Slow Food Katy Trail

2011-09-10T14:04:00.003-05:00

A Taste of Troutdale

Troutdale Farm Tour and Lunch

Sunday, September 25

11 AM— Depart from Wine Cellar & Bistro, 505 Cherry St.

12:30 PM—Tour of the trout farm at Gravois Mills

1:30 PM—Lunch (see menu below)

5 PM—Arrival at Wine Cellar & Bistro

Join us for a delightful day at Troutdale Farm in Gravois Mills. This is a great opportunity to see how sustainably raised trout get from the farm to your table. As many of you know, Troutdale Farm trout are featured on the menus of Missouri’s best restaurants, and are available at the Columbia Farmers Market and several retail stores.

On Sept. 25, we'll board a bus in Columbia, which will take us through the Ozark hills as fall is beginning to sprinkle them with color. When we arrive at the farm, owners Merritt and Dennis Van Landuyt will take us on a tour, where we’ll see first-hand how the trout are raised.

Afterward we’ll enjoy a trout-themed lunch at the farm, prepared by Chef Dennis Clay of Les Bourgeois Vineyards’ Blufftop Bistro.

$75 includes transportation, tour, lunch, wine and beer.

Only 30 tickets will be sold; Slow Food members receive the first chance to purchase them through Sept 9. After that we will open sales to the public. Sales will be made only through the Brown Paper Tickets site: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/197832

Each ticket sold will help support Slow Food Katy Trail educational activities in the community. Thank you for helping us raise awareness about the importance of good, clean and fair food.

Troutdale Farm Lunch

Prepared and served by Chef Dennis Clay of Les Bourgeois Vineyards’ Blufftop Bistro.

September 25, 2011

Menu

Smoked-trout canapé with chive-lemon butter

Trout cakes with apple-fennel slaw and orange-and-roasted-garlic aioli

Pan-fried trout fillets on warm bacon-potato salad

with fresh-tomato relish, green beans and sauteed squash ribbons

Missouri pecan pie with Chantilly cream and chocolate sauce

All dishes will be paired with Les Bourgeois Vineyards wines.

Local beer also will be available.

The $5-Meal Challenge

2011-09-05T17:00:00.004-05:00

Proof that fresh, local food can be delicious and affordable!

Sunday, Sept. 18

6 to 8 p.m.

Café Berlin, 220 N. Tenth St., Columbia

$5 donation suggested

Slow Food Katy Trail is collaborating with Centro Latino to serve up freshly prepared and delicious local food for the same price as a burger and fries at a fast-food franchise. Come taste a simple, fresh and affordable meal that will leave you deliciously satisfied and make you eager to duplicate it in your own kitchen. Proceeds will support the Centro Latino's Comedor Popular (People's Diner) kitchen.

To reserve your spot, visit www.slowfoodusa.org/ and follow the links to the $5 Challenge on Sept. 18 at Café Berlin.

MENU

Hot pasta tossed with a variety of locally grown tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and olive oil

Mixed salad of local greens, apples and toasted pecans

Fresh locally baked bread

Seasonal fruit dessert

"Cooking Wild in Missouri" cookbook signing and party

2011-08-09T20:53:00.014-05:00

SOLD OUT!

Slow Food Katy Trail and The Wine Cellar & Bistro present
"Cooking Wild in Missouri"
cookbook signing and party

Sunday, August 28
Book signing at 4:30 p.m. — Food/wine at 5:30 p.m.
The Wine Cellar & Bistro, 505 Cherry St., Columbia

Summer black-and-blue pudding

Come join in the fun as we taste dishes from “Cooking Wild in Missouri,” a new cookbook by Slow Food Katy Trail co-leader Bernadette Dryden. Chef Craig Cyr will make the recipes come alive from the book’s pages, and Bernadette will be on hand to sign cookbooks (available for purchase at the party).

Adam Puchta wines will complement the food. Winemaker Michael Rouse will be on hand to pour five hand-selected wines from the Hermann winery.

MENU
(presented as bountiful hors d'oeuvres)

Craig’s Picante Pecans
Northern Missouri pecans spiked with Craig Cyr’s delightful blend of lavender, rosemary, red pepper and maple syrup

Freshwater Seviche
Lime-marinated local lake perch tossed with cherry tomatoes, red onion, sweet red pepper, cucumbers, avocado, fresh herbs and jalapenos

Black Bass Spring Rolls
Lightly sautéed Boone County bass wrapped in delicate rice papers with lettuce, avocado, mint, basil, cilantro and peanuts; served with Asian dipping sauce

Missouri “Crab” Cakes
Morgan County trout blended with breadcrumbs, green onion, fresh herbs, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and lemon juice, then lightly browned in butter

Chanterelle and Smoked-Salmon Bruschette
Fabulous fungi gathered from the mid-summer, mid-Missouri woods and sautéed with smoked salmon, butter, shallot, garlic and brandy; served on grilled bread

Venison Kebabs
Pettis County ground venison spiced with onion, herbs, garlic and hot pepper; grilled and served with cucumber-yogurt dip and pita

Summer Black-and-Blue Pudding
Chilled summer bread pudding of Cooper County
blackberries and blueberries

Black-Walnut Chocolate Biscotti
Missouri’s robust black walnut complements
the zesty fresh ginger and chocolate in this crunchy dipping cookie

Elderberry Lemonade
Boone County elderberry juice swirled with fresh lemonade

The $50 ticket price includes gratuity for the servers. To make reservations for the event, please go to the Brown Paper Tickets site at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/192126

Each ticket and book sold at the event will help support Slow Food Katy Trail educational activities in the community. Thank you for helping us raise awareness about the importance of good, clean and fair food.

Sweet Holidays From Slow Food Katy Trail

2010-12-24T09:32:00.006-06:00

Holiday sweets made with native Missouri nuts (pecans, hickories and black walnuts).
In star basket, Black-walnut chocolate-ginger biscotti; on the tray, Date and nut bars, Zimmerschied and papassinos; in wooden bowl, spicy pecans.

SFKT Celebrates Terra Madre Day, Raises Funds for 1,000 Gardens in Africa Project

2010-12-15T22:51:00.007-06:00

Delegate Walker Claridge tells the Terra Madre Day dinner celebrants why the conference experience was so important to him. "When I was at Terra Madre, I was amazed to see all the important work Slow Food was doing," said Claridge. "I had no idea what an activist organization it was."

On Dec. 6, amidst a festive Italian-themed holiday ambience, Slow Food Katy Trail members and others from the mid-Missouri community celebrated Slow Food's Terra Madre Day at Broadway Brewery.

A delicious Italian dinner was prepared with local food by the kitchen staff of the brewery, which is owned by Terra Madre delegate Walker Claridge. Walker and the four other mid-Missouri TM delegates spoke to the crowd between courses about their Terra Madre experiences, insights they brought home with them and new-found appreciation for the Slow Food organization. Several hundred images of Terra Madre/Salone del Gusto and other Italian scenes were projected on a large screen during the dinner.

In addition, Slow Food Katy Trail partnered with two other organizations to sell gift items at the dinner (to benefit the 1,000 Gardens in Africa project). The Mustard Seed, a local fair-trade retail store, brought merchandise made in Africa. Dan and Melinda Hemmelgarn, on behalf of the Missouri Organic Association, sold their 2011 "organic" calendars. Also, Broadway Brewery donated 30 percent of the ticket price to the project. All proceeds from the evening (about $700) are going to the African gardening project.

It was a delightful evening, and many people walked away with a new understanding of what the Slow Food organization is, and how far-reaching its influence is throughout the world.

To learn more about the "1,000 Gardens in Africa" project, visit http://www.slowfood.com/terramadreday/pagine/eng/pagina2.lasso?-id_pg=113

Come help us celebrate Terra Madre Day at Broadway Brewery on December 6

2010-11-19T12:06:00.008-06:00

Terra Madre delegate Mimo Davis (below) enjoys chestnut gelato at Salone del Gusto. The Ligurian chestnuts featured in this delicious ice cream are one of Slow Food’s Presidia projects. Presidia are local projects that work to improve the infrastructure of artisan food production. More than 10,000 small producers are involved in Slow Food Presidia projects throughout the world. At left is a cornmeal (polenta) producer from Trentino.

Who: Slow Food Katy Trail and other SF chapters throughout the world!
What: Terra Madre Day
When: Monday, Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Broadway Brewery, 816 East Broadway
Why: Slow Food’s birthday and many other reasons below!

You’re invited to help SFKT celebrate Terra Madre Day–along with Slow Food chapters throughout the world–as we come together on this day to share Italian-inspired local foods, photographs and knowledge taken away from the international conference a few weeks ago.

That evening we’ll also tell you about an exciting new African gardening project to which we all easily can contribute. Last, but not least, we’re going to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season in the festive ambience of the brewery. Plus, you’ll have a chance to do some holiday shopping at our special gift tables. Mustard Seed Fair Trade (25 S. Ninth St.)–whose fair-trade principles are compatible with Slow Food’s–graciously will donate 10 percent of sales that evening to the African gardening project.

Please read below for more details about the event and to see the menu. Reservations are necessary for the 60 spaces available. RSVP to the brewery at 443-5054 by Dec. 1.

Slow Food Katy Trail, the mid-Missouri chapter of Slow Food USA, is co-hosting, with Broadway Brewery, a Terra Madre celebration at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 6 at the brewery. Five delegates–Walker Claridge of Broadway Brewery, Craig Cyr of Wine Cellar & Bistro, Brook Harlan of Columbia Area Career Center Culinary Arts program, Julie Walker of Greystone Farm and Bernadette Dryden, co-leader of SFKT–represented mid-Missouri at the international Slow Food Terra Madre conference in Italy in late October.

That evening, at the brewery, as we eat a specially prepared dinner inspired by food we tasted during the conference, each of the delegates will share with the dinner guests a few things that he or she learned at Terra Madre. We also will have a running photographic backdrop during the dinner. Guests will get a "taste" of the conference as they watch photos of the delegates–many in the native dress of their countries–share their stories, foods, music and customs. It truly was the Olympics of the sustainable food world!

Terra Madre brought together 6,000 farmers, educators, cooks and food activists from 160 countries. The "food communities" of Terra Madre come together biennially to share innovative solutions and time-honored traditions for keeping small-scale agriculture and sustainable food production alive and well.

While at the conference, Carlo Petrini–Slow Food International president and that wonderful Italian who started the organization more than 20 years ago–asked each chapter to help build 1,000 gardens in Africa in one year. Consequently, chapters throughout the world will donate to this project through fundraisers and other events such as ours. Broadway Brewery will donate a generous portion from each dinner reservation to the garden project.

We also thought it would be an appropriate partnership for the Mustard Seed to sell some of their African merchandise at the brewery that evening. They will have African baskets, holiday items, jewelry, chocolate, kitchen and home accessories available. For more information, please visit the following sites:

1,000 Gardens in Africa project:
http://slowfood.com/sloweb/eng/dettaglio.lasso?cod=C2744B881b2061E04Fiqj13FF7F9

Slow Food international programs, including Terra Madre:
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/international/

Slow Food Katy Trail blogsite (to see a few photos taken at the Terra Madre confab):
http://slowfoodkatytrail.blogspot.com/

Mustard Seed Fair Trade:
http://www.mustardseedfairtrade.org/index.html

Taste of Terra Madre Menu
Inspired by Walker Claridge’s Terra Madre experience

Broadway Brewery, 816 E. Broadway Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

Antipasti
Platters of olives, fennel, peppers, roasted garlic, cheese, greens

Rambasicci
Stuffed Cabbage from Trieste

Zuppa di Fagioli e Cozze
White Bean Soup with Mussels

Gnocchi con Sugo d'Anatra
Potato Pasta with Duck Sauce

Sugo di Pomodoro Ricco con Carne e Polenta
Shaved Beef with a Rich Tomato Sauce on Polenta

Arance Caramellate con Torta di Mandorle
Caramelized Oranges with Almond Cake

$54 per person
Price includes Broadway Brewery beer pairing with each course and Westphalia Vineyards’ Prodigal Son wine with the beef course.
Wine options are available for an additional price.
Products from Missouri food producers will be announced at the dinner.
RSVP to Broadway Brewery (443-5054) by Dec. 1

Celebrate Terra Madre Day at Broadway Brewery on Dec. 6

2010-11-14T14:15:00.012-06:00

Join Slow Food Katy Trail and Broadway Brewery for a fabulous meal at the brewery on Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m. We'll be telling tales of our recent adventures at the international Slow Food Terra Madre conference in Turin, Italy.

