BECOME A GOOD FOOD SANCTUARY!
ANNOUNCING OUR NEW FOOD SUSTAINABILITY &
JUSTICE AUDIT FOR FAITH COMMUNITIES
We are very pleased to announce the launch of the Good Food Toolkit, a resource
that will assist congregations of all traditions in adopting policies and practices that
better promote “good food.” The Toolkit was developed with the generous help of our
partners, GreenFaith, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, and Hazon, and consists of:
A “food audit” that will help your faith community assess the food work you’re
already doing and identify the best areas for improvement
Planning tools to help you develop an Action Plan for adopting more
sustainable and just food policies and practices
Teaching tools and success stories to empower your faith community for
sustainable and just food leadership.
A certification program whereby your congregation can be officially
recognized as a Good Food Sanctuary for everyone to see!
Our most ambitious endeavor yet, we developed the Toolkit because we know that
faith communities play an important role in creating a food system that embraces sustainability and justice. The opportunities are enormous, and congregations can start by
examining how they use, donate, and teach about food. The Good Food Toolkit is
meant to help your congregation on its journey to more mindful eating. Baltimore
Food & Faith is here to support you along the way, in part by hosting training
Webinar in April to help you learn the ropes (details TBA). Let us know how it goes,
and if you have any questions. Good luck!!
DOWNLOAD THE GOOD FOOD TOOLKIT HERE
WELCOME FOOD & FAITH STUDENTS
WINTER 2012
Volume 5, Issue 1
BFFP’s mission:
To partner with Baltimore area faith
communities and religious organizations of all faith traditions to promote
a just, safe, and trustworthy food system that allows us to produce what is
needed now and for future generations in a way that protects people,
FOOD OF THE SEASON
Peas porridge hot, peas porridge
cold, peas porridge in the pot,
nine days old!
Peas were one of the first crops
cultivated by humans. Back in the
Middle Ages, a thick porridge of
dried peas—people began to eat
fresh peas only in the 1500s—was
cooked and eaten cold in the morning, and hot during the day when
more vegetables would be added.
Eventually, the initial ingredients
could be 9 days old! We can do
better than that! See Page 2 for a
yummy pea-inspired recipe.
Well, it has happened again! The BFFP has been blessed to have not one…, not two…, but THREE wonderful Johns Hopkins University student helpers this year. You may see them out and about from time to time, so please help us welcome….
SUNDUS Nada is a
Junior majoring in
History and Psychology. Since she was 14,
Sundus has been educating children and
wants to use her experience to shape the way that
kids interact with and perceive
the world. Sundus has been
helping the BFFP create programs for children around
food, faith, and gardening.
RACHEL Pinson is a
Master’s of Public
Health student focusing
on food access, food
policy, and program
development. Originally from Washington,
DC, she moved to Baltimore in
June after 5 years in New York
City. Rachel’s is working to develop the Food & Faith Ambassador Training Program, and she
is thrilled to be working here.
(We made her say that!)
DESMOND Flagg is a
Ph.D. student in Health
Policy and Management. His research interests include obesity
in disadvantaged populations, particularly
among children, and food policy.
He intends to write his thesis on
obesity within single parent
households. Desmond’s project
with the BFFP is to help us start
farm stands with congregations in
Baltimore (more on that to come!)
Baked Sugar Snap Peas
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Easy peas-y! Peas are so naturally sweet and delicious, that you don’t need to do much to them to enjoy
a good side dish. This quick recipe will let you eat well and still get outside to enjoy the spring weather
while it’s still light outside!
Photo from Sunset.com
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon
dried thyme
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spread sugar snap peas in a single layer on a medium baking
sheet, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with shallots, thyme, and kosher salt. Bake 6 to 8
minutes in the preheated oven, until tender but firm. Serves 4.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Baltimore City Farms
4915 Greenspring Avenue
Baltimore MD 21209
Coleen McCarty, City Farms Coordinator
Laurie Boswell, Community Liaison
Mr. Carter at Carroll Park
City Farms (look at those
cabbages!)
Did you know that the BFFP partners with all sorts of
organizations, faith-based and otherwise? We thought we
Kids and flowers at a City Farm
would highlight one of these relationships in this edition
of the Digest as we believe that it really will take a village of all sorts of people and groups working together to bring about
this Good Food Revolution! As a Baltimore City Farmer in Clifton and then Druid Hill Park for the past four years, Angela
was thrilled when the opportunity to work with the City Farm program to start a gleaning project presented itself last summer.
Coleen McCarty, City Farms Coordinator, shares their good work with us:
Baltimore City Farms is a Recreation and Parks program which offers garden plots for rent to city residents. Here they grow
their own vegetables, herbs and flowers. Located around town in 10 city parks, the program is open to anyone wishing to garden, regardless of their level of experience. Novice “farmers” are mentored by on site garden managers and experienced gardeners eager to share their knowledge. Community Liaison, Laurie Boswell, provides support in the form of hands on gardening seminars, training manuals and bulletins, guiding the urban farmers through a multitude of seasonal challenges: weeds,
bugs, drought and the occasional flood. The goal: to maximize productivity and enjoyment, using sustainable garden practices.
