05
Celebrate Terra Madre Day, Dec. 10
Terra Madre Day is a worldwide celebration of local food. People around the globe are planning events and observances. The day can be celebrated in endless numbers of ways, from small gatherings to large events. 
According to the Terra Madre website, a celebratory picnic or dinner, a film screening to raise the profile of good, clean and fair food, a visit to a local farm, food tastings, a local gathering of producers, cooks, youth and others are just a few ways to observe the day.
I realize December 10 is next week. If you are part of a group or organization that has plans for a large celebration, enjoy sharing the Terra Madre message with others! If Terra Madre Day is new to you, then you may want to start simply. One of the best ways I can think of is to buy food from a local farmer and plan a delicious meal for your family. There are numerous farmers markets across the state. You also can find North Carolina farm products at www.piedmontlocalfood.com or www.gottobenc.com.
With the holidays upon us, December 10 would be a good day to order food gifts. Who doesn’t love something that’s consumable without adding clutter to the house? See our blog from November 16 for some food gift ideas to get you started.
In 2008, I was honored to be one of several North Carolina delegates to the Terra Madre Conference in Italy. Terra Madre (Mother Earth) is a project of Slow Food International (opposite of fast food). The Terra Madre network works to create an alternative model of food production and consumption, in line with Slow Food’s philosophy of good, clean and fair: good for our palate, clean for humans, animals and the environment, and fair for producers and consumers. This global project unites food communities from 160 countries who share a vision for food production rooted in local economies and with respect for the environment, traditional knowledge, biological diversity and taste.
As the Terra Madre Day website states, “whether it is creating school gardens or producing honey, safeguarding indigenous food varieties or creating new local markets, the daily work of the network’s small-scale farmers, fishers, breeders and artisan producers, as well as cooks, educators and youth are political acts for a better food future.”
You can find more ideas about December 10, Terra Madre Day, at their website. It also includes an organizers kit, posters and other materials and a list of Terra Madre communities near you.
By Leah Chester-Davis, Program Coordinator, The Produce Lady Program
Dr. Ben Chapman, a food safety specialist with N.C. Cooperative Extension, will join Brenda Sutton, The Produce Lady, in a live, one-hour demonstration on proper canning techniques for tomatoes at 1 p.m. on July 22. Viewers can tune in by logging on to 
To prepare tomatoes for canning, first remove the skin by pouring boiling water over them. Lift from boiling water and move to a bowl. Cut out the cores, then half and slip off the peels. Dump the tomatoes in a large pot and cover with water; boil gently for 5 minutes. Ladle the tomatoes and water into canning jars and add 2 tbsp. of lemon juice, which helps reduce food safety risks. Make sure there are no air bubbles by inserting a spoon or other utensil in the jars multiple times to release the air. Leave a half-inch to 1-inch of head space in the jars. Clean the top of each jar with paper towels and a damp cloth, place lids and rings on the jars, then you’re ready to place the jars in the canner.
Preheat 4 to 5 inches of water in your water bath canner, then put your jars on a rack and place in the canner. Add more hot water so the jars are covered with 1 to 2 inches of water. Allow the water to reach a vigorous boil for 45 minutes, keeping the lid on the canner the entire time. Turn off the heat and remove the lid. Allow the canner to cool on the stove for 12 to 24 hours. The lids should pop when they seal while cooling, but if they do not seal properly (they shouldn’t move when pressed with your finger), then place the jars in the refrigerator to be used within 2 to 3 days or freeze the tomatoes.
For more information on how to preserve your favorite summer produce, log on to the Ustream page or visit our Facebook page at 1 p.m. on July 22, 2011, to watch a live tomato canning demonstration with The Produce Lady and Dr. Ben Chapman, a food safety expert with N.C. Cooperative Extension. You can “chat” with us and ask anything about food preservation or safety!
