Region 2000 Archives - Land and Table

Land and Table: Potluck and Forum with Grassroots Local Market – May 17

Jason F. — Tue, 10 May 2016 14:44:30 +0000

UPDATE: Our potluck and open forum tomorrow will feature Grassroots Local Market – a new co-op grocery store forming in downtown Lynchburg. They will be sharing their vision and ways for eaters and food producers to get involved.

The next Land and Table networking potluck and open forum is coming up next week on Tuesday, May 17 at Mountain Run Farm in northern Bedford County, Virginia. For over three years we have continued to host our monthly potlucks as a space for farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, and local food advocates to meet and encourage one another. These potlucks are not just events for us – but a small way that we can help cultivate community and build, even if slowly, a movement of people who are collectively passionate about transforming our food and farming culture in the Lynchburg, Virginia region. This is a national, if not worldwide, movement with a very local expression – unique to our own place. “Eating is an agricultural act” as the farmer/writer/poet Wendell Berry so famously said. Eating together is our way of not just remembering this truth but of reminding one another that agriculture is communal work. Too many of us, whether farmer or eater or somewhere inbetween – live a life that is saturated with the American ideal of the lone pioneer – we are carving out a path in business and life that we can claim is our own. But we are, like the the rest of creation, made for the ecology of community – the complex web of relational interdependence that makes up a healthy life. This is the vision for Land and Table – to cultivate the life of community, for a community of land-lovers and food advocates. These are not just potlucks, they are a slow means of cultivating a movement – of growing community. Will you be a part? Join us.

EVENT DETAILS:

When: Tuesday, May 17 (5-8 pm) (NOTE: come late if you cannot make it by 5pm but please RSVP.) 5:00-5:45: Arriving and networking 5:45-6:45: Eating and gabbing 6:45-7:45: Open Forum 7:45-8:00: Clean up Come Prepared By Bringing:

Food to share (the focus is on homemade and healthy and…yummy!)
Your own dishware (plates, forks, spoons, cups, etc – for your own use).
Lawn chairs (there will be benches as well).
An optional cash donation of any amount (if you benefit from and appreciate the work of Land and Table)
Dress appropriately – we plan on being outside.

Children are welcome. Dogs are discouraged. Friends and neighbors are encouraged to come along. Location: Mountain Run Farm – Showbarn – 1228 Charlemont Rd, Big Island, VA 24526 (Raine or shine! We will be meeting indoors)

RSVP: Here on the website or on Facebook.

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Lynchburg Area Local Food Movement: Potluck and Open Forum – April 19

Jason F. — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 15:14:48 +0000

EVENT DETAILS: (PLEASE NOTE TIME CHANGE!)

When: Tuesday, April 19 (5-8 pm) (NOTE: come late if you cannot make it by 5pm but please RSVP.) Come Prepared By Bringing:

Food to share (the focus is on homemade and healthy and…yummy!)
Your own dishware (plates, forks, spoons, cups, etc – for your own use).
Lawn chairs (there will be benches as well).
An optional cash donation of any amount (if you benefit from and appreciate the work of Land and Table)
Dress appropriately – we plan on being outside.

Location: Mountain Run Farm – Camp Sedalia – 1228 Charlemont Rd, Big Island, VA 24526 (In the event of rain we will meet at the Showbarn near the entrance as you come in)

RSVP: Here on the website or on Facebook.

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Land and Table Winter Break

Jason F. — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 19:48:11 +0000

we want to hear from you about the kind of forum topics, mini-workshops, skill-sharing sessions, guest-speakers, and work parties that you would like to see us focus on this year. Make your way over to our contact form and email us your ideas! Whether you have been a part of our monthly gatherings for some time or have never attended any of our events, there are a handful of ways that you can get involved in the Land and Table vision and mission: Join us for our Monthly Networking Potluck If you are a farmer, gardener or local food advocate and you have never joined us for our monthly gatherings please consider joining us – mark the third Tuesday (evenings) of each month, sign-up for our email updates and follow us on Facebook to get event details a week or two before each gathering. Host a Land and Table Gathering If you own a sustainable farm, organic garden, homestead or other local food/agriculture-related location in the Lynchburg/Bedford area and you would like to host one of our Land and Table monthly potluck gatherings please let us know. You must be able to accommodate parking and facilities for approximately 30 adults (and varied amounts of children). We often meet at Mountain Run Farm in northern Bedford County be we also like to tour other farms and projects who are involved in local food production and sustainable agriculture throughout the area. Become a Land and Table supporter Because Land and Table is a labor of love that we do on the side we have always operated on a shoe-string budget (or no budget at all). For three years we have hosted monthly networking potlucks but we have a vision to do more. We want to:

Develop Marketing Resources: Create a marketing program that local producers and food entrepreneurs can leverage to communicate the value of local food to the community.
Create a Local Buyers Guide: Create and publish an online directory and Local Buyer’s Guide for the Lynchburg area with a focus on sustainable and chemical-free farms, etc.
Host Regular Workshops: We often include educational aspects in our free monthly potlucks but there is often not enough time to dig in deeper. We would love to host more in-depth workshops on various food production and homesteading topics.