The five delegates are eager to share with the mid-Missouri community what they learned at this "Olympics of Sustainable Food."

Terra Madre brought together 6,000 farmers, educators, cooks and food activists from 160 countries. The "food communities" of Terra Madre come together biennially to share innovative solutions and time-honored traditions for keeping small-scale agriculture and sustainable food production alive and well.

Details and reservation information will be available soon. Meanwhile, save the date!

Join us for the whole-farm dinner at Chert Hollow Farm Sept. 29

2010-09-08T22:39:00.007-05:00

THE EVENT You’re invited to spend an evening exploring the culinary possibilities of one diversified mid- Missouri farm through a special tour & dinner. Hosts Joanna & Eric Reuter of Chert Hollow Farm, LLC will lead guests on a farm tour including produce fields and animals, then offer a multi-course meal sourced predominately from ingredients grown and produced on-farm.

THE FARM Chert Hollow Farm, LLC grows certified organic produce for sale through the Columbia Farm- ers Market and local restaurants. The farm is also the primary year-round food source for Eric & Joanna, who raise, process, and preserve virtually all their own produce, meat, and eggs; a significant amount of their own milk & cheese; and some grains, beans, and fruit. Maintenance of diversity is one of their basic principles of farming, as evidenced by their focus on heirloom vegetables and heritage breeds, including a number of Slow Food Ark of Taste varieties.

THE MEAL This year’s menu (SEE BELOW) will be influenced by Mediterranean cuisine, highlighting fresh flavors and simple preparations. All but a few basic ingredients such as oil, vinegar, and flour will be harvested and/or produced on-farm. Eric & Joanna will prepare the meal, which will be all-vegetarian as meat on the farm is seasonal and butchering does not happen until later in the fall. Ingredients will be determined by seasonal availability, but will include a wide variety of fresh produce & herbs, goat milk & cheese, eggs, and more. Beverages will be BYOB.

TAKING PART Sixteen places are available, open first to Slow Food Katy Trail members. The suggested $30 donation covers some costs and a Slow Food membership for the farm, with the remainder funding SFKT’s other activities. Reservations must be confirmed by sending a check to Slow Food Katy Trail, 1 E. Ridgeley Rd., Columbia, MO 65203 by September 22. For more information, email slowfoodkatytrail@yahoo.com or contactus@cherthollowfarm.com. Chert Hollow Farm is located 20 minutes north of Columbia; carpooling is encouraged.
http://www.cherthollowfarm.com/meal.htm http://slowfoodkatytrail.blogspot.com

MENU

Tasting plate of hummus (blended farm cowpeas, parsley, garlic, yogurt,
etc.), cuke & pepper slices, fresh pitas (Missouri wheat), cheese

Greek salad (coarse-chopped salad of tomatoes, cukes, peppers, onions,
farm-made feta, garlic/herb vinaigrette)

Broiled polenta squares (farm cornmeal) with caramelized onions & peppers,
grated aged cheese

Missouri dolmades (Chard leaves wrapped around Missouri rice, farm onions,
garlic, cucumbers, peppers, herbs; steamed)

Fresh-made ravioli with cheese & herb stuffing (farm-made ricotta, herbs, &
more)

Green salad (baby lettuce greens, fresh produce, boiled farm eggs, etc)
Custard (farm eggs & milk, possibly fruit topping)

MENU IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE, DUE TO AVAILABILITY OF PRODUCTS

2010-08-27T11:17:00.005-05:00

Slow Food Katy Trail

invites you to its second annual

Farm-to-Table, A Dinner in the Vineyard

This September 19 feast–at 4 p.m. in Les Bourgeois Vineyards–will celebrate local farmers and the food they produce. Come dine with Slow Food members, friends, farmers and cooks as we toast the beginning of fall and the bounty of local food we all love.

Les Bourgeois is again graciously hosting our celebration in its vineyards south of I-70 and providing all the wine. A charming tobacco barn set among 22 acres of Chardonel, Vignoles and Vidal will provide the backdrop for mid-Missouri's four most talented chefs to work their magic.

Cooking together will be: Craig Cyr of The Wine Cellar & Bistro, Mike Odette of Sycamore, Aaron Wells-Morgan of Les Bourgeois Blufftop Bistro and Brook Harlan of the Columbia Area Career Center Culinary Arts program. These four wonderful cooks are donating all their time and efforts for this feast and are so excited about doing so! Wait until you see the menu below, and you'll know how hard they've worked to contact local farmers to procure products and devise delicious ways to use them. Of course, we wouldn’t think of having a feast without beautiful music! The fabulous John G. Stewart jazz trio will round out the sensorial delights of the evening.

All proceeds will benefit Slow Food Katy Trail's Slow Food-in-Schools projects. Even though we don't tout these important projects nearly often enough (we're too busy actually getting them done!), we do want you to know the great things we are doing with schoolchildren to raise their local-food awareness. Please see the blog posts below to get a taste of all we've accomplished during the last two years with Lee Elementary School third graders. Our third year starts in September at West Boulevard Elementary School.

Other details about the dinner:

Cost per person is $99

Due to limited seating, only 70 tickets will be sold; they are available only through the Brown Paper Tickets Website: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/124725.

Times

2 p.m.–Tour of the new winemaking facility at Les Bourgeois (optional)

3 p.m.–Vineyard tour (optional)

4 p.m. –Dinner

Directions and parking details will be provided at a later date.

To see photographs of last year’s dinner, please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/slowfoodkatytrail/sets/72157620517967915/show/

2010-08-27T11:02:00.004-05:00

Slow Food Katy Trail's

Farm-to-Table, A Dinner in the Vineyard

A fall feast to celebrate seasonal foods from local farmers

and to benefit our Slow Food-in-Schools projects.

Meet the Farmers at the Table

Assorted heirloom tomatoes, spiced pecans,

pickled shiitakes, Bresaola, chorizo, lardo and pain d’epi

Pierpont Farms, Missouri Northern Pecan Growers LLC, Sunrise Shiitake Farm,

Chefs' handcrafted meats, Patchwork Family Farms,

Uprise Bakery

Toasting with Trout

Apple-wood smoked rainbow trout with Dijon-scallion potato salad,

hard-cooked eggs and baby sprouts

Troutdale Farm, Pierpont Farms, Root Cellar

Pass the Beef and Greet Your Neighbors

Whole-roasted, sliced round rubbed with

garlic, rosemary and peppercorns

Standing, sliced rib roast marinated with sorghum and chili pepper

Covered-L Farms, sponsored by AgriMissouri

Autumnal Accompaniments

Pecan- and sage-encrusted pumpkin, squash and potato gratin

Local beer-sautéed greens with Berkshire-pork bacon

Root Cellar, Weiler Dairy, Broadway Brewery,

Newman Farm Heritage Berkshire Pork

Glorious Greens and Scrumptious Cheeses

Mixed greens with Les Bourgeois wine vinaigrette

Assorted goat cheeses with pear and apple compote

Root Cellar, Goatsbeard Farm

Heaven-in-the-Vineyard Dessert Trio

Caramelized-apple crêpe cake kissed with maple goat cream

Chocolate truffle

Butternut squash and honey brulee

Root Cellar, Goatsbeard Farm, Patric Chocolate, Weiler Dairy,

Bonne Femme Honey Farm, Pierpont Farms

An assortment of Les Bourgeois wines will complement all the courses.

Broadway Brewery beer also will be on tap.

2010 Dinner in the Vineyard coming soon!

2010-08-19T21:33:00.009-05:00

Guests at the 2009 Dinner in the Vineyard enjoy wine, live jazz, the rustic ambiance and the anticipation of the next delicious course.

See more photos of last year's dinner at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/slowfoodkatytrail/sets/72157620517967915/

Check back here for more details on tickets for our upcoming Dinner in the Vineyard!

SFKT connects local children with local food

2010-08-19T10:10:00.005-05:00

Julie Walker of Greystone Farm (above left) "brings the farm to school" as she talks about chickens and eggs with Lee School third graders. During the same "Harvest-of-the-Month" session, chef Brook Harlan (above right) makes two kinds of omelets for the budding Epicureans. A student in Ann Mehr's art class (above) shows off her Thomas Hart Benton-inspired tempera (egg yolk) painting. Children learn how lettuce grows at Pierpont Farms (below) and chef Craig Cyr serves up freshly made quiche to students for their lunch on the farm.

More photos of the May 2010 field trip to Pierpont Farms may be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slowfoodkatytrail/sets/72157624136493716/

Slow Food Katy Trail has just completed the second year of its Slow Food-in-Schools project with Lee Expressive Arts Elementary School in Columbia. What an incredible two years it has been! The program there will continue under the guidance of Amy Higgins, a Slow Food-trained parent volunteer. In September, we will be starting the same program at a different school–West Boulevard Elementary. We'll kick off the project with a volunteer raised-bed garden-building event at the school on September 25. It will be followed by a potluck picnic on the school grounds. Please come join us!

In case you're not familiar with the project, here's a history and timeline of our efforts:

January 2008 Slow Food Katy Trail met with Lee students, teachers and its principal and decided upon a three-pronged schoolyard-garden and farm-to-table collaborative project with Lee School third graders: raise-bed gardening; field trips to local farms; and "Harvest-of-the-Month" sessions.

April 2008 We provided funds to build six-raised bed gardens behind the school. Slow Food members, teachers, parents and other volunteers helped construct the beds and fill them with soil. We also provided seeds for planting. Just before the children leave for the summer, we show them how to prepare a delicious salad with the many varieties of lettuces they raised.

May 2008 Goatsbeard Farm in Harrisburg hosted the children at the farm (during three separate field trips), showing them how goats are milked and cheese is made. The children tried their hands at making cheese; frolicked with the goats; and enjoyed an outdoor lunch of fresh goat cheeses, Uprise bread and fresh fruit. For many, it was their first trip to a real farm.

May 2009 and 2010 We took the children on field trips to two local farms, where they got to run through a bamboo "forest," pick lettuce, commune with the farm animals and listen to the farmers talk about raising animals and produce. They helped wash the lettuce for a beautiful salad that chef Craig Cyr of The Wine Cellar & Bistro made as they watched and asked questions. Craig also cooked other delicious locally grown and produced products from the farms. We concluded the farm tours with an outdoor lunch for all the children.

Monthly during the school year from September 2008 to May 2010
Our “harvest-of-the-month” sessions have introduced the children to a locally raised or crafted food each month. Not only do these sessions enlighten and delight the children, but they strengthen the connection between local farmers and the community.

Slow Food Katy Trail pays local farmers to bring their tomatoes, sweet potatoes, popcorn, honey, eggs, wheat, cheese and so forth to the school every month. The farmers discuss life on the farm with the children and how they grow or produce their products. The children study the various foods in different areas of the curricula such as history, art and science.

Local chefs and Slow Food volunteer cooks come to the school each month, in conjunction with the farmers' visits, to turn the food into delicious and nutritious treats for the children. All the children participate in the cooking.

