Today Is Biodynamic Flower Day

Courtesy of Organic Matters, Ireland’s Organic Magazine

BIO-DYNAMIC GARDENING

Bio-dynamic gardeners, followers of the principles of Rudolf Steiner, believe that the movements of all theheavenly bodies, moon, planets and stars have an influence on the growth and development of all plants CF798ZHFX7YG . So the time you chose to sow, plant or even weed your plants will affect their progress. The moon, the stars and the planets all affect the development of our plants.

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Gwyneth Paltrow’s Book Of Recipes

Gwyneth Paltrow’s book of recipes for “Family and Friends” was released by Marabout Books in May. It is a delightful book filled with basic dishes, healthy and flavorful, that will gather your friends around you as you putter in the kitchen.

The dishes are good go-to recipes for “Mothers of The Family,” as well, as there are no refined sugars used. …

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Sharing Dreams to Build Connections Between People

Mission Hill Family Estate Winery Commissions First
Canadian Sculptural Exhibition by French Artist Nathalie Decoster

West Kelowna, British Columbia (April 13, 2011) - Mission Hill Family Estate Proprietor Anthony von Mandl announces a collaboration with renowned French artist Nathalie Decoster.

Her first Canadian solo exhibition, to be held at the Okanagan winery June – October, follows recent installations in Paris, France at Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Luxembourg Gardens, and the Bagatelle Gardens. Internationally, Decoster installations are located in a range of settings from London and Vienna to Brazil and Venice.

Over Fifty Decoster installations will be featured on award-winning Okanagan winery grounds

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Winemakers Cup 2011!!!

Oliver, B.C. The organizers of the Winemakers Cup announced today additional details for the fourth annual festival. The Winemakers Cup Ski Race is the World’s only annual ski challenge weekend for the wine industry and it takes place for the benefit of industry networking, peer camaraderie and palate appreciation.

The fourth annual weekend of festivities takes place March 25 to 27, 2011 at the resort of Spirit Ridge in Osoyoos and up on the ski hill of Mt. Baldy in B.C. Close to one hundred winemakers, cellar hands and vineyard managers, tasting room staff, restaurateurs, sommeliers and many other industry people will race head-to-head on the ski slopes and then drink wine, après-ski style while reliving the hilarious antics of the day.

They will be participating in several events as part of the weekend in the heart of the Okanagan, one of the world’s most scenic and beautiful wine regions.Today it was announced that the following organizations have confirmed their participation in the event, and their sponsorship of this important wine industry gathering: Cellar Tek, Title Sponsor of the Winemakers CupBDO, Sponsor of Saturday Evening Dinner and Awards BanquetViking Refrigeration, Sponsor of the hilarious “Agony of Defeat” video, Osoyoos Indian Band, Sponsor of the Lunch at Mount BaldyWestland Insurance, Sponsor of the Friday Night Winemakers ForumBMO, Trophy Sponsor for the Winemakers Cup

“We are looking forward to another great event this year” said Randy Jones, Proprietor of Title Sponsor Cellar Tek. “We appreciate everyone’s efforts in putting on such a fantastic gathering of the industry. With the great snow conditions that are at Mt. Baldy this year, this is going to be an exceptional year.”

Further, it was announced that Saturday night is Industry Night at Spirit Ridge. This social night is open to any and all people involved in the wine industry, regardless of whether they participated in the ski race or not.

“Come on out and rub shoulders with new and familiar acquaintances. It does not matter whether you ski or snowboard or not. Just come on out and have some fun” said Peter Glockner of Cellar Tek. Previous winners of the Winemakers Cup include: 2008 Bill Eggert, Winemaker, Fairview Cellars2009 Stephen Wyse, Winemaker, Young & Wyse 2010 Herb Alex, Cellarhand, Jackson-TriggsFull video from the race and the festivities from previous years are available at:  http://www.paulcottonfilms.com/WinemakersCup.php.The events for the 2011 Winemakers’ Cup include: Friday March 25. Spirit Ridge Resort. 7 pm to 9 pm “Winemakers Forum”. Some special iconic guests from the Wine Industry will join their Okanagan peers for a blind-tasting session as well as an interesting panel discussion on trends & opportunities in the wine industry today.

