So, here's the story...
A little over a week ago, the Lenten Locavore went on a vacation to a sub-tropical island far, far away. Of course, I tried to eat as many local foods as possible while there - lots of fish and tropical fruits, hot peppers, sweet potatoes, fried plantains, conch chowder...rum. Certainly a lot of foods are shipped into the Caribbean, but I did my best to try to eat foodstuffs from the region. What a hardship. You know.
I must say, my body was very, very happy with the fruits in particular. Locally available New England fruits in winter pretty much means apples - applesauce, apple cider - when you haven't prepared way in advance and either canned or frozen your own more varied fruits and berries. And let's face it, I'm a big banana eater who was missing my bananas.
Anyway, that's all well and good. The problem came when I returned home 2 days ago STILL craving tropical fruits. In fact, I'm now dreaming of one day opening a little Caribbean grill up here in New England. If I can get my Beloved to move closer to the tropics, this will not be the locavorian dilemma that it is today. But here we are. Today is today. Yesterday I went to a regular old grocery store and bought all sorts of anti-local foods...coconut milk, shaved coconut, mango, kiwi, banana, plantain (green and chips), pineapple (fresh, canned, juice), orange juice, peppers (red, green, and hot), and pigeon peas.
Last night I made us some pigeon peas and rice to accompany our most delicious coconut pork chops (really, really yummy) and our rum punch. Right at this minute I'm baking 2 loaves of banana daquiri bread from a Caribbean cookbook that I bought while down in the Virgin Islands. This is a terribly sinful situation. Clearly, I've fallen off the wagon. And so, to at least partially redeem myself, I also baked a loaf of (almost) completely Local New England Whole Wheat Quick Bread. I first made this the week before my trip and it was absolutely delicious...even my Baking Chef thought so when I offered her a slice...and now she wants the recipe from me. Imagine that!
Here it is...adapted from Mark Bittman's (Boston Globe) "Quick Whole Wheat and Molasses Bread":
Butter for greasing the pan (or oil)
1 2/3 cup buttermilk (or plain yogurt)
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup of maple syrup (Bittman suggests molasses, but that would be more Caribbean than New England, wouldn't it.)
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x4 or 9x5 loaf pan.
2. Mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking soda. Mix the syrup with the buttermilk.
3. Stir liquid ingredients into dry ingredients just enough to combine. Pour into prepared pan.
4. Bake until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean....45 minutes to an hour.
5. Cool on rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely.
Very simple to make. Very nutritious. Very delicious. And now that I've found local sources for the whole wheat flour and the cornmeal, (almost) completely local (except for the salt and the soda, of course.)
I'll eat up these breads this week, keep putting tropical fruits on my locally grown and rolled oats, maybe even try some soldier beans and oat groat "peas and rice," and we'll just see how long this Caribbean Cooking Fad will last...how many days 'til Easter?
20 March 2007
06 March 2007
The State of the Pantry
I don't know what happened. I must have gotten so carried away with cooking and eating and foraging local foods that I forgot to post! Who knew I'd be so busy?
In the last (nearly) week, I've been more than moderately successful in my Lenten locavorian experiment. Here are some of the highlights:
On Saturday, my Beloved and I drove up to Montpelier, Vermont, to visit a great aunt, and of course, we took advantage of the opportunity to forage for some more local foods to add to our larder.
First we had lunch at the Wayside. Great spot. And I had some venison chili, which was very good, having assumed that they weren't shipping their venison in from anywhere outside of New England...although I suppose there's always a chance.
Then, on to the Hunger Mountain Co-op where I hunted for Vermont-made cheeses and managed to limit myself to only four, which was no small feat. I brought home some mozzarella from Maplebrook Farm in Bennington, some Vermont Shepherd Cheese from Major Farm in Putney, some Constant Bliss from Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, and a very lovely smelly cheese called "Big Bang" from the Lazy Lady Farm in Westfield.
While at the co-op, after having extricated myself from the dairy section, I also picked up some bulk Maine-grown Soldier Beans and some artisan bread - Pain au Levain - from the Red Hen Baking Company in Duxbury, Vermont. I didn't buy any produce, but one of the enviable things about the Hunger Mountain Co-op is that they label all of their produce items with the state (or province - Quebec is part of Vermont's foodshed) of origen, so at least I knew what was from where. Wouldn't it be great if every grocer did that? Then we could at least know what we're eating.
