Renewing America’s Food Traditions: Slow Food, Local Food, and Backyard Biodiversity

When: Friday, August 6, 2010, 8 p.m.

Where: This event is part of The Amos Fortune Forum lectures held in the Meetinghouse located in Historic Jaffrey Center, 2 miles west of downtown Jaffrey, NH.

The increasing demand for food that is grown locally and sustainably offers significant opportunities and challenges for farmers and consumers alike. But how do we define “local” food, and how far do we really want to take this idea? Is it possible, or even desirable, for more of us to start growing a part of our own food? In a society that has encouraged us to expect all foods to be available all the time, how can we go “back to the future” and find greater meaning and satisfaction – beyond simply calories – in the food we eat? In short, how do we put the “culture” back in agriculture? Addressing such questions is essential if we are to reframe our perceptions of food and farming and achieve a greater balance – on both a personal and national level – in an era of both economic and climatic uncertainty.

Ben is the author of five books, including Taylor’s Guide to Heirloom Vegetables and Cider, Hard and Sweet. For more than 25 years he has worked as an editor -- for Yankee Publishing, Storey Communications, and (for the past 17 years) as Senior Editor for Chelsea Green Publishing, specializing in food and sustainable agriculture. In 2000 he joined the Slow Food movement, and a year later co-founded the Slow Food Monadnock Region chapter. Currently he serves as Chairman of Slow Food USA’s Biodiversity Committee and as a Director of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, based in Italy. He is also a consultant for the RAFT (Renewing America’s Food Traditions) Alliance, promoting American apple diversity and culture. In 2007 he established Monadnock Heritage Nursery, a nonprofit project dedicated to preserving regional and heirloom varieties of apples and other tree fruits.

Cost: Free

For more information, go to http://www.amosfortune.com/index.html