No cost to join, just be sure to bring one bottle of wine donation per person.9 pm to midnight “The Wine Industry Hospitality Suite”. Come and rub shoulders and socialize with Winemakers, Cellarhands, Vineyard staff and other industry folk. .Saturday March 26, Mt. Baldy Ski Resort. Join us for a fun day on the slopes or on the deck enjoying the sun.

There will be a fun dual-slalom ski race with prizes being given out to Top Skier (Male & Female), Top Snowboarder (Male & Female), Top Telemarker, Best wipe-out and Worst times (Male & Female) as well as prizes for any kids that enter. Registration starts at 9 am. Race Starts at 11 am. BBQ & Hanging in the Sun at 1 pm. Free skiing or Après skiing all afternoon long.Snow bunnies/Lodge Skiers- BBQ Lunch and commemorative T-shirt: only $35.00.

Race participants: Lift ticket, Race participation, BBQ lunch and T-shirt: only $65.00. Race without Lift tickets (season pass holders): $45.00There will be optional snowshoeing lessons for anyone that would like to try it. Saturday Evening: Spirit Ridge Resort6:30 pm Sparkling wine reception.7:00-9:30 pm Winemakers Cup Awards Banquet. Includes a gourmet 3-course dinner, wine pairings, and awards presentation: Only $80 per person9:30 pm- 1:00 am. The Winemakers Cup After-party & Dance featuring the live music of “Double Magnum”. Cost only $20.00 per person plus one bottle of wine for admittance. Sunday March 27Free to check out and do whatever you want.

“We’re lucky in the Okanagan. We’re not only blessed with unique winemaking terroir, but we are the only region to have a ski area such as Mount Baldy in very close proximity to the vineyards,” says organizer Glenn Fawcett, president of Black Hills Estate Winery. “Making wine is hard work, and it’s good for all of us to get away from the grind and get together for some friendly ski competition, marked mostly by laughs.Fawcett says it’s also a chance to for the industry to connect and share ideas.

“Some of the most interesting conversations happen on a chairlift, up there in the fresh mountain air. The Winemakers Cup is a great catalyst for these conversations. It enables an exchange of ideas and information that outside of the day-to-day work environment in the wineries and vineyards,” he says. It’s just a lot of fun to get the industry together for some laughs. And of course, you don’t have to be in the wine industry to come out for these events. Everyone is welcome.”

The Winemakers Cup was created and organized as a partnership between Black Hills Estate Winery, Mt. Baldy, and Spirit Ridge Resort.For tickets, call Jennifer at Spirit Ridge at (250) 495-5445, ext. 5003. If you’re interested in the race, spots are available right up to race day. For further information on the Winemakers Cup, go to http://www.spiritridge.ca/race . For information on Mount Baldy Ski Area, go to http://www.skibaldy.com .

 

 

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San Francisco Sustainable Foods Summit Calls For Greater Transparency

Sustainable Foods Summit San Francisco, click HERE for FULL Story and Pictures

Sustainable Foods Summit, San Francisco

(London) January 28, 2011 – The North American edition of the Sustainable Foods Summit (www.sustainablefoodssummit.com) drew to a successful close last week, with many participants calling for greater transparency and accountability from the food industry.

Organized by Organic Monitor, the summit brought together about 200 executives at theRitz-Carlton in San Francisco on 18-19th January 2011. New horizons for eco-labels and sustainability were the focal theme of the 2-day summit.The summit explored the evolution of eco-labels – such as Organic, Fair Trade andRainforest Alliance – in an increasingly global food industry.

The advent of international supply chains is leading many consumers to become disconnected from agriculture andfood production methods. Scott Exo, executive director of Food Alliance, echoed the general sentiment at the summit, calling for the ‘de-commoditization’ of food products byproviding greater traceability to consumers. Seth Goldman, co-founder and president of Honest Tea, opened the summit with his keynote on the triple bottom line. By using the example of tea plantations in China, he showed how modernization does not always contribute to sustainability. Since its launchin 1999, Honest Tea has become one of the fastest growing ethical beverage brands in the US.

The first session explored sustainability initiatives in the food industry, with many speakers raising the question, ‘how do you measure sustainability?’ The use of metrics in sustainability performance was explored by Joseph McIntyre from AG InnovationNetwork. Albert Straus, founder of the Straus Family Creamery, shared his company’sapproaches to measuring the carbon footprint of its dairy operations. The importance of offsetting carbon emission was also highlighted by Theresa Marquez from OrganicValley who showed the role of organic agriculture in carbon sequestering. Sustainability in foodservice was covered by Bon Appetit Management Company, which is sourcing locally from small farmers.