Before leaving Montpelier, we also stopped at Morse Sugar Farm to restock our maple syrup supply. We go through the stuff like...well, like hotcakes. I like the really dark maple-y grade - Grade B. I figure if you're gonna have maple syrup it should taste like maple syrup. My Beloved - more in tune with the rest of the world, than I - prefers the somewhat lighter Grade A Medium Amber, which is darker than the Fancy Grade (which is the most popular seller), but lighter than the Grade A Dark Amber (which is, in turn, lighter than the Grade B). So we comprised...we got half gallons of each. That's really the only way to go.
Back in Massachusetts, I went for another foraging trip closer to home on Monday. At Verrill Farm in Concord, I picked up some more milk and cider, along with a couple of bags of Verrill's own baby spinach and mesclun mix. I also picked up a free copy of the 3rd edition of Edible Boston, a new magazine focused on local food. Be still my heart! I've been meaning to subscribe, and if you're a Boston Locavore, I encourage you to check it out, too!
On my way home from Concord, I stopped in Lincoln at Codman Farm and bought a package of pork breakfast sausage from their self-serve barn store. I drive by Codman and Verrill all the time, but they haven't been a regular part of my food shopping. Now they will be. It's just crazy to buy sausage (or beef, lamb, chicken, or veal) of unknown (and very likely morally reprehensible)origen from a regular grocery store, when I could support a local farm community - and without going very far off of my normal routes.
Yesterday was really a stellar locavore sort of day, as not only did I have these two successful foraging trips under my belt, I also took delivery of my order from Wood Prairie Farm in northern Maine: 5 lbs. of whole wheat flour, 5 lbs. of rolled oats, 5 lbs. of whole oat groats, and 2 lbs. each of King of the Early beans and Jacobs Cattle beans. Now I've got enough roughage to last me until Easter - or a good long time - whichever comes along first.
And finally, because I simply can't resist telling you, here's what I ate yesterday...almost entirely local...
Breakfast: one egg, over medium; jonnycakes with maple syrup
Lunch: a bunch of Swiss Chard sauteed with garlic and onion, mashed with soldier beans and goat cheese; glass of apple cider
Dinner: hamburger with cheddar cheese (no bun); baby spinach salad; squash from our CSA farm
Not too shabby. When I started this whole deal, I was worried most about finding local sources of grains and greens in winter, but now that I've found both, things are really looking up!
In the last (nearly) week, I've been more than moderately successful in my Lenten locavorian experiment. Here are some of the highlights:
On Saturday, my Beloved and I drove up to Montpelier, Vermont, to visit a great aunt, and of course, we took advantage of the opportunity to forage for some more local foods to add to our larder.
First we had lunch at the Wayside. Great spot. And I had some venison chili, which was very good, having assumed that they weren't shipping their venison in from anywhere outside of New England...although I suppose there's always a chance.
Then, on to the Hunger Mountain Co-op where I hunted for Vermont-made cheeses and managed to limit myself to only four, which was no small feat. I brought home some mozzarella from Maplebrook Farm in Bennington, some Vermont Shepherd Cheese from Major Farm in Putney, some Constant Bliss from Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, and a very lovely smelly cheese called "Big Bang" from the Lazy Lady Farm in Westfield.
While at the co-op, after having extricated myself from the dairy section, I also picked up some bulk Maine-grown Soldier Beans and some artisan bread - Pain au Levain - from the Red Hen Baking Company in Duxbury, Vermont. I didn't buy any produce, but one of the enviable things about the Hunger Mountain Co-op is that they label all of their produce items with the state (or province - Quebec is part of Vermont's foodshed) of origen, so at least I knew what was from where. Wouldn't it be great if every grocer did that? Then we could at least know what we're eating.
Before leaving Montpelier, we also stopped at Morse Sugar Farm to restock our maple syrup supply. We go through the stuff like...well, like hotcakes. I like the really dark maple-y grade - Grade B. I figure if you're gonna have maple syrup it should taste like maple syrup. My Beloved - more in tune with the rest of the world, than I - prefers the somewhat lighter Grade A Medium Amber, which is darker than the Fancy Grade (which is the most popular seller), but lighter than the Grade A Dark Amber (which is, in turn, lighter than the Grade B). So we comprised...we got half gallons of each. That's really the only way to go.
Back in Massachusetts, I went for another foraging trip closer to home on Monday. At Verrill Farm in Concord, I picked up some more milk and cider, along with a couple of bags of Verrill's own baby spinach and mesclun mix. I also picked up a free copy of the 3rd edition of Edible Boston, a new magazine focused on local food. Be still my heart! I've been meaning to subscribe, and if you're a Boston Locavore, I encourage you to check it out, too!
