BALTIMORE FOOD & FAITH TURNS 5!
To every thing there is a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and summer around
here is the season for us to slow down, take a deep breath, think about
where we‟ve been, and contemplate where we‟re going. This is especially the case this year as we mark our 5th anniversary! It is had for us to believe
that it was already five years ago when we had our first meeting with just four area
clergy, asking them if they thought our idea for a Food & Faith Project was a good
one and whether congregations in Baltimore might be up for such a thing. Were
they ever! Since we officially launched in 2007, folks from around 225 area congregations have attended our programs, we have funded or otherwise supported the
creation and maintenance of 40 gardens, and around 2,250 people have heard our
message through speaking engagements or at various events. Faith communities all
across and around our city have taken up the call to help bring about a better food
system for everyone, and we couldn‟t be prouder. We know that we often talk about
all of the things that we still need to do to improve things, but we‟re putting all of
that aside this month to celebrate our birthday and most importantly, to celebrate
you. We know that it is you who are doing the hard work of making changes within
your institutions and in the community, and we are profoundly grateful for your
patience, inspiration, creativity, and dedication. Baltimore Food & Faith would not
exist without your vast and wonderful contributions to solving these issues, and we
are so pleased to be in the same boat with you. These first five years were amazing,
and we are so looking forward to seeing what we can do together in the next five!
WHERE’S MY DINNER?
MAPPING FOOD IN MARYLAND
SUMMER 2012
Volume 5, Issue 3
FOOD OF THE SEASON
The
blackeyed
pea (or the cow
pea) likely originated in N. Africa,
where it has been eaten for centuries. It may have been introduced
into India as long as 3,000 years
ago, and was a staple of Greek
and Roman diets. Since arriving in
the New World a few hundred
years ago, they have become a
common ingredient in soul food
and southern cuisine. Sephardic
Jews settling in Georgia in the
1730s probably introduced their
practice of eating black-eyed peas
which symbolize abundance and
fruitfulness during Rosh Hashanah
(the Jewish New Year) to the nonJewish community, and the famous
New Year‟s dish of Hoppin‟ John
was born.
The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future has compiled food consumption, health and demographic statistics in its
online Maryland Food System Map. The online mapping tool and website, created by a CLF team of GIS experts and
food system researchers, allows users to navigate the site and find information on the state‟s multifaceted food network.
A food access menu illustrates locations for alternative sources of food in the
City of Baltimore, including all public markets and the City‟s Baltimarket, a
virtual supermarket program. In addition, the map now shows locations that accept SNAP benefits (formerly known as Food Stamps) and statistics about SNAP
usage in Maryland. “We are continuing to work on compiling data on food
outlets such as supermarkets and fast food locations for the rest of the state and
hope to have this available by the end of the summer,” says Amanda Behrens,
CLF‟s project manager for the Maryland Food System Map.
The website design will give users access to a wealth of information on the state‟s complex food system, and offers more
analytical tools to create custom maps. In addition, the team spent the last several months working on the development of
new features and adding to the library of downloadable maps and data. The Maryland Food System Map can be accessed
at www.mdfoodsystemmap.org. Users can subscribe to receive notices when new data is added to the map.
Hoppin’ John (Vegetarian Version)
Adapted from food.com
Okay. We know it‟s not the official New Year (as in 10, 9, 8, 7… Happy New Year!), but it‟s a
New Year for us, and so we thought we would share a recipe for a traditional New Year‟s dish
that is said to bring good luck, some say especially if you eat them before noon. Serve this with a
side of collard greens and cornbread for a real Southern New Year‟s feast!
Photo from iFoodTv
2 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
4 cups cooked, black-eyed peas
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 cup long-grain white rice
Melt butter with oil in large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, bay leaves, thyme, chili powder and allspice.
