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.

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

BADSEED Funky FIRST Friday Farmers' Market - LIVE MUSIC ALL MONTH!! 4pm-8pm FRIDAYS in the Crossroads (KCMO)

For your own newsletter (including all the food porn photos, etc...) send email to Brooke.

Share BADSEED's market event with your FACEBOOK Friends: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/198999153570109/  


Howdy Folks -

Boy oh Boy! This Friday is "first Friday" in the ol' Crossroads. That means extra fun & games at the BADSEED including LIVE MUSIC by some mighty fine (free-range) musicians. Kerry Stanley and friends will be serenading you as you shop with some folk-y tunes from the heartland. Take note - WE NOW HAVE PARKING IN BACK! No more driving around searching for spots. Pull into the alley just east of McGee. Our parking lot is directly behind the building.

Much like last week, winter veggie
s will be in full effect. I gotta say - I've never seen so much stuff so late in the year!! It's green madness!!! To be honest, it's a little frightening. As much as I love this warm weather and extended harvest, I really doubt it's worth an ecological disaster. I am referring to the drought of course. We are headed into our third year of this rain-less reality and it doesn't bode well for next season. Me and my fellow farmers are scared...really scared. But hey, I won't continue to be a downer. I just feel a responsibility to keep my righteous eaters informed!! In conclusion - take advantage of this AWESOME assortment of delectable produce and with every bite do a little rain dance to wash it down!!

Special products this week include local-organic CHRISTMAS TREES from Blue Door Farm!!!! Here's the scoop: these trees are Red Cedars from Laura's acreage in KCK. They are oh so aromatic and oh so INVASIVE! They spread like a weed and are a disease vector for fruit trees!! The good news is this: they make excellent Christmas Trees for all you "green consumers" out there. By purchasing a Red Cedar you are improving the land and doing your ecological duty! Laura will have a few trees available this Friday and will also be taking pre-orders for next week. Check em' out!

Also - MARK YOUR CALENDARS. The BADSEED "Happy Holiday" Farmers' Market Fiesta will take place on Friday, December 21st. This is one hell of a market - full of festive local eats, up-cycled textiles & sustainable gift items, and holiday cheer. HIghlights include a fabulous "Farm Basket Raffle" ($90.00 value) and Irish Coffee on da house! Get tipsy with your favorite farmers...on us!

Well folks, I promised you "house details" in last week's e-mail so I'd better get to it. URBAVORE green home up-date as follows.

SEE YOU FRIDAY at the BADSEED Farmers' Market from 4-8 pm!!!!


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URBAVORE Urban Farm Green Home Up-date!

As most of you know, Farmer Dan and I bought 13.5 acres of RAW land 2 season ago and began the arduous process of building an edible mecca smack in the middle of a city neighborhood. Like most naive 28 year olds, we had no idea what it meant to buy land with absolutely no infrastructure, no water, no fencing, no nothing. In a matter of months we were forced to turn this massive raw space into a commercial farm that could produce not only enough for us to keep the BADSEED going, but enough for us to build a farmstead, expand production, and create a sustainable life for ourselves. We have spent every waking second since the moment we purchased this land making our vision a reality. The term "daily grind" would be an understatement when referring to our day in/day out existence. It would be more accurate to call it the "daily blender" because our minds and bodies feel like they've been reduced to a pulp by the time the sun sets. But hey, hard work has results. To date (in only several seasons of production) URBAVORE has produced over one hundred thousand dollars worth of food! (It also produced a baby named Percy, but that was a pure accident!!).

The hardest part about building our farm has not been the realization of diverse plants & animals. That part comes naturally to us. The real kicker has been infrastructure. Building truly "green" infrastructure is incredibly challenging, insanely expensive, and in some cases just doesn't fly with city building codes! We have run into A LOT of problems in the process of figuring out our farmstead and making plans. Sustainability is the name of the game and we won't budge on that. No matter how difficult our "extreme environmentalism" has made things, we have stuck to our guns and FINALLY broken ground on our first infrastructural project - a passive solar, earth-bermed home.

