Food Summit for 2019 set at Latah county fairground

The 2019 Food Summit, hosted by Palouse-Clearwater Food Coalition, will be Friday, Jan. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Latah County Fairground and Events Center, 1021 Harold St., Moscow, Idaho. The program will start at 9 a.m.

The annual event attracts more than 100 area food and farming educators, businesses and food advocates.

Nationally renowned keynote Merna Ann Hecht, poet, essayist and editor of “Our Table of Memories: Food & Poetry of Spirit, Homeland and Tradition,” will open the summit by demonstrating the power of poetry and storytelling to inspire change.

A series of presentations featuring agriculture and food in the Palouse-Clearwater region will include the legacy fruit trees of the Palouse, local honey production, creating a farm-to-table food culture, growing heritage grains, increasing healthy food access, and tribal food sovereignty.

Pacific Northwest Farmers Co-op Specialty Foods will share their story of forming a cooperative that supports local farmers that grow lentils, peas and garbanzos.

The event will also include two sensory tastings of local honeys and three varieties of hummus made with local pulses and a pasta extrusion demonstration. Lunch will include pulses donated by the PNW Farmers Co-op, and will incorporate noodles from the WSU USDA Western Wheat Quality Lab.

The summit will conclude with a children’s poetry presentation, a raffle, and an award ceremony to recognize an Outstanding Local Food Leader for the Palouse-Clearwater region.

The event will also host an onsite food drive for local food banks. Palouse Prairie Charter School students will host a hygiene products drive to benefit migrant farm workers in Idaho and Washington. Please bring non-perishable food items and travel size hygiene products to donate.

Pre-registration is required by Jan. 20.

General registration is $25. Scholarships are available. To register for the event, visit https://foodsummit2019.eventbrite.com. Space is limited.

A free reading by Merna Ann Hecht will be Thursday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. at Book People, 521 S. Main in Moscow.