It's been highly successful; the children love meeting the farmers, eating and preparing the fresh food, the demonstrations and doing the food art projects.

The overall goal is to help children develop a desire and appreciation for fresh, local foods, and to help them understand the importance of sustainably raised food as it relates to the environment, their health and their own communities and cultures. Judging from the children's comments, smiles and attitudes (and feedback from teachers and the principal), I'd say we have succeeded!

A special thanks to all the Slow Food volunteers and farmers who have generously donated their time and energies to help get this project off the ground and keep it going. Take a bow! Also a big thanks to teachers Ann Mehr and Carissa Seek, former principal Teresa VanDover, and principal Karen Burger for believing in this project. A big tip of the hat to Peter Stiepleman, assistant superintendent for elementary education, for his support of the Slow Food mission.

Italian feast to benefit chapter's Terra Madre hopefuls

2010-05-27T22:41:00.004-05:00

Below is an invitation to an Italian dinner with a special purpose. Slow Food Katy Trail and The Wine Cellar & Bistro invite you to Festa Italiana!, a casual and delicious local-foods feast that will benefit our Slow Food chapter’s delegation to the Terra Madre conference in Turin in October. Donating their talents to the cooking and serving of the dinner will be chefs Craig Cyr and Brook Harlan.

This conference is held in the Piedmont region of Italy, where the Slow Food organization was born more than 20 years ago. The five-day meeting will bring together food communities, cooks, farmers, educators, food activists, academics, youth and musicians from throughout the world. All who attend are united in a desire to promote sustainable local food production in harmony with the environment, while respecting knowledge handed down throughout the generations.

Although the biennial conference has been held since 2004, this will be Slow Food Katy Trail’s first time to apply for representation there. We’re excited about the possibility of sending a mid-Missouri food community delegation to “The Olympics” of the food world. It’s high time that our region show the world what we have to offer!

We’re proud to nominate chef Craig Cyr, of The Wine Cellar & Bistro; chef/educator Brook Harlan, of the Columbia Area Career Center Culinary Arts Program; farmer Julie Walker, of Greystone Farm; and Walker Claridge, of The Root Cellar and Broadway Brewery fame. Proceeds from this dinner will be used for plane fares. Conference costs are covered by other sponsors upon arrival in Italy.

We’re able to offer this fabulous feast at such a reasonable price because of volunteer assistance and generous donations. A special thanks to the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s support of Missouri Legacy Beef and Show-Me Farms, whose local beef products will be featured. Grazie mille to Glazer’s Midwest, Golden Barrel and Missouri Beverage, who will keep the vino flowing ... and xoxoxo to those relentlessly faithful Slow Food volunteers who make it all possible every time at every event!

The $35 ticket price includes tip. Slow Food members receive the first opportunity to purchase tickets during the first five days of sales. Ticket sales open to the public on June 1.

For more information on the Terra Madre conference and its importance in the construction of a global sustainable food network, please visit http://www.terramadre.info/pagine/incontri/welcome.lasso?id=C2744B880a15e27F8CmV S2DE0085&tp=3. This is a fantastic opportunity for our local food community to share information and collaborate with like-minded people from throughout the world.

Please come share in the excitement of the possibility and, as always, delicious eats!

Buon appetito!

Slow Food Katy Trail and
The Wine Cellar & Bistro present

Festa Italiana!
An Italian buffet of delicious local and seasonal foods
to benefit SFKT’s Terra Madre delegation

Sunday, June 13 at The Wine Cellar & Bistro, 505 Cherry St.
Come anytime between 5 and 8 p.m.

Antipasti
Beef carpaccio, pickled vegetables, assorted goat cheeses and grilled crostini 

Insalata
Salad of arugula and mixed greens, tomatoes, roasted mushrooms, green onions and Uprise croutons–tossed with an anchovy-balsamic vinaigrette.

Il secondo
  Ossobuco–beef shanks slowly braised in Chianti, with fresh herbs. Served with a creamy risotto made with pancetta and Milton Creamery Prairie Breeze cheese. 

Trio di gelati
 Mint with Patric Chocolate nibs
Strawberry
Rhubarb with vanilla and wildflower honey

I Vini
A selection of Italian white and red wines

Prepared and served by chefs Craig Cyr and Brook Harlan

Mother-Daughter Team Helps Recover Lost Tradition Of Preserving Food

2010-05-06T21:34:00.004-05:00

Saving The Seasons--An Easy-To-Use Guide For Those Who Want To Preserve Their Own Food, But Don’t Know How

Not that long ago, many people knew how to preserve food. Information about canning, freezing and drying was passed down from generation to generation. But that’s not the case today, say Susanna Meyer and Mary Clemens Meyer, co-authors of Saving The Seasons: How To Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything, a new book from Herald Press. “Many younger people today want to preserve food, but don’t know how to do it,” says Susanna “Maybe their grandmother canned, or their mother used to, but that generational knowledge hasn’t been passed down.” “Many families no longer have a tradition of preserving food,” adds Mary, who is also Susanna’s mother. “They have not learned what the more rural population of a century ago knew about how to pick, prepare, and process food to keep for the future.”

Passing on tips and ideas for preserving food was one reason why the two decided to create "Saving the Seasons."

“We wanted to provide a clear and easy-to-use guide for those who want to preserve their own food, but don’t know how,” says Susanna, who directs agricultural production at Grow Pittsburgh, a non-profit organization that produces food in the city and helps people create new gardens. “It’s especially helpful for those without a farming or gardening tradition,” adds Mary, who, along with her husband, grows certified organic vegetables and fruit in Fresno, Ohio. “It tells the best way to preserve a certain food, and exactly how to do it.” The two note that the book also comes along at a time when more people are expressing an interest in eating locally grown and seasonal food. “More people care about where their food comes from,” says Mary. “They want to know who grew it and under what conditions. The easiest way to get those answers is to grow food yourself, or buy direct from the grower.” “People are growing becoming more interested in issues like food safety, gardening and supporting local farmers,” Susanna adds, noting that tighter household budgets also play a part in decisions to preserve food.

They both think that "Saving the Seasons" will be of particular interest to those who bought "Simply in Season," a cook book from Herald Press that celebrates cooking and eating locally grown seasonal food. “One of the challenges of cooking seasonally for many in the U.S. and Canada is not having the food you need when it is out of season,” Susanna says. “Preserving food while it's in season is a great way to make sure you have it later in the year.” “We include information about when produce is in season, and the best way to preserve each item,” adds Mary. “Learning to preserve your own food makes living seasonally a year-round possibility, not just a one-season experience.”

The book also grows out of their faith, they say. “Being a Christian to me means caring for God’s earth and learning from the created world,” says Mary. “The process of planting, weeding, waiting, and then finally harvesting, preserving and eating helps me feel that I am a participant in God’s creation, not just a bystander.” “Growing up Mennonite, I learned that I was responsible to care for my own health and the health of the environment and people around me,” adds Susanna. “Growing and preserving my own food helps me live out these values.” Susanna hopes Saving the Seasons will “inspire people who might otherwise think they can’t preserve their own food.”

“I’m excited about sharing the how-to of preserving with a new generation of gardeners and eaters,” adds Mary.

"Saving the Seasons: How to Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything" is available from Herald Press at www.mpn.net/savingtheseasons or by calling 1-800-245-7894, x 278 (U.S.), 1-800-631-6535 (Canada). The cost is $24.99 USD/$28. 99 CAD.

SFKT hosts series of delicious fundraising dinners; continues work with schools

2010-04-28T23:34:00.003-05:00

Slow Food Katy Trail and Broadway Brewery helped local-food lovers celebrate the season with a Local Spring Food and Beer Dinner at the brewery on April 18.

Walker Claridge and his crew cooked up an incredible meal for 60 guests. A fabulous tribute to local food, the event showcased the bounty of edibles available to mid-Missourians in early spring. Guests also got a tour of the brewery and learned how beer is made "down under" Broadway.

Part of the proceeds from the dinner went to help fund our Slow Food-in-Schools efforts.

Stay tuned for details about an Italian-themed fundraiser/dinner to help send local food-community delegates to the international Terra Madre conference in Italy in October. A casual pasta-and-wine supper is scheduled for June 13 and a vegetarian feast is slated for July 24. Both are at the Wine Cellar and Bistro.

Slow Food Katy Trail will wrap up the second year of its Harvest-of-the-Month program with Lee School third graders in May. A field trip and lunch is scheduled for the children at Pierpont Farms.

We also provided seven days of delicious organic snacks to West Boulevard Elementary School students during MAP testing in April. Volunteers prepared and bagged 900 individual snacks. For less than 34 cents per child per day, children enjoyed freshly peeled carrot sticks, peanut butter and whole-wheat crackers, almonds, fig newtons, bananas, brown-rice cakes, and sunflower-seeds and raisins.

Last chance for spring dinner and beer-tasting tickets

2010-04-15T22:27:00.003-05:00

Only five tickets remain for our spring dinner and beer tasting at Broadway Brewery on Sunday, April 18. Please see information below.

Celebrate Spring Food at April 18 Dinner

2010-04-08T23:25:00.004-05:00

Slow Food Katy Trail

and Broadway Brewery present

An Early-Spring Dinner and Beer Tasting

Four courses and five beers to celebrate local spring foods

and to benefit Slow Food-in-Schools projects

April 18 at 5 p.m., Broadway Brewery

Festive group tables and camaraderie * brewery tour

THE MENU

Spring sextet charcuterie platter

Walker's handcrafted coppa, soppressata, pâté

and vegetarian appetizers begin the festivities

Uprise bread accompanies

A trio of beautiful babies

Three baby-lettuce heads (one freckled, one red and one green) lightly dipped in different dressings and each crowned with its own blend of delicate vegetables, cheese and/or nuts

A delectable duo of meats

A sorghum-glazed baked leg-quarter of chicken shares the plate with herb-encrusted dry-aged beef

First-of-the-season asparagus and local grains accompany

The dessert quartet

Chocolate ganache bites

First-of-the-season strawberry shortcake

Blueberry compote with fresh cream

Mint sorbet

A variety of Broadway Brewery beers accompany the courses

(Wine available for purchase for non-beer drinkers)

Cost per person is $45 and only 60 tickets are available

Slow Food members received the first opportunity to purchase tickets during the first five days of sales. On April 8, ticket sales are open to the public. Sales will be made only through the Brown Paper Tickets site: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/107131

All proceeds will benefit Slow Food Katy Trail's Slow Food-in-Schools projects. Even though we don't tout these important projects nearly often enough (we're too busy actually getting them done!), we do want you to know the great things we are doing with schoolchildren to raise their local-food awareness. Please see our blog (http://slowfoodkatytrail.blogspot.com/2009/05/sfkt-connects-local-children-with-local.html) to get a taste of all we've accomplished during the last year with Lee Elementary School third graders. We are continuing the program this year, as well as providing snacks to all the children at West Boulevard Elementary during MAP testing for seven days in April.

Broadway Brewery/Slow Food Beer Dinner April 18

2010-03-28T22:51:00.001-05:00

Sunday early evening, April 18---—Save the date!

Slow Food Katy Trail and Broadway Brewery will celebrate the season with a Local Spring Food and Beer Dinner at the brewery.

Walker Claridge and his crew will cook up some delectable fresh greens, local meats and eggs to showcase all the wonderful food available to mid-Missourians in early spring. We'll also get a tour of the brewery and learn how beer is made "down under" Broadway.

Mark your calendars now. A menu and details for ordering tickets will be posted SOON!