The house design is the brainchild of local architects Charles Vega & Matt Teismann whose stunning vision took form with the help of Trevor Acorn, our dedicated structural engineer. The talents of many other individuals have contributed to the project. We've worked with a mechanical engineer, an environmental engineer, and a landscape architect. Now, here's the kicker: all these reputable individuals have given their time and energy for FREE! Why? Because they truly believe in sustainable urban living. Once completed, this house will serve as a model for others and the urban farmstead at large will change the way we conceptualize the urban landscape.

You might be wondering why all these highly professional people were necessary for such a small, relatively simple, earth sheltered home for a couple of dirty farmers! The answer to that can be summed up in two words: The City. Weaving through the endless bureaucracy was no small task. We have been in the tireless permitting process for months. I doubt very few people in cities across the nation have attempted to build an off-grid residence such as ours. Frankly, it's unheard of. The fact that we've managed to get a building permit at all is reason to celebrate!!

I have attached a slide presentation put together by our architects that presents the project in a truly poetic way. These slides were created for the "Monsters of Design" competition that took place several weeks back. We won "best unbuilt design"! Soon we hope to win "best built design". I guess that part is up to me and Dan who are undertaking the construction ourselves. Yikes! Good thing we have Percy to help out.

Thus far, the excavation has been completed and once the steel gets shipped we can begin the concrete work (weather permitting). We hope to have the shell complete with plumbing by the end of February, however, this may be a bit of a lofty goal. If building this farm for the last two years had taught us anything at all, it's that nothing works out as planned!!! For crying out loud we were supposed to break ground on the house this past August and practically be done with the shell by now (!!) but the permitting process dragged on and on and here we are, in December, wondering where the time went. But none of that is important. The important thing is that we are doing are very best every single day and that's all we can do. I'll keep you posted as things progress and if you don't hear from me it's cuz farmer Dan dropped a hammer on my head. Stay tuned.



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Up-Coming Workshop:

THE BASICS OF GOAT CHEESE-MAKING

Saturday, December 15th from 1-4ish
BADSEED, 1909 McGee, KCMO 64108

Hey foodies! Looking for a ridiculously delicious way to share the holidays with your loved ones? Learn how to make scrumptious soft cheeses using basic kitchen tools, a few inexpensive cultures and raw, local goat milk! Impress your guests with a fresh spread of chevre, feta, mozzarella and feta. We'll learn how to make them all in this info-packed, hands-on demo workshop!
Or spread the love of cheese by stuffing a stocking with a jar of marinating feta, or simply by giving the gift of knowledge-send or bring a friend along to class!
Includes a thorough packet full of recipes and class materials, AND a guaranteed good time (wine+gourmet cheese tasting & mingling during class!!!)

SPACE FILLS UP FAST> RSVP ASAP PLEASE!!
Contact Amy: 785-760-3052

Cost: $60/person (1/2 the cost of comparable cheesemaking classes!), or $100/couple


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THIS WEEK'S ORGANIC OFFERINGS -


URBAVORE Urban Farm

A project of BADSEED - Brooke Salvaggio & Daniel Heryer
5500 Bennington Ave., Kansas City, MO 64129
www.badseedkc.com
Welcome to URBAVORE - an off-grid, diversified, urban farmstead in the heart of KCMO. Born in 2011, URBAVORE is working towards the creation of an “edible oasis” that brings organic growth, sustainable life, and creative solutions to a city neighborhood. We grow an extensive variety of heirloom vegetables noted for their unique appearance and extraordinary flavor, as well as an array of culinary/medicinal herbs and edible flowers. URBAVORE is a non-certified, beyond organic operation dedicated to respecting both the health of the individual and the environment. It is our aim to build community and collective consciousness through the universal pleasure that comes from eating good food.

