Check out this article "Why Diversity Matters!"

http://www.slowfood.com/international/slow-stories/184942/why-biodiversity-matters/q=E232F0

First spring semester meeting today! 1/27

Join us in Phillips 119 for our first meeting of the semester! We will be planning out our semester, so come to pitch in some great ideas.

This semester will consist largely of garden planning, honey bees, and a few other exciting things as well!

Pizza Party

Friday evening, April 29th, after a long-awaited, garden-work meeting, the Foodlums will be unwinding with a  

Pizza Party. 

In Foodlums Fashion, the crust will be handmade with ethical, local ingredients and perspective pizza eaters will be asked to bring the toppings.

Things that you might consider bringing for toppings :

Cheese

Your favorite secret and delicious sauce

Vegetables

Eggs

Herbs

Meat

Also bring: Your own plate and silverware

The post-gardening party will go down at Tehya and Erin's house (720 Broadway) after we are done in the garden. From the garden, a bike brigade will mosey on over to the pizza house, singing earth-loving songs and sporting dirt-caked hands. 

If you come to the garden and no one is there, the Pizza Party has started and you should go to 720 Broadway.

Progressive Film Festival Food Fanatics Fun Film Picks

Here are some Foodlum inspired films being shown at the 5th Annual Eau Claire Progressive Film Festival. Check them out and all of the other great films if you get a chance:

Saturday, April 2nd 2011

12:00 P.M: "Tapped" Hibbard 321

"a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of the bottled water industry, an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water."

2:30 P.M.: "The End of the Line" Hibbard 321

Exploring the tragic collapse of the cod fishery in Newfoundland in the 1990s, the imminent extinction of the prized blueefin tuna, and the devastation caused by illegal catches and surpassed fishing quotas, this film uncovers the dark ecological story behind our love affair with fish as food."

Monday, April 4th 2011

7:30 P.M.: "Bananas!*" Hibbard 102

"On behalf of twelve Nicaraguan banana workers, he is tackling Dole Food in a ground-breaking legal battle for their use of a banned pesticide that was known by the company to cause sterility"

Homemade Crackers

Hey Foodlums-
Since we were talking about home made crackers a few meetings ago, I ended up making them last week (and brought some to the meeting-- for those who were there).
This is the recipe I used. Super easy and so good to have power over the contents of your crackers!
1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 T. sugar (or honey)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. paprika
4 T. butter
1/4 c. water
1/4 t. vanilla
salt for topping

the recipe says to cut the butter in with the dry ingredients until the lumps of butter are pea-sized and then add the rest of the ingredients.
I ended up making a few batches of crackers and tweaking them a little along the way. For one of my batches I substituted some of the butter with olive oil. I also expriemented with different herbs that I rolled into the dough when it was rolled out to the thinness I wanted. My favorite version was dried rosemary (collected from Chris's Graham St. free clinic garden), although ginger chunks were interesting too!
I just rolled the dough out directly onto a greased cookie sheet and cut the rolled-out dough into small triangle pieces pre-baking. Baked the crackers at 400 degrees. This recipe I followed said to let them bake for 5-10 min.. I didn't time them, just watched them carefully. As soon as some of them start to brown, the rest of them brown really quickly, so watch out lest you have a sheet of burnt crackers. I used a metal spatula to get them off the cookie sheet.
Check out the link in the title for the recipe I used online.
Let me know if someone else tries this recipe and finds new ways to tweak the recipe!
-Briana

Fermentation Workshop

Our last meeting of the semester will be Friday, December 10th and we intend to leave for winter hibernation with some new food in tow.
There will be a fermentation workshop to try different recipes for fermented vegetables.
The star ferment recipe will be kim-chi, a spicy Korean mixture of fermented cabbage and raddish among other things.
Other fermentation recipes will be concocting as well.**

Please come and join us, but make sure to bring a jelly jar or two so you can bring some home to eat (after waiting the appropriate fermentation period, of course)
See you Friday at 3 in the usual Phillips 119*

*Our location may change, so if room 119 is empty, check the chalk board for further direction
**If you have a fermented vegetable recipe of your own, please bring the ingredients and come prepared to share your knowledge

Get ready for bees, raised beds, fruit trees, and a new garden manager!

The fantastic UWEC Environmental Endeavors Commission has allocated funds to the Foodlums to support a whole slew of improvements to the garden and new projects to begin in the spring 2011 semester.

