Largely Local

God's Creation

A freeze this week meant not enough harvested for our delivery share. We have the luxury of replacing those foods with store bought items. But I could not help but think about how the foods that had come to sustain us had not survived. Yet, I also knew the fruits and vegetables would grow again. 

We live into God's creation each day; into its periods of death, and its periods of rebirth. Spring is tentative - a delicate dance as nature moves out of winter toward new growth. With Lent and Easter on the horizon, I am reminded that God walks through the frozen, seemingly dead times, so he can lead us, always, to rebirth.  

Wintertide

Glorious oranges in the depths of winter fill my mouth. Somehow they taste like Florida warmth in the coldest days on record in six years. Ever since our CSA delivery included them (from Florida, so they must be trucked in) I have been obsessed with them. I am not alone - my husband and son gobble them down just as quickly. There is something mesmerizing about the pure citrus bursting through the green-only vegetables of winter.  It is a small hint that winter will eventually roll into spring and summer, bringing fruit along. 

Our family re-enrolled in our CSA for another 11 weeks. I am looking forward to the fruits and vegetables of spring. This week brought lots of yummy nuts - un-roasted, unsalted peanuts in the shell have been a big hit with my husband and son. Whereas I found myself getting excited when I saw Bok Choy again - I love its flavor and it is great in stir fry dishes as well as sauteed all on its own.

One of my Christmas gifts was  Fields of Plenty by Michael Ableman. This is a memoir about sustainable farming that is full of stunning photographs and lyrical prose that I began reading yesterday. I am only up to page 30, but already know I will love it and am finding it hard to put down. I have found the warmest spot in my home - right in front of the fireplace- to sit and read. But with the forecast of lows in the teens and single digits tonight, I have also found myself wondering how the vegetables on "our" farm will fare, broccoli already one casualty that I know of. I definitely feel far more conscious of nature's capriciousness, and how enmeshed our food is in its unpredictability.

Happy Holidays!

I am taking a blogging break for Advent and Christmas. See you in January!

Southern Soul

The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur. We kept to local eating last week, but then some extenuating circumstances led us to do conventional foods this week. 

We tried fresh winter squash in an excellent recipe  ; Bok Choi in a stir fry; fresh red and green tomatoes with fresh lettuce, and fresh carrots. And I had to look up our purple-stemmed kohlrabi as I had never seen it before. 

We also got fresh pecans. In the shell. I am so used to processed foods that I was left with the startling realization that I have no nut cracker. I suppose I had imagined a neat bag of pre-cracked pecans awaiting me!  The unshelled pecans reminded me of my time living in Tallahassee, where my friends and I would reap the bounty of the many Pecan trees, cracking the nuts and snacking on them on the spot. 

This just goes to show that I may have Northeastern genes; but I most definitely have a Southern soul.

Winter Squash Casserole Before Baking:

Village Greens

An  article about our CSA farmer appeared in the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

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Yesterday found me at the weekly Farmers Market in East Atlanta Village. For the first time I took one of our dogs, who, being a Lab, is extremely social. It was as if she were the queen of the market- everyone was petting her and telling her how beautiful she was. Of course, she had the best time with all the attention and also greatly appreciated the brilliance of all the samples placed out on tables. Her favorite table by far was the cheese one. 

I actually was hoping to find a tomato or two since none were in the CSA delivery this week, but there were none at the market either. However, I did pick up a bit more cheese and some delicious looking pasta.

But my coup of the week was locally produced hot cocoa by JD Rothschild. Obviously they must import the cocoa itself, but they make the mix. The taste they gave me of the hot chocolate was delicious. So I purchased some. Just in time for our 40 degree, rainy day.

I will confess that I like being able to interact directly with the people who are producing the food I eat. There is a certain level of trust built that way. I think it is difficult for most people to be dishonest when we are interacting on a weekly basis, and when we are looking into one another's eyes while doing business. 

To Market To Market

I looked in the window curiously upon first seeing The Mercantile  a week ago. Signs mentioned "specialty foods" and also sandwiches. But I was in a hurry and just had time for a cursory glance. Initially I was not positive whether it was just a sandwich shop, or if it also sold some grocery items. I filed it away for later exploration.

When we ran out of Sparkman's  milk this morning, I looked on their web site to see if there was someplace closer than Whole Foods where I could pick up more. I saw that The Mercantile was listed as a retail outlet and immediately recalled the store. It was time to check it out.

I was greeted by butcher-block tables and baskets with small amounts of local and/or organic vegetables and produce. I found it so hard to find this type of store on my explorations around town that I inwardly sighed with appreciation. I picked up a basket and looked around. Small signs told shoppers where each product came from- many originated out of state, but I enjoyed at least being able to tell. Other products were definitely local, like some of the Sweet Grass cheeses, which I discovered and fell in love with two weeks ago at Whole Foods. 

