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San Diego Roots Newsletter | April 2010

Alexandra Zalicki, Editor

Connect to SD Roots:| | | San Diego Roots website

Table of Contents

San Diego Roots News

SD Roots New Organizational Structure

Because of our rapid growth over the past few months and a growing demand for our work in the community, we've rolled out a new organizational and meeting structure. Starting last month we made some changes to our Monday Roots Action Team meetings at People’s Co-op that we are excited to share with you! Now each weekly meeting will focus on a particular function of Roots' work, giving our volunteers the opportunity to attend just the meetings that pertain to their area of interest and helping us all be more productive with our time together. We have even created a virtual office!

Every month, these committees meet on these Mondays, 4pm at the Co-op:
First Monday Public Relations and Outreach Committee
Second Monday: Educational Programs Committee
Third Monday: Fundraising Committee
Fourth Monday: New Volunteer Orientation
Fifth Monday: Special Events

PLEASE NOTE: This is a historical document. This is not the current meeting schedule.

Though anyone is invited to any of these meetings, we strongly encourage new volunteers to attend the Volunteer Orientation on the fourth Monday of the month to get acquainted with our programs and organization and choose an area of interest from there.

During the three-month development period, each meeting will have a particular theme: first meeting = Empowerment; second meeting = Cultivation and Development; third meeting = Education and Action. Our goals for this development period include defining the scope of the committee and writing a statement of purpose, creating areas of priority, identifying those who wish to take leadership roles in particular areas, and the development of action plans.

To see how each of these committees fit into the whole take a look at our organizational map on the right (click on image to download a full-sized version).

Roots is Staffing

As our organization continues to grow, we are now filling volunteer staff positions to further our mission. Follow the link below to check out the job descriptions and submit an application online by April 30th.

Why should you apply? Roots needs energetic, passionate, hard-working coordinators to support our work within the local food movement. Working in our growing non-profit organization, you will develop valuable leadership experience while contributing positively to your community.

Want to apply? Click here.

Roots Board of Directors welcomes Cara!

We’re thrilled to share a new addition to the San Diego Roots Board of Directors, Cara Cadwallader! Locally raised amongst the rolling, coastal desert hills of North County, Cara's affinity for ecology and activism was seeded early. As a ten-year-old, she drew up a petition regarding residential development and went door-to-door inquiring as to what her neighbors thought. As an undergraduate student, Cara continued to cultivate her love for the environment by leading outdoor adventures as well as coordinating an experiential learning program.

Since then, Cara has traveled the globe, become intimately acquainted with a northern hemisphere night sky and has returned to her artist's way. Last year, she came to Roots as a recent MFA graduate who passionately wanted to work towards an alternative future that she could believe in. Today, Cara balances a mind for organization, structure and action with a spirit for justice, honesty and vision. She refers to herself as a dance philosopher who writes and teaches about the metaphor of movement, the improvisatory nature of democracy and how to think like an ecosystem.

Website Redesign

If you’ve visited the San Diego Roots website recently you may have noticed some changes. We are working on making the website easier to navigate and more aesthetically pleasing. If you haven’t visited the website lately, its a great way to keep up with Roots news, programs, and events. So take a look and let us know what you think of the redesign. Your comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Click here to visit the website

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Updates on San Diego Roots Projects

Victory Gardens San Diego

2010 has been a time for reorganization and preparing for the new gardening year. We've made lots of new contacts and are finalizing a schedule for garden builds and garden education classes for the start of the new year.

VGSD celebrates a successful first year!

On March 24th we celebrated our first anniversary with our first Mixer party at the Linkery. Many of our fans, volunteers and supporters joined in on a fun evening of celebrating the accomplishments of the past year. We raffled several fabulous prizes, including a container garden (with plants that spelled VG!), a rainwater harvesting kit from Brook Sarson and Britt Cool, and a home garden installation. Thank you to everyone that attended to celebrate all we’ve been able to accomplish in one short, very quick year!

We look forward to adding to our ever-growing list of Victory Gardeners in 2010 at all our events and projects. We hope you’ll join the VGSD Yahoo group. It’s a great way to keep updated with the latest VGSD events and projects. You can sign up by clicking here.

UCSD Sustainable Food Project

The Sustainable Food Project is proud to announce the beginning of a great educational tool on the UCSD campus: the ground breaking on the campus' Urban Farm! The exact date of the first dig has yet be determined, but we will certainly break ground within the month of April. Stay tuned because San Diego’s family of farms will soon have one new member!

In the meantime visit our website to learn more about the project. If you’d like to get involved join us at our weekly meeting at 3:00pm on Wednesdays at the UCSD Sustainability Resource Center.

Seeds @ City

Come and visit the City College Urban Farm!

Get your hands dirty during volunteer hours at Seeds @ City on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9 to noon. Bring closed toe shoes, hats, gloves, water and long pants. If you're coming on Saturday, bring some breakfast snacks to share and we'll pitch in for pizza for lunch!

San Diego City College is located in downtown San Diego at the corner of Park Blvd. and C Street. The City College Farm sits between the Learning Resource Center and the Saville Theater at City College, between the R and the C Buildings.

