Eat Local (& Organic!) Dining Card Restaurant of the Week: canihaveabiteinc


The Eat Local (& Organic!) Dining Card entitles members of the Kansas City Food Circle  to a one-time 10% discount at some of the best sustainably sourcing restaurants in the Kansas City Area. They were invited to join our program because of their public commitment to sourcing ingredients from local, organic, free-range farmers. We meet with them several times throughout the year for updates to their list of farmers.
To become a member,  click here.
This week's featured Restaurant is canihaveabiteinc.com.
can i have a bite canihaveabite kansas city
Pick ups at:
5050 Rainbow
Westwood, KS 66205
816-304-0057
kathy@canihaveabiteinc.com
canihaveabite™ is rooted in the belief that food is our best medicine and that is possible to transform your health simply by eating foods that nourish the body. We believe that by understanding the source of your food – how it was grown/raised, how it was processed, how it was prepared – is the key to good health. 

We believe in real food and eat the spectrum of choices. And, when it comes to food, we never see limitations; we see new ways of creating. So we prepare dishes that are both vegan and vegetarian. Dishes that are gluten free, dairy free and allergy free. We prepare dishes with local grass fed meats and pasture raised chickens. We use goat cheese, sheep’s milk cheese and raw milk cheese. We use pasture raised eggs and real butter. We talk to the farmers. We can tell you the story behind every dish, from the raw ingredients to the final deliciously distinctive product. We joyfully taste and test every dish that is prepared. We love what we do, and it shows.

We offer Weekly Bites 
Weekly breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus made from local and organic ingredients. The dinner menu consists of 2 soups, 2 entrees, 2 bean/grain dishes, 2 vegetable dishes and one bonus sweet bite. The lunch menu consists of 3 choices – pizza, seasonal soup & salad and our signature vegan “hipster” wrap. The breakfast menu consists of our signature granola, quinoa with fruit compote, and a weekly rice dish. All dishes are gluten and dairy free.


http://convenientlynatural.com/?page=home_landing

Eat Local (& Organic!) Dining Card Restaurant of the Week


The Eat Local (& Organic!) Dining Card entitles members of the Kansas City Food Circle  to a one-time 10% discount at some of the best sustainably sourcing restaurants in the Kansas City Area. They were invited to join our program because of their public commitment to sourcing ingredients from local, organic, free-range farmers. We meet with them several times throughout the year for updates to their list of farmers.
To become a member,  click here.

This week's featured Restaurant is Cafe Gratitude.




blue bird bistro - Kansas City
333 Southwest Boulevard  
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 474-5683

Our menu is plant based and 100% organic and are a gluten-free friendly restaurant.  We source locally as much as possible.  We make almost everything by hand, in house, and we make our food with love.  We invite you to step inside and enjoy being someone who chooses loving your life, adoring yourself, accepting the world, being generous and grateful every day, and experiencing being provided for. 
Have fun and enjoy being nourished.

Hours
Mon - Fri: 11 am - 10 pm
Saturday: 10 am - 10 pm
Sunday: 10 am - 9 pm

Food Not Lawns (Kansas City) COMMUNIVERSITY CLASS at UMKC in March, 2013



Food Not Lawns KC

Grow Food...
...Not Lawns


Not just another gardening class, "Food Not Lawns" will help you turn your lawn into a garden and your neighborhood into a community. Our goals are to help increase local food security, improve your diet, move your body, beautify your surroundings, reduce pollution, and energy use.

Topics include whole system design, garden preparation, permaculture, water wise gardening, permascape and free resources.

The Food Not Lawns KC Collaborative has been working to transform Kansas City into a paradise garden, one lawn at a time, since 2007.

Four Sessions: Wednesday’s
March 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th
7:00pm – 9:00pm

UMKC School of Medicine, Theater C
2411 Charlotte, KCMO  (http://goo.gl/maps/xKI3u)


steve (a) foodnotlawnskc . org
www.foodnotlawnskc.org

Register at: www.UMKC.EDU/COMMU
Or ...

