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A special advertising and content section of the Monterey Herald and Santa Cruz Sentinel Spring 2018 Central Coast AGRICULTURE Communityfestivalsstay vibrant because of the peo- ple who attend every year, but they stay alive through the support of their sponsors and volunteers. It's no different for the 59th Annual Castroville Artichoke Food and Wine Festival, which relies on its many sponsors and hundreds of volunteers to continue its legacy of not only entertaining and edu- cating the community, but directly benefiting charitable and educational nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in Monterey County. The 59th Annual Artichoke Food and Wine Festival will be held at the Monte- rey County Fair and Event Center in Monterey on June 2 and 3, 2018. Festival attendees will enjoy fresh artichoke food delicacies, a beer, wine and spirits Support Your Community by Becoming a Sponsor or Volunteer for The 59th Annual Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival, June 2-3, 2018 garden, chef demos, live en- tertainment, field tours and more during the two-day festival. For years, the Artichoke Festival has been dedi- cated to informing festival attendees about the unique qualities of artichokes, including farming, harvest- ing, and preparation. Guest also can learn about how the artichoke industry has influenced the history of Monterey County. Now, as a 501c3 organization, the pur- pose remains the same, with an emphasis on giving back to the local community. "We look forward to the Artichoke Festival each year because the event paints a clear picture of how this community comes together to support one another," said Diana McClean, senior director of marketing at Oc ean Mist Fa rms and boar d Provided photo member for the Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Fes- tival. "The purpose of this organization aligns directly with Ocean Mist Farms' values, which is part of the reason we enjoy sponsoring this annual event." Proceeds from the festival are used to support 501c3 community organizations and activities that align with the festival's mission. Organizations supported by the festival include: • Local School Sports and Education Programs • Animal Rehabilitation and Community Education Programs • Cancer Support Services • Community Programs that serve Seniors and At-Risk Youth • Food Insecurity in our Local Community • Health and Nutrition Edu- cation Programs Sponsorship levels include Heart of Gold, Purple Bloom, Elegant Thistle, Green This- tle, Green Bud, and Friends of the Thistle, ranging from $500 to $20,000. To become a sponsor, please contact Kathryn Parish at Kathryn.parish@gmail.com or download the sponsorship packet online at artichokef- estival.org. By volunteering, individuals and community organiza- tions and clubs can also support the 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations throughout the California Central Coast that benefit from festival proceeds. Consider sharing your, or your organization's, time and talents and join the genera- tions of families and groups who have been a part of the Castroville Artichoke Food & Wine Festival's history. Those wishing to volunteer must complete a Volunteer Application and will be contacted by the Castro- ville Artichoke Festival, Inc. office about next steps and placement for working on committees. For more information about becoming a volunteer, con- tact the festival: Castroville Artichoke Festival, Inc. P.O. Box 1041, Castroville, California 95012, or call the office at (831) 633-2465 or email artifest@att.net. Volunteer applications and release forms are available on the website: artichokefestival. org/general-info/volunteers/. This is a tremendous opportunity to participate in this one-of-a kind event that combines a long-stand- ing community tradition at a legendary venue, and a world-renowned travel destination. Provided photo Provided photo Provided photo Green Giant Fresh launches new vegetable meal bowls Green Giant™ Fresh has launched a new line of fresh vegetable Meal Bowls with six distinct world flavors. All bowls are microwave-safe and ready in just minutes making them a convenient meal option for time-starved consumers and people on the go that don't want to forego nutrition or flavor for fast foods or quick meals. Just heat, stir in included sauce/seasoning packet and enjoy! Plans for expanding this line are already in the works, while the original Meal Bowl flavors include: Burrito Bowl Fried Rice Bowl Pad Thai Bowl Rancheros Bowl Buddha Bowl Ramen Bowl The bowls are comprised of different Green Giant Fr esh va lue-added ve get able mixes and blends including items from their Cauliflower Crumbles® line—the original chopped cauliflower product that kicked off the riced/ chopped veggie craze in 2016—and items from their 2017 Vegetable Noodles line. Each vegan-friendly meal bowl comes with a sauce/ seasoning packet that's full of flavors ranging from sweet and tangy to zesty and savory. Other bowl addi- tives include roasted chick- peas (Buddha Bowl) and dry roasted edamame (Ramen Bowl). Other protein prefer- ences (e.g. chicken, shrimp, beef, tofu, egg) can also be easily added to any of the bowls, delivering the ver- satility to customize bowls to any palate, or to create a complete rounded meal. "We know consumers are on the go and looking for healthy and nutritious foods, swaps and meal alterna- tives," said Jamie Stra- chan, chief executive officer, Green Giant Fresh. Continuing, "Our meal bowls line was developed in response to this demand, then refined and perfected with our premium vegetable products, along with desirable flavors that give each bowl its distinctive personality." Green Giant™ Fresh is an industry-leading fresh vegetable brand in the U.S. with a full line of commodity vegetables, as well as many first-to-market products. Their comprehensive line of fresh vegetables – cover- ing every major commodity and vegetable category – is comple- mented by their exten- sive line of unique and innovative value-add- ed items. As the only fresh produce brand featuring Box Tops for Education™ clips, Green Giant Fresh has contrib- uted over $2 million to this worthy cause, which benefits America's K-8 schools nationwide. Box Tops clips can be found on over 100 of their products. Visit GreenGiantFresh.com for more information. New UC Santa Cruz faculty member explores solutions to local agriculture challenges As a new member of UC Santa Cruz's Environmen- tal Studies faculty, Elliott Campbell is interested in the challenges facing local ag- riculture, from limited water supplies and rising energy costs to a changing climate. Campbell is a Santa Cruz native whose research fo- cuses on potential solutions to large-scale environmental problems. That includes looking at ways to recycle water, recharge aquifers, and recirculate nutrients between cities and farms that would otherwise end up in landfills. Locally, Campbell is eager to explore whether reclaimed wastewater generated by cities could be used to recharge depleted aqui- fers. "The Central Coast is unparalleled when it comes to using reclaimed water for edible cr ops, " s aid Campbell. "We need to reuse water, and we need to recirculate water." He's also interested in finding ways to reclaim nutrients that are lost when food goes into the trash, and make it available to local growers. "Forty percent of food goes to waste," said Campbell. "When we divert waste from the landfill as compost, ideally we send it back to farms. But compost is a bulky, low-value prod- uct—it doesn't make sense to transport it long distanc- es. It needs to be generated near cities for use on nearby farms." Elliott Campbell- Provided Photo (continueonpage5) FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2018 MONTEREYHERALD.COM |NEWS | 1 C Newspaper : Monterey County Herald Advertiser : HOUSE PROMO-RETAIL Issue Date : 04/27/2018 Ad Number : 000614578801