OFFERINGS:
*SEXY SALAD MIX
*Gold Ball (Buttery) Turnips
*WATERMELON RADISHES
*Black Spanish Radishes!!
*FREE-RANGE EGGS


Herb'n Gardener

Lew Edmister
17th and Belleview, Kansas City, MO 64108
herbngardener@kc.rr.com
For the “meanest greens” in town, check out Lew's gourmet selection of urban-grown goodies. He grows a mouthwatering array of lettuces, spicy mustards, arugula, and gourmet salad mixes on KC’s west side. Other tasty morsels include heirloom tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, okra, and filet beans. New For 2012 - RUSTIC BREAD straight from Lew’s hand-built wood-fired oven. YUM!

OFFERINGS From the Lips of Lew:
"This year's productivity of green stuff from my jammed garden is about at an end - maybe one more week after this. but that's only as life should be. you work with what you have. enough cheap philosophy. here's what my ground is giving up this week. SWISS CHARD, KALES, ARUGULA and ARUGULA MIXES. SHITAKE MUSHROOMS, SHITAKE MUSHROOMS and then, SHITAKE MUSHROOMS. what a delicacy! and i'm not forgetting the output of my trusty clay oven. this weeks production is WHOLE WHEAT loaves and my combination mix laced with SCARBOROUGH FAIRE. for those of you who can't quite untangle that title, it's PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME."


Rocky Creek Valley Farms

Elizabeth and Gary
Rayville, MO
www.rockycreekvalley.com
Lizzy is an herbalist turned farmer who cultivates glorious acreage just north of Richmond, MO. Her diversified farmstead includes organic vegetable and herb production, free-range laying hens, and dairy goats. Lizzy also offers classes in sustainable gardening and herbalism.

OFFERINGS:
*FRESH HERBS
*Seasonal Produce
*Flower Seeds
*Herbal Teas
*Herbal Soaps
*Healing Salves
*Herbal Tinctures
*Free-Range Eggs


Fair Share Farm

Rebecca Graff & Tom Ruggieri
Kearney, MO
www.fairsharefarm.com
Tom & Rebecca grow some of the most beautiful vegetables in all of the midwest! No joke. Their 5 acre organic production feeds 125 families during the regular growing season through their "Community Supported Agriculture" Program. During the late fall & winter (once their CSA has finished) they grace the BADSEED with an array of cool weather crops still thriving in their fields. Take advantage of their seasonal presence and get your hands on some green goodness this Friday!

OFFERINGS:
*Head lettuce
*Broccoli Raab
*Chard
*Arugula
*sweet potatoes
*gold ball turnips
*Asian Greens
*Cherry belle radish
*hakurei turnips
*cabbage
*endive
*CARROTS!!!
*cilantro
*dill

**Fair Share Farm Calendars available!!
The Perfect Stocking Stuffer...(local, useful art & information from a sustainable farm...what else could you ask for?)


Blue Door Farm

Laura Christensen
Kansas City, KS
Laura grows an absolutely stunning array of certified organic vegetables on her thriving urban farm in KCK. Her homegrown goods can be found at the Brookside Farmers Market every Saturday during the regular growing season & at the BADSEED Farmers' Market in the late Fall and early Winter. Yum....

OFFERINGS:
*CHRISTMAS TREES!!!
Spinach
Fennel
Romaine and other head lettuce
Chard
Kale
Broccoli Raab
Scallions
Turnips
Sweet Potatoes
Napa Cabbage
"Regular" Cabbage
Dill and Cilantro


Avery's Produce of Hoyland Farm

Avery Lominska
North of Lawrence
Street-musician turned farmer, Avery Lominska, will be carrying on his father's legacy with an UNBELIEVABLE selection of homegrown goodness. Avery's father, Bob Lominska, is a regular "rockstar" in the organic growing scene. He's been plowing the way for over 30 years. He's an encyclopedia of (dirt-filled) knowledge and an inspiration to his son who has boldly followed in his footsteps. At 31 years old, Avery has been a full-time farmer for 7 years! Take a bite out of a strong family tradition this Friday!!