• We will be the proud parents of two colonies of bees with the task of making them feel at home on our campus. Three lucky foodlums will be able to attend a bee-keeping workshop this winter to learn how to tame these beautiful beeings.

• Raised beds are now officially paid for and will require people power to plan this winter and build in the spring.

• Funding for six new fruit trees is now available for Foodlums to plant the aspiring fruit-producers in and around the garden.

• The most exciting addition to the Foodlums-- a PAID garden manager position.

Thank you EEC.

The Progressive Magazine and The Producers and Buyers Cooperative

Get to Know Your Farmers!

http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/09/organic-egg-report-and-scorecard/

UW-EC professor, cook share Middle East cultures, cuisine

A UW-Eau Claire professor and an accomplished cook follow a Middle East tradition of hospitality 

http://www.leadertelegram.com/features/food/article_db8add3c-3adf-5df5-a09d-e109998e1d89.html 

Paul Kaldjian shared a spice sample with student Ardith Kelly of Eau Claire. Paul Kaldjian, offered a sample of Turkish sumac with student Ardith Kelly of Eau Claire. Kaldjian and his wife, Meg Nord, shared their knowledge of Middle East foods, cultures and geography on Tuesdays at Peace Lutheran Church, 501 E. Fillmore Ave.

Posted: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 11:49 pm, Mon Oct 11, 2010.

By Blythe Wachter Leader-Telegram staff 

Not knowing a lot about the Middle East, Nancy Kodl decided to take a course exploring its people, places and foods. The Thorp resident was one of 25 registrants for "Middle East Cultures and Cuisines," offered through UW-Eau Claire Continuing Education. The course, which concludes tonight, offered a chance to experience another culture, Kodl said. "I live in a town where we're all alike. ... It's nice to try something different, especially because it's a culture I knew so little about."

Paul Kaldjian, associate professor of geography at UW-Eau Claire, lectured during the first part of each two-hour session. His wife, Meg Nord, then demonstrated four to five recipes in the kitchen at Peace Lutheran Church, 501 E. Fillmore Ave. The goal was to introduce Middle Eastern dishes and let people see how easily such foods can fit into their diet. People can obtain most ingredients at their supermarket, Nord said. Water Street Deli & Grocery carries harder-to-find items.

Each lecture had a different theme, highlighting foods from the Middle East and North Africa. A guest cook from Iraq was slated for one session.The first class, on Sept. 14, focused on legumes. Pointing out regional differences, Kaldjian said fava beans are more common across North Africa, while lentils and chickpeas are more likely to be used in the Middle East. Fava beans, slow-cooked and flavored with lemon juice, olive oil and onions, are considered the national breakfast in Egypt.

Students' familiarity with the cuisine varied, but all knew of hummus, a spread made with mashed chickpeas and tahini, a ground sesame seed paste. Kaldjian described it as nutritious, easy to make and cost-effective.
One reason for offering the course is the Mediterranean diet is recognized as very healthful, he said.
Olive oil plays a major role in the diet, which also emphasizes fresh vegetables and fruits and grains. Lemon juice and olive oil often are a base for dishes, Nord said, and a lot of different spices are used.
Kaldjian noted the lack of processed foods in the diet. Manufactured ingredients are not used to preserve and enhance food - ingredients are all natural - and the only processing involves grinding or mashing, he said.
The Sept. 21 session dealt with olive oil and vegetables, with the emphasis on Lebanon and Syria. As class began, one student shared a hummus recipe, while another passed around surplus peppers from her garden.
Kaldjian provided the cultural context and background of ingredients in Nord's dishes. For example, he covered olive oil production. "Lebanon makes fantastic olive oil. Turkish oil can be extremely good," he said.
Slides illustrated his lecture, including depictions of Krak des Chevaliers, a European crusaders castle in Syria, and ancient water wheels in Hama, Syria.

Kaldjian discussed food systems in Lebanon and Syria, which range from informal markets that move among neighborhoods to sophisticated grocery stores. Businesses respond to consumer demand, so now organic produce is showing up, and even market vendors use credit card processors, he said."Now the best part - the food," an apron-clad Nord said as Kaldjian concluded his lecture.

On the menu were Carrots With Olive Oil, Pilaf With Tomatoes and Eggplant, Fattoush (Bread Salad) and Bulgur and Chickpea Salad. Students sampled the food. Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley and mint flavor the bulgur-chickpea salad, while dill and mint season the pilaf, which includes fried eggplant.For the bread salad, greens (she recommended arugula or romaine lettuce) get tossed with cucumbers, green onions, bell peppers, tomatoes and pieces of fried pita bread. The vinaigrette consists of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper - and a secret ingredient, Turkish sumac. Carrots, served cold, are cooked with rice and onions.