Fed up with school lunch

2010-03-25T23:36:00.005-05:00

Follow a Chicago teacher as she (he?) goes underground to eat, blog and photograph school lunch each day of 2010:

http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/

A few quotes from her (his?) profile:

What exactly is your school lunch project?
I'm eating school lunch just like the kids every day in 2010 to raise awareness about what students eat every day. My hope is that the US becomes more reflective about how the food children eat affects their well-being and success in school. I certainly do not speak for all school lunch programs, but from the comments I have been receiving, what I eat is fairly typical of what most students eat in our country.

What inspired you to do this?
I was disheartened by what I saw the kids eating at school. As I continue with the project and physically consume the lunches myself, I get even more upset.

Is this a publicity stunt?
I have nothing to gain from doing this project personally. I am just a regular person and I'm certainly not sophisticated enough to design some kind of "stunt."

Why are you anonymous? Don't you stand by your ideals?
I am anonymous because I want to protect my job and my identity. I like that I'm "un-googleable." Although I feel passionate about child nutrition, I believe that being anonymous is the best thing for my professional career. I really want to reveal more, but it's not safe for me personally.

Why is this important now?
The Child Nutrition Act is being debated in congress. It's important that people realize that funding for school lunches is vital to children's success in school and in life.

What's up with all the packaging?
The meals brought in frozen and heated up in large ovens. The containers are paper with plastic over the top. Microwaving is not allowed forschool lunch (from what I understand). There are no real dishes or cutlery. Ninety-five percent of food delivered to schools is frozen.

Where is the food made? Are there microwaves at the school?
I don't know where the food is made. I'm not going to name the company, but it's a very common school food vendor. There are no microwaves in the school's kitchen only large ovens. Microwaves are available to the staff in the teachers' lunchroom/staff lounge, but students do not have access to that space.

Do the children actually eat this food?
The kids only eat bits and pieces of the food offered to them. Sometimes the kids only eat the fruit or the hot dog or occasionally they don't eat any of it.

2010-03-25T23:36:00.001-05:00

Order Your Patchwork Family Farms Easter Hams Today!!

2010-03-24T00:00:00.002-05:00

By purchasing your holiday ham from Patchwork Family Farms, you will be supporting independent farm families whose livelihoods support their rural communities, who raise their hogs with great care and plenty of access to fresh air and sunshine and without the use of sub-therapeutic antibiotics.

Your support of Patchwork Family farms also helps the Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC), a committed and successful family farm organization that fights every day for policies that support America’s farm families, rural communities and a healthy environment.

Here are the ordering details from Patchwork:

Bone-In Holiday Ham
Our succulent, sugar-cured smoked hams sold on-the-bone in generous 15-18 lb portions. We pride ourselves in producing a gourmet ham that is lean and tender, using only the highest quality products and slow curing method.
PRICE: $75

Boneless Holiday Ham
If you love a juicy, easy to prepare ham with a sweet flavor and delicious smoked accent, choose our farm-fresh boneless ham. Each boneless ham is fully cooked and smoked, and weighs between 10-14 pounds.
PRICE: $65

Call Patchwork's office at 573.449.1336 by noon on Monday, March 29 with your order and we can deliver your ham anywhere in the U.S.

Or come on in to pick up your order and choose from a large selection of additional Patchwork products for your own holiday meal.

Please call ahead to have your order ready for pick-up or just stop by!

Orders can be picked up at our office between 9am and 5pm, Monday, March 29th-Thursday, April 1st or call to make other arrangements.

* Prices do not include Shipping and Handling (Shipping ranges between $15 and $20)

Patchwork prohibits the use of growth hormones, and hogs are not fed subtherapeutic antibiotics. Animals are raised in the open, having plenty of access to fresh air and sunshine. Producers use environmental responsibility with their growing practices.Every time you buy Patchwork products you directly support independent Missouri family farmers.

"Vegan Soul Kitchen" inspires Slow Food cook

2010-03-08T23:10:00.007-06:00

I bought fresh mustard greens at Pierpont Farms over the weekend and wanted to do them justice while they were still fresh from the ground.

I'd been wanting to try a recipe I'd seen in Bryant Terry's Vegan Soul Kitchen, which I added to my cookbook collection after I met the author in Milwaukee last fall. I was attending Will Allen's "Growing Food and Justice Conference" there, where Terry was one of the inspiring speakers. He also supervised the conference kitchen staff in cooking a dinner from his cookbook for conference attendees. Everything was delicious, and a real stunner was "Uncle Don's Double Mustard Greens and Roasted Yam Soup." I made it tonight and it was as delicious as I had remembered. A skillet of cornbread made from coarsely ground corn complemented perfectly.

Other recipes include:
Black-eyed pea fritters with hot pepper sauce, BBQ tempeh sandwich with carrot-cayenne coleslaw, Jamaican patties with sweet coconut-ginger creamed corn and Soul-on-ice pops.

If you're wanting to venture into vegan foods, but have been avoiding them because of perceived blandness, I heartily recommend this cookbook. Terry retains the heart and spirit of soul food, without forsaking flavor and fun. Each recipe is preceded by a song and/or film or book recommendation, as well.

Another bonus is that Terry is an eco chef and food-justice activist. He is a fellow of the Food and Society Policy Fellows Program, a national project of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
For the past 10 years he has worked to build a more just and sustainable food system and has used cooking as a tool to illuminate the intersections between poverty, structural racism, and food insecurity. His interest in cooking, farming, and community health stems from his childhood in Memphis, Tennessee, where his grandparents inspired him to grow, prepare and appreciate good food.

Did I mention he is also very easy on the eyes!

To learn more, visit: http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/bio/

and

http://www.racialicious.com/2009/08/21/an-interview-with-bryant-terry-on-race-class-food-and-culture-part-1/

New Obama program to bring healthy choices to food deserts

2010-03-08T23:02:00.001-06:00

“We can create the best nutrition education and physical education programs in the world, but if dinner is something off of the shelf of a local gas station or convenience store, because there’s no grocery store nearby, all our best efforts are going to go to waste,” the First Lady said during a speech at Philadelphia’s Fairhill School on Feb. 19 to launch the Obama Administration’s new Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI).

Currently, the USDA estimates that 23.5 million Americans, including 6.5 million children live in “food deserts,” or economically distressed areas that are typically served by fast food restaurants and convenience stores offering little or no fresh produce.

“Food deserts,” which can now be identified using USDA’s new Food Environment Atlas, are one of the many results of the nation’s broken food system preventing individuals from making better choices and denying them the ability to vote with their forks. When an area lacks healthy, affordable food options, its inhabitants are prone to higher levels of obesity and other diet-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

In order to achieve the Obama Administration’s goal of eliminating “food deserts” nationwide in the next seven years, the HFFI will fund a movement of bringing grocery stores and other healthy food retailers to underserved urban and rural communities across America. The effort will also include providing grocery stores on wheels for less densely populated areas, said Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan during her “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” presentation at The New School Feb. 25.

The $400 million initiative, which will use a mix of federal tax credits, below-market rate loans, loan guarantees, and grants aimed to attract private sector capital, is being made possible through a partnership between the departments of Treasury, Agriculture and Health and Human Services.

Modeled after the Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative (FFFI), the HFFI will ideally not only provide access to healthy food, but will also invest in communities by removing financing obstacles and operating barriers, as well as by creating living wage jobs and qualified work forces.

The Food Trust can perhaps be credited for inspiring the new national initiative. The Philadelphia-based nutrition education nonprofit, in conjunction with The Reinvestment Fund and the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, set out a decade ago to increase the number of food stores in underserved areas across the state through the FFFI. The effort was launched after a national study determined Philadelphia had the second lowest number of markets per capita out of all major cities in the country. Food Trust’s Web site states FFFI has helped finance 83 supermarket projects in 27 Pennsylvania counties since December 2009. The projects are expected to create or retain 5,000 jobs and more than 1.6 million square feet of food retail.

First Lady Michelle Obama praised the city and state in her remarks to the Fairhill crowd. “What you’ve clearly demonstrated here,” she said, “is that we can do what’s good for our businesses and our economy while doing what’s good for our kids and our families and our neighborhoods at the same time. We can do it all.

Sign up for chicken workshops and more

2010-02-21T17:05:00.002-06:00

Learn how to raise chickens in your backyard, start seeds indoors and select plants that complement others in your garden. The Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture is offering these workshops and more beginning in March. To learn more, visit: columbiaurbanag.org/resources/workshops

The volunteers who comprise this dedicated group are doing some wonderful projects in Columbia. They are helping to develop a local food system by participating in its many interrelated and complex components--compost, gardens, education, markets, commerce, policy, transportation, job creation and city planning.

If you have property in Columbia that you would like to use for urban agriculture, please contact them. They also can help you manage or expand your existing garden, install a new one for you, help you improve your compost system or build you a new one.

In addition, they will come to your school to help develop garden-related activities for students.

Of course, they need our support to keep these programs going, so please donate your time, money or gardening items to them whenever you can. As of today, their wish list includes the following:

Drip Irrigation Tape and Hardware
Plumbing Service to Install Spigots
Electrician’s Services and Outdoor electrical box
Service or Use of Dump Truck or Dump Trailer
Service or Use of Bobcat
Barn/Shed or similar structure
Fencing, T-Posts, and Hardware
Cattle Panel
Trellising Supplies: metal posts, lumber, etc.
Lumber/Building Materials/Hardware
Gutters
Tree Removal Service
Buckets and Tubs
Garden Carts/Wheelbarrow
Coolers
Twine/String
Row Covers/Hardware
Shade Cloth/Hardware
Berries and Trees
Volunteers

If you have items you would like to donate, please contact them at: donate@columbiaurbanag.org

We're Going Hog Wild and Pig Crazy!

2009-12-20T15:19:00.011-06:00

Sold Out!

Visit us often to find out about more delicious events.

Sycamore and Slow Food Katy Trail are going
hog wild and pig crazy on Sunday, January 24
at Sycamore. At 5 p.m. that evening, we will
begin our feast of the nine-course "whole-hog" dinner prepared by chef/owner Mike Odette (see menu below to start salivating).

This special fundraiser for Slow Food Katy Trail's Farm-to-School program will feature the incomparably delicious heritage Berkshire pork from Newman Farm in Myrtle, Missouri (way south in the Ozarks).

Odette, who first was introduced to Newman Farm pork when cooking for Slow Food Katy Trail's "Dinner in the Vineyard" last June, says it tastes the way pork used to taste a long time ago. "It's so flavorful that I hardly need to season it."

"Newman Farm pork is the best pork in the USA," says Patrick Martins, founder of Slow Food USA and more recently, Heritage Foods USA (an independent company that connects some of the finest restaurants in the country with small breeders of non-commodity meats).

"By respecting nature's way and allowing the pigs to range freely, and because they are fed nothing artificial, the pigs acquire excellent marbling that this country's greatest chefs swear by."

It's a special honor that Newman Farm owners, Mark and Rita Newman, will be joining us at the event. They're proud to have their pork on the menus of the nation's finest restaurants, from New York to San Francisco and at many spots in between.
(http://www.missourilife.com/Missouri-Life/October-November-2009/Hog-Heaven/)

The $85 per-ticket price includes wine, locally brewed beer, tax and tip.

Tickets are available ONLY online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/93185

Sycamore and Slow Food Katy Trail Whole-Hog Dinner

2009-12-15T23:51:00.004-06:00

Menu for the Feast
January 24, 2010 at 5 p.m.

.

Pate campagne with pork liver and pistachios
Grilled fennel sausages
Hickory-smoked baby back ribs
Crispy fried pigs’ ears
•
Terrine of shanks and trotters
sherry gastrique and parsley
•
Braised belly
molasses and smoky navy beans
•
Mixed green salad
local lettuces, pancetta and poached farm egg
•
Scallopine alla Milanese
lemon and fried capers, Swiss chard
•
Pork tenderloin wrapped in peppered bacon
creamed spinach with fennel
•
Braised shoulder sugo
guanciale, preserved local tomatoes, rosemary pappardelle
•
Celery sorbet
•
Warm apple tart
crème fraîche

Holiday potluck brunch shows off local food

2009-12-14T20:33:00.015-06:00

Slow Food Katy Trail members Sarah
and Hew McElroy hosted a holiday

potluck brunch at their home on

Sunday, December 13 for more than
30 SFKT guests. As you can see, the food was beautiful, bountiful and chock-full of delicious local ingredients.

