Homeless Garden Project's farm in Westside Santa Cruz, the site of Sunday's Kalefest
Dinner and a Movie
Dinner and a Movie, part of HGP’s Sustain dinner series, sounds like a unique and wonderful evening. The event begins at 6pm Tuesday April 24 at Bonny Doon Vineyards’ Le Cigare Volant restaurant (formerly Cellar Door) in Westside Santa Cruz. Dinner features organic leeks, green garlic, chard, edible flowers and strawberries grown in HGP’s training program; the entrée will be arctic char. The movie is “Happy,” an award-winning documentary that “…leads viewers on a journey across five continents in search of the keys to happiness.” The film addresses issues like how to balance the allure of money, fame and social status with needs for strong relationships, health and personal fulfillment.
Purchase tickets – which include two glasses of BDV wine, 2010 Clos De Gilroy & 2009 Vigonier (made using biodynamically farmed grapes) – in advance for $25 online, or $35 at the door.
Kalefest
Kalefest was originally scheduled for March 31, but had to be rescheduled to Sunday April 29 due to storms. It’s from 12-4pm at HGP’s Natural Bridges Farm; the $5 admission (kids are free) gets you a “Kale Kit” (passport to demos and workshops, tickets for voting, and Kalefest button).
At the festival, guests will enjoy hourly farm tours, gardening workshops, a raffle, and cooking demos. In addition, there will be live music, a “kids’ kale kingdom” including art activities, and lots of food and refreshments including a beer garden with Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery and Boulder Creek Brewery beverages. Food includes India Joze items from 12-3 p.m. and The Truckstop goodies from 3-4 p.m. There will also be two contests: one for “best bunch of kale” and one for “best kale recipe” — top recipes will be featured in HGP’s upcoming cookbook.
Below is a schedule showing selected activities; for more information including directions to the event, click here.
Cooking Demos & Workshops
12:30 p.m. – Oai Phan, Santa Cruz Zen Center and volunteer cook at HGP
1:30 p.m. – Forrest Cook, Farm Manager at HGP
2:30 p.m. – Jamie Shields, Food Service Director at Santa Cruz City Schools
Gardening Workshops
1 p.m. – Benefits of soil fertility with Brian O’Toole
2 p.m. – Kale nutrition with David Stockhausen
3 p.m. – Kale planting and Q&A with David Stockhausen and Mike Erickson
Contests
Recipe contest – entries accepted 12 – 1:30 p.m. Winners announced 2:30 – 3 p.m.
Kale bunch contest – entries accepted until 1 p.m. Ribbons placed on “Best in Show” by 2:30 p.m.
Founded in 1990, HGP offers many programs – some of which take place in a 2.5-acre organic farm. The organization also operates an organic CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program) from May-October. Get more details on the CSA (I highly recommend it!) at HGP’s web site.
On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie
Dinner and a Movie at Le Cigare Volant: 328 Ingalls Street, Santa Cruz
Kalefest: HGP Natural Bridges Farm, the intersection of Shaffer Road and Delaware