OFFERINGS:
*3 Types of Sweet Potatoes!!
*Spinach
*Lettuce
*Kale
*Bok Choy
*Turnips
*Arugula
*Radishes
*Swiss Chard
*Green Onions
*Nappa Cabbage
*Parsley
*Cilantro



Western Hills Produce

Alice & Marvin Huenefeld
Wellington, MO
816-934-2549
Alice is famous for her utterly delicious baked goods made from homegrown, hand-milled whole wheat flour. Her tasty breads, cakes, cookies, and muffins are complimented by an assortment of jams, jellies, pickles, and relishes all made from ingredients sustainably grown on the farm. Marvin adds his own touch with one of a kind wood-turned items handcrafted with the utmost care and creativity. Products can be found during the regular growing season at the Westport Farmers' Market.

OFFERINGS:
*Farm Fresh Brown Eggs
*Wholesome Baked Breads
*Sweet Treats
*Canned Goods
*Wood-turned items by Marvin


Parker Farms All-Natural Meats

Tom & Paula Parker
Richmond, MO
www.parkerfarmsmeats.com
"We produce all-natural gourmet beef, lamb, pork, poultry, and eggs. All of our beef and lamb is 100% grassfed. They are never fed any grain, animal by products, antibiotics, or injected with growth hormones. We have been practicing Management Intensive Grazing since 1997. It is our goal to care for all of the livestock that we have been blessed with, in as natural and humane a manner as we can. Our chickens for meat and eggs are also raised on pasture with green grass under their feet as much as the weather in this part of the world allows. Our hogs are fed grain, but do live outdoors with dirt under their feet. We do not use any petroleum based pesticides or fertilizers on our pastures. We believe that healthy people, and healthy animals start with healthy plants and a healthy, biologically active, soil community. Our meats are available at the BADSEED Market or through our Community Supported Agriculture shares."

OFFERINGS:
*Ground Beef & Patties, and many gourmet cuts
*Pork Products: Chops, Brats, Breakfast Sausage, Italian Sausage, & Spare Ribs
*Lamb Cuts: Ground Lamb, Shoulder Steaks, Rib Chop (butterfly cut, loin chops), Leg (bone in whole, shanks, lamb liver)
**Pastured Chickens !!!!
*Tea Towels, Hand-made Teas, Candles, and Gourd Bird Houses from the lovely Parker Girls


Miller's Honey

Les MIller
Independence, MO
Les Miller only produces the best damn RAW HONEY on the market. No joke!! He is an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to sustainable bee keeping and uses 100% natural and holistic methods for managing his hives which range from 60 to 100 at any given time. His honey is sold in various quantities, and 1 gallon jugs are available on request! Bees wax candles and other by-products are also available for purchase.
OFFERINGS:
*Raw Honey
*Bees Wax Candles


Manos Chocolates
(RAW VEGAN CONFECTION)
Zachary Manos
Kansas City, MO
facebook.com/ManosChocolates
Zachary handcrafts organic raw chocolate; ground from raw cacao, and coconut sugar, a low-glycemic sweetener. Using sprouted sunflower seeds, in place of milk, he crafts deceptively decadent "milk" and "white" chocolates and various treats.

OFFERINGS:
Chocolate bars
Truffles
Marzipan cookies
Assorted Confections
Sprouted Sunflower Butter


Nutressant - Bath & Body

John & Sandy
Mission, KS
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nutressant/127040237375535
John & Sandy's hand-crafted, organic body products are petroleum and chemical free and will not pollute the planet or irritate your skin! Furthermore, they are luxurious and fragrant and oooh soooo wonderful. They have the mother-load of offerings including tooth paste, dish soap, and detergent!!!...(not to mention your more typical health and beauty products). Lather up and feel good!!!