Sustainable Foods Summit, San Francisco

Also in the morning session, Kenneth Ross from Global ID discussed future trends in eco-labels. His paper stressed the importance of IT in combating food fraud and providing traceability to consumers. Convergence of mobile and internet technologies is expected to allow consumers to get ecological and social footprints of their food products. The session ended with a lively debate on sustainability indicators and measurement.The second session honed in on ethical sourcing and sustainable ingredients. The opening papers examined the role of Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade standards in lowering social and ecological impacts of food products.

Sustainable Foods Summit, San Francisco

Sustainable Foods Summit, San Francisco

Nasser Abufara from Canaan Fairtrade explained how social enterprise can improve lives of marginalized growers.Using case studies of three of the most traded food commodities, sustainable sourcing was discussed by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Theo Chocolate and Givaudan.

Marketing & distribution innovations were the subject of the third summit session. Leading retailers – Fresh & Easy and Safeway – shared some of their ethical trading and marketing initiatives. Alex Petrov from Safeway showed how its O Organics label had transcended the boundaries of a private label without cannibalizing manufacturer brands.Fresh & Easy, a subsidiary of the global retailer Tesco, explained how it was raising the bar by implementing new ethical codes of conduct. Ellen W. Feeney from Whitewave Foods shared her experiences in developing brands to meet consumers’ needs for healthy and ecological products with the ‘planetary health’ initiative.

The last session of the summit – organic plus strategies – began with an update on theglobal organic products market. Amarjit Sahota, President of Organic Monitor, showed how pioneering organic food companies were integrating sustainability into their corporate ethos and how some eco-labels were converging. Proceeding papers gave case studies of such developments. Equal Exchange stated how companies could intertwine organic and fair trade practices, whilst the Brazilian company Native Organic Products shared its raft of sustainability actions.

Using wine as a case study, the potential of biodynamic foods was explored by Demeter USA and Fetzer-Bonterra Vineyards. Chad Smith from Earthbound Farms closed the session with an interactive discussion onecological packaging for sustainable food products.The third edition of the executive summit raised many questions about sustainability inthe food industry: Will an eco-label ever fully represent sustainability? What ecological and social parameters are most important in such a standard? What are the most efficient methods to measure sustainability? Where is the line between green marketing and greenwashing? How can companies become more sustainable in distribution andpackaging?

The next editions of the Sustainable Foods Summit aim to address such questions. About the Sustainable Foods Summit Organized by Organic Monitor, the aim of the Sustainable Foods Summit is to discussand debate the major issues the food industry faces concerning concerning sustainability and eco-labels. The proceedings of the North American summit (San Francisco, 18-19th January 2011) are available for a small professional fee. More information is available at: www.sustainablefoodssummit.com

Organic Monitor has announced the dates of the next editions of the Sustainable FoodsSummit as…European edition Amsterdam (23-24 June 2011) North American edition San Francisco (17-18 January 2012)

In 2011, Organic Monitor is celebrating 10 years ofencouraging sustainable development. Since 2001, we have been providing a range of business services to operators in high-growth ethical & sustainable industries.www.organicmonitor.com

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Happy Holidays From The Island

It’s that time of year again…Time to slow down, relax, and Eat & Drink! From our friends on the Island…wishing all of us joyous holidays and to remember to think of our fellow (hu)man especially during the holidays!  xo  Local Food And Wine

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Follow Your Passion

Giving and Sharing

It’s that time of year again – yep…it’s Christmas time. The season for giving and sharing. Last year Passaggio Wines gave 10% of their December sales to their local shelter G.R.I.P. G.R.I.P.’s focus is on three core initiatives: make the transition to self-sufficiency. The mission of the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program providing food, shelter and supportive services to help homeless individuals and families (GRIP) is to transform the lives of homeless, hungry, and disenfranchised people. This year Passaggio Wines will be giving to G.R.I.P. again but also sharing the cost of the wines you purchase. Passaggio Wines will give free shipping (ground only) on a purchase of two bottles or more for the Christmas Holiday. (from Dec 3rd – Dec 31st) just type the word sharing in the coupon code section on the Passaggio Wines Website. 10% of the purchase will go to G.R.I.P. – help me in sharing with them during this season of giving. Thanks for sharing Passaggio Wines

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