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Roots Community News

SD Roots Photo Album

Wanna know how much fun we have working on San Diego Roots? Check it out and see for yourself by clicking here. We've posted photos from some of our activities, including Growing Places, the Solstice Rain Dance, Roots' Leadership Training Retreat, our trip to the Eco-Farm Conference, the recent potluck up at La Milpa Organica Farm, and VGSD Year One in pictures.

Learning to Grow: Notes from CASFS

by Matt Finkelstein, San Diego Roots President

Greetings and welcome to the first installment of Learning to Grow! For the next six months, I’ll be contributing this monthly update to the newsletter. I'll begin by sharing a little about the purposes of this new feature and a bit about myself. Starting this month, I’ll be attending the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) at UC Santa Cruz to receive a certificate in Ecological Horticulture. Growing food and educating farmers for over 40 years, CASFS is a model program of what we are collaboratively working to create here in San Diego.

My intentions are to further my knowledge as an organic farmer-educator-activist, to experience this model program, and to represent San Diego’s blossoming food communities throughout our extended community. Facing myriad challenges -- a turbulent economy, climate change, and social justice -- we are currently undergoing a grand transition. Through this transition, it is important we acknowledge and secure basic human rights and needs for all – food, water, shelter, and community. There is a clear need for more local, organic farmers, and no shortage of those that wish to learn. Folks involved at the Co-op and SD Roots are poised to help our communities through this transition with inspiration, education, and action. 

People’s Co-op and SD Roots have graciously offered to support my time and experience during this six-month apprenticeship. While there, I’ll be updating the community on my experiences, developments, and reflections in this monthly column.  I can be reached for any comments and questions at .

Recipe of the Month

contributed by Alex Villegas

With winter winding down, the colors and foods of spring are becoming more prevalent at all farmers markets. Easter egg radishes are stepping out on the scene… and boy are these little beauties pleasing to the eye! I’ve always eaten radishes as a snack, but I’ve never experimented using them in a meal. I was finally able to bring a bunch home from the market and put their peppery flavor to the test. I think it’s pretty obvious how these radishes got their name.

This is an easy way to introduce radishes to your dinner plate. They add a nice splash of red and their flavors weave very nicely with simple pasta.

Spinach Linguine and Easter Egg Radishes

(Serves 4 small dishes or 3 main courses)

Ingredients

3 small bunches of spinach linguine or other pasta you have on hand (O.B. People's)
4-5 C chopped spinach (J.R. Organics)
3 C sliced cremini mushrooms
1 C Easter egg radishes (Suzie's Farm)
2 C cooked Canellini beans (or one 15 oz. can)
chopped fresh parsley (J.R. Organics)
some olive oil

Dressing Ingredients

1/3 C lemon juice
1/4 (scant) C olive oil
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
lemon zest
salt & pepper

Directions

1. Before you begin to cook ingredients, whisk together all the dressing ingredients and place in the fridge so the flavors can set.

2. Heat olive oil in a large pan on a medium/high setting (like a 5 or 6). Add garlic and sautee for about 2 minutes.. but don’t let garlic burn! Also, in congruence with heating the pan, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

3. Add the radishes and let cook until semi-soft. Lower the heat to a 4 or 5.

4. Add the mushrooms and cook with ingredients in pan until they are all tender. About 5 minutes.

5. While mushrooms and radishes are getting nice and cozy in the pan, add your pasta to the water that has reached a rolling boil and cook accordingly. My linguine was al dente after about 15 minutes. Once cooked, drain and set aside. It will be added to the mix soon so make sure it’s near the stove… where all the action is!

6. Add the dressing and beans. Mix until everything is well coated…

7. Finally, add the spinach and linguine. I like adding both last because 1) I don’t like my spinach super wilty; I like it heated just enough so it has a small crunch and 2) because the linguine is already cooked, at this point you just want to heat it up, not overcook it. Toss everything together. I like using some tongs because it makes this part easier.

8. Serve warm, and top with some extra chopped fresh parsley and lemon zest.

Buen provecho! And always, be sure to thank your local farmer!

You can find more recipes at Alex’s blog.

Pledging Pounds for Roots

San Diego resident Jed Sundwall has pledged one hundred dollars to Roots if he reaches his target weight in time for his birthday in May. You can follow Jed’s weight loss and pledge additional money to his campaign by clicking this link to his blog.

Eat at The Linkery and Support San Diego Roots!

Jay Porter, the owner of one of our favorite restaurants, The Linkery in North Park, is a strong supporter of the San Diego local food movement and San Diego Roots. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of visiting The Linkery, they source as many ingredients as possible from local farms and ranches to create incredibly tasty food! The Linkery also employs a unique tipping practice: Each table is charged a flat fee for service and any additional tips are donated to a local charity. Lucky for us Jay has been kind enough to select San Diego Roots as that charity this month! So if you’re in the mood for some delicious, local food visit The Linkery and show your support for San Diego Roots. Thank you! Visit Jay’s blog to learn more here.