Myron Buchholz of Eau Claire, a world studies teacher at Memorial High School, took the class with his wife. He thought it would be a nice experience, he said: "No homework, and you get to eat."The cuisine comes from an oral recipe tradition. With measurements not too exact, experimenting is easier because there seems to be more room for error, he said. Kaldjian, whose father is an Armenian from Lebanon, has traveled extensively in the Middle East, and he and Nord formerly lived in Turkey. They want to share their knowledge with the community. He also wants to contribute to a more whole view of the Middle East and North Africa, which frequently are represented in daily life "in negative terms of war and conflict, which is not a part of what most of the people are doing."

Nord stressed that hospitality is part of the Middle Eastern food culture. Meals are not grab-and-go, but people sit and talk and eat over a long period of time, she said. "Food has social meaning," Kaldjian said. No matter where one goes in the Middle East, food is part of receiving guests, he said. Feeding guests is an honor, rather than an imposition, he noted. "Life across the Middle East and North Africa is about relationships." That sense of hospitality carries over to their lives. "Food is a big part of our life, cooking and sharing," Nord said.

http://www.leadertelegram.com/features/food/article_db8add3c-3adf-5df5-a09d-e109998e1d89.html

Fall Themed Progressive Dinner

Come to the Foodlums/ Conservationists progressive dinner

this Saturday, October 9th.

The dinner will begin with appetizers at 720 Broadway St. at 5:00 pm and progress to additional houses for main course and dessert.

Just bring $5 and your own silverware, plate, bowl, and cup for a delicious, earth-conscious, fall themed meal. YUM!

Come and bring all your foodie friends. Be sure to RSVP to Briana (odegarbn@uwec.edu) by Thursday evening so that we know how many people to prepare food for.

See you Saturday!

foodlums future jobs?!

http://www.grist.org/article/food-colin-mccrate-wants-you-to-eat-your-yard-/

There's a new kind of farmer in town. Colin McCrate is using his agricultural know-how to convert sprawling urban yards into edible bounty. He installs and maintains food gardens at homes and businesses through the Seattle Urban Farm Company, which he founded.
His clients are varied, but as this audio slideshow tells, they agree with Colin on one thing: Eating your lawn isn’t just for bunnies.

GMO's

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/09/19-0#comments

Published on Sunday, September 19, 2010 by The Raw Story


FDA Won’t Allow Food to Be Labeled Free of Genetic Modification: Report

'Extra labeling only confuses the consumer,' biotech spokesman says

That the Food and Drug Administration is opposed to labeling foods that are genetically modified is no surprise anymore, but a report in the Washington Post indicates the FDA won't even allow food producers to label their foods as being free of genetic modification.

That the Food and Drug Administration is opposed to labeling foods that are genetically modified is no surprise anymore, but a report in the Washington Post indicates the FDA won't even allow food producers to label their foods as being free of genetic modification. (photo by Flickr user banlon1964)In reporting that the FDA will likely not require the labeling of genetically modified salmon if it approves the food product for consumption, the Post's Lyndsey Layton notes that the federal agency "won't let conventional food makers trumpet the fact that their products don't contain genetically modified ingredients."

The agency warned the dairy industry in 1994 that it could not use "Hormone Free" labeling on milk from cows that are not given engineered hormones, because all milk contains some hormones.

It has sent a flurry of enforcement letters to food makers, including B&G Foods, which was told it could not use the phrase "GMO-free" on its Polaner All Fruit strawberry spread label because GMO refers to genetically modified organisms and strawberries are produce, not organisms.

It told the maker of Spectrum Canola Oil that it could not use a label that included a red circle with a line through it and the words "GMO," saying the symbol suggested that there was something wrong with genetically engineered food.

"This to me raises questions about whose interest the FDA is protecting," House Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) told the Post. Kucinich has repeatedly introduced bills in the House that would require the labeling of genetically modified foods.

David Edwards, director of animal biotechnology at the Biotechnology Industry Organization, told the Post that "extra labeling only confuses the consumer. ... It differentiates products that are not different. As we stick more labels on products that don't really tell us anything more, it makes it harder for consumers to make their choices."