On my way home from Concord, I stopped in Lincoln at Codman Farm and bought a package of pork breakfast sausage from their self-serve barn store. I drive by Codman and Verrill all the time, but they haven't been a regular part of my food shopping. Now they will be. It's just crazy to buy sausage (or beef, lamb, chicken, or veal) of unknown (and very likely morally reprehensible)origen from a regular grocery store, when I could support a local farm community - and without going very far off of my normal routes.
Yesterday was really a stellar locavore sort of day, as not only did I have these two successful foraging trips under my belt, I also took delivery of my order from Wood Prairie Farm in northern Maine: 5 lbs. of whole wheat flour, 5 lbs. of rolled oats, 5 lbs. of whole oat groats, and 2 lbs. each of King of the Early beans and Jacobs Cattle beans. Now I've got enough roughage to last me until Easter - or a good long time - whichever comes along first.
And finally, because I simply can't resist telling you, here's what I ate yesterday...almost entirely local...
Breakfast: one egg, over medium; jonnycakes with maple syrup
Lunch: a bunch of Swiss Chard sauteed with garlic and onion, mashed with soldier beans and goat cheese; glass of apple cider
Dinner: hamburger with cheddar cheese (no bun); baby spinach salad; squash from our CSA farm
Not too shabby. When I started this whole deal, I was worried most about finding local sources of grains and greens in winter, but now that I've found both, things are really looking up!
28 February 2007
The Wednesday After Ash Wednesday
I guess I've really made it through a week of Lent. Impressive.
Today was a pretty good day. I started off with a half a cup of Water Buffalo yogurt from Vermont and some of our homemade anadama bread toasted with butter and 3-Rubies Massachusetts fruit spread.
I did get a coffee on my way home from a meeting, but only a small one - half decaf.
I had a very quick lunch - anadama bread, cheddar cheese and sauerkraut and a glass of apple cider - before hockey.
My cornmeal arrived from Rhode Island today!
Before heading off to my evening seminar, I packed a dinner to go - a delicious local sandwich, which definitely bears repeating.
First I made two slices of "bread" from the cornmeal. Actually they were "Jonny Cakes," and old New England staple, probably originally called "Journey Cakes" because they were good road food. About a half-cup of cornmeal mixed with a pinch of salt and enough milk to make a thin batter. Cooked 'em up on a hot griddle - just like a pancake - and then set them aside to cool.
Meanwhile, I washed up a half-bunch of local chard and sauteed it with some onion, salt, and pepper, mixing in some local goat cheese after removing it form the heat.
Finally, I assembled the sandwich by spreading the cheesy chard on top of one Jonny Cake, and topping that with some pieces of smoked mackerel from Maine before sealing the deal with the second Jonny Cake.
I took a fork just in case it fell apart, but it actually held together quite nicely and, as I mentioned, it was spectacularly delicious...and local. Huzzah!
Today was a pretty good day. I started off with a half a cup of Water Buffalo yogurt from Vermont and some of our homemade anadama bread toasted with butter and 3-Rubies Massachusetts fruit spread.
I did get a coffee on my way home from a meeting, but only a small one - half decaf.
I had a very quick lunch - anadama bread, cheddar cheese and sauerkraut and a glass of apple cider - before hockey.
My cornmeal arrived from Rhode Island today!
Before heading off to my evening seminar, I packed a dinner to go - a delicious local sandwich, which definitely bears repeating.
First I made two slices of "bread" from the cornmeal. Actually they were "Jonny Cakes," and old New England staple, probably originally called "Journey Cakes" because they were good road food. About a half-cup of cornmeal mixed with a pinch of salt and enough milk to make a thin batter. Cooked 'em up on a hot griddle - just like a pancake - and then set them aside to cool.
Meanwhile, I washed up a half-bunch of local chard and sauteed it with some onion, salt, and pepper, mixing in some local goat cheese after removing it form the heat.
Finally, I assembled the sandwich by spreading the cheesy chard on top of one Jonny Cake, and topping that with some pieces of smoked mackerel from Maine before sealing the deal with the second Jonny Cake.
I took a fork just in case it fell apart, but it actually held together quite nicely and, as I mentioned, it was spectacularly delicious...and local. Huzzah!
