Slow Food San Gabriel Valley Meeting and Potluck - Be sure to attend this event if you are a San Gabriel Valley Food activist! This is a meeting to determine if there is enough interest to start a Slow Food chapter in the San Gabriel Valley. This is a potluck so bring a dish to share; with so many foodies you can bet the food will be great! The event will feature presentations by leading food activists from the San Gabriel Valley. It starts at noon on Saturday at the Church of the Brethen in Glendora. Learn more here.

Thinking about what to do this weekend? You’re in luck! I have some great options for your Halloween weekend.

Brave New Planet Conference in Claremont: Farmscape’s Dan Allen will be leading a session on Urban Farming called “Lawns to Vegetables” at this conference that strives to “imagine ecological communities” like right here in Los Angeles. The keynote will be given by Bill McKibben, the author of  Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. It’s a great event to start the conversation of how to begin building the kind of sustainable societies that the future will call for and Farmscape is excited to be a part of it. It takes place Friday and Saturday in the Claremont Presbyterian Church. Bill’s lecture will be on Thursday evening at Pomona College.

The Green Festival: The Green Festival will be coming to Los Angeles this weekend and it is simply packed with things to do. It’s the largest sustainability event in the world and is Saturday and Sunday at the LA Convention Center. I'm impressed with quality of their speaker roster, which features Rachelle Carson Begley , Ed Begley Jr., Paula Daniels, Joe Linton, Bill McKibben, Ernest Miller of The Farmer’s Kitchen and so many more. Buy your tickets online to save some money and go support all things green.

Great Green Halloween at the Pump Station: The Great Green Halloween is an event in Santa Monica benefitting Healthy Child Healthy World. Come celebrate Halloween with your whole family in a sustainable and healthy way. The Pump Station is partnering with HCHW this year to bring you an event that is aimed at families with kids six months to five years old. There will be recycling workshops, a playroom for the kids, Raffle Prizes, and so much more. The event is on Sunday, from 4 PM until 6 PM; bring your "little pumpkins!" 

Farmscape wants to spread the word about your food or gardening event! Please email Rbailin@farmscapegardens.com with community happenings suggestions.

There are several interesting food events taking place in Los Angeles this weekend. If you're looking for something to do, these seem like great options:

Food Day: Choose Health LA has a list of several events happening this weekend in conjunction with Food Day 2011. Food Day is a nationwide event modeled on earth day; on October 24th Americans are encouraged to eat healthy and affordable food that is also sustainably produced. Farmscape is joining the city of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Food Policy Council to celebrate - Where will you be?

Gathering of Community Gardens: The Los Angeles Community Gardening Council is hosting the 5th Annual Gathering of Community Gardens this Saturday at Loma Alta Park. The event will feature workshops about various sustainability and gardening topics. Some of Farmscape's friends will be presenting, including David King of the Venice Learning Garden, LA Sprouts, Glen Drake, Florence Nishida and many more. The event will take place on Saturday from 8 AM - 4 PM and is free with lunch provided.

The Los Angeles Magazine Food Event: This year is the sixth annual LA Magazine Food Event, so you know that it will be fantastic! According to their website, "the day features great chefs, culinary experts, sommeliers, plus lots of food, wine, and other treats." The event will feature celebrity chefs hosting cooking demonstrations and informational panels. It should be a great community event with some of the best tasting food and wine around. The event will take place Sunday October 23 from 1 PM - 4 PM and will be held at the Saddle Rock Ranch in Malibu.

Landscape Water and Conservation Fair: Farmscape will be tabling at this event from 9 AM - 2 PM at the Chino Basin Water Conservation District. If you are planning on attending, please stop by our booth. This free fair will have a free petting zoo, face painting, and pumpkin patch for kids and for the adults there will be free water conservation workshops. We hope to see you there!

Home Coffee Roasting Class: Ian Riley, a master roaster at LAMILL coffee with be hosting a home coffee roasting class on Sunday, October 23 from 10 AM - 12 PM. The class is being held at the historic Zane Grey Estate in Altadena where the Altadena Urban Farmer's Market meets monthly. For $95 you can learn how to roast, brew, and taste your own coffee. The fee includes snacks, ingredients for the coffee, and supplies. If you're interested in the class, you can learn more and register online here.

Farmscape wants to spread the word about your food or gardening event! Please email rbailin@farmscapegardens.com with community event suggestions.

Join Farmscape this weekend at two events: Artisanal LA and the Go Green Expo. 

Artisanal LA is scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday at Santa Monica Place. The event features numerous local and artisanal vendors of food, home and garden products, and non-profits. 

The Go Green Expo will take place on Saturday and Sunday at the LA Convention Center. The event features demonstrations from a wide variety of environmentally responsible businesses and organizations.

Farmscape has greatly enjoyed attending and participating in both events in the past; we hope to see you this weekend.