# Locavores Tribe



## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

This stems from a discussion on the Book Club thread about "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and "The Ominvore's Dilemma." Come here to discuss what you're doing to eat more locally, swap ideas and maybe some recipes, and check in with like-minded mamas who are trying to follow the paths lined out in these and other books!

I'll start off with a question: I've established a great relationship with a local natural farm--they have a farmstand for all their produce, which runs the gamut, and they sell eggs from their chickens. DD loves to go visit the "kitchens" and we really have fun out there. It's about a 10-mile round trip and we make it weekly. But I'm considering a share in a CSA. The advantage there is that I don't have to drive anywhere to get it, and having a big box of produce might force us to eat more of the fresh stuff and I'd be thinking about "putting up" any leftovers for the wintertime. The downside is that it would leave hanging these really cool farmers that we really like. Do you all have thoughts about what would be better from a carbon-footprint standpoint? How about how it affects the economies of either?


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

i think that both are good choices, and beyond carbon footprint and relationship with a farm, have you considered that great benefit of your daughter understanding food from beginning to end?

one of the things that i want to do with my (future) children is to get the acquainted with food origins in fun ways. i'm learning to wild forage for herbs and greens, berries and mushrooms--and i want to teach that to my children. i'm going to volunteer at a local community garden to learn organic gardening techniques and i hope to eventually get my own plot there (or at another community garden) to grow many veggies. our local CSAs and farm-direct opportunities are a joy to me (i also like to see the "kitchens"







) and i think that's great for a kid--so we'll continue our rounds to the different farms (our CSAs are often on-farm pick up anyway and also u-pick!).

for us, this is a lot of fun, it's educational, and you feel like you're really part of something! also, we enjoy the farmer's market. my husband bought "back yard bison" from a farmer who is about 35-40 mintues from our home, but goes to different farmers markets. my husband says that the meat is excellent.

we feel so lucky to have this--and it's what i want to give my kid. the carbon footprint is reduced by being local, and hte experience and relationships with farmers is what really matters to us.


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## WeasleyMum (Feb 27, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *zoebird* 
i think that both are good choices, and beyond carbon footprint and relationship with a farm, have you considered that great benefit of your daughter understanding food from beginning to end?

one of the things that i want to do with my (future) children is to get the acquainted with food origins in fun ways. i'm learning to wild forage for herbs and greens, berries and mushrooms--and i want to teach that to my children. i'm going to volunteer at a local community garden to learn organic gardening techniques and i hope to eventually get my own plot there (or at another community garden) to grow many veggies. our local CSAs and farm-direct opportunities are a joy to me (i also like to see the "kitchens"







) and i think that's great for a kid--so we'll continue our rounds to the different farms (our CSAs are often on-farm pick up anyway and also u-pick.

This is how I feel, too (about my own "future kids"







) I think my parents did a lot of things 'right' with us-- family dinners every night, healthy foods for the most part-- but I want to step it up and go local with my own. I want to instill in them a deeper sense of _place_, show them where food is coming from-- the actual farms and gardens, our own garden, not the supermarket.

Right now I'm having so much fun learning about eating locally. It's stuff I'm looking forward to sharing!


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

ITA about the relationship with the farmers--while the CSA would be more convenient, I'd miss the folks there and I know DD adores going there. She knows exactly which turns to make to get to the "kitchens" and she calls the farmer's dog by name. It's been a wonderful activity.

We've had huge, huge wildfires around here this summer and the morel hunting is going to be fabulous next spring. I'm hoping to get a day or two of solid picking in and then try to barter some 'shrooms for dairy, eggs and beef, if possible. If it is anything like our last big fire harvest (and it will all be contingent on rains and thaw timing), DH and I should be able to pick about 20#/day. Woo!


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## ghostlykisses (Sep 27, 2007)

I loved our CSA this summer. We did the kind that you pick up which I think is how most in our area work. Each week my children got to go visit the rabbits that they raise for meat and see them grow from newborns to bigger bunnies, we saw several litters. They also got to know the horses, calf, and for the first time before we got our own chased escaped chickens. it was a nice experience.

