Tomorrow, Slow Food Atlanta is taking part in a National Day of Action, raising awareness for Slow Food USA’s Time for Lunch campaign to bring real food back into school lunchrooms. Below is a letter to the editor that I wrote this week, explaining why I’m participating tomorrow. The day begins at 8:00 a.m. working in the gardens of Coan Middle School & Edgewood Community Learning Garden, followed by music, cooking demos, sign making, a parade and bring-your-own picnic lunch at Piedmont Park. Hope to see you for what promises to be a beautiful Saturday!   

To the Editor:

From starting a school garden, to restocking a food bank, to lending a hand during harvest, thousands of folks are coming together this weekend to break ground on local projects and help create a world where food is good for you, good for the grower and good for the planet. At the end of the day, we’ll break bread to celebrate our efforts.  This Saturday, September 25, Slow Food Atlanta is joining hundreds of other chapters around the country for Slow Food USA’s first-ever “Dig In!” Together, we’ll be sending the message that it is time to change our food system for the better! Together, we’re creating a food system that is good, clean and fair.

I’m supporting Atlanta’s “Dig In!” because it’s time to get real about the food we’re feeding our kids at school. In the classroom, they’re learning about literature, math, science, world history and more. But in the lunchroom, they’re learning about high sodium, fat and poor health choices. It’s time to create a food system that works. It’s time to get back to the basics of whole, fresh and fair. It’s what our kids deserve.

Part of Slow Food USA’s Time for Lunch campaign to bring real food back into school lunchrooms, Atlanta’s “Dig In!” will engage the community through volunteer garden workdays at Coan Middle School and Edgewood Community Learning Garden, followed by a gathering and picnic lunch at Piedmont Park. Park activities will include sign making, a parade and kids cooking demonstrations. Won’t you join me and thousands of others this Saturday to celebrate good food for all?

Sincerely,
Jennifer Maley
Atlanta, GA

We’ve told you before about our affection for farmers markets. We wanted to mention, too, that Jennifer blogs for the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Topics include weekly chef demos, seasonal produce tips and recipes, and farmers market issues and advocacy. Check out this week’s post about what it means for a market to be “producer-only” and for some really interesting stats on how buying local affects Georgia’s economy. 

Shouldn’t every season have its own Thanksgiving? This summer, I’ve given thanks for blueberries and melons, arugula and cucumbers, corn and peppers…and for an incredible event called the Southern Chefs Potluck, held last month under the pavilion of The Inn at Serenbe. Imagine an idyllic summer day in the country, complete with the requisite afternoon downpour. Then imagine that day filled with 5 or 6 farm tables brimming with dishes from the region’s best chefs – Anne Quattrano, Hugh Acheson, Billy Allin, Steven Satterfield, Joe Truex, Kevin Gillespie, Linton Hopkins, Shaun Doty, Ford Fry, Marie Nygren, Dan Latham, Hilary White and Michel Nischan – accompaniments to White Oak Pastures beef prepared by Jim-n-Nick’s BBQ and fried chicken legs from The Farmhouse at Serenbe. Oh, and another four farm tables of dessert potluck. Last, whistles were wet with Farmhouse mint tea and “Shine On Punch” (yes, that kind of ‘shine) mixed by Greg Best of Holeman & Finch.

I couldn’t help but think of it as a southern summer Thanksgiving. And it was an event where the giving was just as important as the receiving. Hosted by Serenbe, the Southern Foodways Alliance Skillet Brigade, and Georgia Organics, the Potluck benefited Wholesome Wave Georgia, a non-profit founded to encourage and support increased production, availability and access to fresh, healthy and affordable locally grown food for all communities. I was really inspired by Wholesome Wave’s Double Value Coupon program – it doubles the value of Federal Food Stamps when used at participating farmers markets nationwide. Especially in the middle of such a bountiful and beautifully prepared harvest, I was moved by the important work Wholesome Wave is doing to make local food an accessible option for everyone.

You'll notice a few things in the photos: 1) I couldn't say no to a dish at this potluck (favorites included Ford Fry's gooey mac & cheese, Kevin Gillespie's creamy potato salad inspired by his granny, Steven Satterfield's bright succotash, Anne Quattrano's fried okra, Marie Nygren's peppery fried chicken and Jim-n-Nick's juicy sliders made with White Oak Pastures beef). 2) I LOVE dessert. It is a beautiful thing.