27 February 2007
Cheese and Cider
Day Seven, come and gone. Not a terribly notable day. Some local foods, including my leftovers from last night, others "from away." I had lunch out with some colleagues, so...well...you know the story. I finally sent off for my grains and beans and I did purchase two new local food items for my locavore pantry. The first was a bottle of West County Cider from Western Massachusetts. The second was a cheddar from the Grafton Village Cheese Company. I recommend them both!
26 February 2007
Sunday, Monday...
Sunday, well, Sunday was my birthday. I'm getting closer to 40 every year. No stoppin' this train.
Rules - even Lenten Locavore Rules - are for breakin' on birthdays. I started the day with coffee and donuts from Dunkin Donuts, which my Beloved went out to get for me so that I could eat, drink, and read the NY Times in bed.
For lunch I had a sandwich on my Pita bread - thin slices of smoked gouda (MA), my leftover sauteed chard (MA) with goat cheese (MA), and gingered carrots (MA/VT). It may sound like a strange combination, but when you're eating local foods during Lent, you become one of those "beggars" who can't be "choosers." And actually, it was a surprisingly delicious sandwich. I washed it down with apple cider (MA).
Dinner undid all the lunchtime goodness. We went to my in-laws for a blow-out bash where we celebrated all the late-December through late-March family birthdays. There were 16 of us. Between us we consumed 6 large pizzas from Bertucci's. Then we had our cake and ate it, too. Nothing local going on for dinner.
This morning, still full, I had only 1/2 of a small yogurt (VT) for breakfast. For lunch, I had a reprise of Sunday's sandwich, minus the chard, which was gone, and plus some fresh mesclun from the same farm.
Tonight we went out with friends to celebrate my birthday. If you've been following along this week, you already know what a challenge it can be to get local food while dining away from home. You have to be thoughtful and intentional in your planning and do a little research. I took a look at the website of The Chefs' Collaborative - an organization that supports sustainable, local, and artisanal food production and helps to build relationships between farmers and chefs. Listed on their site were some of their member restaurants. And so, voila!
Tonight we dined at The Fireplace Restaurant in Brookline. I started with a glass of sparkling wine from Westport, MA, and a salad of arugula and beets, which, along with the rest of my meal - all of our meals - I presumed to be local...or at least as local as possible. As my entree, I had some of the most delicious lamb chops I've ever eaten, with roasted fingerling potatoes and a home-made sauerkraut. All good. For dessert, a cheeseplate featuring a cheddar from Vermont, a Tome from...somewhere in New England, and a Trappist-style cheese, Bridgid's Abbey, from Colchester, CT.
It was not an inexpensive dinner, but it was incredibly tasty and worthwhile paying someone else not only to prepare my food, but to concern himself with procuring it locally. My compliments to the chef!
Rules - even Lenten Locavore Rules - are for breakin' on birthdays. I started the day with coffee and donuts from Dunkin Donuts, which my Beloved went out to get for me so that I could eat, drink, and read the NY Times in bed.
For lunch I had a sandwich on my Pita bread - thin slices of smoked gouda (MA), my leftover sauteed chard (MA) with goat cheese (MA), and gingered carrots (MA/VT). It may sound like a strange combination, but when you're eating local foods during Lent, you become one of those "beggars" who can't be "choosers." And actually, it was a surprisingly delicious sandwich. I washed it down with apple cider (MA).
Dinner undid all the lunchtime goodness. We went to my in-laws for a blow-out bash where we celebrated all the late-December through late-March family birthdays. There were 16 of us. Between us we consumed 6 large pizzas from Bertucci's. Then we had our cake and ate it, too. Nothing local going on for dinner.
This morning, still full, I had only 1/2 of a small yogurt (VT) for breakfast. For lunch, I had a reprise of Sunday's sandwich, minus the chard, which was gone, and plus some fresh mesclun from the same farm.
Tonight we went out with friends to celebrate my birthday. If you've been following along this week, you already know what a challenge it can be to get local food while dining away from home. You have to be thoughtful and intentional in your planning and do a little research. I took a look at the website of The Chefs' Collaborative - an organization that supports sustainable, local, and artisanal food production and helps to build relationships between farmers and chefs. Listed on their site were some of their member restaurants. And so, voila!