OFFERINGS:
*Soaps
*Bath & Body Products
*Facial Products
*Detergents
*Toothpaste
*So much more…




Other Organic Offerings -

HEARTLAND MILL FLOUR (freshly milled, certified organic)



Remember:

LIVE NUDE VEGETABLES (and other organic delights)
Every Friday at the BADSEED


Yours Truly,

Brooke
(farmer and mistress of the BADSEED)



BADSEED
An Urban-Organic Farm & Market Celebrating Local Food Culture, and Community
1909 McGee*KCMO*64108
www.badseedkc.com

WE ARE SUPERMAN - *THIS* Friday, Saturday and SUNDAY at Screenland Crossroads (KCMO)

From: www.KCUR.org

We Are Superman has its Kansas City premiere at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 7, 2012, at Screenland Crossroads with showings through Sunday, December 9.

~~~~

In the heart of Kansas City, at the intersection of 31st and Troost, a select few work to transform a dividing line into a gathering place.

The documentary We Are Superman tells their story...

Holiday Farmers' Market - KC Organics & Natural Farmers' Market - Saturday, December 8 - 9am-2pm @ Notre Dame de Sion High School (KCMO)

Come join us for a green holiday season, as we bring you a cornucopia of local, natural, organic and fair-trade seasonal produce, food and gifts! A few of the many wonderful things available will be: local seasonal produce, canned food, natural meats, handcrafted body care products, local honey, gift baskets, wreaths, handmade eco-cards, fair-trade coffee and more!

HOLIDAY FARMERS MARKET! 

KC Organics and Natural Market
9am-2pm

SATURDAY, Dec 8, 2012

Notre Dame de Sion High School

10631 Wornall Road

Kansas City, MO 64114

View Larger Map

Want to support local business this holiday season?
Here's the perfect opportunity to do so. May you have a happy holiday and we hope to see you there! ~~ For more information on the KC Organics market visit: http://www.kcorganics.com/
or call: (816) 444- FOOD ~~ (816) 444- (3663)

~ KC ORGANICS ~
~ HOLIDAY MARKET ~

Holiday Market 2012 "The Best of the Market" December 8th 9:00 am to 2:00 pm  Notre Dame de Sion High School (INDOORS) 10631 Wornall Road (1/4 mile South of I-435) ◆◆  A Fair-Trade Event  ◆◆ The choicest selection of locally produced holiday gifts, including: baked goods, seasonal produce, canned items, meats, body-care products, honey, gift baskets, wreaths, hand-made eco-cards, Fair-Trade coffee, and much more. For more information visit www.KCORGANICS.com or call (816) 444-FOOD (3663) Looking forward to seeing you all again, it looks to be another extravaganza.  Where we believe Local-Organic is 'near-wild-heaven...' Peter Stauffacher - Market Manager www.KCORGANICS.com 816.444.FOOD(3663) Foods that Nourish and Satiate

ORGANIC REVIVAL! Join KC Food Circle MEMBERS at our Annual Meeting - Waldo Public Library (KCMO) @ 2:30pm

Kansas City Food Circle's Annual Meeting is Fast Approaching!

Join us for our KCFC Annual Membership Meeting 

SUNDAY, December 2, 2012

2:30-4:30 at the Waldo Library in Room A. (KCMO)

MAP IT: http://goo.gl/maps/NsSgP

This year's theme will be 'Organic Revival; The Case for Local and Organic Food.'
The agenda will include a short film, 'The True Cost of Food', as well as a discussion panel featuring our own Coordinating Committee members, each on their own area of expertise. We will cover GMOs, animal welfare, and free-range and organic from a consumer's perspective.

There will be a Q & A and discussion session open to all attendees.

Light refreshments will be served.

Eater Members and Grower Members alike are all welcome! Feel free to bring potential new members as well.

Please join us!

IN FACEBOOK, share and invite your friends!
https://www.facebook.com/events/422079491180035



MAP TO WALDO PUBLIC LIBRARY (KCMO):
View Larger Map

Workshop at PlayHaven Farm and Green Bldg Project (Napoleon, MO)

Join Us for Workshop at PlayHaven Farm and Green Bldg Project
Saturday, November 10, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
3194 Oakwood Dr., Napoleon MO 64074 (link to map) 

Carpooling encouraged and available.  Leaving carpool site at 12:30 pm on the dot, 14220 E 42nd St S (Hathmore Technologies.  Link to carpooling map for meetup location)  Carpool contact is Shauna Zahner, 816-868-0323, shaunazahner@gmail.com

Bobbi & Gary Walker are the owners of the PlayHaven Farm and Green Building Project (PHF&GBP). The PHF&GBP is a real-time Green Renovation that currently incorporates or has plans to incorporate:

• High Efficiency and Conservation
• Improved Indoor Air Quality
• Sustainable Materials
• Renewable Energy Production
• A Successful, Self-Sufficient Organic Farm

Renovations Completed include:

• Architectural Stone Chimney
• Energy Star “Cool” TPO Everguard Roof, 1st Residential Application in the KC Area (Kansas City Roofing Service)
• Cellulose and Closed Cell Spray Insulation (Comfort Solutions)
• Replacement of Polybutylene plumbing with PEX
• Cementatious Fiber Siding with GreenGuard Wrap Insulation (Bordner Installation Group Inc.)
• Interior Paint – Sherwin Williams Harmony Latex (No-VOC)
• Exterior Paint – Sherwin Williams Duration Latex (Low-VOC)
• Geothermal HVAC System and Ductwork, Award Winning Installation (Kjelshus Energy)
• South Deck Replaced using Salvaged Wood and Earthpaint Products

Sustainable Lifestyle features include:

• SavvyRest Organic Bed
• Cuisinart Green Gourmet Cookware
• CFL and LED Lighting
• High Efficiency Frigidaire Washer (and matching Dryer)
• WORX Electric Trimmer

The PHF&GBP welcomes the Heartland Renewable Energy Society and friends to come explore this “work-in-progress” residence and talk to the expert Contractors and/or Sponsors involved in the various projects. You can also take a virtual tour via our website: www.PlayHavenGreen.com. We encourage you to visit regularly to see what we’ve done lately.

Upcoming projects include:

• Replace North Porch
• Correct Drainage Issues of the Barn Garage
• Replace Exterior Doors
• Bathroom Renovations (1st & 2nd floor)
• Kitchen Remodel
• And many, many more! 

Questions?  Craig Wolfe, Presidentinfo@HeartlandRenewable.org or 913-299-4474

---

Support the cause of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.  Support the Mission of the Heartland Renewable Energy Society.  Join forces with us.  Join HRES!!
www.heartlandrenewable.org/Join.html

Help us spread the word. Join us on Facebook and Twitter!!

www.HeartlandRenewable.org       info@HeartlandRenewable.org   

Organic Revival - KC Food Circle's ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

Kansas City Food Circle's Annual Meeting is Fast Approaching - Mark Your Calendars!


Join us for our KCFC Annual Membership Meeting 

December 2, 2012

2:30-4:30 at the Waldo Library in Room A. (KCMO)

MAP IT: http://goo.gl/maps/NsSgP

This year's theme will be Organic Revival; The Case for Local and Organic Food.

The agenda will include a short film about 'The True Cost of Food' as well as a discussion panel featuring our own Coordinating Committee members, each on their own area of expertise. We will cover GMOs, animal welfare, and free-range and organic from a consumer's perspective.

There will be a Q & A and discussion session with our members.

Light refreshments will be served.

Eater Members and Grower Members alike are all welcome! Feel free to bring potential new members as well.

Please join us!

IN FACEBOOK, bring friends!
https://www.facebook.com/events/422079491180035



MAP TO WALDO PUBLIC LIBRARY (KCMO):
View Larger Map

Harvesting a Climate Disaster: The Farm Bill should help the planet, not just crops...

ANYONE WHO EATS FOOD:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/13-10

Harvesting a Climate Disaster

The Farm Bill should help the planet, not just crops

Published on Thursday, September 13, 2012 by The New York Times

by Mark Hertsgaard

Farmers went to Washington yesterday. Members of a coalition representing more than 80 agricultural organizations rallied on Capitol Hill to demand passage of a new farm bill that has been stalled in Congress.

(click the links provided for the full article...)

(read the original article at http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/13-10
or at
 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/opinion/the-farm-bill-should-help-the-planet-not-just-crops.html)
original artwork:
 http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/09/13/opinion/0913OPEDneborsky.html

The Democratic-led Senate has already passed its version of the bill; the Republican-controlled House is squabbling over a competing approach (one that sharply cuts food aid to the poor). Irate farmers want both sides to shut up and pass something that can replace the current farm bill, which expires on Sept. 30.

All of the parties, though, are focused on the wrong thing.

