Local Food Rules Podcast Coming (Very) Soon
Plus great local events and programs for your attention
Let the Multi-Media Shenanigans Begin
The idea of doing a Local Food Forum podcast has been sitting on the back burner since I started this adventure a couple of years ago. Now, it’s about to become a reality, thanks to the technical assistance of friend Ben Herrera — a subscriber, Green City Market Associate Board member, and founder of Gard Mo, a new CSA Club concept that you can read about here.
We’ve cut a first episode which will be posted right here on Substack tomorrow (Thursday) if I can keep my technological gremlins at bay. For now, it’s a very simple format, with me discussing what I’ve written about recently in this here newsletter. It is definitely beta and your (polite, sensitive, non-insulting) feedback will be most welcome. More content bells and whistles to come if this experiment proves to have an audience.
This is the first in a series of upgrades I’m planning to take Local Food Forum to 2.0 status. I am so grateful to all of you who subscribe and follow Local Food Forum, and we’re taking some steps to raise its visibility so we can build an even bigger community.
Saturday’s Fair Trade Fest Has Indoor Garden Tips
There’s a great-looking World Fair Trade Day event this Saturday (May 13) that is produced by the Chicago Fair Trade organization. The celebration will take place at the newly opened Chicago Fair Trade Museum, 1457 N. Halsted St. from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Here’s what the organizers say about the event:
Each year, Chicago Fair Trade organizes the biggest World Fair Trade Day celebration in the US, and this year is no exception! Join us for our Fair Trade Fest at the newly-opened Chicago Fair Trade Museum, which will include crafting and grow-your-own demos, tasting sessions, and lively discussions led by fair trade experts. You can also browse our museum exhibits, shop for ethical and sustainable items in our fair trade store, and take part in a whole range of fair trade games, prizes, giveaways, and more!
This event is free and open to all. However, as a non-profit organization, Chicago Fair Trade and our Museum relies on donations to make events like these happen. If you are willing and able to book a ticket with a $23 donation, we will thank you with a complimentary fair trade swag bag, including Chicago Fair Trade coffee and other fair trade goodies! Participating bakers in our Great Fair Trade Bake-Off will also receive a complimentary swag bag.
There is a lot of great stuff on the program, but the clincher for me is the first presentation at 1 p.m., titled Seeds of Change: Grow Your Own Greens at Home, that features friend Davíd Toledo — urban gardening expert and founder of Contemporary Farmer, Inc. — who will teach how to create an indoor garden that thrives all year round even in a bustling city.
According to the organizers, David will share expert tips on soil, lighting and watering, and you'll have the chance to get your hands dirty and plant your own seeds to take home. See if you have what it takes to be a fair trade farmer by learning to cultivate your own crops and reducing your carbon footprint! (Please note: Bring along a clean jar with you so you can upcycle it as a planter to take home.)
The rest of the program is The Great Fair Trade Bake-Off at 2 p.m.; Brewing Change: Transforming the Tea Industry One Cup at a Time at 3 p.m.; Knit for Justice: A Hands-On Handcrafting Workshop with Kristine Brandel and Nilesh Kothari at 4 p.m.; Around the World in Fair Trade Chocolate: A Bean-to-Bar Tasting Exploration at 5 p.m.; and to finish the day, a Fair Trade Wine Hour at 6 p.m.
5/27: Land Connection E-Class on Kitchen Herbs
The Land Connection also is all about indoor growing with its Growing Kitchen Herbs online class to be held Saturday, May 27 at 2 p.m. central. According to the organization:
Learn how to grow a wide range of culinary & home kitchen herbs that are able to be grown in central Illinois at the Growing Kitchen Herbs class, brought to you by The Land Connection and Common Ground Food Co-op.
This class is free and will take place online using Zoom.
Purchase an optional $30 take-home class kit that includes live seedling plants featuring rosemary, garden sage, mint, lemongrass, yarrow, and ginger root, plus select seeds including borage, chamomile, dill, calendula, and catnip.
If you receive SNAP benefits, you may be eligible to receive your class kit for free.
Kelly Allsup, a local horticulturist and educator, will teach how to grow and use all the unique herbs in this kit.
[This class is a part of The Land Connection's Perennial Herb Series with funding provided in whole or in part by the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Illinois Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.]