Tonight we dined at The Fireplace Restaurant in Brookline. I started with a glass of sparkling wine from Westport, MA, and a salad of arugula and beets, which, along with the rest of my meal - all of our meals - I presumed to be local...or at least as local as possible. As my entree, I had some of the most delicious lamb chops I've ever eaten, with roasted fingerling potatoes and a home-made sauerkraut. All good. For dessert, a cheeseplate featuring a cheddar from Vermont, a Tome from...somewhere in New England, and a Trappist-style cheese, Bridgid's Abbey, from Colchester, CT.
It was not an inexpensive dinner, but it was incredibly tasty and worthwhile paying someone else not only to prepare my food, but to concern himself with procuring it locally. My compliments to the chef!
24 February 2007
First Saturday of Lent
I can tell weekends are going to be hard in their own way. This morning we woke up and had to fight off the temptation to go out for breakfast. We fought hard though, and we won. And how could we not, with 2 1/2 dozen local eggs in our refrigerator pulling for us.
For breakfast at HOME I made French Toast using about 1/3 of a loaf of French Bread that one of my fellow students had made yesterday in class. I also made us some scrambled eggs and a side-dish of sauteed garlic, onions and chard. Washed it all down with a half bottle of sparkling cider. So, once again, breakfast was totally local except the bread, which was again "homemade," but with flour from away. (Okay, truth be told, I don't know the origin of either the garlic or the onion.)
The rest of the day I totally struck out. We went out for a late lunch/early supper to one of my favorite waterfront dives, The Barking Crab in South Boston. That was an indulgent treat for my Birthday, which is tomorrow. Oyster Stew, Fish and Chips, and a locally brewed Harpoon IPA. Once again, the thing about eating out is that I don't KNOW where my food is from. It COULD have been local...I mean, I didn't have Alaskan salmon or anything with tropical mango chutney or anything crazy like that.
And I'm about to have a little Dunkin Donuts coffee, my first of the Lenten Season. And that about does it for Day Four.
For breakfast at HOME I made French Toast using about 1/3 of a loaf of French Bread that one of my fellow students had made yesterday in class. I also made us some scrambled eggs and a side-dish of sauteed garlic, onions and chard. Washed it all down with a half bottle of sparkling cider. So, once again, breakfast was totally local except the bread, which was again "homemade," but with flour from away. (Okay, truth be told, I don't know the origin of either the garlic or the onion.)
The rest of the day I totally struck out. We went out for a late lunch/early supper to one of my favorite waterfront dives, The Barking Crab in South Boston. That was an indulgent treat for my Birthday, which is tomorrow. Oyster Stew, Fish and Chips, and a locally brewed Harpoon IPA. Once again, the thing about eating out is that I don't KNOW where my food is from. It COULD have been local...I mean, I didn't have Alaskan salmon or anything with tropical mango chutney or anything crazy like that.
And I'm about to have a little Dunkin Donuts coffee, my first of the Lenten Season. And that about does it for Day Four.
23 February 2007
Day Three
Not as good a day today. I ran out of time for breakfast, so I really only had my green tea, some homemade anadama bread with Kate's Butter from Maine, and the Mass Three Rubies fruit spread. Plus a hunk of Smith's Country Smoked Gouda.
Then I went to cooking school, where I stayed from 8:30am until 10:00pm. Once again I was "at their mercy," eating whatever was handed to me. Not much of it local at all. All of it far better than merely passable. Different kinds of lean dough breads all afternoon - plus some humus and some soup and some gnocchi that got sent down from one of the upstairs kitchens. This evening - around 9pm - I had a "supper," loosely speaking, of various and sundry sorts of sushi.
So, not a super local day...but then, not every day can be a winner.
Then I went to cooking school, where I stayed from 8:30am until 10:00pm. Once again I was "at their mercy," eating whatever was handed to me. Not much of it local at all. All of it far better than merely passable. Different kinds of lean dough breads all afternoon - plus some humus and some soup and some gnocchi that got sent down from one of the upstairs kitchens. This evening - around 9pm - I had a "supper," loosely speaking, of various and sundry sorts of sushi.
So, not a super local day...but then, not every day can be a winner.
22 February 2007
Day Two and The First Foraging Report
Hi Ho.
Day Two of Lent and a much more successful day for the Lenten Locavore!
For Breakfast I ate a completely local meal with the exception of my green tea. Well, okay, there were a couple of other exceptions, too. Here's the meal:
A glass of Sparkling Apple Cider from Harvard, MA
A wedge of smoked gouda from Winchendon, MA
A slice of homemade anadama bread*
Cabot butter from New England
Red Rubies - 3 fruit spread from MA
Stonyfield yogurt**, plain with maple syrup from NH
*who knows where the bread ingredients are from
**I just learned, sadly, that Stonyfield milk comes from both New England AND the Midwest
For mid-day eats, I was completely at the mercy of my cooking school and our recipes for the day.