Wonderful winter greens starred in a variety of salads; eggs and cream did the strata, quiche and frittata mighty proud; pumpkins, squash, apples and pecans showed up in all kinds of dishes; and persimmon mousse snuggled in between layers of gingerbread and whipped cream in a trifle.

A deep bow to our hosts for sharing their beautiful and festive home with us!

The Purpose Prize

2009-12-06T22:38:00.003-06:00

We just learned about the Purpose Prize and one of its 2009 recipients, a man named Tim Will. Mr. Will was recently awarded $100,000 to help bring broadband to his Appalachian county and linking local farmers to chefs in Charlotte through an online farmer’s market, bringing laid-off factory workers back to farming. The Purpose Prize provides five $100,000 and five $50,000 awards to U.S. residents over 60 who are creating innovation solutions to address society’s most pressing problems—domestically and abroad. If you know anyone who is putting their passion to work for the greater good, visit the web site to learn about the 2010 nomination process.

http://www.encore.org/prize

Homegrown Revolution

2009-11-29T19:23:00.001-06:00

This film is a short introduction to a homegrown project that has been called a new revolution in urban sustainability. In the midst of a densely urban setting in downtown Pasadena, California, the Dervaes family have transformed their home into an urban homestead and model for sustainable agriculture and city living. The Dervaes family shows that change is possible, one step at a time.

For more information or to buy the film:
www.homegrownrevolution.com
More information on the Dervaes family project:
www.littlehomesteadinthecity.org

Chert Hollow Farm-Dinner Photo Roundup

2009-10-25T22:09:00.007-05:00

Eric and Joanna Reuter of Chert Hollow Farm hosted 16 Slow Food Katy Trail members for a farm tour and dinner on Sept. 16.

They talked about their diversified organic-farming methods as we explored the fields of beautiful amaranth, heirloom beans, tomatoes, corn and greens. After meeting the goats and chickens, we were treated to a delicious Southern meal prepared from ingredients grown and produced on-farm.

The menu featured a tasting platter of black cherry tomatoes, sheepnose pimento, Costata Romanesco squash, Fin de Bagnol green beans,Burmese okra, Poona Kheera cucumber, Lina Sisco's Bird Egg and Hutterite soup beans and farm-fresh cheeses.

Next came the Hoppin' John, which was prepared with heirloom cowpeas, onions, garlic, hot peppers, tomatoes, mixed greens and fresh cheese.

From there we moved on to a mess of greens
(collard, mustard, kale and beet greens sauteed with garlic and vinegar). Then came three batches of cornbread, each made with a different variety of corn (White Hickory King, Mandan Bride and Arikara White). All were delicious--especially when drizzled with local honey and sorghum.

The fried green-heirloom tomatoes and okra--breaded with freshly ground cornmeal and delicately pan fried--made all of us swoon.

A beautiful apple-pecan cake made with farm eggs and yogurt and Missouri-produced apples, pecans, honey and wheat flour competed for our taste buds next to a luciously smooth custard made from farm eggs and milk and topped with Missouri cherries, farm-grown rhubarb and gooseberries.

Eric and Joanna strive to live by the principles they market: a dedication to local foods through self-sufficiency and avoidance of processed foods. They are working to integrate vegetables, fruit, grains, livestock, poultry, dairy, and more into a self-sufficient farm that respects the traditions of their ancestors while making use of appropriate innovations. Maintenance of diversity is one of their basic principles of farming, as evidenced by their focus on heirloom vegetables and heritage breeds, including a number of Slow Food Ark of Taste varieties. They intend to earn a decent living while feeding themselves and visitors with the freshest and best food possible, sourced on-farm as most farms once did.

Drop by their stand at the Columbia Farmers Market and say hello. If you get there early enough, you may be able to get some of their cornmeal which they've been grinding on site.

Time-for-Lunch Labor Day Event Photo Roundup

2009-10-25T21:11:00.005-05:00

Our Time-for-Lunch Labor Day event at Ragtag Cinema/Uprise Cafe drew 100 parents, teachers, students and others who are concerned about the nation's school-lunch program. After viewing the movie, Fresh, panelists discussed with the audience their thoughts about how to get better food in local schools. We then gathered on the patio where we enjoyed fresh crepes, brats, heirloom-tomato bruschette and watermelon.
We gathered signatures for petitions and encouraged everyone to write their local congressmen and women about the need for fresh, local food in our schools.

Quarry Party and Picnic Photo Round-up

2009-10-25T20:44:00.009-05:00

Greystone Farm Annual Quarry Party and Picnic August 2

We swam in Tim and Julie Walker's beautiful quarry, ate the best potluck picnic food in mid-Missouri (including Greystone's delicious brats and ribs), churned fresh Missouri- peach gelato, played volleyball and hitched up the wagon to tour the farm.

Help Grow the Movement; Join During September Special

2009-09-10T22:26:00.006-05:00

Slow Food Katy Trail is part of a growing movement that needs you. On Labor Day, more than 20,000 people came together across the country to show their support for getting real food in school. You are helping us send a powerful message to decision makers that this is a movement of people who think it's time to change what kids eat at the lunch table. Thank you to so many of you who already support us through your participation and membership.

To keep building momentum and change our food system, we are counting on you to be part of our local chapter. If you're not yet a member, you can join the organization with a donation of any amount through September 30. Give more if you can and less if you can’t. The point is—we want you with us. Membership normally starts at $60, so please visit http://www.slowfoodusa.org/growthemovement so you can take advantage of this offer and join today.

Your support will help legislators take notice of our cause, and your involvement in our chapter will make a difference. Please join us.

Slow Food Katy Trail
slowfoodkatytrail@yahoo.com

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/growthemovement

Members to Enjoy Harvest Meal at Chert Hollow Farm

2009-09-02T20:09:00.007-05:00

THE EVENT
Slow Food Katy Trail invites you to explore a diversified Missouri organic farm through a special tour and dinner. Participants will tour the farm with the owners, learning about its integrated organic methods, then enjoy a light meal inspired by Southern cuisine and prepared primarily from ingredients grown and produced on-farm.

Eric and Joanna Reuter founded Chert Hollow Farm in 2006 as a diversified homestead farm raising fresh produce for market while feeding its owners year-round. The farm earned Organic Certification for produce in 2009. Eric and Joanna strive to live by the principles they market: a dedication to local foods through self-sufficiency and avoidance of processed foods. They are working to integrate vegetables, fruit, grains, livestock, poultry, dairy, and more into a self-sufficient farm that respects the traditions of their ancestors while making use of appropriate innovations. Maintenance of diversity is one of their basic principles of farming, as evidenced by their focus on heirloom vegetables and heritage breeds, including a number of Slow Food Ark of Taste varieties. They intend to earn a decent living while feeding themselves and visitors with the freshest and best food possible, sourced on-farm as most farms once did.

THE MEAL
The proposed menu reflects a time when farms still supported themselves, and visitors could be assured that any food offered was sourced from the farm with pride. All but a few basic ingredients such as oil, vinegar, and spices will be harvested and/or produced on-farm for this meal, which will be prepared by Eric & Joanna. They chose a Southern theme this year to reflect Missouri’s heritage and as an American cuisine traditionally rooted in fresh ingredients and local flavors. Food will be served in a tasting format, one item at a time as it is prepared, to ensure that each is enjoyed fresh. This meal will be vegetarian-friendly, as meat on Chert Hollow Farm is seasonally available and butchering does not happen until later in the fall.

THE PROPOSED MENU
(Menu items subject to change based on availability.)

Hoppin’ John
Our take on a classic bean dish prepared with heirloom cowpeas, onions, garlic, hot peppers, tomatoes, mixed greens, and more; topped with fresh cheese from the farm’s goats.
Mixed beans
A simple tasting of heirloom dried beans, allowing their excellent flavor to be enjoyed.
Nothin’ but cornbread
Southern-style cornbread, using only fresh-ground farm-grown cornmeal, leaveners, farm-made yogurt, farm-fresh eggs, and salt. Served with Missouri honey, sorghum, or farm-made jams. Baked in cast-iron.
Mess of greens
Mix of collards, mustard, kale, beet, and more, sautéed with garlic and vinegar.
Fried green tomatoes and okra
Fresh heirloom green tomatoes and okra breaded with freshly ground farm-grown cornmeal and lightly pan-fried in a cast-iron skillet.
Mint iced tea
Freshly brewed iced tea made with three varieties of mint.

Seasonal dessert
To be determined.

TAKING PART
This event is a trial of a new initiative by Slow Food Katy Trail to help support membership for farmers who uphold the principles of Slow Food. The suggested $15 donation will pay for an annual membership for Chert Hollow Farm, and additional funds will go toward SFKT’s other work. 16 slots are available; contact Bernadette Dryden to reserve yours at slowfoodkatytrail@yahoo.com.

LOGISTICS
This event will be held Wednesday evening, September 16. The tour will start at 6 p.m., with the first food becoming available at 7 p.m. Please RSVP by Tuesday, September 8 . Beverages other than water and fresh tea will be on a BYOB basis. Chert Hollow Farm is located 12 miles/20 minutes north of Columbia, and carpooling is encouraged. Directions will be provided to confirmed attendees.

SFKT Labor Day event to shed light on country's school lunch program

2009-07-31T16:57:00.005-05:00

Slow Food Katy Trail—the mid-Missouri chapter of Slow Food USA—will show the movie, "Fresh" (see movie synopsis below), on Labor Day, Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. at Ragtag Cinema in Columbia. It will be one facet of the 4 to 7 p.m. event that will help shed light on the state of our nation's school lunch program.

This event is being held in conjunction with Slow Food USA 's national campaign, "Time for Lunch," to garner support for the federal Child Nutrition Act reauthorization. We want Congress to make the act a stronger mandate for real foods in schools. The act dictates all the regulations for public school food, including the money the federal government provides for school lunches. The "Time for Lunch" campaign is about showing Congress that Americans throughout the country care about providing real food to our school children.

We also will be showing a film short from the Appleton, Wisconsin school system that highlights its success with real food in schools. A panel discussion, led by local food activists, will follow the films.

Afterward, we'll socialize in the Uprise cafe and patio with fresh watermelon, sweet and savory crepes, heirloom-tomato bruschette and bratwurst bites—all local, of course. We also will have a variety of food-related activities for young children, supervised by adults, while the movies are being shown. We will get the children to write letters to legislators, and have information for adults to use to contact their legislators about the Child Nutrition Act.

Please join us for great local food, provocative documentary films and stimulating discussions. Use this opportunity to become part of the grassroots campaign that we hope will change forever the food being served in our nation's schools.

Only 75 tickets are available, and will be sold in advance at the Ragtag Cinema box office beginning Aug. 12. They are $10 each for adults and children older than 12; admission is free for children under 12, but movie is not included. Even if you aren't able to attend, you can effect change by writing your legislators. Please see the Slow Food USA Web site to sign the REAL FOOD AT SCHOOL petition and to learn more about how you can help:

www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/

For additional information on Slow Food Katy Trail activities, please visit us at: slowfoodkatytrail.blogspot.com

About "Fresh," the movie:
FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, a 2008 MacArthur’s “Genius Award” fellow; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, "The Omnivore’s Dilemma"; and supermarket owner, David Ball, who is creating a new market model for our family farmers. FRESH’s focus on these inspiring individuals and their initiatives throughout the country provides the audience with actionable solutions. FRESH is a call to action.

