Summer officially has one month left, and we’re celebrating by sharing our recommendations for Slow Weekends, a travel series from Slow Food USA that highlights businesses with a Snail of Approval designation.

The Snail of Approval award is given by local Slow Food chapters to recognize food businesses that make meaningful commitments to the environment, local communities, employees and purveyors, advance justice and work to end oppression in food systems and beyond.

Our community partners in East New York still need help—and we’ve just qualified for Ioby’s NYC COVID-19 Just Recovery Match Fund to double the impact of dollars raised through donation matching in August. From contributing food to the Universe City Mutual Aid Fridge to delivering fresh produce to the Coretta Scott-King Senior Housing Facility, we’re looking to exceed our 2020 produce donations and can make that a reality with your support.

Slow Food NYC hosted a book launch discussion with chef-turned-author and Slow Food NYC Snailblazer Peter Hoffman and special guest, author Cathy Erway.

This year’s 11th annual Food Almanac: Food Equity & Access in a post-COVID era took place online and featured an invigorating, in-depth panel discussion moderated by Adrian Lipscombe, chef-owner of Uptowne Cafe and Bakery and founder of the 40 Acres Project.

Lipscombe spoke with Nate Mook (CEO, World Central Kitchen), Lisa Held (Senior Policy Reporter, Civil Eats) and Tanya Denise Fields (Founder and Executive Director, The Black Feminist Project and Mama Tanya’s Kitchen), who each offered valuable perspectives on pivoting during the pandemic, root causes of food inequity, and food policy solutions.

Brooklyn-based Oko Farms was recently awarded a grant from Slow Food USA. Below, we discuss aquaponics, food security, and environmental health with founder and director, Yemi Amu.

Oko Urban Farms (or Oko Farms, for short), is New York City’s only aquaponic farm and education facility. The Brooklyn-based establishment “serves primarily as an outdoor classroom,” explains Yemi Amu, its founder and director. Additionally, Oko Farms produces vegetables and fish for consumption, provides online education, and offers aquaponics design and consultation services.

Many of us will have taken time this past Thursday to reflect on the people and things in our lives for which we are thankful. After a year full of crises and challenges, it is of healing importance to consider how we can work toward a more just and sustainable future.

We're compiling a Quarantine Community Cookbook and invite your submissions, be they midnight snacks, entrees, cocktails, or otherwise. Multiple submissions are very welcome, and they don't need to be originals — just cite the source if it originated elsewhere.

Since 1818, the Farmers' Almanac has provided uncannily accurate weather predictions that inform farmers’ planting, harvesting, and day-to-day living. Earlier this year, Slow Food New York City - inspired by the “Farmers’ Almanac” - hosted the 10th Annual Food Almanac, a singular opportunity for food-active individuals to be informed and to consider food and farming policy challenges, opportunities, and action in the year ahead.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, New York City’s local food economy is under threat. As is too often the case, the people on the front lines of our food system - from farmers to service workers - are among those individuals suffering the most right now. The ability to “work from home” is simply not an option for many food service professionals, nor for farmers who rely on markets in and around New York City as critical income sources throughout the year.

As the days shorten and our garden beds are put to rest, we're reflecting on all that we've accomplished together with our Slow Food community in 2019. The last of the harvest has been picked at our urban farm and we're beginning to lay the groundwork for our 2020 programs. For us here at Slow Food NYC, November is a time for looking back on where we've been in preparation for a new year ahead.