To sink our roots into this expanding vision we will need to re-imagine Land and Table as something more than a grassroots network. We have thrown around the idea of becoming a non-profit and we continue to lean into this possibility. Join us as we consider ways to resource this vision. This year we hope to start fundraising by releasing an original ‘Grow Local’ Land and Table t-shirt and bumper sticker that will be available on a per donation basis. Help us cultivate a lasting impact for food producers and eaters alike. Thank you! It’s been an honor to be a part of the growing Lynchburg/Bedford area local food movement over the past three years and we anticipate 2016 as being another important year of strengthening our regional foodshed and the families that it supports. Thank you to each of you who have and continue to be a part of the Land and Table community.]]>

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Cob Oven Pizza Social – Nov. 17

Jason F. — Mon, 09 Nov 2015 20:25:46 +0000

giving talks in the community, hosting monthly learning/socializing/discussion potlucks, helping organize a local farm-to-table fundraiser, advocating for the local food movement at the local government level, encouraging farming and homesteading skills, and helping to shift the food culture in our region. We are blessed by all of you who have been involved with our monthly gatherings and we count it a privilege to be a part of the good work of community-building and networking the local food movement in the Lynchburg area. To wrap up our year of monthly gatherings (we will not be meeting in December) we are gathering on Tuesday, November 17th (4 to 7pm) with a wood fired, cob oven baked, PIZZA SOCIAL! Just bring cheese for shredding and a topping or two to share. Learn about cob oven baking and tell stories around the campfire. Join us! And don’t forget to RSVP (see below). For those of you who can’t make it we’ll see you in January!

Event Details:

When: Tuesday, November 17 (4-7pm) (NOTE: time change back to 4-7 for the Winter months.) Come when you can (even late if needed) and leave when you need to. This will be a social event with no set agenda but eating and being together. Come Prepared:

Bring cheese for shredding and one or two pizza toppings to share.
Your own dishware (plates, forks, spoons, cups, etc – for your own use).
Lawn chair (there will be benches as well).
An optional cash donation of any amount (if you benefit from and appreciate the work of Land and Table)
Dress warm – there will be a campfire but we will be outside.(Please note: This is an outdoor, rain or shine event under picnic shelters)

Location: Camp Sedalia at Mountain Run Farm – pull in to the showbarn at 1228 Charlemont Rd, Big Island, VA 24526 but…keep driving straight back to the camp!

RSVP: Here on the website or on Facebook.

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Lynchburg Area Food Hub Study and Farm Potluck – August 18

Jason F. — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 16:57:35 +0000

In 2014 the Region 2000 Local Government Council (LGC) concluded a broad assessment of our region’s agricultural and forestry economy. Back in January, as a result of the regional assessment, the LGC was awarded a grant to conduct a feasibility study for establishing a Lynchburg area Food Hub. Food hubs have gained alot of attention in recent years and have been established all over the nation in communities wanting to increase the availability of local foods, build their local economy and create economic opportunities close to home for local farmers and food producers. Generally defined*, a food hub is a: “A regional food hub is a business or organization that actively manages the aggregation, distribution, and marketing of source-identified food products primarily from local and regional producers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail, and institutional demand.” Is a local food hub a viable idea and is it something that would work in the Lynchburg, Virginia region? Join us for a conversation with food systems economic development consultant and researcher Phillip Gottwals of ACDS, LLC (on behalf of the LGC) who is seeking input from local direct-to-consumer farmers and others – about the viability of a local food hub in our area. Learn more about the Food Hub feasibility study and it’s potential regional impact; give your input and help shape the future of the food economy in the Lynchburg area. All are welcome but local farmers and food producers are especially encouraged to come and give feedback.