I had our CSA membership plus shopped at farmers markets, had a small and unsucessful garden and got extra produce from my mom's garden this summer. It helped us to eat more fresh local foods and spend our food money locally instead of on flavorless grocery store food. I was able to put some food in the freezer as well. Maybe you could have your CSA box for eating right away but by food to freeze, dry, or can from the farm you like?


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## sunnylady303 (Sep 17, 2004)

We've been a member of CSA's and loved them but we still shop farms and the farmers market. I am having a frustrating time because we went from eating probably 80% at least locally to hardly at all since we've moved. I'm having trouble finding sources for dairy and flour and meat even potatoes and fruits.







: I really miss our old house where I felt so connected to the local food chain. I know there must be a local food network (this is the town where Wendell Berry lives for pete's sake (which, by the way, how cool is that? I REALLY hope I meet him soon - we keep meeting more and more people who know him well







)) but I can't find it. Glad we've formed a tribe!


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Kristen, I assume you've checked out Local Harvest and Eat Wild for your area already?


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## SpiralWoman (Jul 2, 2002)

hello Locavoristas!
Came on over from the book club. Here's a recipe for when you're tired of roasting that whole chicken:

Fiesta Chicken~ this recipe makes a lot of spicy chicken to use for soft tacos, quesidillas, nachos, even a caserole! Make it up in advance and put half in the freezer for later inthe month.

Stew:
1 whole chicken
1 onion
tops of celery
stems of cilantro
several cloves garlic (to your family's taste)
carrots
In a big pot, until tender, strain & save stock for another recipe if desired.
When cooler, pull all meat from the bone.

broil:
6 tomatoes, (halved if done in the oven)
1 onion, halved
1 jalapeno
To broil in oven, place it all flat side down on a lightly greased pan & broil until juicy & blackened on top.

Blend, to chunky sauce.

add spices to taste:
cumin
chili powder
ground oregano
pepper
garlic
allspice
You will probably want a total of 2-3+ TBSP, I have a heavy hand on the cumin, personally.

Combine pulled chicken with spices and sauce in pan until simmered and smelling too good to wait any longer to eat some.
add chopped cilantro at end

~Maria


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Maria, that sounds fabulous! DH bought a couple of (non-local) free range, organic chickens at CostCo the other day and I told him we'd definitely be making stock to freeze, since we're coming into soup season. This sounds like a marvelous start! Thanks!


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

yummy, but so much more work than roasting chickens. it's so simple to roast chickens. rub with butter, salt, and pepper, put in the oven for an hour, flip, and then another hour. easy.









who gets tired of that? though i'm sure my husband is tired of eating it. LOL he eats the same stuff over and over: chicken, bison, fish (wild caught, not local), beef. occasionally he'll eat pork (very rare) or turkey (two-three times a year). i can't imagine how dull it is.

being vegetarian is awesome.


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## jkg (May 28, 2005)

Hi! I'm just reading "Animal Vegetable Miracle" now and finding something amazing on every page. I must admit that I am pretty new to truly eating locally and have a LONG way to go. I've been scouring a lot of food/green living blogs to figure out how people do it. I live in a suburb of Detroit so that presents some challenges. So I'll be lurking and taking notes...








:


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## eco_mama (Feb 10, 2006)

Another Locavore here. I feel strongly about eating local organic food. I think it's one of the most effective things one can do. We belong to a CSA and I just found another local farm to get organic grass fed, cage free eggs too.







Which may even be able to sell us yogurt and cheese!

I keep seeing people talk about the book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle." Perhaps I need to read it!


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## Carlin (Oct 14, 2006)

Hi, I'm glad to see this tribe!

I'm working on becoming more of a locavore. I've recently read 100 mile diet, Omnivore's dilemma and am about half way through Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. They are all inspiring. We've become regulars at the farmer's markets and I made my first small efforts at growing my own food. While I'm still working on finding local sources for big chunks of our diet, we've switched over to local, organic, grass fed, pasture raised beef, pork and chicken. We don't eat tons of it but now I feel alot better about the meat we are eating.

