“Slow Food aims to be everything fast food is not.”

-USA Today

What is Slow Food?

Slow Food is an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Interested in getting involved in the Slow Food movement? For many of us who have been transitioning to local and organic, grass-fed and hormone-free, from scratch and with our children’s health in mind, Slow Food seems like the natural next step.

Slow Food Brandywine Valley is a newly formed chapter of the Slow Food movement, and they are holding a Meet-the-Board potluck tomorrow, Tuesday June 29th, from 6:00-8:00pm at Coverdale Farm. I met some members during the Summer Festival at the Newark Co-op a few weekends ago and they were super-nice, enthusiastic folks, who gave me some awesome recipes to try out.

This is the first real event for Slow Food Brandywine Valley, and FREE and open to the public. Bring a homemade, preferably seasonal dish; families are welcome! It’s a great opportunity to find out about SFBV’s mission, share recipes, ask questions, and meet other local peeps who care about real, vital food. And, there will be an opportunity to sign up for a SFUSA membership.

If you’re not familiar with Coverdale Farm, here’s a link to their webpage; click on directions. I would print them out, my GPS always kaputs in that area.

(This post is geared toward local peeps in New Castle County and thereabouts, but the rest of the country can find a local chapter on the Slow Food USA webpage.)

There is no love sincerer than the love of food.

~George Bernard Shaw

One of the highlights of my week is shopping at the farmers market at the Newark Co-op off Main Street. It’s like visiting with friends, plus I come home with all manner of yummy goodies and the satisfaction of supporting local farms and businesses. The kids go with me, pick out what they want, pick out what new things they’re willing to try, proudly unpack and show their dad the weekly haul, help create that night’s meal with as many of these fresh ingredients as possible. It’s a nice way to end the weekend.

When I first started going to the farmers market– I guess it’s two years ago now, how time flies– there were just a handful of tables. Things have really picked up and expanded and now I spend my Sunday afternoons, not just with my kids, but with a growing and vibrant community.

Our first stop these days is at the Wood Fired Pizza table, to put in our order for lunch. Yesterday I opted for spinach and feta, Jeff went for everything BUT spinach and feta (green pepper, onion, sausage, pepperoni). YUM. The pizzas are made to order and then baked in a beehive oven on the back of a Ford F250. Local peeps, you’ll want to “like” Wood Fired Pizza on Facebook for updates on where to find them and what toppings will be available.

Then, Maverick needs to have his weekly fix of Papa’s spring rolls.

Papa’s is a pastry shop that is located four blocks away from where we used to live in the city, and I can’t believe we didn’t take better advantage of the good things to eat. In addition to addictive spring rolls, Papa’s provides baked goods (often sugar or gluten free), breads and strombolis, cakes, and an assortment of lunch-y items, from soup to lasagnas (eggplant or meat) to dumplings to tempeh to gelato. A lot of these options are vegan or gluten free.

The first thing I ever bought from Papa’s was a Quiche Lorraine, so this nice man is forever nicknamed “quiche guy” within our family.

Papa’s also does wicked tasty wedding cakes, FYI.

Then it’s time for some local Eve’s Cheese, fruit and jams from Lockbriar Farms, veggies from Maple Hill Farm (they are located right near us and use draft horses rather than tractors, and their veggies are oh-my-god so cheap), salad greens from Calvert Farm and fresh eggs from Whimsical Farms. Over to Farm Stuff for herbs as needed, and homemade potato chips when they have them (they sell out fast and sometimes it takes me a while to get moving on a Sunday morn).

I like to buy from as many vendors as possible just ’cause I’m like that, but definitely each table has its strong points. I can’t claim favorites as to the people, though- they are all just as friendly as can be.

There are also artists, crafters, vendors selling plants and wool yarns, Big Sky Bread, and occasionally tables selling organic dog biscuits or worm tea. And oftentimes musicians. And on special days, like yesterday’s Summer Festival, you get local restaurants (Home Grown Cafe), a Slow Food table (more about them tomorrow), sunflower planting, something called Dinner Thyme Personal Chef Service that looks interesting (and had crazy tasty kohlrabi salad to sample), and lambs and face painting for the kids.

OK, now, I have to stop and talk about the face painter, Mr. Brady.

