Field to Family 2011

Join us during our 10th Annual Field to Family Festival in September as we celebrate local food, community gardens, delicious farmer-grown meals and culinary excellence.

The 10th Annual Field to Family Festival is a celebration of local food and culinary excellence! This event is brought to you by the Johnson County Local Food Alliance (JCLFA) with the sponsorship of New Pioneer Food Co-op, Hy-Vee, Edible Iowa River Valley Magazine, and includes many area supporting organizations, businesses, farmers, and restaurants. See below for a listing of Field to Family events.

New this year!
You can now purchase tickets for the Culinary Walk and Harvest Dinner online!
Purchase Tickets: Culinary Walk | Harvest Dinner

See our calendar for more events

Culinary Walk, A Benefit for JCLFA
Wednesday, September 7, 5:30–8:00pm
Tickets $25/person, $15 with current student ID. $30 day of event
Tickets sold online, New Pioneer Food Co-op stores and Hy-Vee (812 S. First Ave. Iowa City).
Take a stroll through Iowa City and sample hors d’oeuvres from 126 & Hearth, Atlas, Devotay, El Banditos, New Pioneer Food Co-op, and The Red Avocado.

Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver
An appearance by author Diane Ott Whealy
Friday, September 9, 7pm
Prairie Lights 15 S Dubuque St., Iowa City
Diane Ott Whealy will read from her new book, Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver. Her heartwarming story captures what is best in the American spirit: the ability to dream and, through hard work and perseverance, inspire others to contribute their efforts to a cause. Thus was created one of the nation's most admired nonprofits in the field of genetic preservation, Seed Savers Exchange. More info at www.prairielights.com/live

Kids Day at the Iowa City Farmers’ Market
Saturday, September 10, 9am to Noon
Downtown Iowa City Farmer’s Market
Visit the ICCSD Farm to School booth to dig for potatoes and play local food games. Scott Koepke with Soilmates will be joining us to educate kids about composting with his red wiggler worms. Other Kids’ Day activities include a "Kids Farm", sponsored by the Johnson County Agricultural Association; kids' fitness stations; fire truck, squad car and ambulance tours, "Music in Motion" by Deb Singer, a honey bee display from our own farmer's market vendor, Matt Stewart with Noble Bee Honey, and so much more. It is sure to be a fun and exciting day for children of all ages. This event is sponsored by the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department and the Iowa City Farmers Market, Johnson County Local Food Alliance and the Johnson County Agricultural Association. This is a FREE event for the whole family. For more information please call the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department at 319-356-5210.

Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver Talk and Garden Tour
with Dianne Ott Whealy
Sat., Sept. 10, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Earth Source Garden, NE corner of Rochester and N. Scott Blvd., Iowa City
Diane Ott Whealy never anticipated that one day she would become a leader in a grass-roots movement to preserve our agricultural biodiversity. The love for the land and the respect for heirloom seeds that Diane shared with her husband, Kent Whealy, led to their starting Seed Savers Exchange in 1975. That momentum continues to this day, as we practice this ancient art at Earth Source Gardens. Meet Dianne, hear her speak, tour the seed saving beds, and observe seed processing with local seed saver Roxane Mitten.
Free and open to all.

Seed-Saving for Squash with Roxane Mitten
Wednesday, September 14, 6-7:30 pm
Register at www.newpi.coop
The fascinating sex life of squash… and why we care. Learn the exacting process to reproduce genetically true squash. $5/person.

Reading of stories from the book Food Roots: A Local Foods Community Cookbook
Friday, September 16th 7pm-8 pm
Haunted Bookshop
203 North Linn Street, Iowa City, IA 52240.
A collaborative project with the UI Art and Ecology class, this cookbook includes recipes and stories from Local Foods Connection clients who come from Illinois, Iowa, California, Mexico, Guatemala, Republic of Sudan, the Togolese Republic, El Salvador, and Thailand. Clients were interviewed about their heritage and food culture as well as the recipes they submitted. Local Foods Connection’s mission is to make available to the disadvantaged members of the greater Iowa City area the opportunity to enjoy locally made healthful food, to become part of a local, environmentally aware community, and to learn how best to prepare fresh food for the most health benefits.

Wahls Landscape Design
Saturday, September 17, 3-5pm
1215 Santa Fe Drive Iowa City, IA
Dr. Terry Wahls welcomes your gardening and landscape design ideas at this Backyard Abundance Cultivating Community event. Together, we will brainstorm ways to create a landscape at her urban home that yields an abundance of healthy food and fun. The outcome will be a ton of design ideas and concepts from which we all learn. Kale chips, kale smoothies, and soup will be provided. Please bring eating utensils and, if you wish, a dish to share.

