Eating 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.
Slow 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.
Details: Sunday, December 20, 2009, 10am-7pm at stardust video and coffee (1842 E. Winter Park Rd).
Ryan Price of Florida Creatives has been telling me to get out to the Grandma Party since it began. Well this year we are finally going to make it. Ryan has posted some videos over at Orlando Scene if you want to see what you’ve been missing today and what you can still enjoy if you get off the couch and get going. Below is just one of the interesting videos Ryan shot at the last Grandma Party.
For the uninitiated this is what you can expect.
Over 40 local arts and crafters, musicians and independent businesses will transform the parking lot in front of Stardust Video and Coffee into a DIY (Do-It-Yourself) extravaganza at the Grandma Party Bazaar. The event will feature work from local fashion designers, bookbinders, painters, knitters, silversmiths, vintage dealers, bakers and print makers, as well as live art, custom songs written and recorded while you wait and more! WPRK 91.5 FM presents live music throughout the day. Local artist Doug Rhodehamel will create something magically spectacular for the event, while Justin Luper will create a large scale sheet-fort installation indoors for tarot readings and a special surprise after dark.
A couple weeks ago I reported about the thought provoking artwork of local artist Jennifer Farhat. She has produced another locavore inspired instillation on the shores of Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, FL. On top of that she how has a shiny new home for work on the web called Know The Roots. Besides serving as a portfolio of her locavore artwork, the site also provides a great primer for why we all believe supporting an organic local food economy is so critical to the health of our families and the health of our nation.
Just 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.
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.
Local artist Jennifer Farhat has produced a very thought provoking piece of instillation art that has been appearing on the streets of Downtown Orlando. Most recently her work graced the sidewalk at the corner of Central and Rosalind downtown.
Due to its size, pedestrians have no choice but to engage with the artwork; and with a recent survey claiming 64% of American’s as being overweight or obese, there is no better time for such confrontational social commentary.
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If 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.
Since 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.
Eating 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.
Slow 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.
Just subscribed to the blogs that were awarded top honors in their respective niches at the recent 
Local artist 
