Check out more photos from the event:

Did you devote a part of this day to service? If so, what did you do?

flickr.com/prettywarstl: a nice plate!

Thanksgiving in my family is more than the delicious turkey, pies, and cobblers my sister Delane makes; it is also a celebration of food that preserves the memories and experiences of those who have passed on, symbolized through the remaking of family recipes…Cherrie’s dressing, Ella mae’s Pea Salad…the matriarchs of my family pulled greens from their garden for dinner, they plucked the feathers of fresh foul, and cleaned the fish they caught in local lakes for Friday fish fries.

Our family also has gratitude for the new generation and experiences that nod toward the future by introducing new culinary creations, such as the anticipated “newlywed dish” from Christine and Antoine this year, my next-generation cornbread dressing that has become a family favorite, and Uncle Jerry’s deep fried turkey that produces the juiciest, tastiest bird in record time.

With everyone at the table, sometimes for the first time in months, it’s a perfect time to discuss goals for your family in the coming year and also celebrate the accomplishments.

This year at the table, I hope you will join me in having a discussion with your loved ones about ways to get back in touch with the outdoors. I’ll bet someone at the table, especially an elder, can recall circumstances that mirror Cherrie and Ella mae’s, and remind us at a personal level the intimate and sustainable interaction possible with the outdoors. These shared experiences can connect people more than we imagine, so don’t let your eyes glaze over when the elders are speaking…you’ll miss something important, I assure you.

Flickr.com/Circulating: The Harvest

The point is not to create a complicated or overly-ambitious plan for the outdoors, but to figure out what activities feel comfortable for everyone and commit to do something. Perhaps it’s a short family hike over this holiday weekend; planning more picnics, starting a family garden, taking up bird-watching, or perhaps  polling to see which child (or adult) still needs to learn to swim, and make it a family goal for everyone to learn how before summer.

If you are an outdoorsy family already, then break out the recent trip photos and recall stories to celebrate your activities, keep the excitement around them alive, and inspire new adventure ideas.

I am profoundly thankful Outdoor Afro is here (and growing) to share the diverse experiences of folks of color doing outdoor activities, while inspiring more people to reconnect with outdoor activities that are not as otherworldly as they sometimes appear.

From my family to yours – Have a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

My very best,
Rue

Hello there Outdoor Afros! Kelly here from the Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project!

This past Saturday I was a guest of Outdoor Afro and Soul Food Farm at their annual benefit for Slow Food Solano, and the Farmer Veteran Coalition in Vacaville, CA. I have to tell you, I had a GREAT time! It was a day of firsts for me, the first time I’ve ridden my ’86 Honda Shadow for an hour straight, the first time I’ve ridden over a bridge, and the first time I’ve ever watched beef butchered. And I learned all new vocabulary, like:

char•cu•te•rie

Definition of CHARCUTERIE : a delicatessen specializing in dressed meats and meat dishes; also : the products sold in such a shop…

Which I discovered meant people and places that make bacon, sausage and other cured meats. YUM!

Click to check out all my photos!

I also learned how professionally trained butchers “break down” beef. It was fascinating watching my favorite cuts of meat being sliced away from a whole cow. You don’t get more real than that! I even walked away with a packet of grass-fed beef stew meat I won in the raffle! Agricola Grassfed Beef donated the cow and from the lunch we had- from pastrami sandwiches to beef tacos (my personal favorite) to the most delicious ribs I’ve ever tasted. How beef is raised and butchered makes a huge difference in taste!

Alexis Koefoed, Owner of Soul Food Farms

Seriously, beef, beer and butchers with chain link belts on… I was in Kelly-Heaven!

The owner of Soul Food Farm, Alexis, was so welcoming to all of her guests! She spoke to everyone about the importance of supporting both the slow food movement, school gardens, and returning veterans. She and her volunteers have our thanks for everything they do!

Thank you Rue of Outdoor Afro and Soul Food Farm for inviting Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project to this “first in a lifetime” opportunity!

Best,

Kelly D. Carlisle
Founder/ Executive Director
Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project
Ph: 510.972.3276

Want to learn the best ways to break down grassfed beef into American and Italian cuts AND support urban school garden projects? If so, we invite you to take your love of good food and good deeds to the next level! Join Outdoor Afro at this fundraiser for Slow Food Solano’s school gardens project, the Farmer-Veteran-Coalition and Gleason Ranch, in Northern California.

