Archive for the 'Local' Category

Wendell Berry is speaking at Stetson Monday Feb 1

Published on January 31, 2010 in Culture, Event, Farming, History and Local. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

What what what ….. Wendell Berry is in Florida?

Yes my friends it is true.  Wendell Berry one of my favorite authors is speaking at Stetson University in a free lecture series Monday night the 1st of February.  I’m heading up to attend the lecture and I can’t even express how excited I am.  Berry’s non-fiction writing has played a pivotal role in developing many of my beliefs.  Through his writing I’ve come to appreciate the importance of nurturing of our local community, that the good life is more than consuming and that working with the earth, even in the middle of a modern city, is vitally important to the health and well-being of my family.

The lecture is sponsored by the university’s Values Council. His talk, “Simple Solutions and Package Deals,” is based on the council’s theme for the year, “How Shall We Live?”.  Berry will be discussing the impact of economic globalization on the way we live and it’s sure to be lecture chock-full of thought provoking ideas.

According to Berry, the good life includes sustainable agriculture, appropriate technologies, healthy rural communities, connection to place, the pleasures of good food, husbandry, good work, local economics, the miracle of life, fidelity, frugality, reverence, and the interconnectedness of life (via wiki).

Here are the details of the lecture: Stetson University at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, in the Lee Chapel of Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd.  The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Hope to see you there.

Winter Park Community Garden Workday at DePugh: Volunteers Needed

Published on January 15, 2010 in Culture, Event, Farming and Local. 0 Comments

CommunityGardenVerticleFor those of you who didn’t know, the Winter Park Health Foundation has awarded a grant for several community gardens to be constructed in our city.  The first garden was installed behind Winter Park Presbyterian on Lakemont Ave and now a second garden site is being prepared.

Volunteers are needed tomorrow Saturday January 16th from 8-10 am to help clear the area where the Spring garden will be planted behind the DePugh Center in Winter Park.

Anyone can participate and you are encouraged to bring any work tools you may have as well as bringing your own gloves and water.  We may be clearing away an old chain link fence as well so please bring any tools specific to that job.

The Center is located at 550 West Morse Blvd, Winter Park.
If you have any questions about the garden or if you would like to donate a monetary contribution or donate material items for the building of the garden, please contact Denise Riccio at 407-246-2212.  Any assistance is greatly appreciated!  You can also get more info at Our Whole Community’s website.

How now should we eat: Michael Pollan and the Rule of Food

Published on January 6, 2010 in Local, Locavore, Video and food. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

FoodRulesBookCoverIf you’ve been following the Locavore Movement for any length of time then you will surely be familiar with the name Michael Pollan.  Well, thanks to a timely Tweet I caught him being interviewed on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart yesterday.  He was promoting his newest book “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual“.  In his previous book “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto” he expounded on the simple mantra “To be healthy, Humans should eat food, not too much and mostly plants“. With such a simple mantra you’d expect a short book.  However as the page count grew and as Pollan expounded on the travails of industrial food system I began to realize that his simple mantra was an impregnable ideal.

To that end, to help demystify how to eat ethically, healthfully and to avoid the “edible food like substances” being marketed to us, Pollan has come to our rescue with a pocket sized “eater’s manual.”  It is a shame that an eater’s manual is even necessary but when our local grocery store offerings are 85% processed, non-whole food, food substitutes, finding the genuine article can be like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.  So I’m going to pick the book up tomorrow and will write a proper review once I’ve given it a read, but to tide you over below is his interview on the Daily Show.  Enjoy and eat consciously.

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Eat Local Week January 25th – 31st – A Slow Food Orlando Event

Published on December 22, 2009 in Event, Farming, Local, Locavore, Markets, food and orlando. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , .

SFLogoIf you follow me on Twitter or have checked into any of my blogs over the last few years you would undoubtedly have heard me championing the work of Slow Food Orlando.  Back in 2007 when I filmed a documentary about the burgeoning Local Food movement in Central Florida, I had the good fortune to cross pas with Slow Food Orlando’s Vice President Rebecca Reise-Miller.  You can catch her segment of the documentary at the 20 minute mark.

FruitsSince meeting Rebecca, Kamrin and I have made an effort to both attend Slow Food events as well as incorporate many of its tenants into our family’s food practices.  We now have a 300 Sft vegetable garden where we grow our own produce organically and with heirloom varieties.  We also have made an effort to buy from artisan and locally sourced food producers like Big Wheel Provisions, Olde Hearth Bakery, Wild Ocean Seafood, Lake Meadow Naturals, Winter Park Dairy, Winter Park Honey and others.