The farm bill is not only the centerpiece of United States food and agriculture policy, it is also a de facto climate bill. And in this respect, both the Senate and House versions of the legislation are a disaster waiting to happen.

Consider, for a moment, the summer of 2012. For an agricultural superpower like the United States, it should have set off alarm bells. The hottest July on record and the worst drought in 50 years — both driven partly by global warming, scientists say — have parched soil and withered crops across the Farm Belt. Yet America’s lawmakers aren’t even remotely addressing the issue in a piece of legislation that will affect the climate profoundly for years to come.

The proposed farm bill — Senate- or House-style, take your pick — would make American agriculture’s climate problem worse, in two ways. Not only would the bill accelerate global warming by encouraging more greenhouse gas emissions, it would make the nation’s farms more vulnerable to the impacts of those emissions...

~~ ~~ SNIP ~~ ~~

(click the links provided for the full article...)

© 2012 The New York Times

(read the original article at http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/13-10or at
 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/13/opinion/the-farm-bill-should-help-the-planet-not-just-crops.html) 

original artwork:
 http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/09/13/opinion/0913OPEDneborsky.html

BADSEED FirsT Friday FARMERS' MARKET (KCMO) at 1909 McGee - 4pm-9pm

Attention LOCAVORES -

Well, well, well...ol' Farmer Brooke can finally quit bitchin' about the rain cuz by god we got some...and not just a little...a whole helluvalot!!

It was GLORIOUS.  Simply sublime.  Downright delicious.  

It poured from the heavens gently yet decidedly.  This perfect rate of saturation continued for nearly two whole days and nights.  In the end we got somewhere between seven and nine inches!  Holy smokes!!!  That's more rain than we've received the entire growing season!  

So yes, the rain was AWESOME, but what is more awesome still is the way in which the plants responded.  The transformation was instant (!!)...as if Mother Nature had taken a magic wand and zapped vitality into each and every living thing.  I swear I could see about 6 inches of new growth on the leeks overnight.  (Those things hadn't grown in months).  The eggplant that had been tiny sun-scalded excuses for "fruit" blew up like a blowfish and are now glowing purple balls of nourishment weighing down the branches.  The pastures are green again, the orchards are enlivened, the chickens are finding juicy worms in moist soil, and best of all - THE FALL CROPS finally GERMINATED!

LIFE has returned to the farm and the farmers are just about as rejuvenated as their crops.  The overall feeling of "death and destruction" from the drought was weighing on our hearts and souls more than we know how to express.  Every day you'd just get up and go through the motions of keeping the production afloat yet Mother Nature wasn't right.  Everything around you was crispy, crunchy, burnt-up, and pleading desperately for water.  When your land suffers in such a way it gets under your skin and eats at you constantly.  You can't shake it no matter what you do.  This rain has truly been a saving grace for people...for plants...and (best of all) for your grumbling bellies!!!   

Expect extra special (rain enhanced) "yumminess" this Friday at the BADSEED Farmers' Market from 4-9 pm.  Who knows...the forecast says we might even get some more!!  

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Up-Coming "Urban Homesteading" Classes -

LAST CHANCE TO SIGN-UP FOR

Chicken Butchering 101

Learn to do up a chicken, the way Grandma did...

Sunday, September 9th, 4-6 PM

*Located at URBAVORE Urban Farm, 5 miles east of the plaza - 5500 Bennington Ave., KCMO 64129

Join urban-farming maniac, Ben Wilson of Phantom Chicken Farm, and learn the careful art of processing your own meat bird.  Under Bens's guidance, student's will slaughter and dress their very own chicken (!!) using traditional techniques and no fancy equipment.

The cost of class is $40 - this includes the cost of your bird, which you will take home and enjoy with your family.  (yummy preparation techniques will be discussed in class)

