Monday, November 16, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Urban Harvest Dinner was a beautiful success!
Last Friday's Urban Harvest Dinner benefit for the Bountiful Cities Project was nothing short of magical. I want to share with you some images (by Naomi Johnson Photography) of the evening, and some information about the generous and amazing donors who made the benefit a success. I am always amazed at small businesses in Asheville, and the readiness to pitch in that so many business owners show. Please support these businesses who support your community! The Bountiful Cities Project is growing in new and exciting directions, and the Urban Harvest Dinner served to bring a wider group of supporters to the table, as well as helping us to envision the continued use of the Pearson garden for community celebrations in the future.
The most beautiful outhouse in Buncombe County; Pearson Garden's handbuilt cob composting toilet with living roof:
Hearth-keeper/baker-lady extraordinaire Tara Jensen baked focaccia on the Pearson Garden's community wood-fired cob oven. The DELICIOUS dough was given to us by Farm and Sparrow! Thanks Tara! Thanks, Dave!
And I cannot emphasize enough how impressive the work of the chefs was.
This is Chef Mauricio and Chef Vinnie of Artisan Catering:
And this is the meal that they prepared: spinach salad, beet salad, parsnip-carrot puree, mashed potatoes, smoked trout corn cakes and sun-dried tomato salsa, and Le Chon with red onions.
And this is Chef Andrew of Chef in Motion, showing off their offerings, which consisted of a mixed greens salad with roasted beets, candied walnut goat cheese crest, smoked bacon and stone ground mustard vinegarette; apple encrusted NC trout with romesco sauce; stuffed pork loin with sausage and mushroom ragout roulade over adobo sauce; and tomatillo lime roasted potatoes (grown on-site at the Pearson garden!)
There are so many others to thank.
Shay Brown, of Shay Brown Events and Palettes of Perfection, worked her magic to bring together vendors, decorations, and all the little details that can be overlooked, but make all the difference.
Pisgah Brewing donated the beer!
The Wine Guy gave us a discount on the wine!
Mountain Foods and the Fresh Quarter donated the produce that was not grown in the gardens. (let me just stop here and thank Ron, owner of these two businesses and also the Grove Corner Market, for being such a badass for the local community. In my 8 years of living here and working on community projects, I have always known these businesses to give back to the community consistently and kindly. Ron even gave me a pat on the back for working on this... while agreeing to give me lots of food for free. Rock on, Ron.)
Greenlife Grocery: Thanks Sam!
Sunburst Trout Company! Yum! Thank you!
Hickory Nut Gap Farm: Thank you, Jaime, for the sausage! Y'all rock!
And, for dessert, there was a collaboration between little old me, AKA Short Street Cakes, and my friends Braden and Mindy's Farm: Good Times Farms! They grew the sweet potatoes that went into the sweet potato spice cupcakes. Thanks, y'all!
Fast Lit Fuse also provided the musical entertainment for the evening. Thank y'all so much for all your hard work! It was a beautiful event!
For more information about the Bountiful Cities Project, or to find out how to get involved, go to www.bountifulcitiesproject.org. Together we can return our cities to living on a more sustainable, more connected, and more just food system! We can start right here, in Asheville, one garden at a time.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Upcoming Harvest Dinner Highlights Top Chefs
The upcoming Urban Harvest Dinner will highlight top local chefs as well as local food and urban agriculture. BCP's September 25th event will feature a line-up of top-notch local businesses donating their time, talents and resources, including:
ShayBrown Events
Artisan Catering
Chef Mo
Short Street Cakes
Mountain Foods & the Fresh Quarter
East Coast Entertainment
the Wine Guy
Naomi Johnson Photography
and many others!
The menu will feature ingredients grown at Bountiful Cities Gardens throughout Asheville, as well as other local food. Cocktail hour will feature a demonstration of the community wood-fired bread oven baking fresh focaccia!
Appetizers,salads, sides and fantastic entres will be prepared by Chefs Mauricio and Mo, with dessert (local sweet potato cupcakes) provided by Short Street Cakes. There will be ample opportunities to learn about BCP's work in the movement towards true food security for everyone in Asheville.
Tickets are $60 each and are available for online purchase. Tickets are limited.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Letter from Treasurer
I am writing you today to give you an opportunity to be a part of an inspiring movement - a movement that addresses the most profound social and environmental issues facing Asheville’s communities. The movement is Urban Agriculture, and the Bountiful Cities Project has been at the forefront of that movement for almost a decade.
What sets the Bountiful Cities Project apart from other “Local Food Movement” organizations? The Bountiful Cities Project has a social justice perspective. This means that we understand that no movement is effective unless it considers ALL members of the community, and that true change comes from the ground up, in our daily lives, or it is not sustainable. We are an organization committed to helping urban communities grow and sustain healthy food systems within their communities through gardening. We serve as a resource for turning vacant lots into food production spaces, and we maintain those spaces towards education and empowerment of the community.
Here are some examples of how we are putting our principles into action in Asheville’s urban communities:
· Our partnership with the Shiloh Community Association has included three years of the Strong Roots Children’s Gardening Program, and the first year of our teen internship program, the Youth Eat This! Initiative (YETI), encouraging children and teens to participate in the food system from seed to seed.
· At the Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park and the Joyner Garden, community members continue to cultivate urban land to produce food in abundance.
