This Sunday: Sustainable Food + Farm Expo 2014 to Benefit Audubon Greenwich

A few months back, we checked out Audubon Greenwich for the first time with our friend Julia.  The purpose of our visit?  Their annual Hawkwatch Festival & Green Bazaar!  Not only did we get to see lots of birds of prey and hawks as part of a demo given by Bill Robinson, but we also learned some tips for identifying different hawks and birds as they pass by.  Believe it or not, they have people actively watching the skies at Audubon Greenwich to keep tallies on how many of different kinds of birds, hawks, eagles, vultures, and other species pass through Greenwich.  The culmination of the day was watching the Audubon staff release a hawk they had rehabilitated be released.  They threw him off the balcony of their main building and at first he was a bit unsteady, but then he suddenly burst out, flying away, twisting in loops as he discovered he was better and free.

This is just a tiny portion of the great work, education, and activities that Audubon Greenwich has to offer, so helping them to keep doing this great stuff is important.  Well, we’re happy to share how easy it will be to help out this Sunday, March 9, from 10-5 pm!  At that time you can attend the Sustainable Food & Farm Expo co-hosted with Fairfield Green Food Guide, costing $15 per person, $20 per couple, or $25 per family.  Profits from this day will go right to the Audubon Greenwich, so click right over and get your tickets now!

Now, what will you get with admission?

1)  20 exhibitors will on hand, providing samples, info, and some will give you the chance to buy their products

• Fairfield Green Food Guide, Slow Food Metro North, Fairfield County Farm Bureau, The Hickories Farm, Dirt Road Farm, On the Rocks Farm, HomeFront Farmers, Greenwich Community Gardens, My Pet Chicken, Bedford Bee, Red Bee Honey, Henri’s Reserve, Olivette, Shearwater Organic Coffee Roasters, GourGanics Salsa, Kaia Yoga & Café, Arogya Tea, Simple Cheesemaking, Fresh Nation, and Natural Awakenings.

2)  A local organic restaurant will be on hand, providing juices, snacks, and lunches if you’d like to make a day of it

3)  There are a bunch of great, free, workshops that you can attend:

• 11:00 am:  Chicken Keeping for Beginners – Are you considering keeping chickens? You don’t have to go it alone! Traci Torres of My Pet Chicken runs a website chock full of resources and will share her expertise in person to help beginners get the very best start with their own chickens.
• 12:00:  Soil Food Web with Jeff Cordulack of Audubon Greenwich Tiny one-celled bacteria, algae, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, micro-arthropods, and small vertebrates are directly responsible for plant health and the flavor, quality, and nutrient value of the foods we eat. Learn about these soil food web heroes and to better care for these unseen, essential allies.
• 1:00 pm:  Beekeeping for Beginners Are you finally ready for your own hives? Don’t miss this talk with beekeeping expert and educator DJ Havercamp of Bedford Bee where you’ll learn the basics of getting started as a successful backyard beekeeper.
• 2:00 pm:  Cultivating A Community of Gardeners – We can all play a role in our community as local green stewards, productive gardeners and public health champions. Patty Sechi, Founder and President of Greenwich Community Gardens, shares her experience at the Armstrong Court Community Organic Garden and the New Bible Street Community Garden in Cos Cob and answers your questions about how you can support this healthy, community-building initiative.
• 3:00 pm:  Growing Your Own Food Organically – Planning your edible spring garden, but in need of some advice? Organic gardening expert John Carlson of Homefront Farmers will discuss best practices for a successful edible garden. Homefront Farmers designs and builds attractive, high quality fenced raised bed gardens and provides garden planning, planting and maintenance services to clients throughout Fairfield County.

4)  There are also five different tasting workshops that you can take part in that are $10 extra (make sure to reserve your spot online)

• 11:30 am:  $10 Organic Dark Chocolate Tasting Workshop with Analiese Paik of the Fairfield Green Food Guide. Learn to taste fine dark chocolate like a pro using all 5 senses. Taste and evaluate 4 high-quality, dark organic chocolates while learning about the fascinating story behind chocolate, properties of fine chocolate, and efforts to protect and preserve rare cacao.
• 12:30 pm: $10 Artisan Honey Tasting Workshop: Taste limited harvest, single-origin honeys of the US with author and founder of The American Honey Tasting Society and Red Bee Honey, Marina Marchese; book signing follows.           
• 1:30 pm:  $10 Extra Virgin Olive Oil Tasting Workshop: Taste some of the finest, award-winning, single varietal olive oils from the latest harvest.  Talk/tasting/education with Alina Lawrence, a certified olive oil sensory analyst who received her training from The National Organization of Olive Oil Tasters (O.N.A.O.O.) in Imperia, Italy, and the owner of Olivette.
• 2:30 pm: $10 Cheesemaking for Beginners Workshop – Artisan cheesemaker and organic farmer Carol Lake will teach participants how to make two simple yet delicious fresh cheeses, Farmhouse Ricotta and Labneh.  Learn from a local expert and founder of Simple Cheesemaking what type of equipment you will need and the best ingredients to use to make cheese at home. Recipes and resource list included.
• 3:30 pm:  $10 Champagne Tasting Workshop featuring Boutique Champagnes from France’s finest, privately owned estates. Hosted by Ruth Frantz of Henri’s Reserve, the tasting will include several biodynamic Champagnes that are the new darlings of wine critics. Henri’s Reserve is a one-of-a-kind curated e-Boutique of small, family estate Champagnes, creative gifts and “first time” Champagne experiences. It has been featured in Elle, Epicurious, DuJour, UrbanDaddy, Traditional Home, Cottages & Gardens and on Fox News. They ship to 40 states.

5)  Food and drinks in the Oppenheimer Gallery featuring the watercolor and prints of John James Audubon’s Birds of Prey.

—

Sustainable Food & Farm Expo 2014

Date:  3/9

Time: 10-5 pm

Cost: $15 per person, $20 per couple, or $25 per family

Place:  Audubon Greenwich

Address:   613 Riversville Road

                     Greenwich, CT

About Audubon Greenwich:

The Audubon Greenwich mission is to engage and educate people to conserve, restore, and enjoy nature, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. The Audubon Center in Greenwich is also home to Audubon Connecticut, the state office of the National Audubon Society. http://greenwich.audubon.org

About Fairfield Green Food Guide:

The Fairfield Green Food Guide is a free online resource dedicated to providing Fairfield County consumers with local and sustainable food resources and news. This award-winning website helps guide consumers to farmers’ markets, CSAs, farm stands, organic and farm-to-table restaurants, specialty food retailers, and farm and food events. Fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com. Contact: Founder & Editor Analiese Paik at marketing@fairfieldgreenfooguide.com.