more details here.

Spring 09 Update and Kitchen Gardening

2009-01-17T12:34:00.000-05:00

Welcome back Slow Foodies,

Get ready for a semester filled with lots of good food!

Our first meeting will be Monday, February 2 at 7:30 pm in the Fuller Building. Mark your calendars! At this meeting we will talk about the meaning of Slow Food and plans for the semester.

This semester we plan to have potluck meetings twice a month on Mondays in the Fuller Building (808 Comm. Ave.) at 7:30 pm! Room #, 117 (look for signs!). And for more information and other events, see our lovely new calendar on the right!

If you've already got the itch to start getting involved with sustainable food on campus, SFBU will be meeting with Sustainability Coordinator for Aramark, Kelly Dunn, this Friday, January 23, at 8:30 am at Espresso Royale (736 Comm. Ave). Feel free to join us!

And if you're concerned about eating locally, what's better than growing your own food?

Sproutman Steve Meyerowitz will hold a FREE seminar at Grasshopper's for the Boston Vegetarian Society. Learn how to grow greens in your own kitchen! See the map for how to get to Grasshopper's- a Chinese, all-vegan restaurant that's located in Allston.

The BVS will also hold a social, vegan buffet dinner afterwards at Grasshopper's at 5:15 pm, and it will be only $9.50 including tax and tip! See BVS's calendar for more details.

NOTE: because of the snow, the seminar will be moved to Sunday, FEBRUARY 22nd at 3 pm! However, Grasshopper will still hold their buffet on Sunday, January 18.

If you can't make the seminar, how about checking out Kitchen Gardeners International.

Enjoy!

Meeting with Kelly Dunn

2008-12-23T18:24:00.000-05:00

SFBU met yet again with BU’s Sustainability Coordinator for Aramark, Kelly Dunn, and there seems to be a lot of exciting projects happening!

Efforts to make the upcoming farmers market more traditional with local farmers, vendors, and artisans are still in the works. Once the date and time of it are decided and more details are set, there should be opportunities for students to help!

Most of the utensils at BU's George Sherman Union are already biodegradable. As the GSU is a high generator of waste on campus, dining services is looking into potential compost bins there to reduce waste.

Hopes are that the new dining facility on east campus will be as green as possible with food and architecture in mind. Read about the sustainable Engrained Café for some inspiration! This café is funded by Aramark and is located in a green building at Arizona State University.

It certainly seems that dining services is making their effort to be more sustainable! Kelly would still like to work on transparency at BU to improve awareness of what dining services is doing to be more environmentally conscious.

Please contact us if you would like more information about SFBU and BU dining services, or if you would like to become more involved!

Meanwhile, read BU's College Sustainability Report Card for 2009 from the Sustainable Endowments Institute.

Happy Holidays!

The Whole Hog: DEMO

2008-12-11T12:45:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday night, SFBU (and others!) spent hours huddled together around a butcher block in the Myles basement kitchen to watch an incredible break-down.

Master-butcher, Adam Tiberio, systematically butchered a 150-pound locally raised, Yorkshire hog from start to finish, and spoke about each cut: what parts are traditionally used, why, how. Words like "cracklings," "lardo," and "trotters" became real terms we could identify, and recognize as food. We learned that the key to using the whole hog (and using meat in this way to constitute a sustainable diet) is to be resourceful in considering which parts to prepare. Most grocery stores, for example, only sell the "easy cuts:" ribs, tenderloin, the pork chop and the pot roast. Adam's demo showed us the underrepresented bits and pieces that are available to the creative cook. They're just as easy to incorporate into soups and main dishes, just as delicious (even better!) and definitely a shame to waste.

Adam's experience with the lost art of butchery comes from several years employed in various grocery meat departments, industrial slaughterhouses, and apprenticeships with local butchers. He's seen the dark side of what goes on in the industrial food chain, and uses his informed approach to do things differently. Adam currently works at an independent butcher-shop in Goffstown, NH.

“It used to be that there were five or six butchers in every neighborhood, and by butcher I mean a guy who knew how to take a whole animal and break it down into usable cuts. These days I’d be surprised if there were five or six guys in the whole city," says Jaime Lionette, co-owner of Lionette's Market in Boston's South End. There's a disconnect between producers, processors, and consumers in our food system, and we've got to take the time to re-teach ourselves how to procure, how to prepare, and how to eat to survive.