UMKC's Communiversity Spring 2013 Catalog


View Larger Map


Join FOOD NOT LAWNS KC in Facebook:

Eat Local (& Organic!) Dining Card Restaurant of the Week: blue bird bistro


The Eat Local (& Organic!) Dining Card entitles members of the Kansas City Food Circle  to a one-time 10% discount at some of the best sustainably sourcing restaurants in the Kansas City Area. They were invited to join our program because of their public commitment to sourcing ingredients from local, organic, free-range farmers. We meet with them several times throughout the year for updates to their list of farmers.
To become a member,  click here.
This week's featured Restaurant is blue bird bistro.


blue bird bistro - Kansas City

1700 Summit
Kansas City, Missouri
(816) 221-7559

Serving MidAmerican Artisan Cuisine. 

Blue bird bistro,  an upscale organic restaurant,  specializing in local food offers monthly a farmers'  table that consists of five courses of locally grown and raised food.  We also have a communal dining experience every Wednesday night,  and serve breakfast,  lunch,  and dinner Monday thru Saturday from 7am to 10pm,  and Sunday 10am to 2pm.





KC Food Circle's NEW Local+Organic and Local+Free-Range FOOD MAP



GROWERS - KC Food Circle
(a Google Maps/'My Places' Mapping Project)
Locations for Kansas City Food Circle's Producer Members*
* All of our growers are happy to schedule farm visits at their own convenience (this is required for KC Food Circle membership) - some have asked that their exact farm address should remain UNLISTED for personal and professional reasons. 
^ Always contact our growers IN ADVANCE regarding farm visits. 
^ These map points will be edited and maintained year-round, as our membership grows and changes are required.

COLOR KEY:
Green = fruits and/or veggies
Red = animal protein
Yellow = dairy products
Purple = fruits/veggies and animal protein
Pink = breads/grains/nuts/everything else


For specific questions, corrections
or comments, contact (email):

coordinators (at) kcfoodcircle (dot) org




View GROWERS - KC Food Circle in a larger map



LAST CHANCE... TODAY (MONDAY, JAN 14) IS THE DEADLINE for this UNDERPRICED WORKSHOP - Wholesale Success (KCMO)






REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS TODAY ...
MONDAY, Jan 14, 2013


Wholesale Success:
A Farmer's Guide to Selling, Post-harvest Handling and Packing Produce Workshop ($15)* in Kansas City


Learn from a successful produce farmer with over 30 years of experience about:

 *   Post harvest handling
 *   Food safety needs of wholesale buyers
 *   Packing and grading
 *   Maintaining the cold chain

Participating producers will receive a free copy of www.FamilyFarmed.org's Wholesale Success Manual. Normally a $55 value, this 250+ page manual is newly updated, revised, and in its third printing. The manual includes more than 100 crop profiles with crop-specific information on harvesting, cooling, storing, and packing according to industry standards.

January 17th

Agenda:
1:30 - 3:30 Postharvest Handling and Food Safety
3:30 - 4:00 Break
4:00 - 6:00 Successful Marketing and Food Safety
6:00 - 6:30 Dinner
6:30 - 8:00 Farmer and Buyer Panel:


Farmers: Brett Fahrmeier of Fahrmeier Farms, John Goode of Goode Acers, Lonnie Hail of Bear Creek Farm, and Alicia Ellingsworth of Cultivate KC

Buyers: Delbert Housworth of Balls Foods, Coleen Johnston of Raymore-Peculiar School District, Shane Hanson of Door-to-Door Organics, Goode Acers, and a representative of Hyvee (tentative)

Where: 

University of Missouri Platte County Extension Office
11724 NW Plaza Circle, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO
816-270-2141

Cost: $15 which includes all materials and dinner. 

Email nixonk@lincolnu.edu or call 816-809-5074 ASAP. 

Presented by: Growing Growers of Kansas City  
http://www.growinggrowers.com
and
www.FamilyFarmed.org


You must pre-register.  Space is limited

* REGISTRATION DEADLINE is JANUARY 14th 2013


Katie Nixon
Small Farm Specialist
Innovative Small Farmers Outreach Program
Lincoln University Cooperative Extension
Kansas City, Missouri
816-809-5074

FREE KC Viewing of TEDxManhattan AT Google Fiber Space Lounge


Explore how farmers, chefs, activists, and authors are Changing the Way We Eat as Cultivate Kansas City hosts a viewing party of TEDxManhattan live from New York on Saturday, February 16, 2013. 

Speakers with various backgrounds in food and farming will share their insights and expertise on sustainable food movement issues, impacts, and innovations.

TEDxManhattan will be streamed live at the Google Fiber Space in three sessions throughout the day. A panel discussion with local food experts, featuring a farm-to-table lunch will follow Session 1.