A very small, refrigerated section held greens, cheeses, and dairy. I picked up the milk and butter I needed. I noticed extensive sandwich choices on a black board. I ordered an egg salad one to take home and then paid for my purchases. I also indulged in a coffee right next door at San Francisco Coffee which has some of the best coffee I have ever tasted.

This week has been a lot more organized for me. I now have figured out how to work menu planning and shopping around the CSA delivery. My husband, son, and I  have all been loving the Georgia apples. I've noticed the muscadines are beginning to get less sweet - I wondered if their season was ending. But we've been enjoying lots of greens (like Swiss chard) as well.

And I was happy to have found an additional, local grocery place that made a darn good egg salad sandwich too!

Fall Eating

The humid days of summer have given way. Now, crisp evenings and mornings mix with warm afternoons. Fall is, by far, my favorite season.  Even before the October birth of my son I loved this time of year, though his birthday only adds to its specialness. 

I love all the holidays that, beginning with Halloween (recognized in our church as All Saints Day), fold upon one another and usher us into a New Year. My son was extremely excited when I began decorating for Halloween and he eagerly added his own fall art to our decor. 

Fall also brings harvest time for some of my favorite foods. Pumpkins, sweet potatoes, pecans, and muscadine grapes are just some of the items I find delicious. I cannot wait to use some of these in cooking this week.

I was very excited about giving a small, local market a try this week. On their web site they boasted of carrying an array of local dairy, eggs, and produce. So it was with excitement that I stopped by. But I was disappointed to see just a very few produce items as well as some eggs. But no real dairy options.  I picked up a half dozen eggs and an extra tomato since last week my CSA share only had one tomato that got used up quickly. One thing we have discovered is how very red and delectable local tomatoes are!  The other night I made homemade pizza with a side of tomatoes and green beans dressed simply in olive oil, vinegar, and seasonings.  

A well-known chef and author, Alice Waters, says that when one uses very fresh ingredients, the food does not need to be hidden in loads of seasoning. On the whole, I think she has a good point. But that is not to say I still don't like my okra fried, or my sweet potatoes very sweet and vanilla infused!

Fairytale Eggplant

Several people have asked specifically about the fairytale (I have seen it spelled both this way and also as two separate words so I am not sure which is correct) eggplant. So I thought I would elaborate. Here is what it looks like before preparation- very adorable looking baby eggplant:

As you can see- I cut them in half. I added a bit of olive oil, salt, and a hint of garlic to a pan and cooked them face down on medium heat for about seven-ten minutes. They taste absolutely delicious!

First Delivery

Our first week of more localized eating brought some changes to our diets and also the way I plan meals. Usually, I begin with the main dish and choose from some of my typical side dishes.  But I had to begin with the ingredients available to me - especially in terms of the CSA veggies. So the process was largely reversed. 

We ate some delicious grilled farmers market lamb chops last week. This week we looked forward to Fajita Burgers on homemade buns; arugula salad with local feta; roast chicken with turnip greens and brown rice; pasta with fairytale eggplant. We have also enjoyed some delicious local cheeses. 

There were some surprising things this week. First, I had no idea that apples were grown in Georgia! As someone who has spent some time in Washington state, I am very familiar with the nuanced differences in apple types. But apparently there are enough orchards to even support an apple festival in one Georgia city. 

Second, I thought that, being in Georgia, I'd have no problem finding locally grown pecans. Georgia leads the nation in pecan production. Yet I could not. My husband pointed out that they might not be in season yet - so I checked on line and it looks like he is correct and pecan harvest time is generally October through November (sometimes into December). Although I laughed at the ridiculousness of buying pecans grown somewhere else, I still purchased them as they are not part of the food groups included in my October challenge. 

The pecan incident merely served to remind me that one byproduct of local eating is that it is highly seasonal. I wonder how being more tied in to nature's cycles will feel? 

The October Challenge

I purchased Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which is a fascinating read. The book is not only a tale of how her family moved to local eating, but also about food production and quality in the U.S.A.

Yesterday, I investigated our closest farmers market. There were lots and lots of vegetables - but since we are part of the CSA I did not indulge in any. I did purchase some delicious fig preserves as well as lamb chops from a local farm. I cannot wait to see how they taste when I grill them.

As much as I like getting our grocery bill as low as possible, I also worry about the lack of ethics in some of the food industry. Added hormones, pesticides, and animal mistreatment bother me greatly. Additionally, I want to do what I can to lower the contributions I make to environmental pressures like gas dependence, the Georgia drought, and the basic overindulgence in convenience-only living that I am just as guilty of as anyone. 

Weighing these factors, I decide to take on an October 2008 challenge. In addition to the CSA produce, I want to try out purchasing only local dairy products, eggs, and meat. I am curious to see how it fits into our budget, and how we feel at the end of the month.