*The meat chickens for this class have been 100% pasture-raised at URBAVORE Urban Farm in partnership with Phantom Chicken Farm.  

PLEASE E-MAIL brooke@badseedkc.com ASAP to sign-up.  Spots limited!!

Preserving the Fall Harvest

*(water bath canning, freezing, dehydrating, fermenting and root cellaring)

Sunday, Oct. 14th, 1-5 PM

When the Fall harvest comes, be ready to can, freeze and squirrel away the final bounty of the season!! You will learn it all in this homesteading tour de force. We will water bath can a savory relish or other seasonal dish. We’ll show you how to let nature ferment your cabbage into a wonderful sauerkraut, conveniently in a one quart jar!

Blanching & freezing techniques will be discussed and demonstrated so you can save the late harvest of greens, broccoli and other nutritious veggies. Examples of food dehydrating methods will be shown along with several types of equipment.

  

Finally, we will discuss how to store the many vegetables that don’t need freezing or canning, but just a good place to rest over the winter like potatoes, beets, carrots, squash, onions and garlic.

Cost of Class: $50.00

For a full list of classes click here.

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Sexy Veggie of the Week

This week's Runner-Up is the Italian staple - Genovese Basil.  

I know it seems a little strange to celebrate something as commonplace as fresh basil, but due to the intensity of the drought, we haven't had hardly any until now!!  (I'm craving pesto like nobody's business).  Now that we've got some rain, my basil crop is growing again and (believe me) you'll smell it as soon as you walk in the door this Friday!  Genovese basil smells divine and tastes even better.  I couldn't survive in the kitchen without it.  It is one of those "must have on hand" types of ingredients.  If you haven't had the essential culinary experience of making your own Pesto - a mind-boggling sauce that originated in Genoa consisting of crushed garlic, basil, pine nuts, and Parmigiano Reggiano - then you simply have not lived!!  By god you'd best get on this right now.  I suggest making lots so that you can freeze it for the winter.  I personally make mass quantities so that I can eat it with a spoon like ice cream...

For a basic pesto recipe CLICK HERE!!


This week's Grand-Prize-Winner is the righteous Red Delicious Apple.  

Okay, Okay...I am going to be perfectly honest...compared to the world of antique apples varieties, Red Delicious is mediocre at best.  It's that supermarket staple we all grew up eating.  It ships well, doesn't bruise as easily, stores forever, and sports that "classic red" color that so many folks associate with an all American apple.  But hey, I'm not complaining.  My grandpa planted these trees 30 some years ago and I didn't get to choose the variety.  I'm just glad I've got access to (organic, local) apples!!  On the up-side - these backyard beauties don't taste at all like the Red Delicious you've had in the supermarket.  THEY ARE BETTER - sweet, firm, and full of integrity.  This year the apples ripened early and due to a lack of cool nights, they didn't get as red as usual.  Instead our "red" Delicious are sort of green with a charming blushing of red...an after-thought of sorts!  All the same, they are great for fresh eating, make a mean apple crisp, sauce nicely, and meet just about all of your apple-flavored needs.  We are running a special on these plentiful fruits  - 1 Peck for $25.00 - 1 Half Bushel (2 pecks) for $40.  Otherwise you can purchase them by the pound.  (Dan and I will be making hard cider with the ugly ones...by god we're gonna need the buzz after this crazy season...)

Pictures are attached.  You know the drill - print them out, blow them up, and plaster them all over the men's room!!

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THIS WEEK'S ORGANIC OFFERINGS -

READ BADSEED'S FULL NEWSLETTER AT: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i11MLswz0xN0sonCADTq-taxTLRG0SpMYECnh36mOYo/edit

Remember:

LIVE  NUDE  VEGETABLES!! and other organic delights...

EVERY FRIDAY AT BADSEED

Yours Truly,

Brooke

-farmer and mistress of the BADSEED

BADSEED

An Urban-Organic Farm & Market

Celebrating Local Food, Culture, and Community

Fridays, 4-9pm*

1909 McGee*KCMO*64108

(~^CLICK ADDRESS FOR MAP^~)

www.badseedkc.com   

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