I'd like to grow more veggies, join a CSA and learn some preservation techniques next summer. Is anyone else working on locavorism (that's not a word, is it?) in a norther climate? I'm in Alberta...

My main concern is how to replace fish and sea food in my diet (love those Omega 3's!) We are no where near a coastline.


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## farmama (Nov 23, 2005)

howdy!

dh and i farm about 30 acres organically, and we run a csa. i love that i have food grown here to eat for most of the season, but it's so hard to make time to put stuff up for the winter! summer is so crazy for us, and we have a new little one. i've been inspired lately to look for regional grains too, which has put me in touch with some cool farms with missions similar to ours.

i'm just about finished with animal vegetable miracle (gotta love Barbara Kingsolver-i've been a fan since Animal Dreams). i have a copy of Deep Economy too (Bill McKibben) but i've yet to get started (it's not a good book for reading while nursing...you kinda have to commit for more than 20 minutes at a time).

Carlin,

i think Kingsolver addresses the Omega 3s issue (some stats about how organic pasture fed meat is 5x higher toward the end of the book--don't quote me, i'm writing from memory).


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## Carlin (Oct 14, 2006)

Ah , Thanks Farmama! I'll just have to keep reading! Right now fish is one of the few really non-local things that we are eating regularly. We at least try to keep it to the west coast. We probably won't do as well through the winter, but I'd really like to learn to do some preserving for next winter.

Has anyone seriously considered moving to an area with more sustainable local food sources?

Carlin


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## bjorker (Jul 25, 2005)

I've been thinking about doing this, which would be a pretty big change for us. I don't have much to add, but just wanted to say that I'll be around, and thanks for starting this thread!









One thing--
I've thought about a lot of changes in diet-- eating locally, vegetarianism, and even becoming vegan (which would definitely be a long-term goal







). Eating locally is definitely top on my list, though. My biggest problem is dp. If it were just me, I'd have far less of a problem with this switch. dp doesn't care about any of this, loves his meat, loves to eat in general, and would probably not be very helpful in this endeavor. Anyone in the same boat? He's usually pretty receptive to all of my ideas, but I know he would not change his eating habits, not put any of his own effort into any of this, and he likes to cook a lot more than I do (although I do buy most of the food...). I just know that we would be butting heads about this, and he would be a big source of temptation to _not_ keep up with it. Arrrgh.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Well, I've only been doing the locavore thing since this summer, but it has been a relatively easy transition with DP. I mean, most of the stuff we are eating is the same food...we're just getting it from a different source. So where we'd get ground beef from the supermarket (CAFO beef...eww!), we now get grass fed and finished beef from a local rancher. Same with fruits & veggies--we got them at a farmstand, along with eggs. It's going to be harder this winter, I know. We may lapse on a few things this winter, as I just didn't get enough food put up to get us through the winter on local stuff. I think there are choices that we'll make differently: instead of getting Argentinian produce (or whatever from off-continent), we'll try to look for food that came from a much closer source. There will be a financial sacrifice in that regard, but that's part of the whole concept...until we change the world, that is!


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## nolonger (Jan 18, 2006)

I've actually been eating MUCH better and less expensively with my community supported agriculture box. I paid $400 for 22 weeks (in $50 increments, but now I'm paid up and have five more weeks of food to go!) and only go to the store for odd items. A recent shopping list was: kitty litter, cinnamon, Red Raspberry Leaf tea and pencils.

I ordered a whole share because I figured I'd be feeding a pregnant mama, two adult children (part time) and a teenager, but the adult kids have been working enough hours that they're mostly self-supporting and the teenage drama king is getting his crap food from the free school lunch program, so me and the babe have found out just how much fresh organic local produce we can eat if it's available.