Related Resources:

USDA: Regional Food Hub Resource Guide (PDF)
USDA: Moving Food Along the Value Chain: Innovations in Regional Food Distribution (PDF)
Beyond food hubs: Louisville and the new food economy | Stephen Reily (YouTube video)

Event Details:

When: Tuesday, August 18 (5-8pm) (NOTE: New time!) (5:00-5:45) Arriving and Networking (5:45-6:30) Potluck! (6:30-8:00) Lynchburg Area Food Hub Feasibility Study presentation and discussion with Phillip Gottwals (consultant conducting the food hub study on behalf of the Region 2000 Local Government Council). Bring:

A healthy dish to share.
Your own dishware (plates/bowls, forks, spoons, cups for your own use).
Lawn chair or blanket to sit on (there will be some benches as well).
An optional cash donation of any amount (if you benefit from and appreciate the work of Land and Table)

Location: Camp Sedalia at Mountain Run Farm – pull in to the showbarn at 1228 Charlemont Rd, Big Island, VA 24526 but…keep driving straight back to the camp!

RSVP: Here on the website or on Facebook.

[caption id="attachment_1341" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Click on the image to view or download the event flyer[/caption]

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Community Potluck and Beekeeping Basics – June 16

Jason F. — Fri, 12 Jun 2015 00:41:01 +0000

honey bees are in crisis with massive die-offs reported around the nation and world. Colony collapse disorder, widespread pesticide usage, parasites and other threats to honeybees are now being studied by experts in order to understand and stop honey bee decline. Join us as we glean the wisdom of a seasoned beekeeper as he discusses beekeeping basics, talks on-site about the bee sanctuary he has established at Camp Sedalia and highlights what you can do around your home to help save the bees! Whether you are an aspiring or ‘wanna-bee’ beekeeper or simply want to know how you can play a role locally in providing safe haven for these important pollinators – we all need to learn how to ‘keep’ and protect honeybees. Join us for an evening of networking, learning and enjoying the great outdoors. (Note: For those of you who are interested: If we have time for an up-close examination of the hives please consider wearing light colors as bees tend to view darker colors as a threat (think: black bears, etc!). Please leave your dogs or other pets at home. For those of you who are scared of or are allergic to bees please know that we will not be sitting in the midst of bee swarms – the hives are located on the far edge of the camp.)

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When: Tuesday, June 16 (4-7pm) (4-5) Arriving and Networking (5-6) Eating and Hanging Out (6-7) Talk with Ted Falls on bee-keeping. Bring: 1) A healthy dish to share. 2) Your own dishware. 3) Feel free to bring a lawn chair 4) An optional cash donation of any amount (to help us grow Land and Table) Location: Mountain Run Farm‘s: Camp Sedalia, 1228 Charlemont Rd, Big Island, VA 24526 (The entrance is right next to Sedalia Baptist Church. Instead of parking at the showbarn/farm store – keep driving straight until you come to the camp (near the tree line))

RSVP: Here on the website or on Facebook.

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Land and Table Potluck and Costa Rica Talk by Ben Coleman | May 19

Jason F. — Tue, 12 May 2015 21:56:08 +0000

Mountain Run Farm as he shares insights from a recent trip they took as a family to Costa Rica. Some of Ben’s topics will include what he gleaned about their lifestyle of simplicity in Costa Rica, the freedom of small-scale agricultural enterprises there, and what steps we can take to emulate a similar path of sustainability as families and a community. As a local community looking to increase our agricultural and economic self-sufficiency, there is much we can learn from communities all over the world. Get connected and get involved. We look forward to seeing you there! ================================

When: Tuesday, May 19th (4-7pm) (4-5) Arriving and Networking (5-6) Eating and Hanging Out (6-7) Talk by Ben Coleman on what he learned in Costa Rica Bring: 1) A healthy dish to share. 2) Your own dishware. 3) An optional cash donation of any amount (to help us grow Land and Table) Location: Mountain Run Farm showbarn, 1228 Charlemont Rd, Big Island, VA 24526

RSVP: Here on the website or on Facebook.

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Holiday Market and Open House at Mountain Run Farm | Dec. 13

Jason F. — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 22:11:32 +0000

Grand Opening and Holiday Market‘ with the opening of their new farm store location (at their Showbarn) and are kicking it off with local artisans and a holiday open house. We are moving our Land and Table monthly gathering to converge with this event and hope you will join us for a little holiday cheer! *Please note change of time (10am – 4pm) from our normal monthly gathering time – also feel free to come and go as needed and bring a bagged lunch if you plan on coming around lunch time (there will be no potluck). Stock up on grass-only meats and a variety of locally made goods including: Apothecaries, knitwear, stained glass, home goods, metal arts, textiles, soap, jewelry, prints, pottery, and more. Vendors will include:

Mountain Run Meats
Petaline (weavings/stamps/paper goods)
Owl Ridge Farmstead (soap/jewelry/knitwear)
Randy Cox Art (metal art/jewelry)
Bea Gutierrez (pottery)
Onastzia (jewelry)
Cindy Morris (jams, jellies, baked goods)
Sally Santmyer (stained glass)
Sunshine’s Emporium (tiles, honey, hand sewn goods)
Black Lion Forge (blacksmith)
Little Paper Crane (jewelry)
Terra Candle Co. (Soy candles)
Bill Mauser (blacksmith)
Dinosaur Toes (screen printing/jewelry)
Sign of the Otter (custom moccasins/hand sketched cards)
Ron Flicker (bluebird houses and feeders)
Mattie’s Mountain Mud

and more! ============================ DETAILS: Where: Mountain Run Farm Showbarn (near Sedalia Baptist Church and highway 122): 1228 Charlemont Rd. Sedalia, VA 24526 (map) When: 10am to 4pm (come and go as you please – also, note this is a different time from our normal monthly gatherings) What: Bring cash to buy from local artisans, a cooler to stock up on meats for the holidays, and a bagged lunch if you will be coming around lunch time. RSVP for this event on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1569575406610021 ]]>

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Farm Potluck and Natural Home Remedies Forum | Nov 8

Jason F. — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 23:52:10 +0000

DETAILS: WHAT WILL WE BE DOING? (4:00-5:00 pm) Arrive and networking (5:00-6:00) Potluck and more networking (6:00-7:00) Community Forum: ‘Natural Home Remedies For Fall and Winter‘ COME PREPARED:

Bring a homemade healthy dish to share. Label your dish with your name and food description.
Bring your own dishware (plates, cups, utensils, etc) (A dishwashing area will be provided).
Come ready to talk about your natural home remedies or just learn from others (or both!)

TIME & PLACE: Saturday, November 8th, 2014 (4:00-7:00 pm)

Mountain Run Farm (saloon/farm store – near the pond) in Bedford County, Virginia (Sedalia) Address: 2734 Charlemont Rd, Big Island, Va 24526 (view map) This gathering is open to everyone in the regional community. The goal of our monthly meetings is to network, support and build community for those who are passionate about local food, intentional living, sustainable agriculture and community flourishing.

Please RSVP by using our Contact page or by RSVPing on Facebook. And spread the word!

================================================= [caption id="attachment_1143" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Land and Table gathering November 8th, 2014[/caption]]]>

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Farm Social and Potluck at Island Creek Farm | July 12

Jason F. — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 01:18:40 +0000

the front of the News and Advance newspaper blazed the headline ‘Ripe for a Revolution’. Above the headline was a picture of our friend Holly Brown among the broad leaves of her okra. Holly and Troy Brown’s farm, Island Creek Farm, is a jewel among the farms of Bedford County. Their methods and means of building soil and growing healthy vegetables for the surrounding community is truly a revolution in thought and practice. In the world of industrialized agriculture the paradigm is one of fighting against nature – with chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides – but for our friends at Island Creek Farm – they have laid down their chemical ‘warfare’ in exchange for working the land with sustainable principles, learned wisdom, the careful attentiveness of permaculture and the scale-appropriate necessities of human power. Deemed ‘primitive’ by some who have no understanding of bio-intensive forms of agriculture – the work and wisdom that Holly and Troy have invested on their land is sheer brilliance and it shows in their fertile garden of eden that outshines the outworn and overworked soils of many larger farms in our area. Join us for an evening of networking at this amazing and unique farm with others in the Lynchburg area local food movement – an evening of cultivating community, and inspiration as we meander among the raised beds of Island Creak Farm. Enjoy a healthy foods potluck with fellow gardeners, sustainable farmers, homesteaders, local food lovers, families, neighbors, and new and old friends alike.

DETAILS:

WHAT WILL WE BE DOING? Networking, eating together, informal tours of Island Creek Farm, enjoying the summer evening together. COME PREPARED:

Bring a lawn chair, blanket for sitting on or folding chair (we will meet outside) (this is a must as we no longer have chairs available to us for these events).
Bring a homemade healthy dish to share. Also, if you can, please label your dish with your name and ingredients if possible.
Bring your own dishware (plates, cups, utensils, etc) (help us keep unnecessary trash out of the landfill) (A dishwashing area will be provided).

TIME & PLACE: Saturday, July 12th, 2014 (4:00-7:00 pm) PLEASE REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT! Location address will be given via email or phone to those who RSVP. This is a free event but you must RSVP to attend. This gathering is open to roughly around 30 to 35 people so don’t wait to RSVP. Please RSVP by using our Contact page or by RSVPing on Facebook. And spread the word! [caption id="attachment_1064" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Click on the image to view and/or download the greyscale version of the flyer (around 5MB)[/caption]]]>

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