The viewing party is free to attend but reservations are required for each session. SEE LINKS, BELOW for BROWN PAPER TICKETS.

Saturday, February 16, 2013
9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Three Sessions:

  • Session 1 ~ 09:00a-11:15a
  • Session 2 ~ 12:20p-02:15p
  • Session 3 ~ 02:30p-04:30p
...plus Lunch & Panel 11:15-12:15

Google Fiber Space Lounge
1814 Westport Road
Kansas City, MO

Tours of the Fiber Space, located directly across from the Lounge, will be available in between sessions.

This event is free, but reservations for each session are required. Seating is limited to 100 participants per session, please reserve your space at http://tedxmanhattanvpinkc.brownpapertickets.com/

For more information about TEDxManhattan, visit www.tedxmanhattan.com

For more information about Cultivate KC, visit
www.CultivateKC.org






 


SHARE THE local FACEBOOK EVENT AT https://www.facebook.com/events/219988638124816/



What do you THINK you know about GMO FOODS? Are you Roundup Ready?

Have you read this article?... Do you understand the significance of micronutrients in your diet?... in agriculture?... in soil biology?...

Never more true than it is today, YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT.

From December, 2011:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/10/dr-don-huber-interview-part-1.aspx


Excerpts:

"Many staunch defenders of genetically engineered foods are under the misconception that GE foods are "better" or have improved nutrition when the exact opposite is true. They also don't understand that the glyphosate residue cannot be removed or washed off—it actually becomes part of the plant. It cannot be washed off because it's systemic within the plant itself.

