Field to Family Benefit Events:
2012 Culinary Walk
Wednesday, September 5th, 5:30-8pm, Iowa City
ICCSD School Garden Produce Booth, Kids Day at the Iowa City Farmers Market
Saturday, September 15th, 9am-12noon, Chauncey Swan Park
2012 Culinary Ride
Sunday, September 16th, 8am start time, culinaryride.com
2012 Harvest Dinner
Sunday, September 23rd, 5:30pm, Hotel Vetro ballroom, Iowa City
Full schedule of events:
Wednesday, 8/22
Seed Saving, How and Why with Roxanne Mitten
5:30-7:30pm at Earth Source Garden
Learn about the time honored tradition of saving seeds from year to year. It is an opportunity to preserve rare, favored strains, and be more secure in your seed sourcing. Roxane will lead a general discussion of seed saving, and then move to identifying plant parts, how pollination occurs, and how to keep the strains pure. In the “hands-on” part of the class we will examine and work with available plant material. $5/person Register at newpi.coop/ClassesEvents
Tuesday, 8/28
‘Farewell to Summer’ Pestos with Genie Maybanks
6-8pm New Pioneer Coralville location
Pesto means “paste” in Italian, referring to the smooth texture of the traditional mix of crushed fresh basil, ground pine nuts, grated Parmesan, garlic, and olive oil. Join Genie as she demonstrates the preparation of a variety of pestos, some conventional, some shockingly new. She will prepare Traditional Basil Pesto, Pistachio Cilantro Pesto, and Macadamia Dill Pesto. She will also demonstrate the preparation of homemade Yogurt Cheese flavored with Fresh Herbs. $15/person Register at newpi.coop/ClassesEvents
Thursday, 8/30
Plant-Based Summer Feast with David Burt
6-8pm
New Pi Coralville
A plant-based diet helps keep you feeling young, and summer offers us a delightful array of ingredients. Join Chef David Burt, former Chef at The Red Avocado restaurant, as he demonstrates the preparation of a four-course meal from all-Iowa produce. Nature permitting, we will enjoy Sweet Corn and Beet Soup, followed by the main course of Eggplant Steak, Seared Spinach, and Spiced Tomato Sauce, with Scalloped Potatoes and Basil Salsa Verde. We will finish with Blackberry Chocolate Clusters with Rose Marzipan, and sample wines which enhance the meal. $20/person. Register at newpi.coop/ClassesEvents/EventCalendar.aspx
Friday, 8/31
Sweet Corn and Kale Fest Garden Party, with Dr. Terry Wahls
5-7pm at Earth Source Garden
Kale of every color and kind thrives in New Pi’s Earth Source Gardens, and Dr. Terry Wahls loves them all! Come hear Dr. Wahls speak, and learn how to “massage” your kale for greater tenderness and better flavor. Sample the abundance and variety of garden veggies, and tour the two-acre community gardens! Enjoy live swing music by Tin Pan Prairie-Tones and savor grilled sweet corn and the popular Mexican sweet corn called Elote. FREE
Sunday, 9/2
Grinnell Heritage Farm Annual Heirloom Tomato Tasting
4pm Grinnell Heritage Farm
1933 Penrose Street, Grinnell
NO WORK. JUST GOOD MUSIC, GOOD COMPANY + A LOT OF TASTY TOMATOES
In addition to the heirloom tomatoes their will be great food, activities for kids, and to top it off the Goosetown String Band from Iowa City will be playing a fine tune! Everyone is welcome. This is a great way to connect with where your food comes from and enjoy an evening with fellow locavores.
4:00 pm – Farm Tour
5:00 pm – Heirloom Tomato Tasting Begins
6:00 pm – Locavore Potluck - Bring a dish to share and dinnerware (plate, silverware, cup, etc.)
Wednesday, 9/5
Culinary Walk
5:30-8pm downtown Iowa City
Graze through downtown Iowa City’s favorite local food spots. Sample tasty treats created by Atlas, Devotay, Motley Cow, New Pi Co-op, Share Wine Lounge, and 126. Tickets sold ONLINE, New Pioneer Co-op stores, and Hy-Vee First Ave. location. $25/person, $15 with current student ID, $30 day of event.
Thursday, 9/6
Home Preservation 101 Workshop
6-8pm, Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center
120 E Boyson Road, Hiawatha
The workshop is intended for those wanting to learn how to safely preserve food and will also serve as a good refresher for those who have experience preserving food. The workshop fee is $10.00 and will cover canning, freezing, and drying. Registration is required by August 31. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at 319-395-6700.