For dinner, I had another completely local meal:
Organic mesclun mix from Natick, MA
Raw Fermented Ginger Carrots from RealPickles in Montague, MA (carrots from Westminister, VT)
Goat Cheese from Hubbardston, MA
Cabernet Sauvignon from Lincoln, MA
The Ginger Carrots and Goat Cheese were so flavorful that I didn't even need to use any additional dressing on my salad! I'm a pretty happy camper.
After I got home from cooking school, I was very tired, as is usual. But I stuck by my commitment to myself to go foraging for local produce. After a round trip of 36 miles, which involved two stores, and a total expenditure of $95.21, I arrived home with 4 bags of goods. Here it is...The First Foraging Report:
Fresh Produce
organic mesclun mix (MA)
organic chard (MA)
parsnips (MA)
rutabega (presumed local)
Boston lettuce, hydroponically grown (RI)
Processed or Preserved Produce
Apple Cider (MA)
Pear Halves, jarred (MA)
Pickled Beets (MA)*
Pickled Asparagus (MA)*
Dilled Green Beans (MA)*
Sauerkraut (MA)**
Dill Pickles (MA)**
Ginger Carrots (MA)**
Applesauce (MA)
*preserved with vinegar
**raw fermented, preserved in a salt brine
Dairy
Milk (MA)
Butter (ME)
Water Buffalo Yogurt (VT)
Goat Cheese (MA)
Other
Smoked Mackeral (ME)
Most of the sources for the above products have websites and when I have more time, I'll probably list them in the sidebar as a resource for other New England Locavores.
But now I've got to go clean the kitchen and get to bed!
Day Two of Lent and a much more successful day for the Lenten Locavore!
For Breakfast I ate a completely local meal with the exception of my green tea. Well, okay, there were a couple of other exceptions, too. Here's the meal:
A glass of Sparkling Apple Cider from Harvard, MA
A wedge of smoked gouda from Winchendon, MA
A slice of homemade anadama bread*
Cabot butter from New England
Red Rubies - 3 fruit spread from MA
Stonyfield yogurt**, plain with maple syrup from NH
*who knows where the bread ingredients are from
**I just learned, sadly, that Stonyfield milk comes from both New England AND the Midwest
For mid-day eats, I was completely at the mercy of my cooking school and our recipes for the day.
For dinner, I had another completely local meal:
Organic mesclun mix from Natick, MA
Raw Fermented Ginger Carrots from RealPickles in Montague, MA (carrots from Westminister, VT)
Goat Cheese from Hubbardston, MA
Cabernet Sauvignon from Lincoln, MA
The Ginger Carrots and Goat Cheese were so flavorful that I didn't even need to use any additional dressing on my salad! I'm a pretty happy camper.
After I got home from cooking school, I was very tired, as is usual. But I stuck by my commitment to myself to go foraging for local produce. After a round trip of 36 miles, which involved two stores, and a total expenditure of $95.21, I arrived home with 4 bags of goods. Here it is...The First Foraging Report:
Fresh Produce
organic mesclun mix (MA)
organic chard (MA)
parsnips (MA)
rutabega (presumed local)
Boston lettuce, hydroponically grown (RI)
Processed or Preserved Produce
Apple Cider (MA)
Pear Halves, jarred (MA)
Pickled Beets (MA)*
Pickled Asparagus (MA)*
Dilled Green Beans (MA)*
Sauerkraut (MA)**
Dill Pickles (MA)**
Ginger Carrots (MA)**
Applesauce (MA)
*preserved with vinegar
**raw fermented, preserved in a salt brine
Dairy
Milk (MA)
Butter (ME)
Water Buffalo Yogurt (VT)
Goat Cheese (MA)
Other
Smoked Mackeral (ME)
Most of the sources for the above products have websites and when I have more time, I'll probably list them in the sidebar as a resource for other New England Locavores.
But now I've got to go clean the kitchen and get to bed!
21 February 2007
Day One
Well, Day One of my Lenten Project has very nearly come to an end, and with not much to show for it in some ways, but a lot in others. I didn't do very well in terms of actually eating local foods on this first day of Lent, but I also didn't expect to, considering my aforementioned impulsivity in beginning this experiment without having prepared or planned ahead at all. I did, however, learn quite a bit - so, progress was most assuredly made.