I go to a lot of kids events and I’ve seen a wide range of talent in the face painting category.

This guy was a freaking artist and really nice. He’d been painting all day and was obviously hot (people, it was HOT on that asphalt, I was dying), but he somehow had Cass comfortably chatting up a storm while he decorated her arm. The detail was incredible and he finished it off with just the right amount of glitter to make her dance with delight (given that she chose to wear her black motorcycle boots, she cut a comical figure).

My boys were bummed I wouldn’t let them get painted too (there were other, younger, kids in line and did I mention it was HOT?). I was bummed that he’s not local, just visiting, so I couldn’t talk to him about maybe designing my next tattoo. Especially when he asked me to read the back of his business card–

“We’ve entered as strangers, and soon we have friends.”

“That’s what it’s all about,” he said. I wasn’t confident enough to guess this on the spot like that, but I looked it up when I got home and confirmed it- that’s a quote from Harvey, one of my favorite movies as a kid (anything starring Jimmy Stewart, Katherine or Audrey Hepburn, WC Fields or the Marx Brothers safely falls into the category of “one of my favorite movies as a kid”). It goes like this:

Harvey and I sit in the bars… have a drink or two… play the juke box. And soon the faces of all the other people they turn toward mine and they smile. And they’re saying, “We don’t know your name, mister, but you’re a very nice fella.” Harvey and I warm ourselves in all these golden moments. We’ve entered as strangers – soon we have friends. And they come over… and they sit with us… and they drink with us… and they talk to us. They tell about the big terrible things they’ve done and the big wonderful things they’ll do. Their hopes, and their regrets, and their loves, and their hates. All very large, because nobody ever brings anything small into a bar.

Farmers markets are like that too. On the surface, we’re just getting our food for the week. But we warm ourselves in something bigger than that. Our ideals, and our health, and our community. Our kids. It’s a hell of a lot to put on a business card.

If you’re lucky enough to live in West Virginia, I highly recommend you consider Mr. Brady for your next birthday party, or event, or whimsically punk rock tattoo design 🙂

Is that beautiful or WHAT? Cass cried when she had to wash it off. I had to take lots of pictures first so she could show her friends.

Anyway, that’s how I spend my Sunday afternoons- focused on food and family. Usually a little less drama and introspection based on body paint.

Do you frequent a farmers market? Do you find they’ve profoundly affected the rhythm and focus of your weekends? I’m hoping that the vendors will speak with me a bit so I can give you a profile on each of them, look for that in the weeks ahead.

I’ve more tomatoes, green beans, and green peppers than I can possibly eat rolling in from my garden, and I’ve been cheating on my farmer’s market with a cute roadstand down the road.

So I didn’t need much this morning, and I spent only $21, which netted me:

• big basket of plums
• big basket of peaches (many were eaten on the way home)
• big basket of apples- I want to say Ginger Gold?
• big basket of red potatoes
• Cass insisted on a yellow squash, even though I still have a LOT
• and as ever, some Eve’s Cheese: jalapeno colby and smoked cheddar.

The other night I made oven french fries from the fingerling potatoes I bought at last week’s market. And no one would eat them because they tasted like sweet potatoes.

Are fingerlings actually baby sweet potatoes? Or is this vendor just mis-labeling?

Anyway, no big deal, I was happy to take on the fries, but there were some left over.

The next day, I got a powerful hunger for some Denny’s. I think maybe I overheard a commercial or something; that is some seriously viral marketing. I really really wanted some greasy spoon fare.

Did I succumb? In a manner of speaking, I guess. I cut those excess fries into home fries and made myself some eggs with peppers and onion and garlic-and-chive cheddar (Eve’s Cheese! Cannot say enough good things about these people!).

All ingredients local.

May I present…

One Local pseudo-Denny’s Southwestern Grand Slam….

(Oh my gosh, I just went onto the Denny’s website and found they no longer offer the Southwestern Slam! What a bummer! My brother is going to be so upset.)

Tomato Sauce Update: we have successfully made an acceptable tomato sauce, but we totally had to wing it. All the recipes I found online either involved tomato paste- which we didn’t have and I preferred not to use, to keep it local- or required completely insane numbers of tomatoes.

I know someone out there has a good sauce recipe!!! Please share!