Diners enjoy a meal during last year’s Harvest Dinner during the Field to Family Local Food Festival in Iowa City. (photo/Field to Family)
IOWA CITY – More great local foods events are happening soon in Iowa City.
This year’s Field to Family Local Food Festival is part of Eat Local Week 2014 and takes place beginning Thursday, Sept. 18, with what sounds like a delicious Culinary Walk in downtown Iowa City.
Read more about this year’s festival from Iowa City’s Field to Family:
What happens when you take freshly picked homegrown produce, cultivated by local farmers & put it in the hands of expertly trained renowned area chefs? Why the 13th Annual Field to Family Festival of course!
The festival supports the work of Field to Family’s programs: Farm to School & Local Food Finder. Farm to School teaches students about food, agriculture and nutrition, connects schools with local farmers, and supports the local food economy. Local Food Finder is an online guide to connect consumers with local farmers and their products. All proceeds from the festival go directly towards these programs.
“This year’s festival offers supporters the opportunity to taste local gourmet treats from top downtown Iowa City restaurants, meet local farmers, tour sustainable farms and gardens by bike, feast on this year’s harvest at a celebratory meal and support school gardens at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market Kid’s Day School Garden Booth,” said David Burtt, Field to Family Board President.
Visit www.fieldtofamily.org for ticket information and purchasing. Find our group on Facebook under “Field to Family.”
Thanks to the sponsors of the 2014 Field to Family Festival: New Pioneer Food Co-op, Edible Iowa River Valley Magazine, Share Restaurant, Hy-Vee, UICCU, Blank & McCune, Hills Bank & Trust, Iowa Valley RC&D & Practical Farmers of Iowa.
A kale dish is shown during last year’s Culinary Walk in Iowa City. This year’s walk is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18. (photo/Field to Family)
Culinary Walk
WHEN: Thursday, September 18, 2014, 5-8:30 PM
WHAT: Enjoy delicious eats as you stroll downtown Iowa City from these participating restaurants: 126, Atlas, Basta, Bluebird, Devotay, Motley Cow & Share Restaurant.
TICKET INFO: fieldtofamily.org; Early Bird Rates: $20/ person, $15 with current student ID; Starting September 15, $30/ person. Tickets on sale online at fieldtofamily.org and at New Pi locations & John’s Grocery. Will Call ticket book/ info booth located at Share Restaurant.
Kids Day at the Market with Farm to School
WHEN: Sat. September 20, 2014 9 AM to Noon
WHERE: Iowa City Farmer’s Market, Chauncey Swan Parking Ramp
WHAT: Enjoy fun educational activities featuring lessons related to agriculture, local foods and more. Purchase produce at the ICCSD Market Booth, featuring the harvest from 18 school gardens. Join Field to Family, Iowa Children’s Museum, Soilmates, and others offering hands-on activities.
Field to Family’s Share the Harvest Dinner
WHEN: Sun. September 21, 2014, 5:00 to 8:00
WHERE: Share Restaurant, Sheraton Hotel, Downtown Iowa City
TICKET INFO: Tickets on sale online at fieldtofamily.org and at New Pi locations & John’s Grocery. $50/ticket.
WHAT: Featuring small plates from five local chefs with ingredients procured from local farmers. Enjoy local elderberries, plum & basil in cocktails created by Share Restaurant’s Mixologist
Products sourced from the following farms: Adelyn’s Garden, Friendly Farm, Echollective Farm, Grimm Family Farm, Muddy Miss Farm, Organic Greens, Palvelka’s Point Meats and Wind Shadow Farm.
WHY: Proceeds support Field to Family’s Local Food Finder and Farm to School program.
Festival proceeds to Field to Family directly support its educational initiatives: Farm to School, Local Food Finder & Regional Food System Training.
Farm to School provides educational events in area schools, connects local farmers with school lunch menus and supports the 18 edible gardens in the district.
Local Food Finder is an online guide that supports the local food economy by directly connecting consumers with suppliers of local foods.
Regional Food System Training provides general food system education to the community.
Representatives of Field to Family provide hands-on workshops, presentations and demonstrations showcasing the components that make up a regional food system, including all processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population: growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consumption and disposal of food waste.
Currently Field to Family is building support to continue and expand its Farm to School program. The current program was funded by a one-time grant from IDALS three years ago. Since then, the program has relied on small donations in order to continue hosting in-school Farmer Fairs, providing support to 18 school gardens & working with administration to include more locally sourced ingredients in school lunch menus.
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