Greystone Farm to host fifth annual quarry party

2009-07-20T22:57:00.002-05:00

Slow Food members Julie and Tim Walker of Greystone Farm invite SFKT members (and other faithful customers of their eggs, chickens, turkeys, sausage and beef) to their wonderful farm on August 2 for a potluck and swimming party. Please see the invitation details below.

This is one of our favorite Slow Food events. We are always treated to wonderful food, camaraderie, a beautiful quarry to swim in and an all-around great way to spend a summer Sunday. Last but not least, it's always a pleasure to experience a farm from which so many wonderful local products emanate!

Please join us!

GREYSTONE FARM'S 5th QUARRY PARTY

Back By Popular Demand!
Sunday, AUGUST 2
Swimming, hiking, boating, volleyball, birding, appetizers & beverages
begin at 2:00 pm
followed by barbeque & potluck at around 4:30 pm

Please bring a homemade dish to share (preferably made with mostly local ingredients),
plates and silverware for you and your family members, chairs and swimming gear including
floating devices. We'll supply the boat, cups, napkins, beverages and various grilled meats.

Please RSVP if coming so that we have
enough beer, brats, ribs and burgers!
660-248-3949 or greystonefarm@netscape.com

From Fayette, Glasgow & Harrisburg--Get on Hwy. 5 going south out of Fayette. Turn left onto Hwy. DD and go to CR 425. Go right onto CR 425 and drive 2 miles until you see the "Greystone Farm" sign on your left.

From Columbia & places east of Columbia--Take I-70 west to exit 121 (Midway/Hwy. 40). Go right (west) onto Hwy. 40 to Hwy. 240. Go right (north) onto Hwy. 240 to Hwy. P. Go left (west) onto Hwy. P to Hwy. DD. Go right (north) onto Hwy. DD to CR 425 (first gravel road). Go left (west) onto CR 425 and drive 2 miles until you see the "Greystone Farm" sign on your left.

From Boonville & places west of Boonville--Take I-70 to Boonville exit 101 (Hwy. 5). Go north on Hwy. 5 through Boonville & over the Boonslick Bridge. Stay on Hwy. 5 through New Franklin (jog left at the stop sign next to the caboose). Continue north on Hwy. 5 to CR 426. Go right (east) onto CR 426. At the "T" in the road, go right onto CR 425 and continue 1/8th of a mile to the "Greystone Farm" sign straight ahead.

Once all visitors see the "Greystone Farm" Sign: Go between the two stone posts & down the lane watching for signs to the quarry. The road is bumpy & our pets, livestock & wildlife abound so please drive slowly!

Dinner-in-the-Vineyard Fundraiser a Splendid Event

2009-06-27T23:25:00.007-05:00

Mike Odette of Sycamore puts the finishing touch on the evening's dessert trio: chocolate tart with crème anglaise, crème caramel and macerated fresh fruits.

Slow Food Katy Trail hosted its first Farm-to-Table "dinner in the vineyard" on June 14 in a century-old tobacco barn set among the beautiful vineyards at Les Bourgeois near Rocheport. The 100 attendees celebrated local food, the farmers and artisans who raise and produce it, and the chefs who cook with it. Proceeds from the dinner help fund Slow Food Katy Trail's "Slow Food-in-Schools" projects with local school children.

Donating their time, creativity and precious day off from the restaurant business was a "dream team" of the area's best chefs. Cooking together for the first time were: Craig Cyr of The Wine Cellar & Bistro, Mike Odette of Sycamore, Ben Clay of Les Bourgeois Blufftop Bistro and Brook Harlan of the Columbia Area Career Center Culinary Arts program.

All the farmers/artisans/chefs took brief turns at the mic to talk about how they raised and produced their food and how the dishes were created.

Les Bourgeois staff conducted a winery tour and a trip through the vineyards via hay wagons before dinner, while the John G. Stewart trio filled the air with jazz favorites.

In attendance and donating food and drink to the dinner were:
Dennis and Merritt Van Landuyt of Troutdale Farm (trout for the trout ceviche)
Susie Everhart of Susie's Grass Fed Meats (lamb for the main dish)
Walker Claridge and Kimberly Griffin of the Root Cellar (salad greens, vegetables and fruits for several dishes)
Alan McClure of Patric Chocolate (chocolate for the chocolate tart)
Cory Bomgaars of Les Bourgeois Vineyards and staff (wine which accompanied each course)
Julie Walker of Greystone Farm (eggs for the salad and desserts)
Jenn and Ken Muno of Goatsbeard Farm (variety of goat cheeses for the cheese course)
Lee Eckel of Lakota Coffee Co. (coffee)

Mark and Rita Newman of Newman Farm in Myrtle couldn't attend, but donated Berkshire pork for the main dish. Ron and Courtney Rottinghaus of Uprise Bakery also couldn't attend, but made special loaves of Epi bread for the occasion.
Flat Branch Pub and Brewing donated beer.

Please see more photos from the event at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/slowfoodkatytrail/sets/72157620517967915/

Dinner in the Vineyard on June 14

2009-06-13T22:41:00.003-05:00

The tables are set in the bucolic tobacco barn at Les Bourgeois vineyards for the glorious local feast on Sunday! A more stunning setting in mid-Missouri you would be hard pressed to find. Come hungry for delicious edibles, a glorious view and wonderful music and camaraderie.

Only a tornado would alter our plans now!

See all you lucky ticket holders on Sunday,

Cheers,
The snails at Slow Food Katy Trail

Omelets at the Farmers Market Saturday

2009-06-04T21:33:00.003-05:00

Come hungry to the Columbia Farmers' Market on Saturday morning. Slow Food member Brook Harlan, a chef instructor at Columbia Area Career Center, will be cooking made-to-order omelets with his students from 8:15 until 11:15.

The fresh ingredients will be from the market farmers, of course. All proceeds benefit the Culinary Arts Department students, who are attending a national competition in Kansas City later this month.

Food Films Hit the Big Screen, Inspire Action

2009-06-02T22:20:00.005-05:00

Food is on the minds of many filmmakers these days, and we want to call attention to a few making recent headlines.

Slow Food Katy Trail hopes to host a food film festival sometime this year (when we get some of our other big projects behind us), but if you get a chance to see these meanwhile, please take advantage of the opportunity.

Many of us were enlightened by the sneak preview of "Food Inc." at the True/False Film Festival in February, but it is opening nationwide this month. Don't miss it; it will change forever how you think about food. For more info, visit: www.foodincmovie.com/

Here's another one that should be of interest to all. Info is from the Epicurious Website:

Are We Running Out of Fish? New Movie Tackles the Issue

by James Oliver Cury

on 06/02/09 at 05:48 PM

The Movie: The End of the Line
The Thesis: We've eaten all the fish. All gone by 2048.
(Officially: "The World's First Documentary About the Devastating Effect of Overfishing"
In Theaters: World Ocean Day, June 8, 2009
The Book: The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat by Charles Clover

endoftheline.com

Finally, we've been hearing some buzz about "Fresh." I haven't seen it, but food writer Lauren Salkeld had this to say last week about it:

Food Film: New Movie Challenges You to Think about What You're Eating

Last night I attended a screening and panel discussion for "Fresh," Ana Sofia Joanes's excellent new film about our food system. "Fresh" examines the many problems caused by the industrialization of the food system (think mad cow, obesity, pollution) and features individuals attempting to re-invent the way we produce and eat food, including Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food; Joel Salatin, founder of Virginia's Polyface Farm and author of several books on sustainable farming; and Will Allen, founder of Growing Power, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization working to provide equal access to high-quality, affordable food in urban communities. (Allen is also a 2008 MacArthur fellow.)

At the risk of sounding preachy, I want to encourage everyone to see this film. If you're not familiar with these issues, "Fresh" is a great introduction to the movement. And, even if you've already read The Omnivore's Dilemma and feel like you know everything there is to know about industrial food, I think the individuals and organizations featured in "Fresh" will re-inspire you to take action with your food dollars and maybe even do something more. Check the "Fresh" Web site for a list of additional screenings and panel discussions being held in early June.

Members open new cafe and market

2009-05-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

Slow Food Katy Trail members Kate and Roy Finley have opened Cherry Hill Market & Café at 4200 Merchant Street in the Village of Cherry Hill.

"Our theme is simple, fresh and local--using the freshest ingredients and local products whenever possible," says Kate. "In addition to our breakfast and lunch menu, we have daily specials," which are listed on the Web site. (www.cherryhillmarketcafe.com)

Last week, this snail visited with several other SFKT members who were eating there alfresco. My informal survey among the diners garnered a big thumbs-up for the curried tofu salad, Jenn's Ham & Roasted Pepper sandwich and a reuben called "The Don of Cherry Hill."

The cafe kitchen closes at 2 p.m., but the market is open later. Its deli case features local meats and cheeses and other items such as salads, olives and baked beans. Offerings change daily.

Click on the site's market page for an idea of what is stocked on the shelves.

Monday through Friday hours are 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., and Saturday hours are 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

We're thrilled to have another "Slow" eatery in town, so let's show them our support!

Farm-to-Table, A Dinner in the Vineyard

2009-05-18T09:02:00.008-05:00

Sorry, but we're sold out of tickets!

Slow Food Katy Trail invites you to its first Farm-to-Table, A Dinner in the Vineyard.

This June 14 feast-–at 4 p.m. in Les Bourgeois Vineyards–will celebrate local farmers and the food they produce. Come dine with Slow Food members, friends, farmers and cooks as we toast the beginning of summer and the bounty of local food we all love.

Les Bourgeois is graciously hosting our celebration in its vineyards south of I-70 and providing all the wine. A charming tobacco barn set among 22 acres of Chardonel, Vignoles and Vidal will provide the backdrop for mid-Missouri's four most talented chefs to work their magic.

Cooking together for the first time will be: Craig Cyr of The Wine Cellar & Bistro, Mike Odette of Sycamore, Ben Clay of Les Bourgeois Blufftop Bistro and Brook Harlan of the Columbia Area Career Center Culinary Arts program.

These four wonderful cooks are donating all their time and efforts for this feast and are so excited about doing so! Wait until you see the menu, and you'll know how hard they've worked to contact local farmers to procure products and devise delicious ways to use them. Of course, we wouldn’t think of having a feast without beautiful music. John G. Stewart will contribute his talents on jazz guitar.

All proceeds will benefit Slow Food Katy Trail's Slow Food-in-Schools projects. Even though we don't tout these important projects nearly often enough (we're too busy actually getting them done!), we do want you to know the great things we are doing with schoolchildren to raise their local-food awareness. Please see our blog below to get a taste of all we've accomplished during the last year with Lee Elementary School third graders.

Other details about the dinner:

Cost per person is $75

Slow Food members received the first opportunity to purchase the very limited number of tickets (only 65 will be sold). Just a few days ago we opened ticket sales to the public. Sales will be made only through the Brown Paper Tickets Website: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/66627)

Times
2 p.m.–Tour of the winemaking facility at Les Bourgeois (optional)
3 p.m.–Vineyard tour (optional)
4 p.m. –Dinner

Please see the menu below.

