An Invitation.

For the last few months, I've been really excited to be working with some folks in the community towards forming a food policy council for our city and county. This is the continuation of work that I've been doing in the community gardening realm for over 12 years now, and it feels like a culmination of many years of work among many people and groups. I feel really grateful about the critical mass of individuals in our community who realize that a true foodtopia (as the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau calls us) is one in which ALL people have access to affordable, nutritious, culturally appropriate food, not just those that can afford dinner at a farm-to-table restaurant. A true foodtopia is also one in which the food supply is local and sustainable, which makes us more self-reliant as a community. (this is referred to by the term Food Sovereignty).

The process we went through this summer led to the creation of a White Paper that makes a recommendation for a Food Policy Council. I and City Councilman Gordon Smith will be presenting this paper at two different venues in September: on the 16th as a part of the Eat Smart, Move More conference on the campus of UNCA, and at the Burton Street Agricultural Fair taking place on September 24th. We hope you will join in the conversation, and lend your voice to help form a cohesive way forward in regards to poverty, public health, local commerce, and sustainability through food security.

Check out the Press Release here, and read the entire White Paper here.
I think it will work, if we work together.

Rites of Spring!

On Sunday, May 1st, at the French Broad Food Coop in downtown Asheville, from 4 to 10 pm, Bountiful Cities, Asheville’s urban agriculture and sustainability organization, and French Broad Food Coop, Asheville’s community-owned natural grocery store, will co-host Rites of Spring, an outdoor celebration of spring featuring food, beer, wine, live music, children’s activities, and an old-fashioned Maypole dance celebration!
May Day has a rich history. It began as an ancient celebration of fertility and new growth, and, more recently, is known as International Worker’s Day, celebrating organized labor movements all over the world. The communities that make up Bountiful Cities and French Broad Food Coop think that it’s the perfect holiday to celebrate 35 years of our community-owned grocery store and 10 years of community-based urban agriculture in Asheville!
Colorful Palate will cater the event with savory veggie sides and Hickory Nut Gap Farm and Carolina Bison Meats. Miss Glo and David A will pour tasty brews from Wedge and Pisgah Breweries, as well as wine from Marco’s Pizzeria and French Broad Food Coop, and Short Street Cakes will provide cupcakes. Festivities begin with a May Day ceremony at 4pm. Music opens with the May Day chorus at 5pm, followed by Jason Daniello of Clouds of Greer playing a solo set at 6pm, Shane Perlowin of the Aleuchatistas playing a solo set at 7:15, and Silver Machine headlining at 8:30.
Wristbands to drink are $2 and drinks are by donation. Food is $10 per ticket and kids eat free with purchase of adult ticket.
Proceeds from the event will go to paying Bountiful Cities’ last mortgage payment on the Pearson Drive Community Garden in Montford. The mission of Bountiful Cities is “to create, on urban land, beautiful community spaces that produce food in abundance and foster a learning environment for social justice and sustainability.”
Other sponsors include Marco’s Pizzeria, Jack’s Boxes, Asheville Grown Business Alliance, and Peter Parpan illustration and design.
Rain Location is the pavilion at the Pearson Drive Community Garden in Montford.

Grassroots Revival this Sunday!

This Sunday, from 4-8 pm at the Pearson Garden in Montford, Bountiful Cities will be hosting our annual Grassroots Revival- a chance for people and groups working for social change and sustainability to get together, socialize, and foment creativity and change in our communities! Bring a dish to share, beverages, and your own eating utensils. Rain or shine... see you there and spread the word!

8th Annual Bountiful Cities Project Birdhouse Auction and Garden Party!

And it's not too late to turn in your birdhouse! Awesome prizes awarded to the top three birdhouses!

Held at Christopher's Garden in East West Asheville (around the corner from the Cake Shop, and behind the Rocket Club) our 8th annual birdhouse auction will feature birdhouses by local artists bid on by real live people, and auctioned off by the fabulous Jen Lauzon of LaZoom Tours! Beer, wine, refreshments from Slow Food, community and a good cause. Come on out... it will be lots of fun! Rain Location: Inside the Rocket Club! The BCP Birdhouse Auction raises funds to support work at the Pearson Drive Community Garden, Shiloh Community Garden, Joyner, Burton Street, Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park, and other gardens all over the city of Asheville. The mission of Bountiful Cities is "to create, on urban land, beautiful community spaces which produce food in abundance and foster a learning environment for social justice and sustainability."