After a demonstration by skilled butchers, the event will culminate with a drawing to distribute all the cuts to those attending.

The day’s offerings also include a bounteous spread of beautiful, delicious food and artisan micro brews.

Master butchers Angela Wilson of Avedano’s, Chris Arentz, Dave the Butcher, Zach Gero from Shoppers Corner in Santa Cruz and Josh Kleinsmith of Piedmont Grocery in Oakland will be demonstrating the different styles of cuts and do a Q & A.

In addition, John Fink of The Whole Beast will be grilling Soul Food Farm chickens and talking about open fire cooking.

I have had Mr. Scott’s wonderful black-eyed peas from the West Oakland Farmer’s Market that keep amazingly well in the freezer to enjoy in winter months.

Who are the black farmers in your family and community?

Last weekend my daughter and a friend did some balcony camping. For dinner that night we made fish cooked in foil packages outside. Cooking fish in foil with seasonal vegetables is a very smart and tasty way to cook fish. Less mess and fish cooked in the juices from the vegetables always end up perfect to eat. The French call this way of cooking “en papillote” which means in parchment, the method of cooking in which the food is put in a folded pouch and baked. Using foil in cooking is perfect for cookouts and camp food. Some of my favorite meals are fish cooked on an open fire with aluminum foil.

Because it is so fun for kids to make their own fish dish, it is also a great way to get them to eat fish.

You need:
500 grams Cod filet (or your favorite local fish)

Vegetables in season

We used: 1 Onion

10 Asparagus (already boiled)

Herbs

Chopped 2 Tomatoes

1 Lemon

100 grams Champignon Mushrooms

3 Spring Onions

This is how you do it:
Wash and prepare all vegetables. Chop and fry champignon mushrooms and boiled asparagus. Put

them in different bowls.Cut fish in pieces and put them on a plate.

Bring everything outside with foil, olive oil and salt.

First put the fish in the middle of a sheet of foil and cover it with your favorite vegetables and herbs. Add some salt, pepper, and olive oil and wrap your blend in foil. Place on your gas grill or near some hot coals from an open fire.

Give your kids a piece of foil and make sure all the ingredients within reach for them.

Visit Great American Backyard Campout for ideas and recipes

The Duo Dishes, Chrystal and Amir are two passionate eaters, experimental cooks and friends based in Los Angeles, California. Their prowess in the kitchen is inspired by an endless zeal for eating, and the ability and desire to cook fearlessly. With roots that span from the North and South tips of the East coast, they love to mix and match everything that speaks to family traditions, regional fare and new ethnic flavors when they create meals for ourselves and others.

On Sunday, May 29th, they ventured down to the beach for the second year in a row to enjoy a seafood boil with friends. While they reported windy conditions, they still managed to heat and eat an impressive amount of food!

Check out these mouthwatering images!

My six-year-old son Billy and I recently had the privilege to lend a hand to “raise” a garden at Kennedy High School in Richmond, California. We arrived mid-morning at a southern exposed site nestled near the school’s track. The work area swarmed with students, school staff, parents, and Urban Tilth, the organizing non-profit who produced the day as part of its project, 2 Farms in 2 Days.

Not too little to help

The intention behind this weekend event aims to produce real, productive farms that, according the organization’s website, “grow food that directly changes the food landscape of the families in the schools of Richmond,” where there are too few options for local residents to find fresh produce — a common challenge for many urban and underserved communities.

Doria Robinson, the Executive Director of Urban Tilth, and third-generation resident of Richmond, said that it was, “important that these farms be raised by those who represent the community,” and judging from the dozens of young brown faces present that day, her organization succeeded.

Our party wheel barrowed steaming compost, carefully laid railroad ties, edged raised beds of edible native plants with mulch, and planted several half-gallon pots of the venerable purple collard greens.

Adding to the mix of helpers was a goat trimming the nearby grass and some chickens adding value to the soil. For most of the morning and early afternoon it rained, but the entire group worked steadfast and in good humor, serenaded by the beats of the local hip-hop station. Most present knew this event was merely the beginning. These Kennedy High students will learn how to manage the farm and its produce, earning college credit along the way. And most importantly, lay a foundation for a healthier, sustainable community.

To learn more about Urban Tilth and how you can support their efforts to create sustainable foodways, check out their website!

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