Photos from Slow Food Nation

Civic Center Plaza was filled with foodies today, as people celebrated a "4-day extravaganza of good, clean and fair food." I was curious to see where the "Victory Garden" was- it was next to the Joshua trees in the middle of the park. They had made raised beds with what mostly looked like compost from the city. There were lots of native plants, and all sorts of polycultures related to tomatoes, corn, beans, and squash. I think I saw some buckwheat growing, and there was also amaranth, but one wouldn't get very full from eating out of this garden. At one end of the "Victory Garden" (didn't people have "Victory Gardens" to show their support for, or at least acceptance of, a certain previous world war? wasn't it also a way of mitigating disastrous effects on labor and materials for food production and distrubution?), there was a semi-circle where folks could hear speakers. On one side of the garden were the food vendors, with lots of healthier and mostly-local food. On the other side were food producers- veggies, cheeses, nuts, etc. I didn't many of the political food/agriculture policy groups. I would have liked to have seen Ozomatli over at Fort Mason, but I don't have 60-80 bucks.

From the (Events for the) Budget-Minded section of SFN's website:

For the Budget-Minded
Marketplace
SFN Marketplace

Civic Center Plaza | Friday, August 29, 9am - 4pm | Free

Stroll through Civic Center and check out the farmers’ market, food kiosks, and more.
Victory Garden
Victory Garden

Civic Center Plaza | Saturday, August 30, 9am - 4pm | Free

Ornamental edible garden: Take a walk around the garden.
Soap Box

Slow Food Nation Victory Garden | Saturday, August 30, 9am - 4pm | Free

While you check out the Victory Garden, catch one of the free speakers (who range from CHOW honey obsessive Serge Labesque to peach farmer Mas Masumoto) giving short speeches.