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Upcoming Events

SD Roots on TV

Several Roots members were interviewed for PACE Television, a local cable network, discussing the concept of Farm-to-Fork dining. The show will be shown locally at these times and cable channels this month:

Time Warner Del Mar Channel 24 April 1 at 6:30pm and April 2 at 10:30am
Time Warner Channel 19 April 4 at 5:30pm
Cox North County Channel 18 April 6 at 5:30pm
Cox Channel 23 April 6 at 5:30

Tune in or set your DVR!

La Milpa Organica Farm Open House

Saturday April 17, 4pm to 10pm

9928 Protea Gardens Rd. Escondido, CA 92026

Come tour the farm, enjoy tasty wood-fired pizzas and view a family-friendly movie after dark. Please bring something to share at the potluck (organic and local is appreciated), a chair, and a plate and utensils to keep this event zero waste! Please click here for directions and more information. Weather permitting.

Balboa Park EarthFair

Sunday April 18, 10am to 5pm

The annual EarthFair at Balboa Park is the largest free annual environmental fair in the world, and will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year. EarthFair is produced entirely by volunteers and will feature over 350 exhibitors, special themed areas, a Food Pavillion, a special Kids’ Activity Area, three entertainment venues, the Children’s Earth Parade, the eARTh Gallery art show, and the Cleaner Car Concourse. For more information please click here.

Like last year, there will be a section devoted to sustainable food called the FAIR FOOD zone, located prominently near the Federal Building, just south of the Organ Pavillion and east of the technology zone. San Diego Roots and Victory Gardens San Diego are excited to be EarthFair exhibitors, and again will put in a demonstration home garden for all to see. Please come visit our booths!

Cultivating Food Justice Conference

Saturday & Sunday, April 24 and 25, 8am to 5pm

San Diego State University

FREE!

Click here to go to the
conference website.

Cultivating Food Justice Conference is an entirely free event produced by a coalition of non-profit, grassroots organizations dedicated to seeing a more equitable food system realized in the San Diego community. The two-day conference, held on San Diego State University campus, will include many workshops dedicated to helping people take back control of the food system.

There will be Do-It-Yourself workshops like chicken-raising and beekeeping as well as policy discussions like the federal Food Bill and why it's so difficult to start a community garden in San Diego. The conference will also extend free food to all both days, a child-focused play area and free concerts.

There are many volunteer opportunities to help with food preparation, video recording, translation services, etc. Visit sdfoodjustice.org or call (619) 512-3802 for more information.

Keynote Speakers:

Saturday: Raj Patel

Raj Patel is an award-winning writer, activist and academic. He has degrees from the University of Oxford, the London School of Economics and Cornell University, has worked for the World Bank and WTO, and protested against them around the world. He’s currently a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley’s Center for African Studies, an Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a fellow at The Institute for Food and Development Policy, also known as Food First.

Raj has testified about the causes of the global food crisis to the US House Financial Services Committee and is an Advisor to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food. In addition to numerous scholarly publications, he regularly writes for The Guardian and has contributed to the LA Times, NYTimes.com, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Mail on Sunday, and The Observer. His first book was Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System and his latest, The Value of Nothing, is a New York Times best seller.

Sunday: Barry Logan

One of our area's most treasured farms is La Milpa Organica in Escondido, and farmer Barry Logan is responsible for making it a hub of those wishing to celebrate the cultural side of agriculture. Not only do they grow some of the best market produce in our area, their famous Third-Saturday Potlucks gather hundreds to celebrate and share in the culture of food.

Besides being the farmer (or as he calls it, "the guy who pays the water bill") Barry philosophically connects many disparate dots between food, oil, politics, culture, society, sustainability and survival. Once you've listened to Barry speak, you will never view the world the same again.

Registration or inquiries:
or call 619.512.3802

Donate to support the Conference!

San Diego Roots is the fiscal sponsor of CFJC. All funds donated by clicking this button will be used to support the Conference.

Brought to you by:

  • Center for Regional Sustainability at SDSU
  • San Diego Food Not Lawns
  • International Rescue Committee
  • The People's Produce Project
  • San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project
  • Slow Food Urban San Diego

Seeds @ City Workshop

Beekeeping for the Intrepid

Saturday April 24, 10:30am to noon
San Diego City College
C St. and 14th St. Downtown San Diego 92101
Cost: $20.00

Did you know that every third bite of food is because of a honeybee’s pollinating prowess? Been thinking about doing some backyard beekeeping? Come hear an introduction to honey bees and low-cost, backyard beekeeping. Stay after and share a farm lunch.

Sustainable Planet Food Lecture Series

Developing Sustainable Foodsheds

Tuesday, May 4, 6:30pm to 8pm
San Diego Natural History Museum
1788 El Prado San Diego 92101
Cost: $5.00

Panel will discuss current issues related to the development of foodsheds in the United States, sponsored by The Heller Foundation of San Diego. Pre-lecture reception with local food artisans and community food groups 6:00 to 6:30. Pre-registration is recommended. For more information and to register please click here.

San Diego Roots website: www.sandiegoroots.org

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