As the demo drew to a close, attendees divvied up the meat and cooked it as part of a series of simultaneous potlucks. Pulled pork, pot roast, soup stock, head cheese, pigs feet, sausage, and lardo were all made to great success! Big ups to Robert Flynn and everyone working in the Myles kitchen for letting us use their space. Thank you thank you to James and Adam for making it all the way out to Comm. Ave. with an entire pig in tow, and also to Kenji for posting this awesome review.

Taza Chocolate Factory

2008-12-10T18:49:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday, Slow Food went over to Somerville to visit the Taza Chocolate Factory, the only producer of 100% stone ground chocolate in the U.S.!. Their cacao beans are organic, fairly traded, and come from small farmer cooperatives.

Though the tour was short, we were able to see that making the beans involves lightly roasting them and putting them through a winnow machine, which separates the outer shell from the inner cacao nibs. The cacao is then stone ground and the chocolate is later wrapped by hand!

Need your chocolate fix that is also good, clean, and fair? Taza chocolate is sold at various farmers markets in MA during the growing season and in stores throughout the U.S.

Look at Taza's website to read more about the chocolate-making process, where to buy their products, and how they are incorporating sustainability into their business!

Fighting For Fair Food

2008-12-09T16:16:00.000-05:00

Fair Food For All!

The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) gave a presentation at the Lucy Parson's Center to bring awareness to the struggles of tomato pickers in Florida and a few representatives from Slow Food BU attended. Most of the Immokalee workers are from Central America and Mexico and pick tomatoes by hand all day. To make Florida's minimum wage, they must pick 2.5 TONS of tomatoes each day. The tomatoes are picked by the bucket and the worker is paid 40 cents per bucket. Their wage hasn't risen since 1978, while consumers have seen vast inflation in the aisles of their supermarkets and fast food meals since then. The work is physically demanding, puts heavy strain on their backs, and they lack medical coverage, insurance or benefits. There have been many instances of slavery and and in some farms, armed guards threaten those who want to leave. But in the past 10 years, CIW has begun to improve their living and working conditions. There has been seven slavery ring busts by the Federal Government, freeing 1000 workers, and their wage has increased from 40-50 cents. In 2001, the Campaign for Fair Food began, putting pressure on the "Big Purchasers" to make their food a bit more fair. They started urging big fast food corporations to sign a contract demanding that the workers be paid 1 cent more per lb, that employers establish a code of conduct to prevent human rights abuses, and that there be a forum for the workers to have a voice. The campaign has been wildly successful and almost all major fast food labels (McDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King, and most recently, Subway) and Whole Foods have agreed. The next step is to put pressure on grocery stores and food distributors. These demands are very modest, yet resistance is still strong. After the presentation we went to Star Market with the Coalition to hand-deliver a letter to the manager-a strategy they have found very effective in past campaigns.
So the next time you reach for a tomato in the grocery store, aside from asking if it was grown in a local sustainable manner, think of the workers who picked the food. Most local, sustainable food is produced in a fair manner, so buy directly from the farmers, and try to do your grocery shopping at Whole Foods, since they are committed to these principles. Awareness is the first step-it is only with consciousness and commitment that we can make change. Visit the CIW hompage and Alliance for Fair Food for more information and ways to get involved!

SFBU and Dining Services

2008-11-23T17:44:00.000-05:00

Slow Food met with Robert Flynn, manager of the Myles Dining Hall. Good news: The dining halls compost to Save That Stuff! In addition, produce is no longer purchased from Sid Wainer and local produce is soley purchased through Costa. Read more about BU Dining Services and sustainability.

SFBU also met with BU's new Coordinator of Sustainability for Aramark, Kelly Dunn, who previously worked as a recycling program manager for Cambridge. She hopes to make everything transparent at BU by increasing the accessibility to and awareness of what dining services is doing to be more sustainable. Kelly is also interested in expanding BU's green roof, bringing local vendors to the BU's farmers market, expanding green-cleaning products in all of the dining halls, and more. A new dining facility may also open up around east-campus in the future! If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about this place, e-mail us and we can pass the information along to her!

We anticipate working more with Kelly in order to increase the availability and consciousness of environmentally friendly, sustainable, and fair food options on campus. If you would like any more information regarding Slow Food BU and dining services or if you would like to become more involved, e-mail us!

