The October DC Food Blogger Happy Hour will be hosted by the new Carmine's DC. Our group will be in a private room with bar. Enjoy delicious generous appetizers. Come hungry! Specialty drinks will be available as well as beer & wine. Lisa Shapiro of Dining in DC will be the "hostess with the mostest" this month. Hope to see you there!

Carmine's DC

425 7th St., NW
Washington, DC

I believe it is important to learn where your food comes from. I love going to the farmers marking and finding vendors such as Ayrshire Farmers for my eggs, meat and veggies - who I know and trust. After all these recalls- does it make you start to wonder? Did you know 50% of eggs for all 50 states comes from 5 states? With the out break in salmonella in over billions of eggs ones can only starting thinking about how this happened, the mass production of food these days and what we can do to stop it. As Josh Viertel writes about eggs - "In fact, there are so many unpleasant realities in this story, that we still don’t know exactly which elements contributed to the presence of salmonella—cramped cages, mouse droppings, dead insects, chicken feed containing chicken bone meal. But it’s not just a story about eggs, of course." Josh goes on to talk about Slow Food and their campaign to demand better control of more accountability from our food industry to ensure the health of all Americans.

The Inedible Egg video below is just one part of Slow Food USA's Egg campaign for better control and more accountability in our food systems. Among its demands, Slow Food is calling on government to:

• Hold corporations and their leaders accountable for knowingly letting tainted products enter the food supply.
• Ensure that the USDA and the FDA communicate better with each other.
• Simplify food safety regulation and focus attention on notoriously bad actors.

Crucially, the group is calling for government to differentiate its approach to regulation and inspection when it comes to small and family farms, as opposed to large, industrialized operations. Arguing that the decentralized, less-intensive nature of small farms mean the risks of mass outbreaks is greatly lessened, while the potential impact of restrictive legislation are greatly increased due to economies of scale, Slow Food is calling for legislators to support an amendment to food safety legislation that exempts small farm and food facilities and farmers who directly market their products to consumers, stores or restaurants.

The Story Behind Your Food: Learning from Salmonella : Slow Food USA

Interesting Articles on the Egg Recall from Politico and Treehugger

Check Out Slow Food DC

The Board of Slow Food DC has been working hard on creating a new website, image and events to get DC more involved in the movement. Slow Food DC organizes dinners, tastings, tours, lectures, and picnics, exploring the richness of our area’s culinary heritage as well as food and drink from other cultures around the world. We hope you will come get more involved!

Please check out the new Snail of Approval:

The Slow Food DC Snail of Approvals aim to:

• Recognize and celebrate eateries and artisans who contribute good, clean, fair food to our community.
• Spread awareness of the Slow Food philosophy and the establishments that support it.

Each nomination will be examined by: the degree to which the establishment’s activities are congruent with the Slow Food DC mission in promoting and celebrating local, seasonal, and sustainable food sources; how much it is working to preserve the culinary traditions of the region’s ethnically and culturally diverse populations; and how it is supporting the right of all people to enjoy good, clean, fair food.

We are excited for the Pig Roast to Kick-Off the Slow Food DC “Snail of Approval” Program on October 3. Click here for more information.

MORE PICTURES FROM OITF

Ayrshire Farm
Upperville, VA
Friday, September 10, 2010

Outstanding In The Field 2010

Outstanding In The Field came to DC! It was so wonderful to see the gang and catch up with everyone. I miss the road so much! It was such an amazing summer going to farms across the country and learning about different type of food cultures, farming methods and recipes. Everyone looked healthy and excited to be in DC. I wish them the best of luck in finishing up this season. I wish I could tag along...but my new life in DC is full of new food adventures and good times.

RJ Copper with Rogue 24 cooked the dinner at Ayrshire Farm. I loved the Keswisk Creamy Blue Suede Moo- I am going to look for it in DC. It was wonderful. Cheers to a successful dinner! I am happy I was able to be part of 2010 OITF.

Menu Included:

Toigo Orchard Grilled Plums with House Made Formage Blanc and Country Ham
Ayrshire Farm Chicken Liver with Onion Jam and Bean Sprouts
Smoked Bacon, Cheddar & Apple Fitter

Ayrshire Farm Vel Kibbeh Nayyeh with Sunflower Shoots, Pickled Artichokes & Everona Piedmont

Ayrshire Farm field greens
Toigo Orchard Plums, Peaches & Nectarines with Keswick Creamery Blue Suede Moo

Pit Roasted Gloucestershire Old Spot Pig with Ayrshire Farm Braised Field Beans and Path Valley Blue Corn Meal Polenta

Fresh Link Asian Pear & Honey Crisp, Pecans and Trickling Springs Chantilly Cream