Thursday, 9/6
Hands-On: Spring Rolls with Roxane Mitten
6-8pm, New Pi Coralville
Thai spring rolls feature fresh and delicately flavored ingredients wrapped in translucent rice noodles accompanied by dipping sauces such as spicy peanut. Join Roxane as she demonstrates the preparation of spring rolls with shrimp, pork, bean thread noodles, lettuce, mint, cilantro, and other fresh, local ingredients. Learn to create a beautiful presentation by placing the ingredients artistically within the rice noodle wrapper. Make and eat a unique roll using your favorite ingredients in this hands-on class. $15/person. Register at newpi.coop/ClassesEvents/EventCalendar.aspx
Saturday, 9/8
PFI/IVRCD Field Day
Kate Edwards, Wild Woods Farm
1-3pm 2471 Sugar Bottom Rd NE, Solon
Farmer Kate at Wild Woods Farm is in her second year as a beginning farmer. Come and hear how Kate got started farming, and meet other beginning farmers in Eastern Iowa. In addition to farming, Kate is a member of the recently appointed Johnson County Food Policy Council. Council members will be available for questions about the Council and on-going issues in the area’s food and farm scene.
Sunday, 9/9
Edible Urban Landscape Walking Tour
2-4pm, Downtown Iowa City
New urban plantings bring food, beauty, and educational activities to downtown Iowa City! Backyard Abundance and New Pioneer have created oases of greenery to inspire new uses of public and private lawn space. Each site on this walking/biking tour features different types of edibles ranging from corn to aronia berries and everything in between. The tour can be walked in 1-2 hours. Refreshments, tour guides, and informational handouts will be available at each site. For details, visit AbundantSafari.com
Urban landscape sites (more to come): New Pi’s Soilmates’ Children’s Educational Vegetable Garden at IC Public Library: 123 S. Linn St., Recreation Center Children’s Discovery Garden: 220 S. Gilbert St., and Chauncey Swan Park Edible Landscape: 460 E. Washington St. Also New Pioneer Iowa City store Administration Building Edible Landscape: 523 Iowa Ave. and New Pioneer Alley Orchard along Ralston Creek east of Iowa City Co-op store.
This tour is helping launch Abundant Safari, Iowa City’s new self-guided adventure through environmentally abundant landscapes. Backyard Abundance created the program and helped design and implement three of the sites on the tour. More information can be found on the website: http://AbundantSafari.com.”
Monday, 9/10
Commercial Composting Workshop
6:30-8:30pm East Side Recycling Center, in the Environmental Education Center (2401 Scott Boulevard SE, Iowa City)
Learn about efforts to collect organics for composting from various local restaurants, grocery stores and schools with hands-on experience. This workshop is focused towards commercial kitchens and businesses such as restaurants and grocery stores with large quantities of organic kitchen waste. Contact Jen at 319-887-6160 or jennifer-jordan@iowa-city.org
Wednesday, 9/12
Seed Saving, How and Why with Roxanne Mitten
5:30-7:30pm, Earth Source Garden
Learn about the time honored tradition of saving seeds from year to year. It is an opportunity to preserve rare, favored strains, and be more secure in your seed sourcing. Roxane will lead a general discussion of seed saving, and then move to identifying plant parts, how pollination occurs, and how to keep the strains pure. In the “hands-on” part of the class we will examine and work with available plant material. $5/person Register at newpi.coop/ClassesEvents
Thursday, 9/13
Making ‘Local’ Last All Winter with Rachel Morey
6-8pm, New Pioneer Coralville location
Can you picture yourself enjoying local food all winter? Rachel Morey finds satisfaction and fun in processing her garden abundance by canning, drying, fermenting, and root cellaring. Join Rachel as she explains the “math” of how much to grow, how much to process, and what preservation techniques work best for each crop. Rachel will demonstrate water bath canning of tomato sauce (delicious for salsa or spaghetti sauce), fermentation of kim chee, drying fruits and herbs, and discuss the role of root cellaring. $15/person Register at newpi.coop/ClassesEvents
Saturday, 9/15
ICCSD School Garden Produce Booth, Kids Day at the Iowa City Farmers Market
9am-12noon Chauncey Swan Park
This summer at least 15 ICCSD schools are growing food in school gardens. To celebrate the hard work of our school gardeners, Farm to School will host an ICCSD School Garden Produce booth at the Iowa City Farmers Market on Kids Day, Sept. 15th. Students will help harvest the produce, make posters, and run the booth. A photo tour of ICCSD school gardens will be on display. Proceeds from the sale will benefit ICCSD Farm to School.
