“The University of Central Florida partnered with the city-managed Get Active Orlando fitness initiative to provide thousands of dollars for the Orlando community gardens — funded through a $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health for programs encouraging physical activity.”

Thank you Victor for the coverage and hats off to Patty Sheehan and other City Commissioners for supporting the community gardening effort.

Related posts:

1. Winter Park Community Garden Workday at DePugh: Volunteers Needed
2. Eat Local Week January 25th – 31st – A Slow Food Orlando Event
3. Jennifer Farhat Part Deux: Locavore Instillation Art at Lake Eloa, Orlando, FL

“Slow money is a new way of connecting investors to local food systems.  A new way of connecting money, culture and the soil. A new kind of social investing and philanthropy for the 21st century.”

There are so many things already happening in Central Florida that are a model of the Slow Money ethos and how it stimulates local economies, food systems and entrepreneurship. We are doing a great job investing our social and economic capital in sustainable and thoughtful ventures that provide quality products and services to our local community.

Speaking of which, Dandelion Communitea Cafe and Homegrown Co-op both ranked in the top 10 in the recent Slow Money Business contest.  Kudos to Julie and Emily for these recognitions as well as giving so much more of yourselves and your businesses than profit alone would dictate.

It is my hope that other Central Floridians will make the trek to the national gathering so that we can draw strength and encouragement from like minded Americans and bring back new insights for our burgeoning Slow Money movement.

Please let me know if you’re going and likewise for those of you who can’t I will be sure to blog all about it.  Please click on the image above or on this link to get more information about the Gathering.

Related posts:

1. Slow Money National Gathering 2010 Slide Show
2. We Interview Woody Tasch of Slow Money today at noon on Front Porch Radio.
3. Audio of our interview with Slow Money founder Woody Tasch.

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.

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

Goals of Eat Local Week:

Emphasize that eating local in Central Florida is not only possible, it’s delicious – 
The Eat Local Week definition of “local” is anything within 200 miles of Orlando’s city center.  Featured farmers and artisans for Eat Local week come from as far away as Clewiston.

Help local restaurants, farmers and artisans to develop lasting, mutually beneficial relationships – 
Slow Food Orlando wants to see locally owned and operated farms and restaurants succeed.  By facilitating relationship building between Central Florida dining establishments, farmers, ranchers, and artisans we hope to help businesses grow and become more profitable.

Build consumer awareness of local food and farmers, and promote reconnection with family and friends around the dinner table – 
Slow Food is all about taking the time to savor the food we eat and the people we share it with.  When our food is produced in a sustainable, responsible and consciences manner it is healthier for the environment and healthier for us.

Raise awareness about the importance of a local food economy and keeping money in our community – 
Purchasing food direct from producers or dining out at restaurants that feature locally grown ingredients cuts out the middle man and puts your money directly in the pocket of the people who produce your food.  When you, the consumer, spend your money with local businesses those businesses reinvest your dollars in the community, thus contributing to a more sustainable future for Central Florida’s food system.

Click here to see a list of the 18 or so participating restaurants.

Related posts:

1. Farm to Table – an Ourlando Local Food Alliance event at the Enzian
2. Farm to Table Retrospective – Central Flrorida Locavores FTW
3. Audio of our interview with Slow Money founder Woody Tasch.

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.

Related posts:

1. Local Trio Jubal’s Kin at the Winter Park Library
2. Otronicon – Orlando’s Interactive Media / Video Game / Simulation Mash-up event

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.

Related posts:

1. Jennifer Farhat – Locavore Instillation Art
2. Eat Local Week January 25th – 31st – A Slow Food Orlando Event
3. Urgan Gardening in Orlando

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Related posts:

1. Orlando Tweet Up and the Orbbies
2. Urgan Gardening in Orlando
3. Eat Local Week January 25th – 31st – A Slow Food Orlando Event

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

Related posts:

1. The Orbbies winners – The best blogs in Orlando
2. Urgan Gardening in Orlando
3. Eat Local Week January 25th – 31st – A Slow Food Orlando Event

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.

Somehow Michael Pollan’s simple mantra of “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” has been lost on our Fast Food Nation.  So much of what “we” consume is not so much “food” as it is the product of “food science”.

I have to believe the remedy begins with education and education doesn’t begin until the learner is ready.  So here’s to the thought provoking work of Jennifer Farhat and here’s to hoping it sparks awareness.  Her next showing will be Sunday at 11am at the Downtown Farmer’s Market.

Related posts:

1. Jennifer Farhat Part Deux: Locavore Instillation Art at Lake Eloa, Orlando, FL
2. How now should we eat: Michael Pollan and the Rule of Food
3. Eat Local Week January 25th – 31st – A Slow Food Orlando Event