Transition Towns in Wellington

The international Transition Towns movement is gaining momentum in New Zealand.

Here in the Wellington region we already have active groups in groups in Brooklyn, Hataitai, Johnsonville, Karori, Lower Hutt, Ngaio, Upper Hutt, Wadestown, Aro Valley and Wellington South.

The Transition Towns movement shares with Slow Food an overarching concern for local communities and their environments - and many in the movement are placing importance on traditional food production methods.

The most recent issue of Slow Food's Snail's Pace focuses on urban agriculture, and contains an article about permablitzes. Permaculture principles heavily inform the Transition Towns movement - and so you'll currently find many Transition Towns groups - including those in Wellington - at different stages of planning or carrying out permablitzes.

To find out more about Transition Towns in Wellington and its upcoming events, see the New Zealand Transition Towns website.

Fructivism!

British activist George Monbiot again ... this time on growing your own fruit and the ills of modern varieties designed for supermarkets.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/02/food.foodanddrink

Jewish Festival tickets all sold now, sorry!

Buy your tickets for The Festival of Jewish Food and Music by emailing events@aotearoaslowfood.org with the subject Jewish Food and Music Festival Tickets advising how many tickets you would like and your postal address. We will then reply confirming availability with bank details for online deposit.
More details here.

'Cooking with Simply Good Food'

Here are the details for the Simply Good Food CSA's next Farm Day:

'Cooking with Simply Good Food'
Saturday 23 August @ 11am-5pm

Start and Finish at the Featherston Railway Station.

Come and learn some tricks of the trade from Simply Good Food chefs Kelby and Roddy.

RSVP to info@simplygoodfood.co.nz

For more info about the CSA, see their website.

NZ Slow Food blogs

This year at least two other NZ Slow Food convivia have set up blogs - Slow Food Marlborough and Slow Food Waitakere. It seems like a great way to keep in touch with what Slow Food members are doing around the country.

Small is Bountiful

UK author George Monbiot (he who doesn't fly, and came to Wellington Writers and Readers Week via satellite link) has written a recent column on how small farmers offer the best chance feeding the world.

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/06/10/small-is-bountiful/

A festival of Jewish music & Jewish food

Aotearoa Slow Food, the Wellington chapter of the international Slow Food Movement and the Klezmer Rebs join forces to present an evening celebrating Jewish music and food with non-stop music from New Zealand's leading exponents of klezmer—the traditional dance and wedding music of East European Jews. An authentic meal of European Ashkenazi and Oriental Sephardic Jewish food will be prepared by Wellington restaurateurs, Maria Pia De Razza-Klein and Richard Klein along with members of Aotearoa Slow Food.

Proceeds from the event will be donated in support of the New Zealand delegates who will travel to Turin, Italy, in October 2008 to attend the Slow Food event Terra Madre, the world's largest gathering and forum of farmers and food producing communities. Visit http://www.terramadre.info to find out more.

Sunday 31 August 4 - 9pm
Odysseus Brotherhood Hall
146 Hobart Street
Miramar

Doors open 3.30pm * cash bar 4 - 9pm * meal served 6 - 7pm * snacks available 5 - 8pm
$50 (music + meal - only advance sales) * $25 (music only - limited door sales)

Ticket sales start Monday 21 July at : 
Alistair's Music, 215 Cuba St * Maria Pia's Trattoria, 55 Mulgrave St

Information : events@aotearoaslowfood.org * 021 405 616

Music : The Jews Brothers Band * Cafe Klezmer Band * Klezmer Rebs (with guests)

Food : Maria Pia De Razza-Klein * Richard Klein

We expect this to be a sell-out event so get your tickets early! The meal + music ticket is by advance sales only; limited music only tickets will be available at the door only if not sold out in advance.

Buy your tickets for The Festival of Jewish Food and Music by emailing events@aotearoaslowfood.org with the subject Jewish Food and Music Festival Tickets advising how many tickets you would like and your postal address. We will then reply confirming availability with bank details for online deposit.

We also need volunteer help from our members and friends to help us manage the event: decorating the room, controlling the door, cooking, waiting tables, helping at the bar, cleaning up etc, so if you can help please email events@aotearoaslowfood.org.