Sunday, 9/16
2nd Annual Culinary Ride - A bicycle tour of local farms and food.
8am start time
Proceeds of the bicycle ride benefit the Youth Off Road Riders and Farm to School. This event gives riders a dynamic experience of what it means to contribute to the health of the Eastern Iowa local food community. Savor food prepared with fresh produce by local chefs, and enjoy handcrafted beverages while roaming farms and enjoying the company of friends.
We’re riding to ensure that kid’s growth and development includes a nutritious helping of physical activity, fresh food, and a connection to the natural world. The Culinary Ride promotes awareness of local farms and businesses that support the health of our community, land, and local economies.
We’ll be heading west of North Liberty to explore restored prairie, berries, veggies, and more. Two route options allowing participants to experience the ride at their own pace: 60-mile Beet-it-Up is an adventurous gravel route
20-mile Cherry Tomato Route is all paved
A $45 suggested donation ensures you’ll be well fed, and you’ll also receive a reusable surprise to take along on the ride. More information and tickets at culinaryride.com; facebook.com/pages/Culinary-Ride.
Thursday, 9/20
We Love Bacon with Genie Maybanks
6-8pm New Pioneer Coralville location
Bacon is sexy, bacon is fun! Join bacon lover Genie Maybanks for a romp through her favorite recipes featuring outstanding Iowa bacon and beyond. Learn about and sample pancetta, prosciutto, and thick cut bacon; try the unique double smoked Nueske’s, hailed
as one of the top ten bacons in the nation. Genie will demonstrate the preparation of Bacon Wrapped Dates, Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus, Spicy Squash Soup with Bacon Crumbles, Savory Chard, Prosciutto and Gruyère Soufflé style Dutch Pancake, Gnocchi with Pancetta, and Alambres, the ‘taco truck’ style steak and bacon tacos. Sample size portions will be served. $25/person Register at newpi.coop/ClassesEvents
Friday, 9/21
Iowa Food Systems Council Board Meeting
1-3pm Iowa Valley RC&D 920 48th Avenue, Amana
Come and meet the Iowa Food Systems Council and share with them your stories of Iowa’s Food System and what you think should be the priorities of the Council’s work.
The Iowa Food Systems Council (IFSC) is a member-based non-profit organization whose charge is to monitor Iowa’s food and health landscape, to encourage and coordinate connections between food system leaders and decision-makers, and to identify policies, programs and research that cultivate a resilient and sustainable food system – a system which builds a healthier food economy, a healthier environment and healthier Iowans.
Friday, 9/21
Turn Here Sweet Corn, An appearance by author Atina Diffley
7pm Prairie Lights 15 S Dubuque Street, Iowa City
Atina Diffley will read from her new book, Turn Here Sweet Corn. In telling her story of working the land, coaxing good food from the fertile soil, Atina Diffley reminds us of an ultimate truth: we live in relationships—with the earth, plants and animals, families and communities. A memoir of making these essential relationships work in the face of challenges as natural as weather and as unnatural as corporate politics, her book is a firsthand history of getting in at the “ground level” of organic farming.
Saturday, 9/22
Author at the Market, Atina Diffley Turn Here Sweet Corn
9am-12noon Iowa City Farmers Market, Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp
Visit with Atina Diffley and get a signed copy of her new book, Turn Here Sweet Corn.
Saturday, 9/22
Autumn Equinox: Paw Paws, Pumpkins, and Storytelling
5-7pm at Earth Source Garden
Day and night are equal lengths on the Equinox, Sept. 22. Meet and sample the exotic local fruit the paw paw with Patrick O’Malley of Iowa State University Extension. We’ll celebrate with live music, a pumpkin harvest, and refreshments from the garden! We look forward to a campfire with story-telling and songs by Chris Vinsonhaler. FREE
Sunday, 9/23
Field to Family’s Harvest Dinner
5:30pm Hotel Vetro, Iowa City
Enjoy the best local foods meal all year, homemade by local chefs at the Field to Family Harvest Dinner. Join us in welcoming Atina Diffley as our guest with her new book, Turn Here Sweet Corn. Andrew Dunham of Grinnell Heritage Farm will open our conversation on working the land organically. Charity Nebbe will host the evening. Participating chefs include Thorin Peugh of Share, Katy Meyer of Trumpet Blossom, Seth Hershey of Vesta, Bryan Herzic of Orchard Green, Derek Perez of El Banditos, and Naftaly Stramer and Ofer Sivan of Oasis Falafel Joint.
Tickets $50. Tickets sold ONLINE, New Pioneer Co-op and Hy-Vee Iowa City and Coralville locations.