Food Security Tour - Wednesday, 9:00 to 3:00

This tour will take us to Bloomington’s organizations that mix classic approaches of providing food assistance to households with gleaning programs that lead an institutional approach to this immemorial human tradition. We will meet with groups that organize on-farm gleaning through a hefty volunteer corps, and deliver that food to the hungry, and others whose newly established town gardens contribute even more fresh fruits and vegetables to the cause of hunger, while raising the profile of food growing in the city. We will also visit the innovative Bloomington Kitchen Incubator, a brand-new community commercial kitchen, which offers a space where local people can prepare value-added foods for sale, from local raw ingredients. The blend of destinations this day will bring us reflects Bloomington’s efforts to intentionally strengthen our web of regional, and household, food security. A delectable lunch of local foods is included.
Number of people: 28
Cost: $65

Meat/Milk Tour - Wednesday, 8:30 to 5:00

This tour will take us to grass-based farms surrounding Bloomington. The smallholder producers we will meet are regional pioneers in raising and direct marketing meat from pastured pigs, cows, poultry and waterfowl. Some of them are also profitably navigating the landscape of raw dairy, in a state whose policy allows only two narrow loopholes for getting unpasteurized dairy to consumers. All of them are also experimenting with their own, imaginative preferences for processing the food they raise, and scaling up. An on-farm lunch will be provided, as will a snack of farm-made ice cream (choose from 25 flavors!) at Swiss Connection, where the Yegerlehner family has farmed the same stretch of land for more than 100 years. You will: visit a fleet of school buses converted into chicken coops at Rhodes Family Farm, meet with Rice’s processing house, and meet the twenty-something power couple of Schacht Farm who is in the vanguard of this movement for our region.
Number of people: 28
Cost: $65

Winery/brewery Tour - Wednesday, 4:00-9:00

Bloomington is home to two remarkable artisanal breweries. The Bloomington Brewing Company and Upland Brewery have both positioned themselves in the vanguard of the regional food and sustainability movement. Years ago, advocacy by BBC brought about a change in state laws to allow an artisanal brewery to distribute its own beer. Upland has recently installed a solar energy system that heats the massive amount of water its operations demand on a daily basis. Both breweries are within restaurants that source from local producers, and BBC even grows some of its own hops, as part of its new farm and agri-tourism venture, which we will visit, as well. We will tour these two breweries, as well as Oliver Winery, a celebrated tourist destination within Indiana’s fledgling but popular wine region. The tour ends with a meal in the rolling hills outside Bloomington on the site of a future BBC brewery.

"We’ll finish up our tour with what promises to be a one of a kind event. Six of Bloomington’s finest chefs will host us for a “Chef’s Potluck” on Loesch Farm.  The farm is the future home of the Bloomington Brewing Company, which will become one of the few farmstead breweries in North America.  The pastures are home to heritage breed English Large Black Hogs and one of the only herds of Asian Water Buffalo in the mid-west.  We’ll dine amongst the gardens, pastures and woodlands.  The chefs offerings will highlight ingredients from this area, sometimes called the White River food-shed.  The chefs will be available to discuss their passions and the challenges they face in their commitment using local foods.   Join us for an evening of amazing food and merrymaking."
Number of people: 28
Cost: $65

General Information

Recommendations

• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.  June temperatures in Bloomington can vary by as much as 10 degrees from the average of 72. 
• Most tours involve some walking.  Choose shoes appropriate to the destination.  Close-toed shoes are recommended for farm visits.

Payment in full is required at time of registration.

Refunds will only be processed before May 21, 2010.  Make your tour decisions early.

Tours may be cancelled due to low enrollment, weather or other unforeseen circumstances.  In the event of cancellation you will be contacted via e-mail.  You will have the option of taking another tour, as space is available.  Otherwise a full refund will be provided.

Please direct questions about the tours to Michael Valliant at mvallian@gmail.com

Please direct questions about registration to Melissa Kocias at iuconfs@indiana.edu