EggsEating locally is more than just buying food that is at the peak of freshness and not shipped cross country from California, more importantly it is about supporting our local food economy, its community and its unique culture.  By doing so it becomes normal to know your producers, to build relationship with the local farmers who supply your free-range eggs and organically grown produce and to know that you are getting the highest quality food for your food dollar. By supporting the “local” farmer’s markets like Audubon Park Community Market you are strengthening the bonds that connect each of us to the land from which our food comes and to the caring hands that provided these food stuffs for our consumption.

EatLocalWeekLogoSlow Food in an effort to champion this vital connection is sponsoring an Eat Local Week January 25th – 31st.  Below is an excerpt from their promotional materials for this event.  You can be sure Kamrin and I will be fully supporting this week long event and you can expect to see a few write ups and videos on our site about it.  So take a look at the excerpt below and let us know in the comments what you are doing to participate in Eat Local Week.  Following an excerpt is a video of the mother of America’s Slow Food movement Alice Waters to give you a bit more insight into what Slow Food is all about.

EAT LOCAL WEEK -  January 25th – 31st

Participate in a week-long celebration promoting connection, community, culture and cuisine in Central Florida.  Grab your family, friends and neighbors and head to participating dining establishments during the last week of January, 2010
Continue reading ‘Eat Local Week January 25th – 31st – A Slow Food Orlando Event’

Local Trio Jubal’s Kin at the Winter Park Library

Published on December 13, 2009 in Local and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

JubalsKinTrioAs many of you know my favorite place to study is at the Winter Park Library.  Well during my studying for finals I saw a flyer for a free Christmas concert put on by Jubal’s Kin.  Surprise surprise surprise.  These were the three young musicians that Julie Norris had on Front Porch Radio either the week before or after I was on.

Being a lover of traditional Bluegrass, roots and gospel I put these three on my radar the second I heard them on the radio.  They have a great sound and their take on the genre is fresh and inspiring.  So….we made it a point as a family to drop into the Library today to catch their show.  We had a front row seat and our daughter was clapping away enraptured by the sound of live acoustic music.

I’ve cut together a little video that I shot with the Flip to give you guys an idea about the kind of music Jubal’s Kin plays.  The trio was joined today by three other musicians, but their core group is made up of siblings Roger, Gailanne and Jeffrey Amundsen ages 21,15 and 11 respectively.

They’ve got a fair few awards under their belt already and with an engaging stage presence, some hot licks and a wonderful synergy, I expect great things from these young musicians.  It is always a pleasure to discover new music, but when it is in your own backyard is that much sweeter.

The Orbbies winners – The best blogs in Orlando

Published on December 12, 2009 in Blogging, Event, Local, Twitter and orlando. 2 Comments

feed-icon_orange-300pxJust subscribed to the blogs that were awarded top honors in their respective niches at the recent Tweet Up at the Enzian.  Had followed a few prior to the Orlando TweetUp but was pleased to fine a fair few that I had never even heard of.  That’s what happens when poopy diapers become the most pressing issue in your day.  Anyhow I’m eager to get acquainted with the wonderful blogs and I’d encourage you to check them our and honor them by subscribing.

Continue reading ‘The Orbbies winners – The best blogs in Orlando’

Orlando Tweet Up and the Orbbies

Published on December 10, 2009 in Blogging, Event, Local, Twitter and orlando. 0 Comments

OrbbiesKam and I stopped in at the Enzian’s Eden Bar tonight for an Orlando Tweetup and the awards ceremony for the Orbbies (the O-sentinels best local blog awards). We met some incredible people and caught up with quite a few friends from the Central Florida scene. Rather than debrief you on all the heady conversations we have compiled a list of Twitter handles of the folks we talked with or who were in attendance, or even those that were nice enough to engage from afar.

If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening in Orlando’s blogging scene you would be well served to follow these talented peeps. BTW our Twitter handle is @JohnRife Cheers.

Below is a list of some that made the Orlando TweetUp Twitter list

@alistairpaul @BarieWolfBowen @CentralFLTop5 @cfnews13 @ChrisBlanc @CMFmedia @davidjhinson @dazlingdi27 @etanowitz @evanzan @fanderson_3 @GrandOwl @jamespero @JohnRife @JordanaEM @Keleigh @kiran_ @MarieGoltara @marinadedave @marinelpr @mattsimantov @MOVIEBRAINROT @obxlover @OCCC @orlandosentinel @orlandotweetup @raczilla @RexR @RogerSimmons @Sanford365 @ScottJoseph @shaanx @snackiepoo @tarunshri @TheBlackOlive @TheDisneyBlog @TheFrontDesk @TisseArt @TrackShack @zacalfson @CHSHeather @derekbender @DreamDesignsFL @kurtisnelson @mikepino @MissyWard @MySkinConcierge @playgrounddad @shibooya @stefaneyr @tedbraverman @vshade @funkeemunkee @klazinasuzanna @modernmami @Unemployed_Mom @watchmeeat@KeithBarrett

Farm to Table Retrospective – Central Flrorida Locavores FTW

Published on November 18, 2009 in Event, Farming, Local, Locavore, Markets, Ourlando and Video. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

What an exciting time to be a Locavore in Central Florida.  It appears that during our baby hiatus the movement has grown real roots.  There is no better example of this than at last Sunday’s Farm to Table event at the Enzian.