Call to Artists! Bountiful Cities' 8th Annual Birdhouse Auction is now accepting submissions!

The Bountiful Cities project is now accepting donations of handcrafted birdhouses, bat houses, birdbaths, and yard art for its 8th annual birdhouse auction! Deadline for submission is May 1st. This year’s auction will be held on May 15th at 307 Flash Studios (behind the Rocket Club in East-West Asheville) and will be emceed by Jen Lauzon of LaZoom Tours! Submissions can be dropped off at Short Street Cakes, 225 Haywood Rd. in West Asheville; or at Honeypot at 85 N. Lexington Ave Downtown. Artists most fill out submission form at drop off location. Submissions will be displayed and juried: prizes will be awarded for the top 3 birdhouses. For specs on creating birdhouses for specific species of birds, go here.
The mission of the Bountiful Cities Project is to create, on urban land, beautiful community spaces which provide food in abundance and foster a learning environment for social justice and sustainability. Ashevillebcp@gmail.com 828.257.4000 www.bountfulcitiesproject.org

Core Values of the Bountiful Cities Project

As a member of the Board of Directors of the Bountiful Cities Project (and having been active in this organization for 9 years), I spent time last week with the rest of the board and staff to develop our organization; as a part of our ongoing strategic planning process, we identified four core values that guide our work as an organization. These values were inspiring to me, and I wanted to share them with you. This is the work of BCP- to work with communities in Asheville to enliven community self-reliance through urban agriculture.

Our work is guided by commitments to four key values of Community, Social Justice, Education, and Sustainability. I believe that challenging our assumptions about what these words mean, and working to live in integrity with these goals, just might be what brings about the much-needed healing that is possible in our communities and society.

Community
Healthy communities consist of: shared and diverse cultures, cooperation, safety, support, health, respect, trust, self-reliance, and love; within and among individuals, families, and groups. Bountiful Cities is committed to fostering healthy human relationships by nurturing these community values.


Social Justice
Bountiful Cities is committed to ending oppression based on race, class, gender, culture, age, religion, and sexuality and to creating social justice by honoring and practicing cooperation and mutual respect.

Education
Education is a lifelong process involving the shared exchange of knowledge and experience. Bountiful Cities is committed to supporting this shared exchange by role modeling, and by providing inspiring events, programming, and experiential education.

Sustainability
Sustainability is the equal balance between environmental health, social equity, and economic viability. Bountiful Cities is committed to sustainability through integrated food systems, food security, food production and job creation.



Happy New Year, Y'all.
xo
Jodi

2nd Annual Food security Forum December 5th!

Urban Harvest Dinner: So Lovely!

Last Friday's Urban Harvest Dinner benefit for the Bountiful Cities Project was nothing short of magical. I want to share with you some images (by Naomi Johnson Photography) of the evening, and some information about the generous and amazing donors who made the benefit a success. I am always amazed at small businesses in Asheville, and the readiness to pitch in that so many business owners show. Please support these businesses who support your community! The Bountiful Cities Project is growing in new and exciting directions, and the Urban Harvest Dinner served to bring a wider group of supporters to the table, as well as helping us to envision the continued use of the Pearson garden for community celebrations in the future.

The most beautiful outhouse in Buncombe County; Pearson Garden's handbuilt cob composting toilet with living roof:


Hearth-keeper/baker-lady extraordinaire Tara Jensen baked focaccia on the Pearson Garden's community wood-fired cob oven. The DELICIOUS dough was given to us by Farm and Sparrow! Thanks Tara! Thanks, Dave!

And I cannot emphasize enough how impressive the work of the chefs was.
This is Chef Mauricio and Chef Vinnie of Artisan Catering:

And this is the meal that they prepared: spinach salad, beet salad, parsnip-carrot puree, mashed potatoes, smoked trout corn cakes and sun-dried tomato salsa, and Le Chon with red onions.