That's a LOT, in case you're curious, and this babe is my healthiest yet; his/her newest nickname is "the strongest one pound person on Earth". S/he has been a locavore and a vegan for his/her entire life. I wish I'd ben better about putting things up for winter, but am going to make a major push for it over the next five weeks.

This is our first year with CSA, but I have been buying and canning locally grown fruit since '99. There are plenty of locally grown eggs and dairy available, and probablt meat as well, but I don't personally care for them. We have locally grown grain at our monthly pancake breakfast with like-minded families, but the farmer doesn't have a very large crop yet and says that his experiment is a long way from being financially feasable on a larger scale.

I'm fortunate enough to live in one of the very few counties in the US that could conceivably feed her own people in the event of an economic collapse. I'm not saying that it uis happening now or that it would be easy, just that it is possible. I'm glad to see other communities becoming interested in eating locally and putting it into practice.


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## Carlin (Oct 14, 2006)

I had a great trip to the farmer's market today and stocked up on local, organic veggies, cheese and meat. I also made a quick stop at Planet Organic and picked up some local, organic yogurt and some non local tea. The fruit in the market right now is from BC, so not exactly local, but a lot closer than most that we see. I really want to plant an Apple tree in our (tiny) yard this spring so we can have our own apples.

My big find was a guy who fishes in Northern Alberta and brings fresh water fish to the farmer's market. Once again, not quite local, but a lot closer! As this is Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, it was nice to have a chance to appreciate the food that our local landscape can produce and support (and thank) the farmers / producers who grow it!


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

I picked up some huckleberries (frozen, but locally-picked) at the farmstand yesterday to make freezer jam. I had put up a half-flat full of blackberry freezer jam earlier in the summer, but it is almost gone now!


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## nolonger (Jan 18, 2006)

I feel you, Valkyrie; I put up a double batch (a dozen pints and about a half dozen quarts) of pickles last month and ds has already devoured all of them.










I can still get more cucumbers if I can afford to pay for them and find the time and energy to make more.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

_Has anyone seriously considered moving to an area with more sustainable local food sources?_

it's interesting, but yes, this is a consideration for us. we want many things out of where we live, the lifestyle that we want. we put this on the list of what we want.









_My biggest problem is dp. If it were just me, I'd have far less of a problem with this switch._

i know it seems like a big, insurmountable problem, but it really isn't. i would figure out what his favorite/common recipes are, what they require, and then buy as many of those ingredients as you can locally. don't worry about those that you can't.

i would also suggest that while you're buying locally, you pick up something new to try. pick up a recipe for it too--and either ask him to make it or make it yourself. it's nice to try new things, and you'll start to get familiar with the tastes and textures of local foods. If you're husband is "really" into cooking, this will interest him. If he cooks because it's 'easier' for your family, then this might pique an interest or you might start sharing that process.

either way, you are getting started slowly.

as for the vegetarian/vegan stuff--we live in a mixed diet household. i'm vegetarian (formerly vegan); my husband is omnivore. it's really not a problem for us.

but we function--cooking-wise--from a concept of "nutrition by addition" rather than one of subtraction. many new vegetarians function from "nutrition by subtraction" because they'll just 'eat the side dishes" and avoid the meat.

but this isn't healthy or balanced. So, i often recommend nutrition by addition--and it's similar to the "food guide pyramid" in construction.

you start your meal with the foundation of something vegetarian--bean soup or some sort of bean/grain pilaf, then add vegetables, and then add whatever dairy or meats you would like.

this way, vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores get what they like. i cook things separate (we have a pan for meat and a pan for vegetarian food--as well as separate cutting boards, etc), and then put them on different platters, and people can eat what they want and leave what they don't.

when we have a family meal, we set the table and usually have a tourine of soup, a bowl of salad, a platter of cheeses, and a plate of meat. in the mornings, it may also include a basket of breads and some sort of egg dish as well.

this way, everyone is satisfied. and typically, we cook for two (my husband and I, no children yet), but i will make amounts for enough for everyone.


