Goat Lady Dairy wins 1st Place for raw milk Gouda

Slow Food Friends,

Thought you would enjoy celebrating some great news with us. Last week
my sister Ginnie (the Goat Lady) and our cheese-maker associate, Carrie
Bradds attended the American Cheese Society meeting in Louisville, KY.
A part of this annual event is a national cheese competition. This year
over 120 cheese-makers from all over N. America entered 749 cheeses. We
are thrilled to announce that Goat Lady Dairy won a 1st place in the
American Made: International Style category for our Goat Lady Gouda, a 3
month aged raw milk cheese we make in 6 to 8 lb wheels.

Hand made, traditional raw milk cheeses have become an important part of
the emerging local food revival across the country. We are proud to be
a part of this important change.

Take care,

Steve
Goat Lady Dairy

Montessori Produce Market Today 10 am to noon!

According to the News and Record this morning, Greensboro Montessori School is having their “fifth annual ‘Montessori Market’ today. Proceeds from the sale of produce grown in the school’s gardens will buy school supplies for underprivileged students in Guilford County. The sale will be from 10 am to noon at the school, which is on Horse Pen Creek Road in Greensboro.”

Edible Schoolyards in action!

Biofuels Presentation

A couple of weeks ago the Kathleen Clay Edwards Library branch hosted an informative lecture on the use of biofuel to power personal and professional vehicles.

One of the presenters, Andrew McMahan, has provided a copy of his discussion slides so that members unable to attend can review at their convenience. He did a great job putting them together and they are a quick study guide on the topic.

They are formatted into slides in a word document so won’t work well for the Slow Food web site, however, I would be happy to email them to anyone interested. Email me directly at lrchilds2002@yahoo.com if you’d like the file. No special software is needed to view, they open in any version of Word.

Master Gardeners Demonstration Site Photos

Master Gardeners Demonstration Site

Today I visited the Legacy Demonstration Gardens behind the Guilford County Cooperative Extension offices. They are located on Old Burlington Rd., near the intersection of East Bessemer. The gardens are beautiful and include many examples planting techniques. There is over an acre of plants, shrubs, trees and pathways.
The site even includes an apiary. Adjacent to the gardens is the Community Gardening Project which allows individuals to lease space for plantings. 10% of the plantings go to programs that help feed the hungry. The link to the web site featuring all cooperative extension programs is http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/guilford/garden/-mg.shtml

These gardens are worth a visit. Here is the link to the photo album: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=13lvek2v.bndwu8ab&Uy=-um37xp&Ux=0

Recipes galore

Ben Hwang of Lux.Et.Umbra sent us a recipe database that he’s been working on, and he invites everyone to contribute to it. He’s got a few in there already that look pretty tasty. Ben says that the BBQ Meat Loaf is his favorite. It’s pretty cool – check it out!

Plus, Donna at Epicourier is always looking for recipes to add to her list. Click on Recipes at the right.

We’ll eventually add a recipe section to our blog and/or web site. It’s coming…probably around the same time we put up the Local Food Guide information. If you’d like to contribute a recipe that uses local, sustainably produced food, or relates to Slow Food in some way, please email Laurie at lponeillATslowfoodpiedmont.org. (Substitute @ for AT when you email.)

Students Flock to Campus Organic Farms

Great article about connecting universities with local farms:
Why not UNCG?!

Students flock to campus organic farms

Miranda Roberts

Chinese Vermicelli

Chinese Vermicelli

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/4 black soy sauce (must be black-it is much thicker than regular soy sauce)

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons hot chili oil

2 Tablespoons black vinegar

1 pound vermicelli (I used rice vermicelli for the pot luck)

1/2 cup toasted sasame seeds

1 cup green onions, thinly slices on the diagonal, for garnish

In a large bowl, whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, chili oil, and vinegar.

Cook vermicelli in boiling water until barely tender. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. With your hands, immediately toss the pasta with dressing, making sure pasta is completely and evenly coated. Add sesame seeds and continue folding the dressing through the pasta, literally “wiping” the bowl with the vermicelli. Remove to a shallow dish, top with green onions, and serve at room temperature.

For the pot luck, I topped with additional toasted sesame seeds and black caraway seeds.

You can use your imagination by adding some color to the border of the plate with carrots, grape tomatoes, parsley, etc.

This dish can be made up to two days in advance, but add the green onions only shortly before serving.

Beatrice Schall

Farmers’ Appreciation Day 2005

Slow Food Enthusiast,

I am very excited about the upcoming 4th Annual Farmers Appreciation Day to be held Saturday September 10, 2005 at the Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market. Although most of us celebrate farmers appreciation day everyday, this day has been set aside to let our local farmers know how much we appreciate all that they do for us, our families, our community and the world.

