Hey locavores, what goodies did you find?

VALENTINE’S CHOCOLATE WITH A CONSCIENCE
If you don’t buy Thomas Sweets treats from our local chocolate shop, Buy Fair Trade chocolate for Your Valentine Today!  Here are a few spots that sell Fairly Traded products: The Bent Spoon, Around the World, Whole Earth Center, Ten Thousand VillagesBlue Ridge Mountain, green design, McCaffreys, Bon Appetit

GREEN SCHOOLS MEETING 2/15
Don’t miss the Green Schools Coalition Meeting, Wednesday, February 15th
2012 at 7:30 p.m. at Infini-T Cafe on Hulfish Steet, Princeton.
If you care about greening our schools, this is the discussion to attend!  Go to:
http://bit.ly/zdBNPa to learn more.

“It will be great for your group to have part of our Energy
Efficiency Improvement TEAM available for questions”
-Norm Torkelson, Facilities Manager, Hopewell Valley Schools about his team’s attendence at the Green Schools Coalition meeting, Wednesday, February 15th.

EAST BRUNSWICK– NJ, February 12, 2012 – The Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission is hosting the First Indoor Winter Farmers Market on Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at the Community Arts Center located at 721 Cranbury Road, East Brunswick. Free parking and admission–bring your own shopping bags.

Vendors’ products will include grass-fed beef, cheese, all natural poultry, eggs, pickles, salsa, wine, local honey, bee hive kits and supplies, bakery goods, fresh locally roasted coffee, fresh pasta and ravioli, spring flowers, early spring crop seedlings, lavender products, hand crafted vegetable based soaps, hot pepper sauces, beer making kits, jams, alpaca wool, and pet treats. Additionally, information will be available on Rutgers Gardens, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), organic produce delivery, permaculture, composting, backyard poultry, beekeeping and more.

During the warm growing season, community members enjoy farm fresh products from the Rutgers Gardens or the Highland Park Farmers’ Markets. The indoor facility at the East Brunswick Community Arts Center provides an outlet that offers protection from the winter cold. Extending the “Buy Local” season will further help to decrease the communities’ dependence on energy used for transportation of goods, increase the economic stability by supporting local jobs, and increase availability of farm-to-table products that provide fresher, healthier foods. “For many years, we have been told to ‘Think Globally and Act Locally’.” said James White,  Township Administrator. “Supporting our local farmers is an easy and affordable way to do just that. I encourage everyone in the area to support this first time event, and I hope that it becomes a recurring program for years to come.” For more information on the East Brunswick Winter Farmers Market visit www.friendsebec.com.

The East Brunswick Winter Farmers Market is sponsored by the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, a 501C3 organization dedicated to local environmental education and conservation.

Posted by Dave on February 3, 2012
New York, New York – January, 31 2012 - It was standing room only as family farmers from around North America filled Federal Court Judge Naomi Buchwald’s courtroom in Manhattan on Tuesday, January 31.  The topic was the landmark organic community lawsuit OSGATA et al v. Monsanto and the Oral Argument Monsanto’s pre-trial motion to dismiss which it filed last July….read more

Let’s discover what Slow Food is all about in Central Jersey. You can learn what Slow Food is at Slow Food USA.  Here you will find that in the general sense it is “an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is part of a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members in over 150 countries, which links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.”  At  Slow Foods USA, From Plate to Planet, you’ll find the work that Slow Food has been doing to strengthen the connection between the food on our plates and the health of our planet.  And at Good, Clean, and Fair, you will see that “Slow Food USA is part of a global movement, which believes everyone has the right to good, clean, and fair food. With over 250,000 supporters, 25,000 members and 225 chapters nationwide, Slow Food USA advocates for food and farming policy that is good for the public, good for the planet, and good for farmers and workers.”  And now, you can learn from the Founder of Slow Food Central New Jersey,  Jim Weaver, about how all of these ideas tie in with our local neighborhoods.  Look for his newly published book Locavore Adventures: One Chef’s Slow Food Journey .  Enjoy a touch of history of Slow Food in our very own neighborhood. Jim is chef/owner of Tre Piani in Princeton’s Forrestal Village. What do you say…let’s celebrate our local hero!

Leonard Lopate…he’s rockin’ today! Talking about eating local, composting, organic foods…♥

The Leonard Lopate Show: Michael Pollan’s Illustrated Food Rules – WNYC.

How is fresh local produce sourced in New Jersey during the winter months? Click on the Zone 7 link below:

Zone 7: Fresh From Local Farms To Restaurants & Grocers In NJ And Eastern PA!.

Here is a fabulous event for everyone…from farmers and foodies to homeowners! Don’t miss the NOFA-NJ Winter Conference in Princeton NJ.  Sessions include information on the home landscape, homesteading, foraging, permaculture, raw milk, organic food production for beginner and advanced farmers, pastured poultry, marketing, and so much more! Take a look here: NOFA-NJ Winter Conference