· At the Pearson Drive Garden in Montford, the Bountiful Cities Project has created a model community space showcasing sustainable systems such as cob building, community bread ovens, beekeeping, and water catchment.
· Our school gardens include Hall Fletcher Elementary and Vance Elementary, where we work to integrate valuable food production knowledge within the schools’ curricula.
· Other partners include the Burton Street Community Peace Garden, Randolph Learning Center, South French Broad Neighborhood Association, Asheville Middle School, Claxton Elementary and Merrimon Baptist Church.
Friends, this is a critical time. As Asheville faces growing recognition as a “Foodtopia,” and the world faces growing food insecurity, the Bountiful Cities Project wants to ensure that everyone has a place at the table. Now more than ever, we need your support. Bountiful Cities has been on the ground, following through with our mission since 2000. With your support, our organization can grow with the demand for more local food, more community spaces in the city, and more education towards a just and sustainable future of abundance.
Please give generously to your community. Your contribution of $25, $50, $100 or $500 will significantly impact our ability to effect change that you can see, on the ground, in Asheville, at this critical moment.
Please save the date! September 25th we will be hosting an urban harvest with our first On Garden Dinner. Please see details below.
With Sincere Thanks,
Jodi Rhoden
Treasurer
What sets the Bountiful Cities Project apart from other “Local Food Movement” organizations? The Bountiful Cities Project has a social justice perspective. This means that we understand that no movement is effective unless it considers ALL members of the community, and that true change comes from the ground up, in our daily lives, or it is not sustainable. We are an organization committed to helping urban communities grow and sustain healthy food systems within their communities through gardening. We serve as a resource for turning vacant lots into food production spaces, and we maintain those spaces towards education and empowerment of the community.
Here are some examples of how we are putting our principles into action in Asheville’s urban communities:
· Our partnership with the Shiloh Community Association has included three years of the Strong Roots Children’s Gardening Program, and the first year of our teen internship program, the Youth Eat This! Initiative (YETI), encouraging children and teens to participate in the food system from seed to seed.
· At the Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park and the Joyner Garden, community members continue to cultivate urban land to produce food in abundance.
· At the Pearson Drive Garden in Montford, the Bountiful Cities Project has created a model community space showcasing sustainable systems such as cob building, community bread ovens, beekeeping, and water catchment.
· Our school gardens include Hall Fletcher Elementary and Vance Elementary, where we work to integrate valuable food production knowledge within the schools’ curricula.
· Other partners include the Burton Street Community Peace Garden, Randolph Learning Center, South French Broad Neighborhood Association, Asheville Middle School, Claxton Elementary and Merrimon Baptist Church.
Friends, this is a critical time. As Asheville faces growing recognition as a “Foodtopia,” and the world faces growing food insecurity, the Bountiful Cities Project wants to ensure that everyone has a place at the table. Now more than ever, we need your support. Bountiful Cities has been on the ground, following through with our mission since 2000. With your support, our organization can grow with the demand for more local food, more community spaces in the city, and more education towards a just and sustainable future of abundance.
Please give generously to your community. Your contribution of $25, $50, $100 or $500 will significantly impact our ability to effect change that you can see, on the ground, in Asheville, at this critical moment.
Please save the date! September 25th we will be hosting an urban harvest with our first On Garden Dinner. Please see details below.
With Sincere Thanks,
Jodi Rhoden
Treasurer
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Get Your Tix for On Garden Dinner Now!
Limited Seating - so get your tickets for the dinner that is sure to be a memorable one!
Click here for tickets
See post below for more details.
Click here for tickets
See post below for more details.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
It is National Community Gardening Week!
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week that August 23-29 is National Community Gardening Week, and declared the need for Americans to connect with the land, the food it grows, and their local communities.
Community gardens are growing ( literally J ) in North Carolina, and there are many ways to learn more and become involved.
· Visit a community garden in your area. Pearson Garden Work Day - This Wednesday!
· NCSU; NC A&T; Eat Smart, Move More NC and the NC Department of Public Health have partnered on an NC Community Gardens site:http://nccommunitygarden.ncsu.edu/
· The Eat Smart, Move More Growing Communities Through Gardens Guide was also released today. It’s available in .pdf format.
· Does your organization have an upcoming community garden-related event or workshop? If so, be sure to put it up on the Environmental Education Calendar. If you have never posted an event, contact the Office of EE for instructions.
· Join N.C. Community Garden Partners.
· Want to learn more about community garden/school partnerships and ways schools are utilizing gardening in the curriculum? Consider the upcoming N.C. Outdoor Classroom Symposium, October 23rd, 2009.
Community gardens are growing ( literally J ) in North Carolina, and there are many ways to learn more and become involved.
· Visit a community garden in your area. Pearson Garden Work Day - This Wednesday!
· NCSU; NC A&T; Eat Smart, Move More NC and the NC Department of Public Health have partnered on an NC Community Gardens site:http://nccommunitygarden.ncsu.edu/
· The Eat Smart, Move More Growing Communities Through Gardens Guide was also released today. It’s available in .pdf format.
· Does your organization have an upcoming community garden-related event or workshop? If so, be sure to put it up on the Environmental Education Calendar. If you have never posted an event, contact the Office of EE for instructions.
· Join N.C. Community Garden Partners.
· Want to learn more about community garden/school partnerships and ways schools are utilizing gardening in the curriculum? Consider the upcoming N.C. Outdoor Classroom Symposium, October 23rd, 2009.
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