Pamrhess

Hi Rockwellians! I am writing to introduce you to Arcadia's new membership program. We have some of the greatest chefs in the area (and a few from outside the area) donating their time and talents to teach Master Courses and host special dinners to benefit Arcadia. The classes are open to our members first at a discount, and then to the public. (And members get cool swag! t-shirts, high quality farmers market totes, autographed copies of Forrest Pritchard's book, "Gaining Ground," plus invites to members only pop-up events around town) Here's the link to the classes, and you can navigate around the site from there. http://www.arcadiamembers.org/#!courses/cust Arcadia is a 501©3 organization. We are dedicated to creating a more equitable and sustainable local food system. We have a small farm on the grounds of Woodlawn Mansion -- formerly part of Mount Vernon -- where we grow food for our Mobile Market. The Mobile Market makes 9 stops a week in low-food access neighborhoods. They tend to be low income and don't have farmers markets or grocery stores nearby. We also source food from a dozen farms from within 100 miles, and offer meat, cheese, yogurt, milk, bread, and locally made granola in addition to fruits, veggies, and herbs. Our prices are great to begin with -- we are currently selling the most succulent peaches you've ever had for $1.75 a pound -- and we double the value of SNAP and WIC (food stamps) so low-income people can stretch their food dollars by purchasing more healthy food. We also do cooking demonstrations and tastings, and will soon publish a gorgeous cookbook that combines WIC staples with seasonal produce. That cookbook will be distributed free to our WIC and SNAP customers and sold to others. We're looking for a corporate sponsor for the cookbook if anyone is interested! We also have a farm education program -- farm camp in the summer with 25 percent of our campers on full, needs-based scholarships, and field trips for school children throughout the year. The kids learn about sustainable agriculture, healthy food -- and pick and eat food straight from our farm. YOu wouldn't believe the variety of veggies kids will eat when they harvest them themselves. Here's more about Arcadia. We have lots of volunteer opportunities and would love to have you as members! Please contact me if you have questions or thoughts! Pam Hess Executive Director pam@arcadiafood.org

is there a cost, or is this just a pot luck? is there a place to RSVP so we know numbers?

Last night I made an asparagus omelet with aged gouda and shredded raw beets with a ginger/organge vinaigrette. I am having a huge problem this week with sandy asparagus -- and I have never encountered it before till now. I soak, I blanch, I swish -- still grit. Suggestions? Pam www.arcadiafood.org

Hi Rockwellians! This is Pamela Hess and I think this is my first post? Though I have been lurking for a long time... I'm one of the old Chowhound Crew with Marty L and Zora M. I live on the Hill near Eastern Market. I thought it was time to get official since taking a new job that will interest most of you. Formerly the editor of Flavor (and then Foodshed), I am the new executive director of the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture. www.arcadiafood.org. It's a great organization doing important work, and we have amibitious plans for restoring our local food system. Our flagship program is our Mobile Market which launches its second year this week. We refurbished an old school bus into a rolling farm stand that we stock with fresh, gorgeous produce from our small sustianable farm on the grounds of Woodlawn mansion -- come out and see it any time (except Monday's as that is our farmer's day off. You'll get a better look at it if Stephen is there to guide you.) What we don't grow ourselves we pick up weekly from local farms within about 100 mile radius of D.C. Then we make 9 regular stops each week in the metro area, targeting neighborhoods without ready access to quality food -- these tend to be low income areas. Through generous donations and our own fundraising, we are able to double the value of our customers' federal food assistance benefits. That means $20 on an EBT card gets our customer $40 in nutritious, locally grown food. We carry produce, locally raised hormone- and anti-biotic free meat, dairy, and pastured eggs. Real food shouldn't be the province of the wealthy. Our market chops away at two of the main barriers -- geography and affordability. http://arcadiafood.org/news/mobile-market-report The Market also visits local schools for on site "field trips." And we welcome field trips to the farm as well. In the summer we offer farm camp for kids 6 - 12. One-fifth of the campers last summer were on scholarship. We are raising money right now for this summer -- we have 10 of the 20 planned scholarships funded. Lots more to go. Farm camp is really wonderful. There are 4 one week sessions. Every moprning starts with the kids collecting eggs from our laying hens, heloping harvest what is ripe, and light watering and weeding. They learn about botany, soil, agriculture, nutrition, and healthy eating and cooking. If you have a hard time getting your kid to eat their veggies, send 'em to camp. They will eat anything they've picked themselves, and we show them how to make it taste great. http://arcadiafood.org/arcadia-farm-camp We have a fundraising dinner coming up on the farm on May 19 that I hope you'll check out. Tony Chittum, the James Beard award semifinalist (winners announced next week!) is preparing a gorgeous menu of Mediterranean dishes using Mid-Atlantic produce and meats from local farms, and each course is paired with a fantastic Virginia wine. The dinner starts with a stroll through the farm with our farm director (and sparkling wine and canapes), then we sit down at a long table stretched between two fields and dig in. More information about the dinner is here -- I hope you'll join us! http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=d879a39f766b935628a8d1295&id=e751076002&e=191916836d Thanks for reading this far, and supporting Arcadia however you can! Best P