Kids at Connolly Ranch are learning where food comes from, and how to cook the food fresh from the farm.

See the Napa Valley Register for the full article.

Article by Isabelle Dills

“Although it may not be apparent to tourists, or even local residents, Napa County has “pockets of real poverty,” said Karen Smith, public health officer and deputy director of the Napa County Health and Human Services Agency. Calistoga, in particular, has a “huge income gap,” Smith said.

In addition to poorer health, not having enough to eat or eating more junk food can lead to behavioral problems and poor school performance in children, Smith said. It can also lead to obesity and an increased risk of diabetes in adults because cheap food is often the unhealthiest, she said in a presentation to the Local Food Advisory Council earlier this month.

Formed in February, the Local Food Advisory Council wants to promote a more diverse Napa County food system, with healthy foods more accessible to all residents.”

Read the full text at the Napa Valley Register.

Editorial by Napa Local Food Advisory Council Chair Karen Schuppert

“Perhaps you’ve noticed? The local food movement is blazing trails as one of the hottest topics on the culinary map. And that is especially apparent in Napa Valley, the agricultural paradise which we are so fortunate to call home.
…
Our Local Food Advisory Council has identified three areas of priority need for Napa County. We are now actively recruiting volunteers to serve on the following sub-committees: Education and Outreach Committee: Help design communications networks to encourage public involvement and information sharing, such as advocacy programs, printed materials, events, website, social media, etc.; Local Food Production and Distribution Committee: Help develop mutually beneficial food supply systems linking local farmers to community kitchens, markets and residents; Food Policy Committee: Help influence and communicate county rules, regulations and fees for growing, selling and/or donating food products by both home and commercial producers.

If these pique your interest, convert your ideas to action by volunteering on one of these sub-committees.”

For full letter, see the Napa Valley Register.

The mission of BOCA (Building Our Community Through Agriculture) Farm is “to actively contribute to and strengthen our local food system by growing organic produce for Napa restaurants and markets, offering space for our neighbors to grow their own food, and welcoming local school children to learn, work and explore at our garden classroom.”

See Napa Patch for article by John K. Ruch.

When: June 26th-29th, 2011

Where: The Edible Schoolyard garden and kitchen classroom ∙ Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School ∙ 1781 Rose Street ∙ Berkeley, CA 94703

Description: The Chez Panisse Foundation presents the third annual Edible Schoolyard Academy: Creating Garden and Kitchen Classrooms in Every Community. The ESY Academy is designed to support emerging garden and kitchen programs nationwide, and to strengthen resource and information sharing among them. Led by Edible Schoolyard staff and guest presenters, the academy provides a three-day Edible Education immersion. Through hands-on activities, presentations, guided discussion, and curriculum building sessions, participants will learn to use tools for teaching Edible Education—an integrated approach to education in the garden, kitchen, and classroom.

The ESY Academy will begin with registration and a welcome event at Chez Panisse Restaurant on Sunday June 26th at 4pm. The following three days will each focus specifically on integral aspects of the Edible Schoolyard: the garden, the kitchen, and organizational development. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about curriculum integration, funding strategies, volunteer management, class scheduling, classroom systems and management in a non-traditional setting, outreach, and much more.

Participants will leave the ESY Academy with garden and kitchen lessons linked to academic standards, tools for developing programs in their own communities or ways to strengthen their existing ones, and a general understanding of how the Edible Schoolyard operates on a daily basis.

The Edible Schoolyard Academy will also help create a network of people all over the world who are at different stages of developing Edible Education in their communities.

For more information please visit http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/esy-academy

Group will advise Board on sustainable food production

(NAPA, Calif. –) In an effort to capitalize on community interest and momentum surround the topic of local food production and distribution, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday established the Local Food Advisory Council, adopted bylaws for the group and directed staff to solicit members for the 15-person Council.

“We’re at the place where a local advisory council is needed to set priorities and make recommendations about creating a more sustainable local food system, “ County Agricultural Commissioner Dave Whitmer told the Board. “The Local Food Forum in April attracted hundreds of interested people, and we’ve had a few follow-up events over the summer. The time is right to make the effort more formal.”

According to the resolution that established the Council, the group’s charge will be to provide recommendations to the Agricultural Commissioner and the Board regarding prioritization, planning and implementation of programs to improve the environmental, economic and social sustainability of food production in Napa County, and to provide a forum for public input regarding related issues.

Read the full press release at the Ag Commissioner’s web site.

Preservation Napa Valley’s Preservation and a Pint discussion series continues with Transformation: Napa in the Midst

Thursday, May 6
6:00-7:30pm
Fagiani Building, 813 Main Street, Napa

Panel:
Amelia Ceja, Ceja Vineyards
Steve Cuddy, Napa County Landmarks
John Harrington, Harrington Investments, Inc
Dennis Binstock, Napan
Steve Sando, Rancho Gordo
Bob Massaro, Healthy Buildings
John King, San Francisco Chronicle Place and Architecture columnist
Peter Mott, City of Napa Council Member
Keith Rogal, Rogal+Walsh+Mol

Preservation and a Pint is a series of four convivial gatherings held in popular local, historic settings, present a forum of speakers and audiences talking about what’s happening in Napa—from sustainable growth to identity, cultural resource conservation, development trends and more.

Raise a pint to the preservation issues of the day! Snacks served, with beer generously provided by Silverado Brewing Company.

More information

By MIKE TRELEVEN, Register Staff Writer

Keeping Napa County sustainable means going back to the county’s roots when the first settlers arrived — producing not only wine, but also peaches, prunes, olives, grains, cattle and even tomatoes.

This was the conclusion after the group Napa Valley Preservation hosted farming panelists at Silverado Brewing Company to talk about agricultural diversity.

For the rest of the article, see the Napa Valley Register.

The “Downtown Napa Chef’s Garden Co-op,” led by Ken Frank of La Toque, will be taking over the Copia garden until a new use is found for the space.

In addition to rescuing the garden to grow produce for their own restaurants, the group of chefs will be working with the community. They will share seeds with the Master Gardeners and hope to help to move the Copia greenhouse to Connolly Ranch.

Find out more from Paul Franson’s weekly NapaLife newsletter.

With a new warehouse space, the Napa Valley Food Bank should be back in full operation by the second week of December. The food pantry provides income-eligible people with free food once a month, and is open at Living Vine Church (3305 Linda Vista Ave) on Thursday and Friday mornings.

Full story.