Meet the Farmers at the Table
Pate, chorizo, andouille, pickled vegetables, nuts and bread
Chefs' handcrafted meats and vegetables
Missouri nut growers
Uprise Bakery

An Inspired Beginning
Trout ceviche
Troutdale Farms

Family-style Platters
Marinated and herb-roasted pork and lamb
Newman Farm heritage Berkshire pork
Susie's Grass Fed Meats lamb

Swingin' Alongside the Main
Sweet peas and potatoes
The Root Cellar

All the Lovely Lettuces
Seasonal mixed greens with Les Bourgeois wine vinaigrette
The Root Cellar

The Pride and Joy of Happy Goats
A variety of cheeses
Goatsbeard Farm

Gilding the Goats' Lilies
Rhubarb-cherry chutney and seasonal compote

Dessert Trio
Chocolate tart with crème anglaise
Crème caramel
Macerated fresh fruits
Patric Chocolate
Greystone Farm eggs

An assortment of Les Bourgeois wines will complement all the courses

SFKT connects local children with local food

2009-05-05T11:18:00.014-05:00

Julie Walker of Greystone Farm (above) "brings the farm to school" as she talks about chickens and eggs with Lee School third graders. During the same "Harvest-of-the-Month" session, chef Brook Harlan (right) makes two kinds of omelets for the budding Epicureans.
A student in Ann Mehr's art class (top right) shows off her Thomas Hart Benton-inspired tempera (egg yolk) painting.

Slow Food Katy Trail is completing the first year of its Slow Food-in-Schools project with Lee Expressive Arts Elementary School in Columbia. What an incredible experience it has been!

In case you're not familiar with the project, here's a history and timeline of our efforts:

January 2008 Slow Food Katy Trail met with Lee students, teachers and its principal and decided upon a three-pronged schoolyard-garden and farm-to-table collaborative project with Lee School third graders: raise-bed gardening; field trips to local farms; and "Harvest-of-the-Month" sessions.

April 2008 We provided funds to build six-raised bed gardens behind the school. Slow Food members, teachers, parents and other volunteers helped construct the beds and fill them with soil. We also provided seeds for planting. Just before the children leave for the summer, we show them how to prepare a delicious salad with the many varieties of lettuces they raised.

May 2008 Goatsbeard Farm in Harrisburg hosted the children at the farm (during three separate field trips), showing them how goats are milked and cheese is made. The children tried their hands at making cheese; frolicked with the goats; and enjoyed an outdoor lunch of fresh goat cheeses, Uprise bread and fresh fruit. For many, it was their first trip to a real farm.

Monthly since September 2008
Our “harvest-of-the-month” sessions have introduced the children to a locally raised or crafted food each month. Not only do these sessions enlighten and delight the children, but they strengthen the connection between local farmers and the community.

Slow Food Katy Trail pays local farmers to bring their tomatoes, sweet potatoes, popcorn, honey, eggs, wheat, cheese and so forth to the school every month. The farmers discuss life on the farm with the children and how they grow or produce their products. The children study the various foods in different areas of the curricula such as history, art and science.

Local chefs and Slow Food volunteer cooks come to the school each month, in conjunction with the farmers' visits, to turn the food into delicious and nutritious treats for the children. All the children participate in the cooking.

It's been highly, highly successful; the children love meeting the farmers, eating and preparing the fresh food, the demonstrations and doing the food art projects.

The overall goal is to help children develop a desire and appreciation for fresh, local foods. Judging from the children's comments, smiles and attitudes (and feedback from teachers and the principal), I'd say we have succeeded!

A special thanks to all the Slow Food volunteers and farmers who have generously donated their time and energy to help get this project off the ground. Take a bow! Also a big thanks to teachers Ann Mehr and Carissa Seek and principal Teresa VanDover for believing in this mission.

Barista Cafe Opens at High School

2009-04-14T22:42:00.002-05:00

The Career Center Culinary Arts Program, located at Rock Bridge High School, will be serving espresso and coffee drinks throughout the remainder of the year. See contact info at the end of this post for more details.

This week their Barista Cafe will be open at the Career Center kitchen
(rooms 141 and 136) Tuesday through Thursday 6:45 to 9:15 with an
assortment of espresso and coffee drinks. Here are the offerings:

$1.00 Espresso, single
$1.75 Espresso, double
$2.50 Espresso, triple
$3.00 Espresso, quadruple
$2.00 Macchiato, double
$2.75 Macchiato, triple
$3.25 Macchiato, quadruple
$1.75 Small Cappuccino - 8 oz
$3.25 Large Cappuccino - 16 oz
$1.75 Small Latte - 8oz
$3.25 Large Latté - 16oz
$2.50 Café au Lait - 16oz
$0.50 Extra flavor shot

Brook Harlan, Culinary Arts
Columbia Area Career Center
Rock Bridge High School
4203 S. Providence Rd.
Columbia, MO 65203
Ph. (573) 214-3158
Ph. (573) 214-3100
ex. 29832
Fax. (573) 214-3109

SFKT Members' Potluck Brunch

2009-04-05T15:00:00.005-05:00

Sunday, April 19
11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Rocheport
(directions will be provided to current members or those who want to become members at the brunch)

Please bring your favorite seasonal brunch dish and join other SFKT members as we toast spring, our recent chapter successes and a slate of exciting upcoming events.

A big THANK YOU goes out to member Mary Lou O'Brien, who has graciously offered to host the brunch in her historic Rocheport home.

In addition to being able to visit with fellow members and taste their delectable creations, this brunch also will be a time to hear about what we've accomplished since we began our chapter more than five years ago. There also will be opportunities that day to:

1) renew your membership or join our chapter for the first time
2) elect chapter officers
3) sign up for committee work (we continue to need people with some
good energy for the cause—for tasks small and large)
4) learn about our successful partnership with Lee School third graders in
our first Slow Food-in-Schools project
5) hear reports from our treasurer about fundraising efforts/financial affairs
6) reserve your spot for our first "dinner-in-the-vineyard," a June 14 event
where four local chefs will collaborate with SFKT, Les Bourgeois Winery
and local farmers to present an unforgettable local, seasonal feast in a
beautiful outdoor setting

We'll try to keep the business end of things lively, interesting and brief, while taking care of some necessary details. Bring your hiking shoes to walk the trail afterward!

Meanwhile, visit the farmers market next Saturday and dream of the local-food possibilities for your brunch creation: muffins with pecans; smoked trout and asparagus frittata; herbed sausage and shitake strata; mixed lettuce salad with fresh chives and goat cheese; Uprise ciabatta or rolls; and baby spinach-, garlic tops-and-cheese egg casserole. SFKT will provide beverages.

RSVP by April 15 to:
slowfoodkatytrail@yahoo.com

What's up with H.R. 875?

2009-03-30T22:51:00.002-05:00

A note from the mothership, Slow Food USA...

Everybody’s asking: “what’s up with H.R. 875 ( a bill proposed in response to recent large-scale and well-publicized food safety problems)? Why am I getting hysterical emails and phone calls?” On this matter we direct you to our trusted colleagues.

1. Food and Water Watch breaks down the bill clearly and effectively, letting us know what it does and doesn‘t do. Their verdict=don’t panic, but do pay attention.

“There is plenty of evidence that one-size-fits-all regulation only tends to work for one size of agriculture – the largest industrialized operations. That’s why it is important to let members of Congress know how food safety proposals will impact the conservation, organic, and sustainable practices that make diversified, organic, and direct market producers different from agribusiness. And the work doesn’t stop there – if Congress passes any of these bills, the FDA will have to develop rules and regulations to implement the law, a process that we can’t afford to ignore.

But simply shooting down any attempt to fix our broken food safety system is not an approach that works for consumers, who are faced with a food supply that is putting them at risk and regulators who lack the authority to do much about it.”

2. Tom Philpott, over at Grist urges those of us in the sustainable food movement to resist baseless hysteria and focus on what’s there, quoting the Organic Consumer Association and saying “Quite sensibly, the OCA wants Congress to avoid “one-size-fits-all legislation.” Regulations that make sense for a 1000-acre spinach farm could push a diversified operation that includes spinach in its crop mix out of business. Sustainable-food advocates should oppose H.R. 875 until it adds scale-appropriate language. But effective opposition does not mean indulging in fictional rants about it. There’s no evidence that the bill aims to end farming; insisting that it does destroys credibility.”

SFKT Show-Me Restaurant Picks

2009-03-23T22:32:00.005-05:00

Many of us have had to put our more ambitious travel plans on hold lately because of the economy. However, perhaps an occasional overnight in St. Louis, Kansas City or elsewhere in the state is a little more doable. A good meal--humble or high-tone--is, after all, an essential part of any snail's journey. When Slow Food members get together, where we've eaten and what is always a highlight of our conversations. Starting today, we'll share our favorite food experiences during recent trips throughout the state.

I'll begin with a humble one I discovered in St. Louis a few weeks ago--Banh Mi So #1-
Saigon Gourmet. This small Vietnamese restaurant at 4071 S. Grand, has won my heart (and, from pictures hanging on the wall there, the hearts of Robin and Jean Carnahan and Claire McCaskill, as well). It's a casual spot with just a few tables, but the kitchen turns out some wonderful food.
The Truong family, who opened their restaurant in 1994, take pride in using fresh ingredients and carefully preparing each dish to order. Since a sign in the restaurant window claimed they had been voted as having the best spring rolls in town, the choice for appetizers was a no-brainer. Of course, the Goi Cuon (spring rolls) were delicious--light, fresh and crunchy, with a little tilapia tucked in amidst the vermicelli, lettuce and mint. The Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio (charbroiled pork noodle bowl) was equally well crafted. I also loved the Mung Bean Pudding, a creamy tapioca and mung bean combination crowned with a creamy coconut topping. Sounds odd to the American palate, but trust me on this one--you'll love it if you are a tapioca and coconut fan.
The woman at the table next to me raved about the dish she was eating--Tofu Xao Xa Curry (tofu stir-fried with coconut milk, lemongrass and curry). She said, "Everything here is delicious. We've been coming here every week for years." Now I know why. Check it out for lunch when you find yourself in the big city. To whet your appetite, visit:www.banhmiso1.com

An invitation to a taste of local farm life!

2009-03-15T14:35:00.004-05:00

Now here's an opportunity you don't get very often--a real taste of life on a small, locally owned and operated farm. Please see the invitation below from our beloved Slow Food member and producer of wonderful eggs (and sausage etc.), Julie Walker.

If you saw "Food Inc." at the recent True/False festival, I know you are so appreciative that farmers such as Julie exist to save us from having to purchase eggs from the likes of the producers shown in the film. So let's help her out!

P.S. Delicious lunch included!

Dear Slow Food Katy Trailers (Yuck, Yuck)!

I have decided to start something I'm calling Greystone Farm Chore Days whereby I ask for volunteers from those folks I consider friends of our farm--Slow Food members, customers, vendors of our products, and others--to come out to the farm and help me with some of the bigger projects that would take me forever to complete myself.

These projects are usually difficult, dirty, time-consuming jobs that are the nature of raising local food the small-scale, labor-intensive, animal & environmentally responsible way. They require lots of elbow grease and stick-to-it-iveness. They are a great way for those of you who value the food we raise to learn about the nature of farming this way. You will be rewarded with an education, a day outside working with your body & your mind, and a first-rate meal I will prepare with as many of my own products and other local foods as possible.

I am hosting the first Chore Day next Sunday, 3/22/09, from 11:00 am until we get the task done (probably around 5:00 pm). I will need 8 volunteers to help me clean out nest boxes (120 of them).

We'll start at 11:00 with a walk followed by a lunch of Cassoulet, Roquefort Coleslaw and Mock Tiramisu (the cassoulet & tiramisu are recipes from Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way). We can begin the cleanout around 1:00 pm--the hens are mostly done laying by then. We will be removing the nest pads, cleaning and remaking those that need to be, removing the false floors and scraping clean these floors as well as the troughs where the eggs roll out. We will then vacuum out nest boxes & troughs, replace floors and add plastic liners that should make this job less work in the future (one that I can handle myself).

