On the only sunny day of late September, a group of volunteers from Slow Food DC traveled to Owl's Nest Farm to support this small farm in harvesting sweet potatoes for its fall CSA and also gleaning leftover potatoes. The initiative, designed to combat food loss and support this Slow Food DC's Snail of Approval winner, brought together community members eager to lend a hand. Under the guidance of the farm's owner, volunteers spent the morning digging in the earth, pulling up the vibrant tubers that would otherwise remain unharvested. With smiles and camaraderie, the group transformed the farm ..read more

Photo source: Austen Musso By Christina Badaracco, Slow Food Board Member Slow Food DC was pleased to partner with Patagonia Washington DC and several of our Snail of Approval winners recently for an end-of-summer summer food celebration. Along with Slow Food DC, our wonderful partners Common Good City Farm and City Blossoms were sharing information and resources about their important work in the District. The event also spotlighted food and drink from local and eco-friendly producers and vendors, including several Snail of Approval winners: Wheatland Spring Farm & Brewery, one of our n ..read more

Photo credit: Austen Musso By Christina Badaracco, Slow Food Board Member Slow Food DC was pleased to partner with Patagonia Washington DC and National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) to lead a discussion about the farm bill on August 17, 2024. As the current farm bill is scheduled to expire on 9/30/24 and needs to be reauthorized, this was a very timely discussion to help inform interested taxpayers, voters, and consumers. Christina from Slow Food DC’s board (and Slow Food USA’s Food and Farm Policy Team) first presented about the farm bill’s programs, history, and myriad impacts on the food ..read more

In May 2024, we held our biannual Snail of Approval Party. It was an unforgettable bash – thanks to our generous host Little Penn, the many businesses and individuals who donated to our silent auction, and our incredible supporters from across the DC metro area who came out in force to celebrate with us. With your support, we raised funds to sustain the Slow Food DC's work to build a better food system for all through education, community engagement, and advocacy. We also welcomed six new exceptional businesses to our robust network for Snail of Approval winners: Chinese Street Market Earth Sp ..read more

Recipe by SFDC board member and chef Mark Haskell Traditional hot water dough for Steamed, Soup or Pot-Sticker Dumplings, & Momos 2 cups rice flour or all-purpose flour ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt ¾ cup hot or lukewarm water 1 egg white (optional and using less water, to make a shiner appearance) Instructions To prepare the dough in a mixer, put the flour in bowl. With the machine running, add 3/4 cup of water in a steady stream. As soon as all the water has been added, check the dough. It should look rough and feel soft but firm enough to hold its shape when pinched. If too wet ..read more

By Christina Badaracco, Slow Food DC Board Member Thank you to all of our enthusiastic newcomers who participated our festive homemade food swap in December! Slow Food DC was excited to host another swap and provide a space for community members to mingle and share homemade treats, starters, and other ingredients. Several of the special homemade treats included: Pumpkin almond butter cookies Snickerdoodles Maple tahini granola Kimchi Pumpkin risotto We were pleased to host the event at one of our Snail of Approval award-winning businesses, City-State Brewing Co. City-State is alwa ..read more

By Ibti Vincent, Slow Food DC School Garden Liaison What a beautiful Saturday for a bike ride! I was fortunate to meet up with a dozen or so adventurous cyclists at BicycleSpace in Ivy City for the annual DC school garden bike tour, this year focusing on innovative garden programs in Wards 7 & 8. After a fairly robust ride from Ivy City, our first stop was at Sousa Middle School, where garden manager Zakiya Cobb showed off the school's early tomato plants along with the story of the garden's evolution (and big dreams). We continued from there up a BIG hill to Friendship Tech, where inspir ..read more

Many thanks to the slow foodies who joined us at Snail-award-winning Chaia Tacos our happy hour meet and greet! Over tasty, seasonal tacos and drinks, a dozen potential new board members chatted with current and former Slow Food DC board members about board priorities, areas for growth, and potential ways to get more involved with our local slow food chapter. Hoping to see many of you at upcoming events (and some of you at future board meetings ..read more

This month Columbia Heights Green played host to an important discussion on food waste in Washington DC. Attendees learned that the United States is the biggest contributor to food waste per capita, with an estimated 600 pounds of food waste per person per year! While food waste has lost economic and social value, food waste left in the landfill is also currently accounting for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions  Slow Food DC brought together representatives from different parts of the food system to discuss how people, and businesses are reducing and reusing food waste in the city. We ..read more

It may not have been the sunniest of Saturdays, but boy was it a delicious one. Returned after a two-year hiatus, the popular Burgers and Brews for the Bay brought local foodie families, beer lovers, and farm fans to Snail of Approval winner Claggett Farm’s annual fundraiser. SFDC’s own Mark Haskell was one of the local chefs offering delectable sliders. In his case, the mini burgers made from Claggett’s own heritage breed ground beef were topped with pickled peppers and a homemade (and downright irresistible) collard and rhubarb sauce. Washed down with a bit of local beer, it lasted just lo ..read more