"It's going to be in your root tips, your shoot tips, your legume nodules, and in the food that you eat," Dr. Huber warns.
Furthermore, about 20 percent of the glyphosate migrates out of the plant's roots and into the surrounding soil. Once in the soil, the glyphosate affects beneficial soil microorganisms in the same way that it affects weeds, because they have the same critical metabolic pathway. With each new Roundup Ready crop approved, the glyphosate residues in the soil increases, and the tolerance levels in the crop increases as well."

~~~~~

"The quality of the food is almost always related to the quality of the soil. The most foundational and critical components of the soil are the microorganisms that thrive there—more so than the necessary nutrients, because it's the microorganisms that allow the plants to utilize those nutrients.
According to Dr. Huber:
"The plant can only utilize certain [reduced] forms of all the nutrients… The way that it becomes reduced in the soil is through those beneficial microorganisms. We also have microorganisms for legumes like soybeans, alfalfa, peas, or any of the other legumes that can fix up to 75 percent of their actual nitrogen for protein in amino acid synthesis that actually comes from the air through the microorganisms in the soil.
Glyphosate is extremely toxic to all of those organisms.
What we see with our continued use and abuse of this powerful weed killer is that it is also totally eliminating many of those organisms from the soil. We no longer have the same balance that we used to have. Consequently, we see an increase of over 40 new plant diseases, and diseases we used to have under fairly effective control, which now all of a sudden is another serious problem.""






  

Kansas City area transportation to President's Day Weekend *Climate Rally* in Washington, DC

from: 350.org, the Sierra Club, and the Hip-Hop Caucus Please Travel With Us to Washington, DC to Take Part in the Presidents' Day Weekend CLIMATE RALLY!


President's Day Weekend CLIMATE RALLY in Washington, DC

This Presidents' Day Weekend, on Sunday, February 17, 2013, 350.org, the Sierra Club, and the Hip-Hop Caucus will stage a massive rally in Washington DC to call on President Obama to deny approval for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and to demand the US move with all possible speed toward a clean energy future. This rally follows on the heels of 350.org's 20-city "Do The Math" Tour, which was organized to kick off their Fossil Free campaign calling on colleges, universities, churches, pension funds, and other institutions to divest from fossil fuel companies, hitting those companies where it hurts them the most. Several local climate activists attended the tour's stop in Omaha and were moved by a speech given by Bill McKibben, the leader of 350.org, who called on everyone to stand up and take action now, and we are planning to charter a bus to transport area activists to take part in the rally. Now is the time for all citizens to stand up for their families, for current and future generations, and for the wonderful living Earth of which we are an integral part. We must break the hold that fossil fuel corporations have on the US Congress and move this country forward to a clean energy future.

The chartered bus trip will begin early in the morning of Saturday February 16th and end sometime in the evening of Monday February 18th. We will need at least 50 people to commit to the trip by January 15. We currently estimate the cost will be in the range of $150 - $200 per person to ride the bus, not including food or any other expenses. We encourage you to make your own travel arrangements if you feel moved to attend this historic event but are unable to travel with us. Please contact Claus Wawrzinek at 816-517-5244 for any questions.

To be able to reserve a bus from Kansas City to Washington, DC, we need to get your commitment by January 18 and you should be prepared to pay for the bus by February 1. Early commitment (by January 15) will ensure optimal charter bus rates. We will contact you if we get enough people to reserve a bus. Don't send any money yet.

Please tell us on the form below if you are able to commit taking the bus with us to Washington, DC:

FORM LINK: http://goo.gl/hwvPt


Why is this rally so urgent?
The audience in Omaha was very moved by McKibben in his self-described role as "professional bummer-outer." His talk was based on his Rolling Stone article titled "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math" (July 19, 2012 http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-math-20120719 ) in which he explained the grave reality of the climate crisis: The great majority of climate scientists and the world's governments agree we must limit the increase in the global average temperature to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to have any hope of avoiding dangerous climate disruption, which McKibben called "the bottomest of bottom lines." The latest science indicates we can emit no more than 565 gigatons of carbon by the middle of this century if we are to stay under that threshold - that's our remaining carbon budget - but, at the current rate of emissions growth, we will emit that much over just the next 16 years. Worse, the world's fossil fuel companies have an estimated 2795 gigatons of carbon reserves booked - more than 5 times our carbon budget - and it's those reserves which give their companies market value. McKibben argues they must be persuaded to leave 80% of those reserves in the ground in order to have any chance of preventing a climate catastrophe. That's a tall order, indeed, and he admits "we may not win this fight."

McKibben also spent some time describing the damage to the planet that the 0.8 degrees Celsius of warming that's already occurred globally has caused, including the ongoing severe drought in the US, this Summer's unprecedented decline in the polar ice cap, Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Bopha, and the overall pattern of increasingly extreme weather events worldwide.

The rally has three goals:
• To put pressure on President Obama to deny permission for the TransCanada corporation to build the Keystone XL pipeline to carry diluted bitumen from the tar sands in Alberta, Canada to the Texas Gulf Coast, where it would be refined into synthetic crude oil. If we're to stay within our carbon budget, we must not greatly increase our production of tar sands oil, which is more energy-intensive and, consequently, emits more carbon than conventional oil production.

• To bolster the Fossil Free divestment campaign.

• To continue building a mass movement in support of urgent action to speed the transition from dirty fossil fuels to clean energy.

We ask you to join us in Washington for this historic Presidents' Day Weekend rally.


President's Day Weekend CLIMATE RALLY in Washington, DC - KC TRIPPresident's Day Weekend CLIMATE RALLY in Washington, DC - KC TRIPPresident's Day Weekend CLIMATE RALLY in Washington, DC - KC TRIP