The excellent people over at Ourlando cooked up this idea of showing a thought provoking film like “Food Fight” (Which was excellent BTW) and paring it with the outstanding locally sourced kitchen creations of Chef Josh Oakley.  I want to say a few things about the event  but I figure the best place to start is with Lance Turner’s opening words before the “Food Fight” film.  So poignant!  I love this guy’s passion!

We particularly salivated over the pulled pork sandwich.  Turns out the pork came from Jim Wood’s happy pigs at Palmetto Creek Farms.  As Kamrin and I are part of the omnivore contingent championing of our local food scene it was refreshing to meet Jim after the movie and see that being a Locavore doesn’t necessarily mean becoming a vegetarian.  In addition to ethically raise pork, Kam would like to mention that when she stepped out with our daughter during the film and she talked with Trish at Deep Creek farm.  They are out of Deland and offer grass fed and finished beef and lamb.

We were more than happy to wash down our lunch with a Blonde Ale from Orlando Brewing and a glass of delicious herbal tea from Dandelion CommuniTEA cafe.  Also sipping on some Austin’s fair trade coffee afterward was a nice pick-me-up after leaving the sleepy darkness of the theater.

It was also great talking to some of the other family farmers among the tents and tables wrapped around the Enzian.  We had fun hanging with the Green Flamingo Farms community and talking about small scale sustainable farming.  Also loved their homemade business cards made out of the backs of cereal boxes.

Finally got to catch up with the peeps over at Lake Meadow Naturals our source for Cage Free, Free Range, Free Roaming and Locally produced eggs.  We picked up a flyer and are sure to get out there with our camera a vlog about it soon.  Until then you can check out the video posted on Big Wheel’s site.  Oh yeah we talked with Tony from Big Wheel Provisions too.  Oh let me mention that I just got their e-mail about their offerings at tonight’s Audubon Park Community market and I can’t wait to pick up some of their lentil soup made with their proprietary local vegetable stock and herbs.

So much more to say.  But that’s enough when I have a research paper due this evening.  Procrastination how I love and hate you.  Grrrrrr.

Oh oh I also want to mention Gus with My Yard Farms.  These guys take the typical grass covered lawns and convert them into edible landscapes.  Awesome.

Ok back to work John.  Seriously…..

Audubon Community Market and Big Wheel Provisions

Published on November 14, 2009 in Local, Locavore, Markets and Ourlando. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Kam and I hit up the Audubon Community Market on Wednesday. Every Wednesday the parking log of Stardust is converted into a farmer’s/vendor’s market. Lots of great locally sourced food and craft. A big hit for us was the Muhamra spread from Big Wheel Provisions. Just a short video to thank Chef Tony for the grub.

Farm to Table – an Ourlando Local Food Alliance event at the Enzian

Published on November 7, 2009 in Event, Film, Local, Locavore, Ourlando and Podcast. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Kamrin and I are heading over to the Enzian next Sunday for the Farm to Table event.  Besides catching up with our locally focused friends, we are both excited to see the showing of the film Food Fight.  Oh yeah we’re also pretty stoked about eating the tasty locally sourced food prepared by Chef Josh Oakley and washing it down with organically brewed beer from Orlando Brewing.

This is the first time since the birth of our little girl that we’ll have the opportunity to reconnect with the Orlando’s locavore community and get caught up with what is happening with the local food movement.  Speaking of which, Julie did a great show on the topic this week on Front Porch Radio and it was a great primer for me to get my head wrapped around who the players are and what progress has happened since my 2007 Locavore film.  Take a listen to her show here.

Ourlando is the chief organizer of the event and the goal is to raise awareness about our existing local food sources and encourage the locavore lifestyle.  With a little networking and some passion we can build a wonderful local and sustainable food economy.  This will be a great opportunity to meet local farmers and local food purveyors.  I’m sure the talk around Eden bar after the film will be worth the price of admission.

Hope to see you all there.

Farm To Table – an Ourlando Local Food Alliance event

Sunday, November 15, 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM 
$18 @ the Enzian Theater

Buy your tickets online here.
Featuring the the documentary “Food Fight” by Chris Taylor and food by Chef Josh Oakley.
Tickets: $18, includes hors d’oeuvre, beer, coffee and tea.