Cook, stirring often, until onion is lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Prepare rice by your preferred method. Add black-eyed
peas to onion mix; cover with water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer; cover. Cook
until peas are just tender, 20-25 minutes, checking pan and adding more water if needed. Uncover and cook over medium heat
until water is mostly absorbed, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves. Serve over rice.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
St. James‟ Episcopal Church, Parkton
19200 York Road
Parkton, MD 21120
Rev. Elizabeth Orens, Pastor
The Baltimore Food & Faith Project has had the great pleasure of working with St. James’ Episcopal
Church for over a year to develop a summer camp aimed at getting the littlest among us involved in building a more sustainable and healthy future. What fun was had welcoming twenty-nine 5 to 11-year olds in
June to sing, garden, cook, and learn. Reverend Elizabeth Orens spearheaded the effort and shares with us
how the camp turned out:
“And one little boy held up a green leaf to the sun, and asked with delightful innocence: „Is this lettuce?‟
The rewards of holding a one-week summer “Green” Camp (“God‟s Creation: Farm, Food and Faith”) at our church
were enormous. From making solar pizzas to decorating flower pots, from making stone soup to harvesting lettuce, the
kids were totally engaged. For the three of us—two teachers and one chaplain—we were challenged to bring the
fundamentals of gardening to these enthusiastic youngsters: how to plant, tend, water, harvest, and prepare food for the
table. We taught them the difference between a cucumber and a zucchini, how to peel apples, and how to make pizza
with pita bread using plants from our pizza garden. Children and food are a splendid combination. The kids are
fascinated by the gardens they tend and the lunches they make. Seeing them engaged outdoors with their trowels, in the
kitchen with their wooden spoons, and then, enjoying the delicious fruits of their labor at lunch was inspiring!
One year of preparation, five days of camp! St. James‟ “Green” Camp was our first adventure offering a food & faith
experience to children in our community. Our parish has focused on a number of green projects in the last few years—
making our campus energy efficient, celebrating Earth Day for Sunday worship, and connecting with the Prettyboy
Watershed Alliance. Creating a camp with an environmental focus seemed like a logical next step. And what made this
project particularly exciting from the get-go were the number of people and organizations committed to make this event
work: from St. James‟ Environmental Committee to the Baltimore Food & Faith Project, from the Men‟s Group (who
made our raised gardens) to our two excellent teachers, Pam and Jenna. It takes a village to raise a (green) child!
The children learned three songs in chapel over the course of the week and sang them with gusto when, on the final day
of the camp, parents and children put together a pot luck luncheon.
What an extraordinary week! Food, farm (we spent one day at Woodberry Crossing Farm), and faith all came together.
What we learned is how important it is to make these connections—from the Garden of Eden to vegetable raised gardens
to the leafy garden salad made for our luncheon table. These are children who now know something about raised
gardens, composting, harvesting vegetables, and enjoying the food of their labor. Finally, they know something about
giving thanks to God for his gracious bounty and many blessings.”
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
When one‟s food is pure, one‟s being becomes pure.
- From Hindu’s Chāndogya Upanisad 7.25.2
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Sunday, 8/5/12, 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Interfaith Celebration!
Kayam Farm at Pearlstone Center
5425 Mt. Gilead Road
Reisterstown, MD 21136
The BFFP is pleased to partner with Kayam Farm and Greater Washington Interfaith Power & Light to host an interfaith day at the farm. Folks
will learn about land-based wisdom from many traditions, work side by
side on the farm, discover Biblical farming first hand, and (if they would
like and are able) share in a vegetarian potluck meal. Check out the flyer
here. FREE
For more info and to register, please get in
touch with Teri at (410) 429-4400, ext. 232
or [email protected]
Film Screening of Academy-Award Nominated “The Garden”
Tuesday, 8/21/12, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Govans Presbyterian Church
5828 York Road
Baltimore, MD 21212
YOUR EVENT HERE!
Please join the BFFP as we host our final film screening in our 2012 Summer Film Series. “The Garden” is a powerful film that tells that story of a
14-acre community garden in South Central Los Angeles that arose on
vacant land following the 1992 riots. The film follows the plight of the
farmers, from the tilled soil of this urban farm to the polished marble of
City Hall as the garden is threatened with demolition.
After the film, we will be joined by Baltimore City Garden Activists, Pastor Heber Brown III of Pleasant Hope Baptist Church, and Larry Kloze, a
Master Gardener and creator of the Temple Oheb Shalom garden and
many others. FREE. (We‟ll have some local, chemical-free popcorn for
munching, too.)
Don‟t forget to let us know about what sustainable, just, and healthy food
events you are hosting, so that we can share them with others who might
be interested in coming. Have an event you want to advertise? Just give us
a call at (410) 502-5069 or send us a note at [email protected].
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Questions or comments, please e-mail us at [email protected], or call 410-502-5069.