Convivium Mission Statement: The mission of Slow Food Southeast Washington is to raise awareness of the diverse local foods that flourish in the rich soils deposited by ice age floods, long, warm sunny days, and cool nights and the magic of irrigation in the desert; to honor the tradition of table and kitchen as the heart of living well, to instill in current and future generations the importance of consuming locally-produced food; and to celebrate the emergence of a world-class wine-growing region.
Convivium Geographical Description: A distinctive feature of this area is the diversity of crops grown- over 200 fruits, vegetables, and grains. We are also the center of Washington wine production. Crop diversity is due to the many micro-environments found in our area, a result of ice age floods that etched out coolees and valleys, depositing pockets of rich soil. Three rivers converge in this area and provide irrigation. Food traditions: Salmon is the most obvious, dating back millennia with native tribes. Wine grapes have been grown for the past century. We are one of the largest asparagus-producing regions in the world. We grow more potatoes than Idaho (though ours are less famous).
SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON SLOW
FOOD
Leadership Team:
Stephanie Greene, Convivium Leader/Founding Member
Donna Zuba, Treasurer/Founding Member
Alan Schreiber, Founding Member
Paul Sinclair, Founding Member
Merritt Mitchell Wajeeh, Newsletter
John Ittner, Webmaster