Let me be frank. This will be one of the dirtiest jobs you will ever do. You will need to wear old, crummy work clothes and shoes that will get some chicken manure on them. Your arms will get sore. Do Not Volunteer if you have an allergy to DUST or HARD WORK. Do volunteer if you have lots of elbow grease and want to feel like you've done a gratifying day of physical labor out on the farm paying homage to the hens that work hard to provide wonderful eggs!

Please let me know if you would like to help with this project by Tuesday, 3/17/09. I will send an email confirming the first 8 eager volunteers and let the extras know I'll put them on the waiting list for the next Chore Day I'm planning later this Spring. Thanks for your help!

Sincerely,

Julie Walker
greystonefarm@netscape.com

Wood-fired-oven pizza party

2009-03-07T11:54:00.014-06:00

If you missed the SFKT pizza party last year, you won't want to make that mistake again! Once again, Richard Knapp, local baker and food enthusiast, has extended an invitation to Slow Food Katy Trail members to sample his brick-oven pizza.

Richard will fire up his wood-burning, hand-built oven early Saturday morning, March 21, to have it ready for pizza baking by noon. He will supply pizza dough, sauce, cheese, a hot oven and some basic vegetarian toppings.

Exotic, rare and beautiful
veggie toppings or sauces are the province of the guests. We ask that each guest pay $10 to cover the costs of the fabulous freshly ground wheat and other ingredients. Beer, wine, juice and mineral waters included.

This is a wonderful opportunity to make and taste some of the best pizza you've had since that last trip to Italy or New York.

Don't delay. Limited to 30 participants

RSVP by March 17 to: slowfoodkatytrail@yahoo.com

Photos are of last year's event and courtesy of Dan Hemmelgarn.

Saving Seed

2009-03-05T23:06:00.001-06:00

by Slow Food USA intern Laura Kate Morris

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need” – Cicero

Perhaps you’ve grown your own vegetables in a community garden, infusing them with the terroir of your soil, eating them at your kitchen table. But that is only part of the circle – what about the seeds? Nearly all seeds available today have been shipped from states (if not countries) away, and at the end of the season are lost back to the soil. What if, in the spirit of sustainability, we closed that circle of seed, plant, table… and back to seed?

The Hudson Valley Seed Library in Accord, NY, is trying to do just that. It brings together rare and regional open-pollinated seeds, a sustainable business model, local artists, the conservation of traditional skills, and … your local library? I spoke with the founder of HVSL for further insight into how anyone could possibly fit so many ideas into a tiny packet of seeds.

Co-created by Ken Greene and Doug Muller to support their homesteading habit, the company is committed to staying small and growing food without fossil fuels. Choosing to raise their seeds by hand, HVSL shies away from a bigger size that would require specialized seed-cleaning equipment, tractors, and machinery. They look toward a sustainable, community-focused model and away from the nationalized corporation. (To start finding out more about the corporate seed world, check out this post on Civil Eats.) The Seed Library operates in part like your local library, substituting seeds for books. You can become a member, “check out” the items of your choice, enjoy and learn from them (in this case, grow them and save them), and return them at the end of the season.

Greene also holds workshops teaching the skills of seed saving which, like many heirloom breeds of livestock and varieties of plants, are in danger of being lost if they are not promoted. The Seed Library acts as a forum for skill sharing and to motivate preservation of regional heirlooms in the hands of local gardeners. Focusing on regionality, their goals include selling 100% locally grown seed within 5 years and strengthening the gene pool of rare and local varieties. Saving seed traditionally encourages the plants’ optimal performance by selecting for characteristics that do well in a specific region.

Overlapping with Slow Food, the HVSL also focuses on showcasing genetic diversity to consumers, encouraging us to expand our palates and eschew the generalizations of the corporatized supermarket. The Seed Library’s collection includes heirloom varieties on the Ark of Taste, vegetables featured by Seed Savers Exchange, and others found only in the Hudson Valley. “Hank’s X-Tra Special Baking Bean” is one, re-discovered in Ghent, New York, and now back in production via the Seed Library (check out its great background story). If that weren’t enough, thirteen of the seeds are showcased in “Art Packs” designed by local artists to celebrate the diversity that is a part of these culture of these plants.

Note – you do not have to be a member of the library to buy seeds – they have an online catalogue - and, if you are a member, there are no late fees! Find out more here.

Other small, independent seed companies, perhaps in your area!

Southern Exposure - Grows 45% of their offered seed and with their regional growers, makes for a whopping 70% of regional seed that they offer (located in Virginia).
Territorial Seed - Grow 20% of their offered seed (located in Oregon).
High Mowing Seeds - Grows 30% of their offered seed (located in Vermont).
Organic Seed Sourcing - a listing of small seed companies around the country.

Fed up with the food system?

2009-03-02T23:03:00.006-06:00

Those of us in the Slow Food movement applaud the movie, "Food Inc.," that was shown this past weekend at the True/False fest. It joins the pantheon of recent movies (King Corn, The Future of Food etc.) that lift the veil on how our food system operates.

If you saw the movie and feel moved to action, here is a simple way to voice your opinion. Go to
http://fooddeclaration.org/ and send a message to our policymakers. This declaration was signed at Slow Food Nation last September in San Francisco by all the heavyweights in the food-activist movement, including Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Marion Nestle, Daniel Imhoff and Wendell Berry.

It's a beautifully written document that will inspire you to make a difference! Of course, we encourage you to join the Slow Food movement, as well. We're working hard locally, nationally and internationally to promote food that is good, clean and fair.
Join our local chapter (Slow Food Katy Trail) today at http://www.slowfoodusa.org/

Mardi Gras Buffet

2009-02-22T16:33:00.003-06:00

A delicious item of interest sent to us from Slow Food member Brook Harlan. Here's what he says:

We will be having a Mardi Gras Buffet at Rock Bridge High School this coming Tuesday,
February 24th; please see the menu that follows.

We will also be making more Andouille on a pre-order basis. Please
e-mail bharlan@columbia.k12.mo.us by Friday February 20th at 5:00 pm.

Please specify if you would like Hot or Regular and how many pounds of
each. Andouille orders can be picked up Monday or Tuesday at the Career
Center (Tuesday Sausage can be picked up between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm in
front of the planetarium during the lunch buffet). It is $5/lb and
checks can be made to CACC Culinary.

We will also have some other items all made by the Culinary Arts II and
Baking and Pastry classes for sale at the lunch.

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo - $5/qt
Kings Cakes - $10/ea
Chorizo Sausage - $5/lb
Italian Sausage - $5/lb
Beef Jerky - $2/pkg
Sliced Bacon - $2.50/pkg
Andouille - $5/lb (if we haven't run out with pre-orders)

Menu TUESDAY 2/24/09
10:50 * 1:00
Served in front of Planetarium

Cajun Sampler Meal Deal
***Chicken and Andouille Gumbo, Macque Choux, Shrimp Étouffée, Boudin
(pork and rice sausage) and Mini King Cake***
$5.00

Vegetarian Cajun Sampler Meal Deal
***Gumbo z*herbs, Macque Choux, Red Beans and Rice, Jambalaya and
Mini King Cake***
$5.00

a la carté
Chicken and Andouille Gumbo or Gumbo z*herbs
$2.50

Macque Choux
$1.50

Shrimp Étouffée
$2.50

Boudin
(pork and rice sausage)
$1.50

Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice
$1.50

Vegetarian Jambalaya
$1.50

Mini King Cake
$1.50

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail or call us at
214-3158.

Thanks - Brook

Brook Harlan, Culinary Arts
Columbia Area Career Center
Rock Bridge High School
4303 S. Providence Rd.
Columbia, MO 65203
Ph. (573) 214-3158
Ph. (573) 214-3100
ex. 29832
Fax. (573) 214-3109

Last Sips of Summer Party

2009-02-21T19:27:00.006-06:00

Slow Food Katy Trail members Martha Folk, Ann Mehr and Sallee Purcell get ready to sample delectable appetizers at the Last Sips of Summer party in September 2008. Sixty Slow Food members and guests toasted the end of summer with fabulous drinks, hors d' oeuvres made from locally produced food and live jazz.

We've been too busy with fundraisers, our Slow Food in Schools project at Lee School and members' events to update our nascent blog,
but stay tuned--we'll catch up some day! Meanwhile, take a look at some delicious photos taken by Michael Stonacek, a photojournalism student who documented our Feb. 7 chocolate- and wine-tasting event at the Wine Cellar & Bistro.
http://hecooksshecooks.net/2009/02/chocolate-and-wine-tasting/

Chocolate and Wine Tasting

2009-01-20T22:55:00.003-06:00

February 7 at 7:00 p.m.
The Wine Cellar & Bistro
505 Cherry St., Columbia, Missouri

Have an early dinner at home or at a local eatery, and then come join us for a special evening. We'll be celebrating two of humankind's greatest accomplishments—turning cocoa beans into chocolate and grapes into wine.

Slow Food member Alan McClure, local artisanal chocolate maker and owner of Patric Chocolate, will sample four of his delicious creations. He'll also enlighten us about chocolate making, including a discussion of why micro, bean-to-bar dark chocolates are in a different class from mass-produced bars.

Just two years old, Patric Chocolate already has garnered accolades from many national epicureans. There are just a handful of such chocolate makers in the country, and we're so lucky to have one right here in Columbia!

After the chocolate tasting and talk, we will re-taste the chocolates with wine and port. Sommelier Sarah Cyr, co-owner of The Wine Cellar & Bistro, will discuss the pairings as she pours special selections to go with the chocolates.

Bringing the event to a delicious close will be a special Patric Chocolate dessert made by chef-owner Craig Cyr, who will chat with us about his creation.

After dessert and coffee, Alan will have all his chocolate products for sale, so you'll have to shop no further for your chocolate-lover valentine!

Don't delay. Seating is limited to 30 participants, with preference given to Slow Food members.

Slow Food members, $25 ~ non-members, $35

Contact slowfoodkatytrail@yahoo.com for more information.

Whiskey Tasting A Hit!

2008-03-27T14:21:00.008-05:00

For those who made it to our first Slow Foods Whiskey tasting on March 21, 2008, Thank you!!!! What a fun, educational and tasty event!

Thank you again to the informative Uless Reeder from Major Brands for being our on-site whiskey expert for the evening!

Here were the different whiskies that were sampled along with the fabulous food prepared by Chef Craig Cyr at The Wine Cellar & Bistro.

Balvenie 10 yr Scotch
Glenfittic 15yr Solara Scotch
Redbreast Irish Whiskey
Canadian Club Sherry Cask
Basilhaden Small Batch Bourbon
Jim Beam Rye

Smoked Troutdale trout with ginger aoili, fried capers and cucumbers

Roasted Duck Uprise Crostinis with caramelized apples, pinenuts, raisins and shallots

Goatsbeard Wallon, Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog, Rogue River Blue, French Brie

Wild Mushroom & Brussel Sprout Ragout with morels, porcinis and parsnips

Curry Braised Lamb Shank Strudel with pepper mango salsa

Grilled Shrimp and butter poached mussel skewers with grapefruit, bourbon cream

Thanks again!
Slow Foods

March 27, 2008 2:23 PM

Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta Fest at Columbia Farmer's Market August 25, 2007

2007-08-25T17:58:00.000-05:00

Katy Trail Slow Food Newsletter August 2007

2007-08-07T09:17:00.000-05:00

Click here to read our first convivium newsletter.

Fall Picnic October 1, 2006

2006-10-01T15:09:00.000-05:00

Asparagus Feast at Goatsbeard Farm May 7, 2006

2006-05-07T12:55:00.000-05:00

Christmas Brunch & Family Recipe Cookie Exchange December 11, 2005

2005-12-11T15:18:00.000-06:00

Spring Picnic April 30, 2005

2005-04-30T15:07:00.000-05:00

Blue Moon Party July 31, 2004

2004-07-31T09:53:00.000-05:00