Locavortex

Save the Date

Foundations and the Future presents Celebrating Women’s Leadership in the Food Movement, Saturday, September 30, 2017, 10am to 6pm. Hosted by Red H Farm and The Permaculture Skills Center. 2185 Gravenstein Hwy South, Sebastopol. Ticket information, speakers, and schedule available at foundationsandthefuture.wordpress.com.

Talking Trash

The Clean River Alliance holds as its motto “where talking trash is okay.” Founded by Chris Brokate in 2014, the all-volunteer organization has a two-fold mission: to remove trash from the Russian River Watershed and to educate citizens about the problem of river trash by creating more public river clean-up events. They’re always looking for more volunteers.
For more info, contact Chris Brokate at 707.322.8304 or go to cleanriveralliance.org.

Upcoming Fall Cleanups . . .

First Saturday of the Month Salmon Creek Beach Cleanup.
Saturday, September 2 and October 7. 10am to 1pm.

30th Annual Russian River Watershed Cleanup.
Saturday, September 16. 10am to 4pm.
Cleanups in Cloverdale, Healdsburg, and Guerneville.
Visit russianrivercleanup.org for more information.

Guerneville Town Cleanup
Every Monday from 4pm to 6pm. Meet in the Guerneville Town Plaza.

Santa Rosa Creek Cleanup
Saturday, September 23. 11am to 12pm. Meet at Olive Park, 105 Orange Street, Santa Rosa.

That’s So Agrarian!

Fun (and farming) is the name of the game at the always whimsical annual Agrarian Games, sponsored by The Farmers’ Guild. This year’s festivities are no different, with the added wackiness of the “Soil My Undies” challenge. Yes, it sounds slightly gross, but it’s all in the name of climate-smart education. The whole thing started during the week of July 16, when participating farmers buried deep into their soil a pair of 100 percent cotton undies. After leaving the unmentionables undisturbed for two months, they’ll dig them up just before the Agrarian Games on September 16, where a climate-smart farming specialist will be on hand to choose the most tattered pair as the winner. Usually a dirty, destroyed pair of underwear doesn’t signify #winning. But, in this case, sterile soil lacking bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and earthworms will keep those undergarments clean and intact. Healthy, thriving soil—teeming with millions of hard-working  microbes—will eat away at those tighty-whiteys, leaving behind only an elastic strap (and even that might have disappeared if the underwear had been seasoned properly—we jest). Follow the challenge on social media using the hashtags #soilmyundies and #aggames2017.

The 4th Annual Agrarian Games are on Saturday, September 16 at the Petaluma Fairgrounds. 175 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma. 12pm to 6pm. $15. Kids under 13, $10. Kids under 5 free. farmersguild.org/aggames2017.html.

September Food Waste Events at SHED

A Zero Food Waste Menu on Tuesday, September 5: SHED’s monthly supper will focus on sustainability in the food system. Chef Perry Hoffman will prepare a zero-waste menu to demonstrate how economy and behavioral changes in the kitchen can reduce food waste. You’ll see how tasty and creative sustainable dining can be. Beer, wine, and kombucha available for purchase. 6:30pm. $42.
Just Eat It screening and food recovery panel on Thursday, September 14: Melita Love of Farm to Pantry, Nick Papadapolous of CropMobster, and Steve Armstrong of the Redwood Empire Food Bank will talk about local food recovery efforts at a panel discussion. Plus, a screening of Just Eat It, an award-winning film about tackling America’s food waste problem by using business as a force for good. Panel begins at 6pm followed by film. Free but RSVP is required.
Zero Foodprint Dinner on Wednesday, September 27: For this event, J. Kenji López-Alt (The Food Lab, Serious Eats) and Anthony Myint
(The Perennial, Mission Chinese Food) will create a menu focused on “carbon neutral dining.” The evening is the official launch of SHED’s involvement in Zero Footprint network which centers on the goal of offsetting their entire carbon footprint. The collaborative dinner will include tastes from Mission Chinese Food, The Perennial, and the SHED kitchen with four courses formatted around “environmentally progressive ingredients and concepts.” All attendees will receive a signed copy of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking. $160.

Healdsburg SHED is located at 25 North Street, Healdsburg. 707.431.7433. For more information and to buy tickets for these upcoming events go to healdsburgshed.com/gather/events.