www.350.org www.SierraClub.org www.HipHopCaucus.org



2013 Small Farm Webinar Series



TUESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2013  

2013 Small Farm Webinar Series
http://missouribeginningfarming.blogspot.com/2013/01/2013-small-farm-webinar-series.html



The University of Illinois is hosting a series of webinars for small farms.  You might be interested in some of the topics and would like to attend.


The 2013 Small Farms Webinar series will be held on Thursday afternoons at 1:00 pm, beginning January 10 and concluding March 28.


The topics will be varied but designed for small farm application.  See below for a list of dates and topics.

Sessions are presented by U of I Extension Educators and Specialists. Programs will last approximately one hour. You can log on from home or contact a local Extension office if you need Internet access. If you plan to view the webinar at home, a url and intructions will be sent to you once you register.  You can register for each webinar here.
https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/default.cfm?RegistrationID=7543


January 10 - Raising Broiler Turkeys on Small Farms        


January 17 - Strawberry Production                       


January 24 - Water Sanitation for Small Farms    


January 31 - Wildlife Damage Control                  


February 7 - Basics of Fruit Insect Management   


February 14 - Farm Financial Management           


February 21 - Seed Saving                                      


February 28 - Crop Rotations in High Tunnels      


March 7 - Farm to School Series                            


March 14 - Beneficial Insects                                 


March 21 - Weed Control in Pastures                    


March 28 - Crop Budgeting Resources                  


February 5 - Growing Unique Vegetables (Note: 6-7pm)

Local Food Linkages Project (Missouri/Nebraska) Needs Further Input

Local Food Linkages Project - Missouri / Nebraska


Hi folks - Last January we asked for your help in completing a survey of local foods producers in three different areas of Missouri and Southeast Nebraska. This is an on-going research project that you can find out more about at http://localfoodlinkages.wordpress.com/.   

One of the areas is the Old Trails region centered around Lexington Missouri.  I'm sharing some of the information that we have compiled as a result of that survey.  You might find it interesting.  We are also requesting help from producers again.  

We are seeking information on farm income and expenses so that we may estimate the economic impact of local food systems.  

If you are farming in the Old Trails region, we would love your help.  For an hour of your time, we will pay you $100 to complete the survey either over the phone or in person.  

You can contact Jessica Scott at 855-270-0742 directly to schedule an interview or to find out more information about our project.  

If you have overall questions about the project you can talk with Jess, or with Tom Johnson at (573)882-2157 or JohnsonTG@missouri.edu.  I would very much appreciate your help in finding farmers to complete this survey! 

Thank you! 

Mary


Mary Hendrickson, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Department of Rural Sociology
University of Missouri
200 B Gentry Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
Tele: 573-882-7463


Howard's Organic Fare *and* Vegetable Patch (KCMO)

Howard's Organic Fare and Vegetable Patch - Kansas City, MO


Do you catch yourself looking at the calendar and realizing that there is NO way you are going to make it to the Farmer's Market for your meat and veggies?  

Do you work all weekend, or odd hours?  There is no need to sacrifice your sustainable diet goals when you can have 24/7 access to Howard's Organic Fare and Vegetable Patch!

Howard’s Organic Fare and Vegetable Patch is a membership grocery supporting the relationship between local producers and consumers through a commitment to organic, fair trade and humanely raised goods.  As a member of Howard’s you will have 24/7 access to the store allowing for good food, every day and anytime. Even in Winter ( yes! it's true!)


Howard's Organic fare and Vegetable Patch is located in the City Ice building on Hospital Hill.


Check Out Our 2013 Eat Local (& Organic!) Dining Card!

If one of your New Year's resolutions was to eat better, then boy do we have a deal for you!

GO TO 
http://kcfoodcircle.org/diners-card


When you join the KC Food Circle, among other nice perks you receive our Eat Local (and Organic)! Dining Card, which now has 14 participating restaurants. There are many restaurant discount programs available to you, but this one is unique.  We have invited only local restaurants that have a deep and public commitment to serving you delicious meals with locally-sourced organic and free-range ingredients.  

By presenting this card at participating restaurants you receive a one-time 10% discount on your food bill, (not to include alcohol, taxes, or gratuity.) The KCFC Dining Card is valid until December 31, 2013. With a little something for everyone - from vegan to omnivore, from mobile food eatery to fine dining, from Smithville to Prairie Village to Lawrence - our Eat Local (and Organic)! Dining Card has your dining needs covered!
These are some serious good eats!  And some of them even deliver RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR. 
Participating restaurants include:
  • blue bird bistro
  • Café Gratitude
  • CanIHaveABite.com
  • Conveniently Natural
  • Eden Alley
  • FÜD
  • Justus Drugstore
  • Pachamamas
  • Room 39
  • Smokin’ Fresh Streetside BBQ
  • Starkers Restaurant
  • Story
  • The Farmhouse
  • The Reiger
But wait, that's not all! You also get:
  • Our Directory of local organic and free-range food producers with our 80+ farmer members who have signed our Producers Pledge, agreeing to bring you the healthiest, safest and highest quality products.
  • Our tri-yearly Update! newsletters with the latest in local, organic food news, including legislative initiatives, producer profiles, and local issues.
  • Invitations to members-only and members-first events throughout the year.
  • Invitation to our annual meeting.
Please join your Kansas City Food Circle membership by sending in your check with this form, and we’ll continue to keep you well connected to local, organic markets, products and events. Prefer to pay electronically?  You can pay online with Paypal.  Electronic payments give you the heebie-jeebies? Drop a check in the mail with your filled out Membership form to:
K.C. Food Circle
P.O. Box 20181Kansas City, MO 64079

~~

Happy New Year, and Happy Eating from your hardworking Kansas City Food Circle volunteers.



Kansas City Food Circle Diners Card Program

IN FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EAT.LOCAL.ORGANIC.KCFOODCIRCLE/