From the first days of spring the level of excitement is intense. Soil is turned, compost and manures spread and gardeners renew old friendships, while getting acquainted with new participants. Inevitably seeds and garden tips are shared and a sense of
community grows. For many, the garden provides more than a source of food. It offers the experience of sunshine and fresh
air, plenty of exercise social interaction and a connection with nature. By June harvests are abundant, though everyone eagerly
waits for the first tomatoes of July.
When Baltimore’s “Dog Days” arrive in August gardening interest often declines. Garden plots are still producing abundant
quantities of vegetables, but many families have had enough squash, cucumbers and tomatoes. Vegetables have been shared
with neighbors, family and co-workers. It is now time for the gleaning crew to go to work.
Sadly many vegetables wasted on the vine in previous years. However, in summer 2011 City Farms formed a partnership with
the Baltimore Food and Faith Project. Through emails, phone calls and on site conversations, gardeners were encouraged to
donate their excess production to local charities. Laurie Boswell and her team of volunteers made the rounds every week to
collect vegetables and herbs for donation to Movable Feast, where they were prepared for the daily meal.
On one occasion, Laurie delivered assorted vegetables to the Reservoir Hill Recreation Center, where Ms. Cookie teaches a
healthy cooking class to neighborhood children. The reaction of the children was a little surprising. Upon opening the bags of
tomatoes, peppers and beans they jumped up and down with enthusiasm. No, it wasn’t new toys or bags of candy, but fresh
healthy vegetables that caused the excitement.
These small garden plots have the potential to produce amazing quantities of fresh vegetables. As we prepare for another
growing season, City Farms will continue to strive for optimum productivity. We will also look for more ways to encourage
the donation of excess vegetables to local pantries. And as we grow to include more urban gardeners, we will also strive to
share our bounty with the extended community.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Though he works and worries, the farmer
Never reaches down to where the seed turns
into summer. The earth grants.
– Rainer Maria Rilke
Source: GardenGuides.com
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Mondays, 3/5/12; 3/12/12; 3/19/12; 3/26/12
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Episcopal Cathedral of the Incarnation
Conference Room C
4 E. University Parkway
Baltimore, MD 21218
For more info, contact Angela Smith
Please RSVP by February 21, 2012
Baltimore Food & Faith Volunteer Ambassador Training Program
Is Food & Faith something that you’re passionate about? Have you been
thinking about how you can get more involved in the Good Food Movement?
Here’s your chance!!
Once a week for four weeks, the BFFP will gather our new Food & Faith
Ambassadors-in-Training to equip them with the knowledge and skills
needed to reach out to faith communities and talk about how our food system
relates to environmental stewardship, healthy food accessibility, social and
economic justice, humane farm animal treatment, and, of course, faith. Participants will learn about these different issues and how to raise them with
congregations, get some tips for how to give a presentation, and also how to
help a congregation turn what they’ve learned into action.
Light refreshments will be served at the beginning of each evening with a fun
potluck to end the program on the 26th. FREE (you’re doing us a favor!)
Monday, 3/5/12, 7:00 PM
Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Branch
400 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
For more info, visit Enoch Pratt Library
Friday, 3/9/12 at 3 PM to Sunday, 3/11/12 at
3 PM
Pearlstone Retreat and Conference Center
5425 Mt. Gilead Road
Reisterstown, MD 21136
For more info, visit Kayam Farm
Jonathan Bloom talks about his book, American Wasteland: How America
Throws Away Nearly Half its Food (and What We Can Do About It)
Grocery prices and the forsaken foods at the back of your refrigerator seem to
increase weekly. After reading American Wasteland, you will never look at
your shopping list, refrigerator, plate or wallet the same way again. A journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post,
and Boston Globe, Bloom wades into the garbage heap to unearth what our
squandered food says about us, why it matters, and how you can make a difference starting in your own kitchen -- reducing waste and saving money. A
booksigning will follow the program. FREE
Kayam Farm Beit Midrash 2012: Shmittah & Society
Join an intergenerational, pluralistic community of Jewish farmers, rabbis,
educators, scholars, and consumers from across the country to learn about:
1) Focus on Shmittah/Sabbatical Year; 2) Experiential Learning on Seder Zera’im/Jewish Agricultural Laws; 3) Chakirot Investigations/What do you
want to teach?; 4) Jewish communal prayer, celebration, and rituals; and 5)
New Kids Programming. Cost ranges from $40/day for commuters to $500
for a private room, with several fee options in between (includes all meals).
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Questions or comments, please e-mail us at [email protected], or call 410-502-5069.