May’s [AOA Field Trip](http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150262310199783.375418.747964782) found us gallivanting outdoors with some fantastic farmers and interesting food folk at one of the first [Outstanding In The Field](http://outstandinginthefield.com/) events of the season. For those of you not familiar with the events, Outstanding in the Field was one of the first “foodie” experiences. Started in 1998 by chef and land artist [Jim Denevan](http://www.jimdenevan.com/) in Santa Cruz, California as a few casual “farmer dinners” between restauranteurs and their regular producers; the Outstanding in the Field series has grown into an international farm tour, complete with supercool bus. The full story of Outstanding in the Field maps the history and growth of the food movement in the States in a communal and fun way, and one you should really take the time to [read here](http://outstandinginthefield.com/about/history/) if you are the kind of person who has a tendency to visit farmers markets religiously. Or if you just plain like food. Our Outstanding experience took us up to [Rio Gozo](http://riogozofarm.blogspot.com/) Farm in Ojai, where the extremely hip and cute John and Elizabeth Fonteyn (who own and run the organic farm with Steve Sprinkel) welcomed our group of about 100 food enthusiasts with a tour of their land (originally a jail!), and an incredible spread by local Ventura restauranteur Tim Kilcoyne of the [Sidecar Restaurant](http://www.thesidecarrestaurant.com/). We were also treated to varietal wines from Ojai’s [Old Creek Ranch Winery](http://www.oldcreekranch.com/). This was truly a delightful afternoon with perfect Ojai weather, and the fact that Claire and I had brought our moms to welcome the spring with us made it perfect. We raised our glasses, chatted with the locals and some LA tourists like ourselves, and [enjoyed the day](http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150192678574137.322196.645694136). It also inspired me to come back home and get started on my own garden. I’ve planted some heirloom purple beans, an artichoke, and watermelon. Not quite a farm, but oh so satisfying. The tickets go fast and many of the locations are sold out, but there are quite a few events that still have [availability](http://outstandinginthefield.com/events/2011-tour/). At around $200 per ticket, it’s certainly not cheap, but it is worth it. I am considering tickets to the popular Wattles Farm event in November. Perhaps we’ll see you there. We had quite a bit of fun with our Top Fives this month, which we’ve themed around “Activist May.” From our choices in eco-friendly finds to our favorite causes to the best music to inspire, we’ve assembled this month’s lists in the spirit of reciprocity. Check out all of our picks on our [Pinterest page](http://pinterest.com/academyarchive/activist-may/). View this email on the web here: http://mim.io/35ca11?fe=1&pact=3808336322 Unsubscribe: http://go.madmimi.com/opt_out?fe=1&pact=3808336322&amx=558491229 You can also forward to a friend: http://go.madmimi.com/forward/3808336322?amx=558491229 the academy of archivists | info@wearchive.info
Posted 1 year ago with 0 notes