The Post notes that the debate over genetically modified salmon, which will be decided at an FDA advisory panel meeting this week, "comes at a time when Americans seem to want to know more about their food - where it is grown, how it is produced and what it contains."

"The public wants to know and the public has a right to know," New York University nutrition professor Marion Nestle told the Post. "I think the agency has discretion, but it's under enormous political pressure to approve [the salmon] without labeling."

© 2010 Raw Story.E-mailPrintShare

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/09/19-0#comments

more info! great link on how you can avoid genetically engineered foods http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/pubs/guide%208_11%20layout.pdf

Kick-off Potluck

Come for a delicious potluck to celebrate the beginning of another year and a bursting farmers market. The potluck will be at 4:oo pm Sunday, September 19th
720 E. Broadway St.
It's sure to be a good time.

producers and buyers coop (of eau claire) in the news!

click for larger text...

Shop these area farmers markets!

Find locally grown produce at your local farmers market. Here is a guide to some area farmers markets, or check if your community has a market:

Shoppers browsed the downtown farmers market recently in Eau Claire. Participants in the Women, Infants and Children Program can receive vouchers to shop for fresh produce at farmers markets. The Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program also offers vouchers.

Arcadia

Address: Piggly Wiggly parking lot, 550 S. Dettloff Drive.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, mid-June-mid-September.

Barron

Address: Country Lane Market & Pantry, 1642 16th St.

Operating hours: 2 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, June 17-mid-October.

Black River Falls

Address: Scholze Ace Home Center, 133 Highway A.

Operating hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays while products are available.

Boyceville

Address: Andy Pafko Park on Highway 170.

Operating hours: 2 to 6 p.m. Mondays, June 7-Oct. 25.

Chippewa Falls

Chippewa Falls farmers market.

Address: Corner of Bridge and River streets.

Operating hours: Noon to 5:30 p.m. Thursdays and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, June 3-Oct. 21.

Klinger Farm Market.

Address: 12756 132nd St.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, year-round.

McIlquham Orchard.

Address: 19371 Highway OO.

Operating hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, June 17-July 5 and Aug. 15-Oct. 31.

Durand

Downtown.

Address: Chippewa View Park, Main Street.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, June-September.

Lions Club.

Address: Durand Junior/Senior High School parking lot, 604 Seventh Ave. E.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, July 3-Oct. 30.

Eau Claire

Downtown.

Address: Phoenix Park, along Madison Street.

Operating hours: 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays; noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays, June 2-Oct. 30; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, July 4-Sept. 12.

Eau Claire Farmers Market.

Address: Oakwood Mall parking lot, 4800 Golf Road.

Operating hours: 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays, June 12-Oct. 30.

Festival Foods.

Address: FestivalFoods parking lot, 3007 Mall Drive.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays, June 6-Oct. 31.

Fresh Start Farmers Mart.

Address: Campus Mall at UW-Eau Claire campus, 105 Garfield Avenue.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to noon Thursdays, June 17-July 29.

Hillview Farm.

Address: E6198 Hickory Road.

Operating hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, Sept. 2-Oct. 31.

McIlquham Orchard.

Address: 3235 E.Hamilton Ave.

Operating hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, June 15-July 15.

Eleva

Address: Family Farms Market parking lot, 50684 N. Main St.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, June-October.

Elk Mound

Address: 204 E. Menomonie St. (U.S. 12.)

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, June 4-Oct. 22.

Galesville

Address: Galesville Square, at Main Street and Gale Avenue.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, June-September.

Hudson

Address: Plaza 94 shopping center at Interstate 94 and 17th Street.

Operating hours: 7:30 a.m. to noon Thursdays, June-October.

Menomonie

Address: Dunn County Fairgrounds, 620 17th St. S.E.

Operating hours: Noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, June 2-Oct. 30.

Mondovi

Address: Marten Center, 120 S. Franklin St.

Operating hours: 3:30 to 6 p.m. Fridays, May 28-Oct. 1.

Rice Lake

Address: Rice Lake Chamber of Commerce parking lot, 37 S. Main St.

Hours: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays, June 26-October.

River Falls

Address: East Locust Street and Second Street.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays and 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, May to Nov. 1.

Spring Valley

Address: Team Oil, along Highway 29 one mile west of Spring Valley.

Operating hours: 2 to 6 p.m. Thursdays, June-October.

Stanley

Address: Soo Line Park, at First Avenue and Emery Street.

Operating hours: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, June 5-Oct. 2.

