Tom Benevento is leading an effort to create a sustainable living homestead in the heart of Harrisonburg, Virginia.

This initiative seeks to integrate agroforestry, fish farming, solar applications, an organic garden, transitional housing for the homeless, and other sustainable living features into a community urban homestead.

Join us every Thursday for Peace Forum from noon-1pm in the Earlham School of Religion Dining Room. Free, delicious lunch always provided.

Loyal locavores Jan and Dan Sims will be hosting the December 100 mile radius potluck at their beautiful home, Arden Hearth (www.ardenhearth.com). Thanks for this hospitality!

We will gather on Tuesday, December 15 at 6pm, at 202 N. 15th Street.

Bring a dish celebrating local food - whether every single ingredient was grown within 100 miles of Richmond, or just the main ones, give local cooking your best shot.

Bring your own dishes, as well, to keep things simple for our hosts.

And as always, if you can't pull a dish together, you can come without food!

Anna Lisa Gross, 765.914.2973

Hello locavores!

Miller Farm has invited us to gather in their toasty-warm farmhouse for the November 100 mile radius potluck on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 6:30pm. Miller Farm is a student farm of Earlham College, located at 1405 Abington Pike.

As always, bring as local a dish as you can (or come with curiosity and an appetite). Bring your own dishes, if possible.

Please contact Anna Lisa Gross with any questions - 765.914.2973 or annalisa144@gmail.com.

Are you ready to celebrate this season's harvest? The next 100 mile radius potluck will be at a local farm, where we can properly welcome fall! Meet new people, see friends and eat delicious food!

The potluck will be on Sunday (Oct. 25) at 6pm at Abundant Acres Farm. Meet on Earlham's campus at the (former) Security/Clear Creek Co-op building at 5:30 to carpool and caravan or visit Google Maps for directions from Richmond.  continue reading »

What do you love about local food? The taste? The safety? The sustainability? The joy? Celebrate these reasons and more - meet new people, see friends and eat delicious food!

Join farmers, eaters, foodies and the curious for a monthly 100 mile radius potluck, on Sunday, September 27 at 6pm at Springwood Park (60 Waterfall Rd).

Come with or without food and your own dishes, if you can. Challenge yourself to bring a dish entirely made from food grown within 100 miles of Richmond (and know that all food will be welcomed!)
Contact Anna Lisa Gross at 765.914.2973 or annalisa144@gmail.com with questions.

The annual Chamber Farm Tour will be of Dutch Acres Organic Dairy Farm, 1648 Pleasant Plain Road, Fountain City, IN., Thursday, June 18, 2009, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Learn about:
* The milking process
* Calves and selective breeding through
* Artificial insemination
* Natural compost bedding barns
* Feeding and field rotation
* Water retention pond and filtration system

Make bus and/or dinner reservations @ 962-1511 or email kellyh@rwchamber.org by June 15. Dinner reservations required. Seating and parking are limited. Bus leaves the Chamber at 5:00 p.m. Additional pick up @ Fountain City Wesleyan Church.

Earlham alumni Dan Hobbs and Allison Kinsey have an opportunity for you to be part of protecting the Earth this Earth Day!

Dan has been a top-notch organic farmer and leader of various sustainable agricultural nonprofit organizations for the last 20 years. He's trying to protect prime farmland from development by buying the family farm adjacent to his farm to keep it in active agricultural use.

Dan and Allison are funding the land acquisition by selling shares of their exceptional organic heirloom garlic. The farm grows several stunning varieties--Music Pink (try it for the name alone!) Romanian Red, etc. They're asking folks to buy a 3-year share or 1/2 share, which means you'll be shipped a mix of all the varieties they grow each year.  continue reading »

Spring is here! Just think how easy the 100 mile radius potlucks are going to be soon!

In the meantime, for the hardcore, curious and determined among you, our April potluck will be on Sunday, April 26 at 6pm.

We'll meet at the Cycling & Fitness Warehouse. CFW sits near the Cardinal Greenway, so it's easy to find by bike or on foot. It's a bit harder to find by car, but there are directions on their site, and here is another map. It's near Richmond's main post office, and we'll put up signs next Sunday. Thanks to CFW for hosting.  continue reading »

How can we support local farmers? What are Richmond-area farmers doing to grow food sustainably? Bring your garden questions on Thursday, April 16. Free lunch included. Earlham School of Religion Dining Room, noon. All are welcome, no RSVP necessary.

Ray Ruppel is a local entrepreneur/inventor/business man with about 170 A of organic ground to rent. The ground is in Southern Knox County (St. Thomas area). He is looking for someone to start this growing season. He owns a processing facility in Vincennes which cuts up and packages organic produce. He would like whoever farms the ground to grow 10-15 acres of fruits and vegetables for his packaging business. The rest of the acreage could be in row crops (corn, beans, wheat). There is a farmhouse (2 story, 4 bedroom) on the property that could be lived in by the farmer and that person will need to negotiate the details of living in the house with Ray.

Spread the word to anyone you know who may be interested. Ray can be reached by calling 812-881-9985.