July 7th, 2007 - Local meal tonight
I know, this is one boring as well, the usual salad. But it’s the best local meal these days. Actually, I didn’t even use any greens from the garden, since I still have leftovers from two weeks ago. Aack! Can’t believe the lettuce is still good. But in the salad, I also had a few tiny carrots from the garden–I did a little thinning earlier in the week. I love waiting until they are big enough for a bite or two. Also had some chicken–yup, it’s still good, too. (We have an awesome fridge I guess.) And bleu cheese. A bit of basil from the garden as well. That was yummy!
Oh, and the best part: A squash blossom. I’ve never had these before, but I’ve read of fried squash blossoms, so I figured I could eat them raw, too. (Thinking about it now, that is NOT a good idea. There are some flowers that you can only eat cooked. I think lilies are included in that. I should have checked before eating it. I haven’t died yet.) It added a delicious taste to the salad I can’t describe.
I finished off the meal with yellow cherries bought at the farmer’s market this morning. Wish I’d bought two baskets, but they were $2 each, so I hesitated. Maybe next summer I will have my own!
I wonder if I can find some locally made pasta, or make my own this week. I have some fresh pesto that would make a lovely local meal. (I borrowed a pasta maker from the neighbors that I’ve not yet tried out. I should.) Don’t know where I’d find local pasta. Trying not to go up to the Red Radish, nor even farther to the Free Market in Appleton. Maybe one of their farmer’s markets would carry something like this, too. But I don’t think a 10-20 mile (one-way) trip is a good idea just to get one local ingredient. (However, the Appleton farmer’s market did have carrots today. I was hoping for them at ours, but no such luck.)
July 7th, 2007 at 11:30 pm EDT
I haven’t seen any locally made pasta at our Farmer’s Market and the only thing I can think of at the Free Market MIGHT be the gluten-free stuff - but I doubt the ingredients are local. The only pasta I’ve found at the Free Market is from ITALY!
You also might try Cathy’s Country Store (or now it’s called The Granary I think) on Richmond, they might have local pasta (just a whim, I’m not sure though).
July 8th, 2007 at 3:48 pm EDT
What’s your location, and what’s your definition of “local”? Eden Organics (http://www.edenfoods.com/) is based in southern lower Michigan and makes pasta made from midwestern wheat. Al Dente pastas are also made in Michigan, but I don’t know where their wheat is from.
Lots of Eden’s products are sourced from Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio - perhaps not local to you, but closer than CA, perhaps. Their canned beans and tomatoes are great staple items, especially for a midwestern winter. :)