Projects
Sonoma-Pachay Food Culture Exchange
It began in 2002 when Slow Food Sonoma County submitted one of over 800 nominations for the International Slow Food Award, given in Turin, Italy. Our nominee was a group of 29 traditional Mayan women from the village of Pachay Las Lomas, Guatemala, affectionately called the “Chicken Ladies” for their chicken egg business. To our great delight, they received one of the five first-place awards, for “creating a production structure that achieves many objectives. It creates income for a significantly disadvantaged social group—women—whose situation in Guatemala has been further aggravated by the effect of long years of civil war. It creates social conscience and self respect. It provides the basis for a system of agriculture that is sustainable and has low environmental impact.”
Since the international recognition, our relationship with the Chicken Ladies featured a scholarship fund. As a result of voluntary member donations, each year approximately 36 students have received scholarships.
In September 2007, Slow Food Sonoma County, North expanded the relationship with AMIDI, the name of their government-recognized indigenous women’s association involved in farming and traditional weaving. The project goal is mutual education and support, based on agricultural traditions, food preparation, cultural values around food, and Slow Food concepts. A primary objective is to support AMIDI in maintaining their customs of sustainable agriculture.
A discussion between farmers in Guatemala and Sonoma County was initiated in November 2008 with a visit from AMIDI’s leader, Ana Maria Chali Calan to Sonoma County. One event was "Sonoma County Meets Guatemala," a class and dinner at Relish Culinary School in Healdsburg. At this event, Ana Maria demonstrated tortilla making, and Carrie Brown and Peter Brown of Jimtown Store prepared a dinner using ingredients available in Sonoma County and Guatemala. Enjoy the recipes (PDF) from this dinner, which appear with permission from Jimtown Store.
The women of AMIDI are also expert weavers. In December, 2009 some of their intricate weavings for the table were offered for sale after a convivium tamale-making event. This sale was so popular that we have requested more weavings from AMIDI to sell at future convivium events.
For more information about the project, contact Marilee Wingert, marileewingert@earthlink.net, or Stephanie Chiacos, schiacos@seam-stress.com.
Slow Food in Schools
Through a 15-member committee, Slow Food Sonoma County, North has initiated relationships with 8 elementary schools: Cloverdale Elementary, Geyserville Elementary, Healdsburg Elementary, Fitch Mountain Elementary (Healdsburg), Alexander Valley School (Healdsburg), Westside School (Healdsburg), Cali Calmacec (Windsor), and Luther Burbank Elementary (Santa Rosa). The goal is for each school to create and maintain a school garden, with support and resources from the convivium such as volunteers, seeds, tools, and access to farmers to teach students about seasonal crops, planting, caring for, and harvesting vegetables.
For more information, contact Project Coordinator Lise Ciolino, lise@montemaggiore.com.
Slow Harvest Gleaning Project
There is plenty of good food out there not being used, and there are people in our own back yard who need this food. The goal of the Slow Harvest Gleaning Project is to create a network that will move food along—from field to fork—in a not-so-traditional way. We are partnering with Food for Thought in Forestville and the Food Pantry in Healdsburg to bring them gleaned produce from west county farms and gardens every week. In addition, we network those who want to help with local organizations that need food. Slow Harvest also sponsors regular cooking and canning sessions and donates the canned products to food banks.
- Got food? We’ll make sure it goes to someone who will use it.
- Need food? There are plenty of programs in the county that bring food to people who need it for various reasons. We can help relieve the burden of demand on these non-profit organizations.
- Got time? We’ll put it to good use, even if it’s only an hour or two—picking, transporting, and delivering the goods!
Slow Harvest Partners:
| Slow Food Sonoma County, North | slowfoodsonomacounty.org |
| Food for Thought Food Bank | fftfoodbank.org |
| Ceres Community Project | ceresproject.org |
| First Light Farm | www.firstlightfood.com |
| Quetzal Farm, Santa Rosa | www.quetzalfarm.com |
| Farm to Pantry, Healdsburg | www.farmtopantry.org |
| iGrow | igrowsonoma.org |
| Relish Culinary | www.relishculinary.com |
| Russian River TV | www.russianriver.tv |
| Artisan Preserves | www.artisanpreserves.com |
| Slow Harvest | www.slowharvest.org |
For more information, contact Aletha Soule, slowharvest@gmail.com.
Sonoma County Grow-out: Ark Vegetable Restoration Project
In 2006 and 2007 there was a national effort to "grow out" a number of vegetable varieties listed as endangered on the USA Slow Food Ark of Taste. However, many of the varieties were not appropriate to the growing conditions in Sonoma County. In 2008, Slow Food Sonoma County, North and Slow Food Russian River teamed up to continue the grow-out in the county.
Thirty Ark vegetable varieties best suited for the county's growing conditions were selected, and seeds are distributed every spring to farmers in the two convivia who volunteer to grow and sell the vegetables. Signage describing each vegetable, its history, and stating that it is on the Slow Food Ark of endangered foods accompanies the produce at the points of sale.
For more information, contact Bill Hawn, astibill@hughes.net.