Culinary Ride
Sunday, September 18th
A bicycle tour of local farms in Johnson and Cedar County to benefit ICCSD Farm to School Chapter.
www.culinaryride.com; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Culinary-Ride

Edible Maze Community Build
Sunday, September 18, 2011
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wetherby Park
Backyard Abundance will join forces with the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department to demonstrate the benefits of no-mow grass, edible landscaping and children being in nature.
Experts will be on hand at this second community garden build at the Edible Forest Maze at Wetherby Park to help visitors plant trees and ground covers. Visitors will also help put a path through the maze. The path will be no-mow fescue grass, a non-native blend that works well in borders for areas between prairies and homes. Life is too short, why mow? The grass saves water, fertilizer and mowing time. Overall, while not maintenance-free, Eco-Grass requires less attention than traditional lawns.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn about low-maintenance edible landscaping. Experts will be on-site to assist and teach visitors about growing food and an attractive landscape design.
Finally, this community garden build will give visitors and their children the opportunity to get out and enjoy nature. There are researched benefits of children being in nature. Life is too structured! Get outside to play and learn!
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or have never gardened in your life this is your opportunity to discover your very own green thumb. For more information contact Joyce at 319-356-5100.

Equinox, Tour Earth Source Gardens
Thursday, September 22, 5-7 PM
Earth Source Garden, NE corner of Rochester and N. Scott Blvd., Iowa City
See the fledgling Sweet Gift Orchard. Enjoy Refreshments from the gardens. Learn from the Co-op demo plots & participate in educational games and crafts. Live music too!

Culinary Herbs: Propagation and Uses with Joanne Leach
Friday, September 23, 6:30-7:30 pm, $5/person.
Register at www.newpi.coop
Earth Source Garden, NE corner of Rochester and N. Scott Blvd., Iowa City
Culinary herbs make good food taste great! Learn which herbs grow best in Iowa: how, when and where to plant, how to gather and dry, and get useful recipes for butters, pesto and vinegars.

Growing School Gardens: A presentation by teachers, parents, students, and community members who are growing food at schools.
Saturday, September 24, 1pm – 3pm
Iowa City Public Library, Room A
Thanks to the hard work of several individuals and community organizations, eight ICCSD schools are growing food in school gardens. Come meet our school gardeners and hear their stories about how they got their gardens started, how students and teachers are learning in the garden, and how the produce is being used. We’ll also introduce community groups that are involved with school gardens including Iowa State Extension’s 4-H and their new USDA People’s Garden Initiative, Soilmates, Backyard Abundance, Summer of Solutions, and others. There will be plenty of time between speakers to casually talk with the participants and share ideas for starting and expanding school gardens.

Harvest Dinner, a benefit for JCLFA
Sunday, September 25, 5:30 PM
The Vetro Hotel, 201 South Linn St., Iowa City
Tickets $50 Tickets sold online, New Pioneer Food Co-op stores and Hy-Vee (812 S. First Ave. Iowa City).
The 3rd annual Harvest Dinner, a JCLFA benefit event, will delight the senses by putting Iowa’s abundant harvest into the hands of some of the area’s best chefs delighting you with a dinner that will not soon be forgotten! Special guests include author & local chef Kurt Friese and local food advocate Francis Thicke.

Menu

Fun appetizers provided by all the participating restaurants for the cocktail hour. Cash bar available.

Entree choices are:

Eric McDowell of Chef's Table Pavelka Point Pork with James Nisly's sweet potatoes, local harvested mushrooms & sweet peppers

Thorin Peugh of Share Free Range Chicken Prepared 3 Ways confit leg and pommes tournées, sous vide breast with thyme and lavender on turnip puree, stuffed thighs on brioche with braised swiss chard

David Weiseneck of Motley Cow Roasted Butternut Squash barley, pecan, apple & leek salad; rosemary & Frisian aged gouda

Dessert
Seth Hershey of Vesta delights us with dessert of warm bread pudding with Wilson's Orchard apples in a flambe caramel sauce, topped with balsamic ice cream made with Kalona Super Natural cream. Served with Cafe del Sol coffee.

Dinner will be accompanied by Cedar Ridge Winery wines.

Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Day at Scattergood Farm
Saturday, October 1, 3pm – 7pm
1951 Delta Ave., West Branch
RSVP Sally Worley (515.419.9551; sally@practicalfarmers.org)
This fall join Mark Quee and Dana Foster at Scattergood Friends School to learn about the latest PFI research on cover crops, sweet potatoes and asparagus. A Scattergood-sourced dinner will be served.

Harvest Celebration Potluck & Barn Dance
Saturday, October 8, 6pm
Local Harvest CSA/ZJ Farm 5015-120th Street NE, Solon
Join Local Harvest CSA/ZJ Farm for the annual end of the season farm tour and harvest celebration featuring the Gilded Bats. Farm Tours 3:30pm, potluck 5pm, Music and dancing 6pm-8pm. Bring a dish to share, a beverage and your own place setting.

National Food Day Celebration
Monday, October 24, 3:30pm
Iowa City Public Library, Room A

Check out our calendar for more Field to Family 2011 Events!

Thank you to our generous sponsors for their support of this annual local event:
New Pi, Hy-Vee, Edible Magazine, Organic Greens, Hills Bank, MidWestOne Bank, UICCU, Soilmates, and IVR&D

To sponsor or volunteer at Field to Family, contact us at jessica@jclfa.org or by calling (319) 936-2460.