Calling all Foodies: Think, Act, Dig In at the Hazon Food Conference

A special invitation from Food Conference Chair, Emily Jane Freed. Emily is the Assistant Production Manager at Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo.

The summer months on the California Central Coast bring visions of farms and gardens overflowing with sun ripened red tomatoes, fresh aromatic basil, sweet stone fruits dripping with juice, and heaps of blackberries and raspberries. As we savor the warm evenings of late summer and share the sweet tasty treats coming out of the ground with family and friends, it is never too soon to start planning this year’s winter vacation to sunny and warm California.

The 2009 Hazon Food Conference will be held Dec 24 - 27 on the sandy shores of Monterey, CA at Asilomar Conference & Retreat Center. Asilomar is steps away from the beach, nestled amongst the redwood trees, and amazing natural wildlife. The Fourth Annual Food Conference brings together all generations where contemporary food conversations meet Jewish traditions.

As an active member of your local Hazon CSA and within the greater New Jewish Food Movement, I want to personally invite each of you and your families to attend the Food Conference. We have many new and exciting featured speakers this year including Woody Tasch, President of Slow Money, who is responsible for catalyzing the flow of investment capital to small food businesses and sustainable agriculture and Chef and acclaimed cookbook writer Joan Nathan. Additionally, there will be cooking demonstrations, discussions on kosher/sustainable meat practices, lectures on food policy, yoga, meditation, live music, tide pooling on the beach, activities for children, teens and family, and much more. Hazon CSA members will connect and network with other members from around the country, learn more about their local and national food systems, meet local farmers, and enjoy meals filled with produce from the Bay Area’s finest farms and CSA’s. Additionally, pre-conference activities include a farm trip, a visit to Monterey Bay Aquarium, and a Hazon CSA Leadership Track for those of you thinking about becoming more involved.

As a Jewish female farmer in Santa Cruz, CA, I spend my days outside growing and cultivating the safest and best tasting organic produce that I possibly can. I invite you to join in the conversation with those that strive to create a national movement centered around Judaism and food. Besides, who can resist a sunny vacation on a sandy beach in California at the end of December?

To learn more about the Hazon Food Conference visit www.hazon.org/foodconference. Register now -- prices rise on July 31!