Strum

Address: Strum Public Library grounds, 114 Fifth Ave. S.

Operating hours: 4-6 p.m. Thursdays, June-September.

Thorp

Address: Garrison Park, 118 N. Washington St.

Operating hours: Noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, mid-June-October.

Trempealeau

Address: Central Park at Fourth and Gray streets.

Operating hours: 3 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, June 3-Sept. 30.

Whitehall

Address: Melby Park, at Hobson and Park streets.

Operating hours: 4 to 6 p.m. Fridays, June 4-Sept. 24.

Dubbed a hero, Allen looks to take farming to the skies

Benny Sieu

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/92477004.html

Milwaukee urban farmer Will Allen is listed on Time Magazine's annual "Time 100: The World's Most Influential People" list.

By Karen Herzog of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: April 29, 2010 |(30) Comments

This drawing by Kubala Washatko Architects Inc. shows a a five-story farm that Growing Power is considering building at its existing 2-acre property on W. Silver Spring Drive. Led by Will Allen, the nonprofit is close to launching a $7 million to $10 million fund-raising campaign for the project.

Today's TMJ4 Video

JS OnAir: Allen Named Most Influential

Dig In!

A blog for Wisconsinites who value food from close to home

See all blog posts or follow Dig In! on Twitter @DigInMKE

It's hard to imagine a five-story farm in the middle of a city, but if Milwaukee urban farmer Will Allen is behind the idea, anything's possible.
After all, Allen is a world hero, according to an issue of Time magazine that hits newsstands Friday. He's among 100 individuals and small groups picked by Time editors for the annual "Time 100: The World's Most Influential People," which honors ideas, innovations and actions that are "shaping our world."
Allen already has been dubbed a genius by the John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation, which awarded him a $500,000 "genius grant" in 2008.
Now all Allen and Growing Power's board of directors must do is find $7 million to $10 million to build the farm that Allen has been envisioning for nearly two decades to take his nonprofit enterprise to the next level.
Backers say the futuristic urban farm designed to intensively produce vegetables and fish could become an icon for Milwaukee, and a model for cities around the world to grow affordable, healthful food close to consumers. It also could create a whole new industry with thousands of jobs for urban farmers and those who design and build city farms around the world, Allen said Thursday.
"It's something a bit counterintuitive with the economy going south, but we've come to the conclusion that Growing Power is going north," Jerry Kaufman, board president for Growing Power and a professor emeritus of urban planning, said Thursday. "There aren't too many Will Allens around, and so far we haven't developed the science to clone him.
"I see the decade of 2010 as potentially explosive for what Will calls, 'The Good Food Revolution.' "
The vertical farm - dramatic in shape and with an expansive, sloped glass front to absorb natural light - would be built at Growing Power's existing 2-acre farm at 5500 W. Silver Spring Drive through local and federal donations and grants. A half-dozen existing greenhouses would be preserved as historic structures.
It would have 23,000 square feet for classrooms, a demonstration kitchen, offices, staff locker room, retail store, food processing, loading dock and freezers. An additional 15,000 square feet of sloped area, facing Silver Spring Drive, would be devoted to growing vegetables and fish. Fish tanks for perch and tilapia would be trenched into the ground. The building would have a rooftop solar panel, would capture rainwater to be recycled for watering plants, and would transfer heat from the building top to a thermal mass underneath to store for future use.

'First of its kind'

The vertical farm is conceptualized in drawings by Kubala Washatko Architects Inc. in Cedarburg, whose designs have included the Urban Ecology Center, the Iron Horse Hotel and the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center near Baraboo - buildings known for their strong connections to neighborhoods and use of natural light and building materials.
"This would be the first of its kind in the world that we know of," said architect Allen Washatko, co-founder of the Cedarburg architectural firm. "This concept is intended for areas where land availability is scarce and where 'going up' to create agricultural space would be in demand."
It's time to stop dreaming and start building, Allen said.
"Somebody's gotta build the first one," he said. "We've taken a leading role in urban agriculture, and we've pioneered a lot of firsts, so why shouldn't we be the ones to do it?"
Allen, 61, for years has been calling attention to the widespread existence of "food deserts" in cities across America, where whole communities lack access to fresh, nutritious, affordable food, and underserved populations have high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
He keeps a hectic schedule - which will slow down in two weeks when he has knee replacement surgery. He speaks at workshops and universities around the world. Growing Power's board members heartily applaud Allen but privately worry that he will be in even greater demand as he continues to gain a higher international profile.