In addition, see how other schools are integrating sustainability at their campuses!:

-Addie's Loft at BC is a vegetarian, sustainable café. BC also has a campus garden.
-Real Slow Food at UConn and UConn's Local Routes program, which brings sustainable foods to the Whitney Dining Unit. The UConn EcoGarden Club also has a student-run garden with their produce featured on Whitney's menu!
-Read about the pilot farmers market at University of California, Davis and their Student Farm.
-When the Fine Arts Café (run by Aramark) at the University of Virginia School of Architecture was renovated, it opened with a sustainable menu with the help of the student Serena Weaver.
-The experiment of incorporating sustainable foods at Yakeley Hall cafeteria in Michigan State University.
-The Harvard Farmers Markets on the Harvard Campus and at Allston.
-The Yale Sustainable Food Project

Local Thanksgiving:

2008-11-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

A soup-to-nuts plan for a home-grown holiday meal (click here).Recipes for dairyless fennel soup, maple-whipped sweet potatoes, and deep dish pumpkin pie from New York Magazine. You can swap in these Boston-area farms to make it hyper-local.

Stillman Farm - New Braintree, MA
Atlas Farm- Deerfield, MA
Grateful Farm - Franklin, MA
Red Fire Farm - Granby, MA
Happy Valley Cooperative Farms - Hadley, MA

December Calender!!

2008-11-21T09:12:00.000-05:00

Although there won't be a meeting 11/25 because of Thanksgiving, we have several Upcoming Events before the end of the semester, and would love for you to join us!

"The Whole Hog"
December 4th 6-8pm
Myles Kitchen
610 Beacon Street
James Lionette of Lionette's Market in the South End is graciously giving SFBU a butchering demo using a locally raised pig. He will show us how to break down the pig, and use each cut most effectively, while also speaking about the place of meat in a sustainable diet, emphasizing the importance of eating locally. *This is not for the squeamish, and if you have any qualms about seeing exactly where your meat comes from, it might not be best for you to join*
We will meet in the back kitchen of the Myles Dining Hall. The only catch is that its quite small, and we can only have about 20 people. So please RSVP to slowfood@bu.edu if you are definitely coming.
But, after the demo, we're heading over to Allston for an old-fashioned pit roast! Unlike the demo, we want everyone to come to this. Exact location and time TBD, but just know that there will be heaps of food roasting over open fires, and just as much camaraderie. So join us!!

Tour of Taza Chocolate Factory
December 6th 10 am
561 Windsor Street
Somerville, MA
Taza Chocolate is a local company that is dedicated to using Organic Sustainable Fair Trade Ingredients to make amazing chocolate. It is a true "bean-to-bar" chocolate maker and the only 100% stone ground chocolate maker in the United States. They source directly from small farmer cooperatives and minimally process the chocolate to maintain its quality. They are opening the doors to their factory on December 6th and letting everyone see exactly how their chocolate is made. And if that doesn't convince you, there's going to be lots of Free Samples!!! We want to get their early so we're meeting at the factory at 10am, when the doors open! For directions, click here

Collection of Immokalee Workers Informal Discussion
TJ Scallywags
December 6th around 8pm
Coalition of Immokalee Workers actually won their case with Subway this past week, so instead of protesting, they're going to share how they are accomplishing such feats at the Lucy Parsons Center (549 Columbus Ave) at 5:30pm. Once that is done they would like to meet with us at TJ Scallywags in Allston. 8pm is the tentative meeting time. One part of Slow Foods' principles is that food be fair and the Coalition is working towards that same goal, by organizing for better wages & working conditions for over 15 years. To learn more about their efforts, check out their site!

Free Vegan Dessert At Fiore's! December 12th 6-9pm
If you don't get your fill of sugary deliciousness after the chocolate factory there's scrumptious desserts at Fiore's with the Boston Vegetarian Society! For more information and directions and to RSVP, click here *Note the Date Change!!*

And that's it for this semester!!! Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, and stay warm!!

Roof-Hopping at Tufts

2008-11-18T22:01:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, SFBU spent a chilly morning on top of Tisch Library, gazing at succulents and the bones of the Tufts Green Roof Collaborative. We spoke with Colleen Butler, who organized the project for her research on pollinator insect species, and dreamed of a day when BU would agree to set up something similar for students to participate in urban agriculture.

