Good Food for All

Daily Digest: Takin' it to the Streets, Local Food Jobs and June Events

Black Oaks Center for Sustainable Renewable Living is hiring through the Put Illinois to Work program. All applicants must be financially challenged, between 18-21 living with parents or 18 or older with children 17 or younger. Click here to see possible positions and here to download an application.  

There are now USDA People's Gardens in every state across the country. 

Chefs Move to Schools is a new initiative as part of the Let's Move campaign to combat childhood obesity.  Click here to view a map of participating chefs and schools in the Chicago region.  

Upcoming Events on Saturday, June 19: 

The Health and Wellness Fair at Takin' it to the Streets festival on Saturday, June 19 will have a Faith + Justice workshop session on healthy corner stores. Click here to learn more. 

Angelic Organics Learning Center will be hosting its Summer Solstice Celebration this Saturday, June 19 in Woodlawn.

Take a tour with Chicago Public Radio of Growing Home's Wood St. Farm. 

Daily Digest: Sustainable Agriculture in Illinois and Connecting to Midwest Farms

Websites connecting farmers to land, farmers to consumers, and growers to growers are increasing in presence and popularity.  Grist features an article on the Midwest Farm Connection, a project of The Land Connection in Illinois.   

A schedule for the 2010 Sustainable Agriculture Farm Tours is now available, sponsored by Illinois Extension. 

If you didn't make it to the FamilyFarmed Expo or the Chicago Food Policy Summit last week, you can view photos of the event at OrganicNation.tv. 

The U.S. Department of Justice commenced hearings on an antitrust lawsuit in agriculture.  In related news, seed prices for corn and soybeans have skyrocketed over the past year. 

Chicago Tribune investigates the "food label jungle."

Advocates for Urban Agriculture posted a revised plan for sustainable agriculture in Chicago. 

Daily Digest: Urban Agriculture Tour Re-cap, Roadside Advertising, and Local vs. Conventional Produce

On Nov. 19, legislators took a tour of urban farm sites in Chicago. Watch the WTTW recap on Chicago Tonight. 

Want to find out how much your produce travels? GOOD produced this graphical analysis of local vs. conventional produce based on data from Iowa. 

Ken Meter's work on "Mapping Minnesota's Food Industry" is profiled in Civil Eats. 

"Roadside Advertising in a Digital Age" webinar is available online until Dec. 19. 

Watch the "Grown in Detroit" trailer about The Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women, which offers agricultural training to young pregnant teens. 

Trailer 'Grown in Detroit' from Mascha Poppenk on Vimeo.

Daily Digest: Sustainable Farms in Illinois, Orchards in Chicago, and School Lunches

An article on North Central Illinois farms features interviews with local food advocates to understand what it means to be 'sustainable.'  

The number of Illinois' farmers markets is increasing, from 280 this year to potentially 300 in 2010.

The Chicago Rarities Orchard Project (CROP) is looking for potential sites in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood.   

For a school lunch legislative update, click here.  The New York Times and The Washington Post both feature articles this week on providing students with healthy lunch choices. 

University of Illinois Extension-Winnebago County is hosting an Openfields Fall 2009 Farm Tour, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17.  To become a farm destination and view details, click here. 

Daily Digest: Chicago congregations take on food access role

Churches on Chicago's South and West Sides are providing access to fresh food for congregants. 

Illinois Extension will be hosting two sustainable agriculture farm tours in August. 

Featured video (via OrganicNation.TV and Community Beat): 

Cob Connection and the Food Pantry Teen Leadership Program 

CenterPortion in Logan Square is offering three screenings of FRESH, the movie. 

Food stamps are becoming easier to use at farmers' markets. 

Snapshot on Vermont: A mobile poultry slaughterhouse. 

Blog Roll Tuesday

Here is a sample of local food and agriculture news in the Chicago foodshed from this week: 

University of Illinois Extension's blog, Locally Grown:  HB3990 Illinois Food, Farms, and Jobs Act passed the Illinois General Assembly. 

Food Works' blog, Eat Southern Illinois:  The first event in the state-wide Organic Farm Field Days series begins Friday, June 12th.  The first farm tours will focus on beginning organic farmers and choice to certify or not. 

The Local Beet announces a sweepstakes to win 2 tickets to Growing Home's benefit on June 11th. Simply submit a true story describing why or how you've changed the way you shop for food. 

Real Food Challenge announces its Midwest Real Food Training in Ames, IA for students and young activists interested in local food, July 11-13th. 

The online food marketplace is taking off with new innovations, according to a recent Wired article.  FarmsReach is a new interweb tool to connect farms directly with restaurants.