Here's where I'm at...(yes, I know that's bad grammar, but that's what we say back home)...
Today's Eats
Organic Assam Tea - not from around here
Multigrain sourdough bread from Trader Joe's - baked locally, but who knows from whence the ingredients came...probably very far away (It's remarkable how little we know about the origins of the ingredients in most of the foods we eat! I mean, just THINK about it!)
A three-egg omelet - eggs from within 10 miles of my house, local butter, local cream
Stonyfield yogurt (local), with maple syrup (local) and a pear (most likely not)
For dinner I ate out on my way to my santitation exam. I had a grilled vegetable burrito with black beans and rice and salsa. All good and healthy and fresh, but not local. No way. Which just goes to show a couple things: first, that eating out and eating local (especially in the winter) are going to be fairly incompatible; and second, that planning ahead for trips out of the house is going to be essential.
Here's the good news...
Today I identified sources for cornmeal (Rhode Island), buckwheat flour (Maine), whole wheat flour (Maine), rolled oats and oat groats (Maine), and dried beans (Maine). I may have also found a source for barley (Vermont), which I'd like to try to roast and use as a coffee substitute. And I found a farm within 30 miles of my house that is open year round and grows fruits, vegetables and herbs in greenhouses and hoophouses. I may try to check it out tomorrow. I'll also mailorder my grains and beans. I should be able to eat much more locally within the next couple of weeks.
And the other good news? I'm ending my day with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon produced within my area code. Ahhhh. Life is good.
Here's where I'm at...(yes, I know that's bad grammar, but that's what we say back home)...
Today's Eats
Organic Assam Tea - not from around here
Multigrain sourdough bread from Trader Joe's - baked locally, but who knows from whence the ingredients came...probably very far away (It's remarkable how little we know about the origins of the ingredients in most of the foods we eat! I mean, just THINK about it!)
A three-egg omelet - eggs from within 10 miles of my house, local butter, local cream
Stonyfield yogurt (local), with maple syrup (local) and a pear (most likely not)
For dinner I ate out on my way to my santitation exam. I had a grilled vegetable burrito with black beans and rice and salsa. All good and healthy and fresh, but not local. No way. Which just goes to show a couple things: first, that eating out and eating local (especially in the winter) are going to be fairly incompatible; and second, that planning ahead for trips out of the house is going to be essential.
Here's the good news...
Today I identified sources for cornmeal (Rhode Island), buckwheat flour (Maine), whole wheat flour (Maine), rolled oats and oat groats (Maine), and dried beans (Maine). I may have also found a source for barley (Vermont), which I'd like to try to roast and use as a coffee substitute. And I found a farm within 30 miles of my house that is open year round and grows fruits, vegetables and herbs in greenhouses and hoophouses. I may try to check it out tomorrow. I'll also mailorder my grains and beans. I should be able to eat much more locally within the next couple of weeks.
And the other good news? I'm ending my day with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon produced within my area code. Ahhhh. Life is good.
The Launching of the Lenten Locavore
Welcome to the Diary of the Lenten Locavore - 2007. Today is 21 February, the first day of Lent. And I have made the impulsive decision to do my utmost to eat like a locavore - that is, to eat foods that are locally grown - from now until Easter.
This is a project doomed to failure. I mean, hey...I live in New England and it's the middle of winter. Actually those two things alone are not the biggest problems. It's the impulsivity with which I've taken on this project that will prove the root of its downfall. To be successful in this venture, I would have had to start planning and preparing in the summer and fall.
So, what's really going to happen in this contemplative season of Lent is that I'll be reflecting on my food and where it comes from very intentionally - moreso even than usual. And I'll also begin in earnest to track down local sources of foods that ARE available in this season. In so doing, I'll begin to learn the intricacies of my local "foodshed" and build up a local food network, which could support me if I choose to continue in my locavorianism.
Some ground rules - or guidelines...
For my purposes, I'm defining "local" very loosely as all of New England - Massachusetts, where I live; Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south; Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to the North. This is kind of crazy - the furthest tip of Maine from my home is over 400 miles away. With a radius like that, I could be eating food from the Chesapeake Bay Foodshed, too. It's tempting, believe me. And there's lots of good stuff to be had in upstate New York, too. (I may even break down and include it if I get desperate.) Still, it's better than continuing to eat food shipped in from Florida, from California, and from the furthest international reaches of the global food economy, right? And, in time, as I learn more about local sources of food, I hope to shorten that distance considerably. At the moment though, the closest source that I can find of whole wheat flour is about 400 miles north.