And this is Chef Andrew of Chef in Motion, showing off their offerings, which consisted of a mixed greens salad with roasted beets, candied walnut goat cheese crest, smoked bacon and stone ground mustard vinegarette; apple encrusted NC trout with romesco sauce; stuffed pork loin with sausage and mushroom ragout roulade over adobo sauce; and tomatillo lime roasted potatoes (grown on-site at the Pearson garden!)

There are so many others to thank.
Shay Brown, of Shay Brown Events and Palettes of Perfection, worked her magic to bring together vendors, decorations, and all the little details that can be overlooked, but make all the difference.

Pisgah Brewing donated the beer!
The Wine Guy gave us a discount on the wine!
Mountain Foods and the Fresh Quarter donated the produce that was not grown in the gardens. (let me just stop here and thank Ron, owner of these two businesses and also the Grove Corner Market, for being such a badass for the local community. In my 8 years of living here and working on community projects, I have always known these businesses to give back to the community consistently and kindly. Ron even gave me a pat on the back for working on this... while agreeing to give me lots of food for free. Rock on, Ron.)
Greenlife Grocery: Thanks Sam!
Sunburst Trout Company! Yum! Thank you!
Hickory Nut Gap Farm: Thank you, Jaime, for the sausage! Y'all rock!
And, for dessert, there was a collaboration between little old me, AKA Short Street Cakes, and my friends Braden and Mindy's Farm: Good Times Farms! They grew the sweet potatoes that went into the sweet potato spice cupcakes. Thanks, y'all!
Fast Lit Fuse also provided the musical entertainment for the evening. Thank y'all so much for all your hard work! It was a beautiful event!


For more information about the Bountiful Cities Project, or to find out how to get involved, go to www.bountifulcitiesproject.org. Together we can return our cities to living on a more sustainable, more connected, and more just food system! We can start right here, in Asheville, one garden at a time.

Bountiful Cities Project Urban Harvest Dinner!

On Friday September 25, 2009, The Bountiful Cities Project, Asheville’s Urban Agriculture and Food Security organization, will host the first of a series of “BCP’s Urban Harvest Dinners,” at the Pearson Drive Community Garden in Montford. The dinners are elegant, on-garden evenings to raise funds for BCP’s ongoing outreach and education programs in many community gardens and urban farms throughout the city of Asheville.

BCP’s September 25th Urban Harvest Dinner features a line-up of top-notch local businesses donating their time, talents and resources; including Shay Brown Events, Artisan Catering, Chef Mo, Short Street Cakes, Mountain Foods & the Fresh Quarter, East Coast Entertainment, the Wine Guy, Naomi Johnson Photography, and many others. The menu will feature ingredients grown at Bountiful Cities Gardens throughout Asheville, as well as other local food from other sources. There will be a cocktail hour with a demonstration on using the community wood-fired bread oven to bake fresh foccacia appetizers; salads, sides and fantastic entrées prepared by Chefs Mauricio and Mo; local sweet potato cupcakes from Short Street Cakes for dessert; and ample opportunities to learn about BCP’s work in the movement towards true food security for everyone in Asheville, as well as opportunities to get involved! Tickets are $60 each and are available for online purchase at www.bountifulcitiesproject.org. Tickets are limited.

What is food security? It is the right we all have to clean, healthy, accessible, affordable food. BCP thinks the best way to ensure true food security is to make our food systems more sustainable by growing food in the city. The Bountiful Cities Project has been working “on the ground” to connect communities to their food in Asheville’s diverse neighborhoods for almost a decade. Committed to urban agriculture, BCP has transformed urban land into community food production spaces, helped communities such as Montford, Stephens-Lee, Shiloh, Burton Street, Joyner Ave, Vance Elementary, Hall Fletcher Elementary, and Pisgah View develop their own community gardens and has contributed resources and programming to education regarding food security. BCP’s demonstration gardens- the Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park in the Stephens-Lee Community, and the Pearson Drive Community Garden in Montford- continue to be the flagship gardens of the organization’s work. To learn more go to www.bountifulcitiesproject.org.