As in the past our farmers will enjoy a breakfast of locally produced food that includes Neese’s Country Sausage, grits from the Old Mill of Guilford, fresh baked biscuits from Simple Kneads Bakery, and country ham from Phillips Brothers Country Ham. Alex Amorosa from Cheesecake’s By Alex has agreed to prepare the breakfast this year that will include other menu items such as sausage gravy, red-eye gravy, and fried potatoes. And no breakfast would be complete without a good cup of coffee donated by Carolina Coffee & Tea. Later in the day our farmers can grab a quick lunch of homemade pimento cheese sandwiches made by David Wright of Real Catering. And though this is a celebration of our farmers we don’t plan on keeping all of this good food a secret. Market patrons will also be able to enjoy the festivities. Farmers Appreciation Day will be held out on the lawn where everyone can have breakfast, listen to live music, and talk with local organizations that support our farmers, healthy eathing, and a heathy community.

I am also excited that the Slow Food Piedmont Triad convivium will be present for Farmers Appreciation Day. There as been a lot of great energy since the convivium was started and Farmers Appreciation Day will be a fabulous avenue to share with others our common goal.

We could use your help in other areas as well. If you are or know of local musicians of the folk and bluegrass genre that would like to donate their talents that day we would greatly appreciate their participation. Musicians may sell their cd’s or tapes and will also receive a complimentary breakfast.

Other areas of participation as well as contact information are located on the EpiCourier website.

I hope that you’ll mark your calendar and bring your friends to the 4th Annual Famers’ Appreciation Day!

See you at the market!
Donna Myers

A Fast Slow Lunch

It was a very warm muggy morning at the Greensboro Farmers’ Curb Market. Fortunately the July weather also brings us delicious vegetables and fruits that require little or no cooking!

My husband and I prepared the following lunch, all from local farmers and food artisans, organic when possible.

Blue cheese/leek tart (from Nora Glanz)

Corn on the cob (from unknown farmer at GFCM)

Sliced tomatoes (from farmer who parks a produce truck at UNCG on the honor system)

Boursin cheese (from Goat Lady Dairy)

French bread (from Simple Kneads)

Shredded basil (from my garden)

We warmed up the tart for a few minutes in the oven and boiled the corn. That took care of all the cooking.

We spread the soft goat cheese on bread slices, sprinkled them with shredded basil and topped them with sliced tomatoes. I also tried a little goat cheese and basil on the corn. Yum!

This lunch might have been fast and easy to prepare, but we savored it slo-o-owly.

See, you don’t have to sweat for slow food! But the farmers do, so please remember their hard work the next time that you’re at the market.

High Country Farm & Garden Tour

From the CFSA mailing list:

High Country Farm & Garden Tour

July 23 & 24th 1 – 5 PM

Whether you are coming from out of town for a blissful retreat to the High Country or a native of the area celebrating summer with your local farmers, the High Country Farm and Garden Tour is the event for you! Visit 9 farms on July 23rd and 24th and see apple orchards, an apiary, 20 different varieties of garlic, and so much more! You’ll get great ideas for your own gardens and your kids will thoroughly enjoy seeing barnyard animals roaming happily on pastures! It’s an event that no one should miss!

Make a vacation out of it if you are coming from out of town. There are so many peaceful places to stay and fabulous restaurants where you can dine, just check out http://visitboonenc.com/ or http://www.blowingrock.com/ for ideas! If you have never been to the High Country, you don’t know what you are missing!

Volunteer! By volunteering at one farm on either Saturday or Sunday of the tour, you can take the tour the other day for free! Volunteers are needed to help greet visitors and collect money at each farm – what a great way to get to know a local farmer too! Just contact Siri McDonald for more details and to get signed up: 828-265-3278 or sirimcdonald @ yahoo. com.

This is your last chance to enjoy a farm tour this year:

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, July 23 & 24, 1 – 5 PM

WHERE: 9 Farms in beautiful Watauga County – Just pick up a map at a Boone area store or the Watauga Extension Office (828)264-3061, download one from the CFSA website: www.carolinafarmstewards.org, or call (919) 542-2402 and we’ll mail you one! Then you can choose which farm you’ll visit first and plan your weekend!

COST: $5 per car per farm – OR $20 per car for all 9 farms – buy an admission button at the first farm you visit – OR $15 in advance – buy your button from the Watauga County Farmers Market the next two Saturdays to receive a $5 discount to take the whole tour!

• Visit 9 Watauga County farms!
• Breathe the fresh High Country air!
• Celebrate summer’s bounty of fruits, vegetables and honey!
• Support your local and organic farmers!
• Support the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association!