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## celestialdreamer (Nov 18, 2004)

We first learned about the benefits of eating locally 3 years ago when we joined an organic CSA. It is a year round CSA and they also sell honey and pastured eggs. I tell pretty much anyone that will listen about them!









We had been getting our meat from a local organic butcher, where the cows were local and fed both grain & grass, but the poultry was from CA. We just went this weekend to a farm about 2 hours away (which I still consider local) and purchased enough organic grassfed beef, pork and chicken to fill up our freezer.







We've been waiting to be able to afford this for over a year so it was very exciting. The day we were up there was their annual festival, so we got a full tour of the farm and an informative discussion with the owner. What they are doing on this farm should be an example to others. We were quite in awe of the setup. We plan to buy some more chickens and a couple turkeys from them next month at a farmer's market. Anyone in Western WA that wants to check them out can look here: http://www.skagitriverranch.com They were recently featured in Mother Earth News magazine for their eggs.

Buying locally is a big deal to both my husband and myself. I love that my kids will grow up seeing where their food comes from. We plan on buying acreage next year to start producing alot of our own food. We just bought a giant freezer so we can start putting stuff away for the winter. Luckily our CSA is year round anyway so we mostly put stuff away so we don't get bored of weeks on end of potatoes, carrots, squash, root veggies, winter greens and apples.

I'm really happy to find this tribe as many of the people I know think I'm a little extreme with my attempt at eating locally.


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## juneau (May 20, 2005)

I just finished AVM and LOVED it. I was inspired to make cheese as soon as I could get the ingredients. Dd and I have been making mozzarella and ricotta just about weekly now.

*Maria*, the chicken recipe sounds marvelous! I will cook it up this weekend just as soon as I can get a chicken from the farmer's market.

I am lucky to live in an area with a lot of great farmstands, and I have always had a garden and been more or less successful at growing things I eat (more successful this year now that dd is 2 1/2).

I find that when I go to the grocery store now I turn up my nose at most of the things in there. I wish our stores carried local produce, especially e.g. apples now that we are in apple season and surrounded by orchards. I could do a CSA but mostly that duplicates what I am already growing. So I grow and supplement with tours of the farmstands.

A question for everyone: *What are you eating these days?*
I made cheese on Sunday, then made pizza with the whey. I topped the pizzas with 1) local sausage, my own tomatoes, my homemade cheese and my own basil, and 2) homemade pesto from the freezer, oven-dried tomatoes from the farmstand, and the cheese. On the side we had arugula/lettuce/tomato/radish salad from the garden with my homegrown garlic in the dressing. To drink, a local microbrew. Yum!!








: *noordinaryspider*!


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

I made Maria's chicken recipe on Sunday and it was sooo delicious! Easy, too. In fact, I just finished up a plate of leftovers for lunch. That roasted salsa idea is great: I halved tomatoes and onions and some peppers, put them on a piece of foil on the grill and rotated them after about 4-5 minutes on a side, then rough-chopped them and let it all sit for a couple hours.

Also, I smoked tomatoes this weekend! (Not that kind of smoking...)







It was totally easy, and they'll be great blended into soups and sauces. It's a great use for extra end-of-season tomatoes.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

_What are you eating these days?_

my usual: eggs, cheese, yogurt, lots of salads with sprouts of different sorts, tomatoes, cucumber, olives (not local), fruit. beans (not local) in various indian spices (not local, as far as i know--i do buy them at the indian market, so i assume they're imported).

yeah, same old same old. going out to dinner tonite. local restaurant, not organic.

i'm thinking pizza; they're htinking mexican. my tummy hurts right now, so i think pizza will be better because i can have a salad.


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## eco_mama (Feb 10, 2006)

Ok, I have to go back and read through the new posts but I wanted to say.......I found Animal, Vegetable, Miracle at my library today!!







:


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## Keeta (Jul 4, 2005)

Hey locavore mamas!

