A small group of us had a productive planning meeting for 2010. Please e-mail Margie Mansure at margie.mansure@gmail.com if you would like to organize a Slow Food event for 2010 or have any suggestions for us. Here’s a rough draft of what we have so far:

January: Apple tasting with Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture. Want to explore heritage varieties that we perhaps nominate to the Ark of Taste.

February 10^th, 5:30: Potluck and presentation on local varietals of vegetables by Richard Boylan, Extension Agent. At the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone.

March or April: The Gendering of Slow Food- food, a panel will discuss or present gender roles related to food around the world.

April or May: class on matching wines with food. And tasting, of course.

June: Plant swap and tea at Liz Rose’s home

July 10^th, 1 – 5: Food Preservation Workshop, Agricultural Conference Center, Boone.

July or August: Mushroom stroll with Coleman McClenaghan.

August 7^th and 8^th: High Country Farm Tour

We will plan to meet in August for another idea session.

Everyone’s invited to a potluck planning meeting for 2010 Slow Food events Monday, November 16th at 5:30. We’ll meet at the Agricultural Conference Center, 252 Poplar Grove Rd. The more participation we have in planning, the more variety we will have for events for this next year. Bring your ideas!

Please join Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture on Monday , November 9th, at 6:30 pm, at the Agricultural Conference Center for a workshop entitled “Make Your Own Mozzarella Cheese”. Yum! $5 to attend.

For more information see  the BRWIA Cheese Workshop Flyer.

The special Slow Food membership offer  has been extended until October 15th! A donation of any amount until October 15th will make you a member of Slow Food for a year. Just click here: Slow Food USA membership page.

Slow Food Boone-High Country will host a tasting of Heritage Homestead goat cheeses on September 19th from 5pm to 7pm in Earth Fare’s cafe in Boone. Heritage Homestead co-owner Carol Coulter will talk about their operation. We hope to see you there!

Remember, a donation of any amount during the month of September will make you a member of Slow Food for a year. Just click here: Slow Food USA membership page.

Slow Food Boone High Country will be the Friend of Earth Fare for the entire month of September. Earth fare will provide a donation to the organization and offer the Earth Fare facilities for two Slow Food events. On Friday, September 4, from 5pm to 7pm, Slow Food Boone invites anyone to a tasting of wines from the local New River Winery. In addition to the wine and hors d’oeuvres, a winemaker from New River Winery will describe the vineyard and the winemaking process. The suggested donation for this event is $5. Local art will also be available or coordinate with the Downtown ArtCrawl that evening. On September 19, from 5pm to 7pm pm, Slow Food Boone will host a cheese tasting and local hors d’oeuvres at Earth Fare. Donations at this event and throughout the month of September will be welcomed at the Earth Fare cash registers or Slow Food display table. Slow Food Boone High Country will use a portion of the proceeds to support the local school gardens at Mabel and Bethel elementary schools.

Nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, New River Winery is the first commercial winery in Ashe County.  The winery is in Lansing, N.C., near the headwaters of the New River, one of the oldest rivers in North America.  This area is home to black bear and beaver, great blue herons and grouse, brook trout, eastern swallowtails and fireflies, and an abundance of native plants and wildflowers.   Once called “The Lost Province”, the county still reflects, in many ways, the heritage and culture of the Appalachian Mountains.  With respect to both the regions natural resources, and its heritage, New River Winery has attempted to capture and reflect the essence and unique characteristics of the region in its wines and corporate philosophy.

Being a Friend of Earth Fare means that each time a customer reuses a bag for groceries instead of taking a new paper or plastic one, Earth Fare donates 10¢ for each bag to non-profit Slow Food Boone. Not only does this help everyone conserve non-renewable resources used in the production of both paper and plastic bags, it helps immediately impact the health of the community through supporting Slow Food Boone. Reuseable bags will be available at the Slow Food display table throughout September in case you need one!

Slow Food Boone, a local chapter of Slow Food International, is based in the High Country and was organized two years ago. The local chapter works to advocate for farmers and artisans who grow, produce, market, prepare and serve wholesome food. Members also promote the celebration of food as a cornerstone of pleasure, culture and community. The group seeks to raise public awareness, improve access and encourage the enjoyment of foods that are local, seasonal and sustainably grown. Slow Food seeks to create dramatic and lasting change in the food system by reconnecting Americans with the people, traditions, plants, animals, fertile soils and waters that produce our food. The organization works to inspire a transformation in food policy, production practices and market forces to ensure equity, sustainability and pleasure in the food we eat.

More information check out Slow Food USA and Slow Food International. Also, read more about the New River Winery.

The Slow Food Boone convivium recently toured the Ward Brother’s Farm and listened to a presentation by Ken and Marg McKinney on at-home pork processing. They created a very nice PowerPoint presentation that they’d like to share with us here. Also, included are their instructions and recipes.

Home processing of pork (PDF)

Pork Processing 1 – sausage (PowerPoint)

Pork processing 2 – prosciutto (PowerPoint)

Pork processing 3 – Bacon (PowerPoint)

Visit our Community Events page for information about the High Country Farm Tour and the Farm-City Celebration.

We have a slight change of plans for the event tomorrow. Instead of returning the the Agricultural Conference Center, we will have the potluck and presentation at the Trade Grist Mill. Please bring your perishables in a cooler. Dishes and silverware will be provided.

We will meet at 2pm at the Agricultural Conference Center before heading to the Ward Brothers Farm. A map to the farm is available. Email slowfoodboone@gmail.com

The next Slow Food Boone event, “Everything But The Oink”, is scheduled for Sunday, July 12th! We’ll make a visit to the Ward Brothers Farm outside of Mountain City, TN. They have a small but diverse operation that includes organically raised hogs. On the way, we’ll stop at the Trade Grist Mill for a short tour and shopping.

Then, we’ll gather for a presentation and potluck at the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone. The presentation, by Ken and Marg McKinney, will focus on their home pork product projects. They’ve found that curing prosciutto, bacon, and guanciale is easier than it sounds, and that homemade sausages can go far beyond what is available commercially.

Please note that we cannot have alcoholic beverages at the Ag Center, so please bring your favorite non-alcoholic drink to share during the potluck, especially if it is home-made and/or local ingredients.

Here’s the schedule for the afternoon:
2pm: meet at Ag Center (leave by 2:15) to leave heat-sensitive food
2:45pm: stop at mill in Trade (leave by 3:30)
4pm: arrive Ward farm (1hr approx length of visit)
6pm: presentation and potluck at the ag center

Email Chelly at slowfoodboone@gmail.com with questions. See you soon!