A Local Food Feast of Autumnal Fun

The Sunday Supper at The Ancaster Old Mill on October 5 was an amazing and enjoyable event! The work of featured artist Guennadi Kalinene was snapped up by eager bidders, for obvious reasons -- his landscapes evoke a sense of the mystery and meaning of nature -- and the scenes are local. How perfect for this special occasion. The colourful murals painted by young kids and presented by The Dundas Valley School of Art provided a colourful backdrop to the celebration.

This annual fundraiser for the Hamilton Eat Local Project (an initiative of Environment Hamilton) has always raised a significant share (half) of the cost of printing he Eat Local's "Buy Local, Buy Fresh" map in its first two years of production, and this year's contribution will be just as vital.

Thanks to our gracious host Executive Chef at The Mill Jeff Crump and his talented team for presenting a spectacular meal by the falls. Pastry Chef Bettina Schormann and The Mill's John Bullock must be singled out for praise for their efforts. Ingredients from ManoRun Farm, Carluke Orchards and other area producers tasted of unaparalled freshness and flavours ably teased to a peak -- Bettina Schormann's strudel was a crunchy-sweet and tender conclusion to the meal. Yowza! :-)

***
Contact Bread & Roses Cafe regarding their current Job Postings if you're a potential prep cook or cafe staffer. Send e-mails to margann@skydragon.org or leave a message at 905-777-8102 ext. 3
***

Sunday Afternoon's Seed to Scrap Bus Tour was superb. Its organizers at PEAS (an OPIRG working group based at McMaster) did an impressive job of smoothly orchestrating a sophisticated event that was at once thought provoking, spirited, and just plain enjoyable. I hope they'll be able to organize similar tours in the future.

***

Link to Edible Toronto Online, then select "Current Issue" once you get to their home page:
http://www.edibletoronto.com/content/

***

Coming up: A One-Day Mid-Week Farmers' Market Morning to celebrate World Food Day and mark The International Day of the Potato -- Chris Krucker and his bumper crop of potatoes will be there, along with other local food producers and at least one busker (10-11 am) and we're looking for more! Thursday October 16, 9 am to noon. Details TBA, and pending approval of Hamilton's Public Health Department!

***

I'm not sure how many attended in the end, but I was amazed by the turnout to my presentation entitled "Living La Vida Locavore: A Year of Eating Sustainably" at the Convention Center tonight. Thank you for those from these lists who were in attendance. I had a blast, and from the sounds of it I'll be sharing it again. Let me know if your group or organization might be interested in my presentation? Juby Lee, Project Manager of The Fruit Tree Project, is an enthusiastic public speaker as well, so contact us at 905-549-0900 or kburson.eatlocal@environmenthamilton.org or jlee.eatlocal@environmenthamilton.org.

***
Ready for some cultural food fun???

Mother Earth - Terra Madre will be a potluck, but with a twist: we encourage everyone who attends to find and create a dish that exemplifies both seasonality and First Nations' cuisine! Learn the story of their classic ingredients and volunteer what type of dish you'd like to make: salad, side, meat, or bread -- we are providing dessert. Any suggestions as to what item you'd like to see in a prize draw? A CSA? A customized cake for the holidays? Send me your suggestions...

Eat well, be well.

*karen b

Stay tuned!