Thursday, October 23, 2008

CSA joy

This is the third week I've picked up a huge bag from my CSA program, and it's also the third week I've been unsure if I could even finish everything they've given us!

This week the package contains:

Two heads of beautiful hydroponic lettuce

Four sweet potatoes

One enormous Winter Squash

Arugula

Broccoli Rabe

Green beans

and Apples.


I have never really been a fan of salads, but for the past few weeks I've been eating this incredible lettuce with a little bit of goat cheese (also from a local farm) and slices of apples -- It might be my new favorite light meal.

Another wonderful discovery has been that Carlton Farms nearby sells raw milk. Milk was one of the things I was concerned about finding locally but it turned out to be easy. My mother picked up the first delivery for me and called in a panic, worried that she'd bought the wrong thing.

"It says PET MILK on it!"

(Once I explained that they had to label it that way because it was raw milk, she calmed down.)


I took some bananas that were going bad from work and made banana muffins with the eggs and milk from Carlton farms last week and they were a perfect morning snack.


So far, the Eat Local Challenge has helped me discover some new foods and made me enjoy cooking a lot more. I'm looking forward to continuing this trend.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Eat Local October

Jennifer Maiser, the editor of the ELC site, has asked all of the participants in the October Eat Local Challenge to create a short statement of participation and to describe the goals and limits of our personal challenge.

1. What's your definition of local for this challenge?

For the purposes of this challenge I define local as being within 150 miles of my location. Since I travel often I will try to eat "locally" wherever I go as well and to seek out restaurants that support local farmers.

2. What exemptions will you claim?

* Coffee.
* Spices.
* Olive Oil.
* Things already in my house that were previously purchased.
* Food that is gifted to me or offered by family/friends.
* When eating out socially, I will choose restaurants that support local farms.

(I am still looking for a local source for grains, and hope to resolve that soon.)

3. What are your goals for the month? To cook at least one meal per week that is made up of entirely local ingredients, and to use mostly local ingredients the rest of the time. To learn to cook more with seasonal foods and try something new, to build relationships with local growers, to heighten my awareness of the effort that goes into getting food to the table, to eat more vegetables.



Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Here it comes.



O Fall. O Glorious Autumn. Let me revel in your squashy delight.


Yes, the pumpkins have arrived! It's officially October, which means that most of my favorite rich, starchy, lovely vegetables are ready to be cooked with.

This is a genuine candid picture of my delight at seeing the huge mound of pumpkins piled up at the Whole Foods in Midtown last year on the first day of October.

October also means it's time for the Fall Eat Local Challenge! I will be participating here and via twitter and The Eat Local Challenge Website all month long. I've also been gathering resources for anyone in the Atlanta area who would like to do their own Eat Local Challenge, so be on the lookout for that post which will be coming in the next couple of days.