1st Annual Miles for Midwives a Huge Sucess!!

On Sunday, October 10, 2010 in celebration of National Midwifery Week, nearly 100 midwives and midwife supporters gathered in Golden Gate Park for the 1st Annual San Francisco Miles for Midwives 5k Walk/Run! It was a hugely successful event as we had the opportunity to come together and celebrate midwives and the communities we serve from across the spectrum – home, birth-center and hospital based. It was organized by the local chapter of the American College of Nurse Midwives Chapter 4, Region VI, and Co-sponsored by the California Association of Midwives and California Nurse-Midwives Association.

Folks gathered at Peacock Meadow at 8am and at 8:45 the race began. Prizes were awarded to the first runner, first stroller, first midwife, first walker, first child and first eldest midwife to cross the finish line.

We also had tables providing information to midwives and families which included Traditional Medicinals sharing information about their sampling program for midwife practices, midwife practices from St. Lukes and the San Francsico General Hospital, In Home CPR, CAM, and Amnesty International sharing information about their Deadly Delivery report and important legislation regarding maternal health. Students from the National Holistic Institute provided complimentary massages to participants after the race.

We are excited to announce that we will be donating one-thousand dollars, the proceeds from the event to the Bay Area Midwifery Fund which seeks to increase access to midwifery care for low-income families.

We hope that everyone will consider joining us next year and come together to celebrate our hard work and the lovely families we serve.

Chard Quiche Recipe

Adapted from "Chard Tart" recipe in The Joy of Cooking, 1997 edition, I increased the recipe slightly to make a bigger pan to feed a crowd of hungry runners, walkers, stroller riders and midwives! Enjoy.

Pastry crust:
Mix together in a medium bowl:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
1/2 teaspoon salt
Stir in:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
Knead the soft dough briefly, then press into a 13 x 9 inch baking pan or an 11 inch tart pan
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Vegetables for filling:
Saute in a large skillet over medium heat until well softened and perhaps browning a bit at the edges:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 diced onion (I used yellow but purple is nice too)
Add chopped stems from 1 bunch of chard (any color) and cook a few more minutes
Then add the washed and chopped leaves of 1 bunch of chard and cook until wilted
Add:
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 and finish mixing the filling in another bowl:
4 eggs (3 for an 11 inch tart pan)
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream (1/3 cup for 11 inch tart pan)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Add the chard mixture and pour into refrigerated crust. Bake until beginning to brown on top, 40-60 minutes. Firms up as it cools.

Thank you to Full Belly Farm for donating the outstanding organic rainbow chard, onions, basil and melons for our race day! And thanks to all our enthusiastic participants for coming out to join us for our first annual SF Miles for Midwives, see you next year!
Warmly,
Christine