All that having been said, I am going to do my best to eat as much as I can from as close as I can. If I can find a good source of eggs within 5 miles of my house, I'll choose that whenever possible over an equally good source of eggs 70 miles from my house. Maybe the distances will average out to something respectable.
Some exceptions...I'm going to follow a variation of the locavorian "Marco Polo" rules, which means that items that could have easily been attained through traditional trade routes are allowed. This includes coffee (although I'm going to try - again - to cut back on it), tea, and spices, for example. I'm also going to keep using lemons and I may not cut out fruit entirely. Same with vegetables. I mean, I gotta eat them. I'll rely as much as possible on regional foods, but like I said, it's mid-winter, and this year I may be mostly out of luck. Plus, because I'm now in culinary school, my diet is somewhat determined by what we cook and eat there, too. I will pay closer attention to the sources of the schools food as we continue along. I'll do what I can and adjust as I go. I'm not going to be brutal about this. It's a contemplative exercise, for goodness sake.
Yesterday, as I noted over in the EIK, was Pancake Day - the day during which housewives in England traditionally cleaned out their pantries of FAT before Lent. I thought a couple times yesterday about cleaning all the non-locally grown foods out of my larder, but the sad truth is that I would have had to haul out 99.8 percent of the food I currently have on hand. And my wife would have killed me. And we would have starved. I have cleared a small shelf, which I'm going to hold for Local Foods when I find them. One of my goals will be to have outgrown that shelf by April 8th.
This is a project doomed to failure. I mean, hey...I live in New England and it's the middle of winter. Actually those two things alone are not the biggest problems. It's the impulsivity with which I've taken on this project that will prove the root of its downfall. To be successful in this venture, I would have had to start planning and preparing in the summer and fall.
So, what's really going to happen in this contemplative season of Lent is that I'll be reflecting on my food and where it comes from very intentionally - moreso even than usual. And I'll also begin in earnest to track down local sources of foods that ARE available in this season. In so doing, I'll begin to learn the intricacies of my local "foodshed" and build up a local food network, which could support me if I choose to continue in my locavorianism.
Some ground rules - or guidelines...
For my purposes, I'm defining "local" very loosely as all of New England - Massachusetts, where I live; Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south; Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to the North. This is kind of crazy - the furthest tip of Maine from my home is over 400 miles away. With a radius like that, I could be eating food from the Chesapeake Bay Foodshed, too. It's tempting, believe me. And there's lots of good stuff to be had in upstate New York, too. (I may even break down and include it if I get desperate.) Still, it's better than continuing to eat food shipped in from Florida, from California, and from the furthest international reaches of the global food economy, right? And, in time, as I learn more about local sources of food, I hope to shorten that distance considerably. At the moment though, the closest source that I can find of whole wheat flour is about 400 miles north.
All that having been said, I am going to do my best to eat as much as I can from as close as I can. If I can find a good source of eggs within 5 miles of my house, I'll choose that whenever possible over an equally good source of eggs 70 miles from my house. Maybe the distances will average out to something respectable.
Some exceptions...I'm going to follow a variation of the locavorian "Marco Polo" rules, which means that items that could have easily been attained through traditional trade routes are allowed. This includes coffee (although I'm going to try - again - to cut back on it), tea, and spices, for example. I'm also going to keep using lemons and I may not cut out fruit entirely. Same with vegetables. I mean, I gotta eat them. I'll rely as much as possible on regional foods, but like I said, it's mid-winter, and this year I may be mostly out of luck. Plus, because I'm now in culinary school, my diet is somewhat determined by what we cook and eat there, too. I will pay closer attention to the sources of the schools food as we continue along. I'll do what I can and adjust as I go. I'm not going to be brutal about this. It's a contemplative exercise, for goodness sake.
Yesterday, as I noted over in the EIK, was Pancake Day - the day during which housewives in England traditionally cleaned out their pantries of FAT before Lent. I thought a couple times yesterday about cleaning all the non-locally grown foods out of my larder, but the sad truth is that I would have had to haul out 99.8 percent of the food I currently have on hand. And my wife would have killed me. And we would have starved. I have cleared a small shelf, which I'm going to hold for Local Foods when I find them. One of my goals will be to have outgrown that shelf by April 8th.
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