The ninth annual Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Fair features a new focus on local independent farms, food businesses, cooking and backyard gardening, thanks to local food advocates.
In partnership with fellow non-profit, the Northern Colorado Local Living Economy Project, over forty booths and a dozen interactive workshops dedicated to food will be featured at the Sustainable Living Fair on September 20 and 21, 2008 in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Meet local farmers, beekeepers, cheese artisans, gardening experts and chefs in the Eat Local – Grow Local area. Learn how to preserve and cook seasonal food, make cheese, garden, compost, get involved in farm-to-school projects and local food security issues, raise chickens, make fermented vegetables, and more with hands-on workshops.
On Saturday, September 20 local chefs will survey the Colorado September harvest and plan a meal around local and seasonal ingredients. Like the “Iron Chef” contest, the secret ingredient is local food. The chefs will prepare delicious local eats on the spot and the crowd will judge the best.
Community members and farmers can bring their most unusual vegetables to compete in the Incredible Vegetable Contest. Entries are judged by Fair-goers on both days and the winners of four vegetable categories: Ugly but Edible, “You can grow that here?!”, Impressive Heirloom and Colossal Organic Vegetable.
The first annual Salsa Making and Pie Baking cook-offs are a highlight of the Eat Local-Grow Local sections of the Fair. Saturday, September 20 features salsa making, and the Seasonal Pie Baking Contest will be held on Sunday. The primary ingredients in each entry must be locally sourced.
Debuting at this year’s Fair is the third edition of the Be Local Coupon Book, complete with an updated local food map and over 200 coupons from local businesses. The food map is a guide to local farmers, gardens, markets, restaurants and stores producing or selling local food products, with the aim of raising awareness of our local food economy. “Linking healthy, homegrown and humane production with loyal and appreciative eaters!”
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Derek Markham
I dig singlespeed bicycles, simple living, organic gardening, sustainable lifestyle design, slacklining, bouldering, and baking with sourdough. I love good food; Colorado peaches are my all-time favorite. I really enjoy conversations with three year olds. I love being in the wilderness with my family; it feels like home. I love positive thinking and big audacious dreams. I like to skip rope, and yes, I do have a tiny rubber chicken (vegan) that lives with my flash drive. Come see me over at Natural Papa!
One Response to Eat Local – Grow Local at the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Fair
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Sounds like the Fort Collins area is ahead of its time. Nearly a decade of stressing the importance of sustainability and going local? Sounds like a place I need to visit. Thanks for the info, sounds like a cool event that hopefully will be used as a model elsewhere.