There are a lot of considerations that go into to building a green roof: roof access, access to water, weight-bearing capacity, and membrane-layering are just a few things Colleen told us about the construction process. The Green Roof Collaborative was set up as an experiment in its first year, using uniform, shallow containers to allow for easy removal of the plants if need be, and to facilitate the scientific research going on there. Colleen's work specifically deals with measuring the bee population that visits the different species of plants on the roof, but she's also interested in the insulation and heat-island reducing effect a green roof can have in an urban setting.

Plans are in the works to set up a test garden this summer on top of BU's College of Arts and Sciences. The Organic Gardening Collective operates out of the (as yet) ramshackle greenhouse there, so we could put out some containers on the roof, experiment with what grows best, get some good hands in the soil, and propose a plan for further action to BU administration in Fall 2009. Ultimately, we'd like to have a student-run workstudy/internship program in green building/design/urban ag. available to those who tend the garden. Of course, all of this goes back to reestablishing the connection between the individual and his or her food supply; knowing where your food comes from is easiest when you grow it yourself! If you'd like to be part of this project or share any thoughts/advice, contact slowfood@bu.edu.

Other green roofs in Boston that are worth a look:

WGBH in Brighton
Boston's World Trade Center
the Four Seasons Hotel and
Massachusetts General Hospital (run by the Food Project)
also the Apple Store on Boylston St. ...maybe?

Living walls are cool too.
Green Roof FAQ from Good Magazine: here.

Food Not Lawns: White House Edition

2008-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

There is talk of growing a victory garden-style organic farm on the White House Lawn. Never a time more opportune! Support it at http://www.thewhofarm.org/

Potluck 11/18 and Other News

2008-11-13T00:01:00.001-05:00

Join us for a potluck this Tuesday, November 18, at our usual meeting place: room 109 of the Fuller Building (808 Commonwealth Ave.)! We will be meeting at 7:30pm and anticipate a small tasting of a couple of home-brewed, flavored kombucha! Also, remember to bring your own cups, plates, and cutlery, so we can reduce our waste!

On Wednesday, Nov. 19, Somerville Local First will be hosting a party, featuring local food from Sherman Market, Kickass Cupcakes, and various local brews! It will be held at Grand (374 Somervile Ave., Union Sq., Somerville) at 6:30 pm. But RSVP is required! To RSVP, e-mail somervillelocalfirst@gmail.com. Suggested donation for the event is $15.

Also, read this recent article that was in the Weekly Dig about CitySprouts, whose mission is to incorporate school gardens in Cambridge’s public schools.

SFBU November Calendar

2008-11-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

There's so much going on this month!

MONDAY NOV. 10: THE BEEHIVE DESIGN COLLECTIVE gives a talk, or rather, an interactive picture presentation on how to make political posters. With huge portable murals of collaboratively produced illustrations, a six foot tall fabric picture book, and an engaging narrative, the Bees will take you on a visual tour of the interactions between colonization, militarism, and resource extraction in the Americas. Dismantling Monoculture: Tales of Ants and Economics in the Americas. BU Central (GSU basement, 775 Comm. Ave.) 7pm.

TUESDAY NOV. 11: This week's meeting will also be a restaurant outing to Asmara Restaurant, 739 Mass. Ave in Cambridge. It's Ethiopian food, communal and delicious, near the Central Square T stop off the Red Line. Please rsvp to slowfood@bu.edu by Sunday, Nov. 9th if you plan on coming so that we can make reservations. We'll meet at Asmara at 6pm.

WEDNESDAY NOV. 12: Andrew Rimas reads from his non-fiction work Beef: The Untold Story of How Milk, Meat, and Muscle Shaped the World, which examines the cultural and culinary history of cattle. Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St., Brookline. 7pm.

THURSDAY NOV. 13: Louisa Dell Amico speaks on "An Inconvenient Food: The Link between Animal Agribusiness and Global Warming" at the Emmanuel College Library Lecture Hall. 7:30pm.

SUNDAY NOV. 16: SFBU goes roof-hopping in Somerville to check out Tufts' Green Roof Collaborative. We'll hear a bit about the project from Colleen Butler, and then take to the roof to see what's left of the verge. We'll see how we can apply the Tufts model to a possible work-study/internship based green roof collaborative at BU. Meet in the lobby of Tufts' Tisch Library at 10am.