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| The stars at the third annual Taste of Slow Food San Diego weren't the traditional Italian singers or the breathtaking view of vineyards with a mountain backdrop. |
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Rather, the showstoppers were the gourmet cheeses, all-natural grilled beef free of added hormones or antibiotics and locally grown organic arugula topped with a blood orange oil.
San Diego County has more certified organic farms than any other county in the nation, according to the county Department of Agriculture/Weights & Measures. Of 5,255 farms in the county, around 300, or 6 percent, are certified organic by the government.
And agriculture is big business in San Diego. Local farmers bring in nearly $1.5 billion in revenues annually, making it the No. 5 industry in the county, the San Diego County Farm Bureau said. Organic farmers in the county saw gross revenues top $28.6 million in 2005.
Members of the slow food movement, including local organic farmers, restaurant owners and chefs, are concerned that a bill that has passed the state Assembly could restrict counties' ability to regulate use and labeling of seeds and nursery stock. Critics say the state would have too much control over what can be grown and that it would prohibit the county from the option of banning genetically modified crops here. |
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| The Slow Food organization aims to preserve time-intensive foods and protect the family farm. San Diego County chefs, farmers and patrons at the Aug. 27 festival at Escondido's Orfila Vineyards & Winery USA raised $30,000, partly to support a 20-acre student farming project at San Pasqual Academy, an Escondido home for foster children. The event will also help send five local activists, including local farmers, chefs and winery and restaurant owners, to the annual Terra Madre, a slow food conference, in Italy this fall. |
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| The Slow Food group opposes multinational food corporations, genetically modified crops, hormone-boosted animals and processed foods with chemical preservatives It promotes growth of wild vegetables and fruits, animal breeds and cooking traditions at risk of extinction, such as making gourmet cheeses. |
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| Local members of the movement say genetically modified foods, which are altered to gain heartier varieties and longer shelf life, for example, should not grow side by side with organic foods. |
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| Fast-Moving Industry |
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| Scott Murray, local organic farmer and president of the Slow Food San Diego group, said genetically altered foods are "part of our future," but that the industry has "gotten ahead of itself," by not requiring labeling of altered foods as such. |
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"My fear is that we may not have tools to control these crops because pollen blows for miles and miles and miles," said Murray of plants becoming resistant to pesticides. "That's the scary part of letting the genie out of the bottle." |
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| Slow Food San Diego features 370 members and is a chapter within the 100,000-member international Slow Food organization. |
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| Andrew Spurgin, the executive director and chef at San Diego's Waters Fine Catering, and Jeff Jackson, owner and chef at the Lodge at Torrey Pines' A. R. Valentien fine dining restaurant, are both active in the Slow Food group. |
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There were over 300 attendees at the annual August fundraiser
at Orfila Winery |
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| The successful silent auction offered over 90 incredible items. |
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| Guests enjoy a convivial moment |
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