Eating Local Foods (ELF) Fund Raising Event

Eating Local Foods (ELF) (http://sites.google.com/site/eatinglocalfoods/ ) is an organization started about 2 years ago around people committed to creating an infrastructure where locally grown foods can be grown and marketed to area families. ELF members are helping to build a more sustainable, local food system that improves the quality of life and protects the environment. ELF represents members from the 5 Counties in Ohio immediately to the West of Lucas County (Fulton, Henry, Defiance, Williams and Paulding. Members actively encourage everyone to visit and purchase from their local food producers.

ELF’s fund raiser was held on Friday evening at Zion Lutheran Church in Defiance Ohio. A “free-will” dinner was served featuring locally grown dishes from pulled-pork sandwiches and potato soups to home-made breads and desserts. There were 13 different displays that featured area locally owned businesses that was involved in some way with the area “locally-grown” foods efforts. Phil and Diane Sherry of Nothing But Nature (eMail: nothingbutnature@hotmail.com) is a certified organic gardener that grown vegetables, herbs and flowers. He also raises range lamb, goat and mutton for sale in the Greater Toledo Area. Talking to Phil and Diane revealed their plans this year to open in area villages, organic gardens in their town limits. Also in attendance and offering a display was John Short of Juillard Farm Natural Grass-Fed Beef (eMail: jdshort@live.com). John mentioned that his business also offers quality grass-fed meats to the Northwest Ohio Area. Also displayed was information on the Greater Toledo Urban-Ag efforts of the MultiFaith Council of NWOhio.

The highlight of the evening’s fund-raiser was a live concert offered by John McCutcheon (http://www.folkmusic.com/), folk-singer and humorist. John’s songs typically involve his stories of personal encounters set to music with hammer dulcimer, piano, auto-harp and violin. Barb and I picked up his newest CD, “Passage” which featured many songs played this evening.

ELF Upcoming Event

The “Everybody Eats – Workshops on Sustainable Agriculture” will take place on Saturday, April 2^nd from 8:00am to 4:30pm. Monique Tressler of the ELF Network will present “Buying Power: Your Influence on Local Food Trends starting at 1:30pm. Multi-Grazing Livestock Meat Production will be offered by Ralph and Brian Schlatter of Canal Junction Meats starting at 11:30a.m. Other presentations being planned include Organic Soil Building, High Tunnel Growing Year Round, Transitions into Organic Certification and Safe Food Handling and Growing Practices. For information on other presentations and contact details, visit http://eatinglocalfoods.eventbrite.com/?utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=evitefrnd&utm_term=eventimage .