4/25/14

Meet Farmer Lauren!


Say howdy to Lauren Young,  Arcadia's new  farm manager! While Farm Director Stephen Corrigan works on Arcadia's second production farm (more on that in a future post) Lauren has tackled our headquarters farm at Woodlawn. She comes to Arcadia from the USDA's organic research program and will be doing some cool stuff in our fields. An animal lover (see above), we anticipate her reign to usher in a new era of peace and cooperation with our resident groundhogs and squirrels.

What most excites you about joining Arcadia?

Several things excite me about joining Arcadia, but I will limit it to three.  
First, I am very excited to be working with and learning from (in no particular order): Stephen, Morgan, Ben, Pam, Matt, JuJu, Janet, and all of the very enthusiastic and hard-working volunteers.  

Second, I am excited about drawing on my past experiences to help further Arcadia's mission.

Third, I think Arcadia's commitment and approach to food and cooking education is very exciting and unique.  Not only does Arcadia grow, source, and transport food to people that need it, they are also committed to ensuring that the food will be enjoyed through cooking education for adults and farm camp for children.          

What have you done in the past that's prepared you for this work?

I have been involved with sustainable agriculture research in one way or another for about ten years.  I have degrees in Environmental Science and Ecology.

My high school had an Agriculture and Horticulture program and we even had a "Bring Your Tractor to School Day."  Understanding where food comes from and the hard work that goes into it was very intuitive for my community and me.  It was not until college, when I took classes in Environmental Science and Biology, that I realized how disconnected people can be from their food system.  I found it amazing that folks could be concerned about their environment and what lives there yet know so little about the land use that comprises about half of the land area of the US, agriculture.

If you were a vegetable, what would you be? 
Coffee is actually a fruit, but I think I would be coffee because I am usually well caffeinated.  

Which season has the best produce, and why?
I like all of the seasons.  I cannot pick one.  I love spring asparagus; tomatoes and cantaloupe in the summer; apples and squash in the fall; and red cabbage and citrus in the winter. I like the challenge of having a lot of something around and then figuring out the ways I am going to use it. By the time I have had enough of it, something else has come along.  

4/21/14

Meet Janet: Park Ranger turned Mobile Market Operator

We're excited to be expanding our Mobile Market team this year to include Janet Hofman.  She'll be helping to increase our capacity to ten weekly market stops per week. She's a great addition to the team, with a wide range of experiences. 

What most excites you about joining Arcadia?
I am most excited about meeting new people and teaching them about the variety of food that is grown locally, right in our own region.

What have you done in the past that's prepared you for this work?
When I was a Park Ranger, my main job was to develop and present a variety of programs to our visitors, educating them about our resources and, more importantly, hoping to inspire them to appreciate and care for our environment.

I think my passion for food and the farm-to-table process began when I became a vegetarian and, for the first time, was really aware of what my food was and where it came from. That passion has grown over the years while working in various restaurants, a retail food market, taking culinary classes, and traveling. I'm pretty sure my cooking has improved during these journeys as well!

If you were a vegetable, what would you be? 
I would like to be a watermelon radish because it is vibrant and spicy.

Which season has the best produce, and why?
Although I enjoy being creative with root veggies in the winter, I am always longing for more fruit and delicious tomatoes!  So, I'll have to say summer.  As a kid, I always looked forward to going up north in Michigan to pick wild blueberries. 

4/8/14

Spring2Action Facebook and Twitter Contests

Arcadia is announcing a two new contests to support our Spring2Action Campaign to Launch a 2nd Mobile Market. Both contests will end at 11:59 PM on April 9th, 2014.

Facebook Contest
Prize: Two tickets to Arcadia's Spring Farm Dinner on June 8th, 2014 at Woodlawn Estate in Alexandria, VA. If you are unable to attend the Spring farm Dinner, you may transfer your tickets, or exchange them for 2 tickets to an available Arcadia Master Course.

How to Enter: Enter at Arcadia's Facebook Page by posting a comment to the original contest post. We appreciate, but do not require shares of the original post.

Rules:
- One entry per person
- You must be over 18 to enter the contest
- Comments must be made before 11:59 PM on 4/9/2014
- You may enter both the Facebook and the Twitter contests

Legal Stuff:
- You do not need to donate to the campaign to enter the drawing, but we'd like it if you did. 
- This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, facebook.
- By entering, you release Facebook of all liability for this contest.

Winner Announcement: Winners will be selected by random drawing and announced on Facebook by 5 PM on April 10, 2014.

Twitter Contest
Prize: Two tickets to Arcadia's Spring Farm Dinner on June 8th, 2014 at Woodlawn Estate in Alexandria, VA. If you are unable to attend the Spring farm Dinner, you may transfer your tickets, or exchange them for 2 tickets to an available Arcadia Master Course.

How to Enter: Enter by retweeting the original contest tweet from @ArcadiaFood. Only retweets of Arcadia's original contest tweet will count toward entry. Include @ArcadiaFood in your retweet so we can track your entry.  

Rules:
- One entry per person
- You must be over 18 to enter the contest
- Retweet must occur before 11:59 PM on 4/9/2014
- You may enter both the Facebook and the Twitter contests

Legal Stuff:
- You do not need to donate to the campaign to enter the drawing, but we'd like it if you did. 
- This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Twitter.
- By entering, you release Twitter of all liability for this contest.

Winner Announcement: Winners will be selected by random drawing and announced on Twitter by 5 PM on April 10, 2014.

Please contact Info@ArcadiaFood.org with any questions.