I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “When it rains, it pours,” right? You may not be able to imagine rain falling inside WGC headquarters, but believe me, this October has been a non-stop monsoon of excitement and activity!  I’ve had to break out my wellies and a giant umbrella, just to keep from going under!  

So what, you may wonder, has us treading metaphorical water like never before?  In a word, everything!  In all honesty, this feels like the busiest October ever, and it may be one of the busiest months we’ve had all year.  There have been so many fantastic projects, events, programs, and celebrations that all of us at the WGC and Oldways have been on our toes this entire month.

Here are just some of the highlights:

• The WGC’s fourth annual Whole Grains Challenge kicked off on October 1st to huge huzzahs.  We’d been fielding frequent inquiries as the start date drew closer, and this year’s Challenge is well on its way to be our biggest and best ever.  (I know, we say that every year, but honestly, this one looks to be HUGE!)  Our generous Members have pledged over 150 individual prizes to be distributed to this year’s lucky category winners, and the competition is already pretty fierce.  For those of you still looking to enter this year’s Challenge, there’s still time!  Our online entry form will be open straight until Friday, November 5, but why wait until the last minute?  Enter the Whole Grains Challenge today!

• World Pasta Day is always October 25th, and this year, a whole host of bloggers joined Oldways in the countdown.  After all, World Pasta Day is the perfect reason for everyone all over the world to sit down with family and friends and enjoy a healthy pasta meal.  Being part of Oldways, the WGC was pleased to see not one, not two, but THREE awesome bloggers touting nutritious and delectable whole grain pasta options!  We were positively tickled to hear The Leather District Gourmet had plans to dish up pasta made from einkorn, one of the earliest known varieties of wheat.  We almost fell off our chairs after reading the mouth-watering recipe Good Cook Doris shared with us – it looks so simple!  I’m going to have to give this one a try at home!  (And did you notice how pretty the World Pasta Day looks on her site? Lovely!)  And we jumped up & cheered for Travel, Wine and Dine, for making her own rustic whole wheat pasta from scratch.  We have a pasta maker at home as well, and this blog has inspired me to see if I can’t work out a pliable whole wheat dough recipe of my own.

• October’s Grain of the Month is Corn, and it’s one of those awesome whole grains that you can eat in just about any way.  When’s the last time you said no to popcorn?  I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t look forward to the first few bushels of sweet summer corn appearing at farm stands and in grocery stores.  I personally can’t turn down the opportunity to indulge in a warm, heaping serving of whole grain polenta whenever it appears on a menu.  And when you’re frying up some corn cakes or ladling out a bowl of corn chowder, you can rest assured that, if I’m invited to partake, I’ll be there with bells on.  So imagine my delight when I stumbled over this spicy kettle corn recipe on Macheesmo – spicy and sweet!?!  Be still my heart!  Guess what I’ll be making tonight!

• In addition to all this whole grain fun, our fearless Program Assistant Chrisanne Grise and I spent a day mid-month walking (and eating!) our way through this year’s Expo East saying hi to all the exhibiting WGC Members and generally surveying the whole grain scene.  In addition to all the great nibbles and noshing, we were thrilled to see the Whole Grain Stamp appearing “loud and proud” on so many products – I tell ya, it never gets old!  We’ve enjoyed having Expo East in Boston the past few years and know the show will just keep getting better with its move down to Baltimore in 2011.

• And speaking of shows in Boston, a big part of this month has been spent in anticipation of November’s ADA FNCE show, taking place in our own back yard for the very first time!  I’ve really enjoyed the last few FNCE shows I’ve worked, in Philly 2007, Chicago 2008, and most recently in Denver for 2009.  But nothing, quite beats the feeling of anticipation and excitement all of us are feeling, knowing that thousands of Registered Dietitians are going to be shipping off to Boston from all over the country – heck, even from points outside the U.S.! – just to experience FNCE in “our” city!  If you’re going to attend FNCE this year, be sure to swing by booth #3421 to say hi to all of us who will be representing for the Oldways Family of Programs!

You wonder, Can it get more intense?  Have you forgotten our next international conference is coming up in just a few months?  Seems I’d best not retire the wellies any time soon, ‘cause January will see us hosting an international audience at our upcoming conference, Whole Grains: the New Norm, January 31 – February 2 in Portland, OR.  Hope to see you there!  (Kara)