I'm so glad there is a tribe for us now! I've become obsessed with local food and food politics this summer. I loved AVM, now I'm reading Omnivore's Dilemma and The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved. I've got Plenty on backorder, and I can't wait to tear into that one!

We are part of a CSA (our third year) and we regularly shop at the farmer's market, which I look forward to all week. Our CSA runs out in two weeks though and I'm getting kind of nervous! I guess we'll just spend twice as much at the farmer's market!







I feel lucky that we can get lots of local food (especially since we're right outside of Detroit, not really what you think of as an agricultural oasis!). Aside from produce we also have a source for pastured eggs, local flours, a variety of legumes, flax seed, sunflower seeds, etc. What I can't find (so far) is a truly local source for dairy products, which is so frustrating. So we compromise and get the most local we can find or at least try to support a locally owned business when we buy it.

One of the most interesting things about eating locally (and therefore mostly seasonally) is how much of a produce snob I've become! It's like I can't eat out at run-of-the-mill restaurants anymore. The "tomotoes"! Horrible, mealy, white on the inside. It's funny how your tastes can change. On the one hand, I hate wasting food, but I just can't make myself eat conventionally grown tomatoes. Gross. It's like a sacrilege.

Anyway, I have a link in my siggie to my food blog. I was participating in the Eat Local Challenge of September 2007 until house guests descended upon us for three weeks, but I'm working on updating it soon!


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## jkg (May 28, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Keeta* 

We are part of a CSA (our third year) and we regularly shop at the farmer's market, which I look forward to all week. Our CSA runs out in two weeks though and I'm getting kind of nervous! I guess we'll just spend twice as much at the farmer's market!







I feel lucky that we can get lots of local food (especially since we're right outside of Detroit, not really what you think of as an agricultural oasis!). Aside from produce we also have a source for pastured eggs, local flours, a variety of legumes, flax seed, sunflower seeds, etc. What I can't find (so far) is a truly local source for dairy products, which is so frustrating. So we compromise and get the most local we can find or at least try to support a locally owned business when we buy it.


Hey Keeta! Would you mind sharing your source for local flour? Thanks!

Jennifer


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## Keeta (Jul 4, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jkg* 
Hey Keeta! Would you mind sharing your source for local flour? Thanks!

Jennifer

Hey Jennifer! No problem. Hampshire Farms is at the Royal Oak Farmer's Market every Saturday from 7-1, and they have whole wheat pastry flour, wheat flour, spelt flour, rye flour, barley, split peas, lentils, black beans, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, flax seeds...all organic, all grown within 100 miles of Detroit! They also sell eggs and chickens, and some breads and other baked goods, and sometimes produce. They are awesome! If I'm remembering right, they are there year round except for the month of January.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

while i don't use a lot of flour in my cooking, i would love to find a local. that's cool.


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## ghostlykisses (Sep 27, 2007)

I have to jump in with those who say they have become food snobs. The produce at the grocery store is just so nasty now that I have been spoiled since spring with organic, fresh, and local foods. My brother in law was moving and he gave us some grocery store produce left from a cook out he had and it was just awful, no flavor in the onions, the cucumber was dry and the tomato tasted and had the texture of cardboard. we won't even go into details about the sad excuse for a salad I got when I was starving at a fast food place. ACK! That was not even real food I fear, my mom's dog ended up eating it but only if I drenched it in dressing.

I love fresh foods as much as the next guy but when the growing season finally ends here I will just try and be patient until spring! I have some creative tomato and lettuce growing projects I am working on inside the house. If they work I just may have salad for another month or two into the long Vermont winter.

Also I have to suggest another book for those who are interested in learning more about food politics, ect. The book is by Jane Goodall and it is called Harvest For Hope. She has a lot of interesting information about agriculture and food practices around the world. She has a lot of good information and suggestions. I do not think this book gets as much press as Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Plenty, or The Omnivore's Dilema but it really should.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ghostlykisses* 
Also I have to suggest another book for those who are interested in learning more about food politics, ect. The book is by Jane Goodall and it is called Harvest For Hope. She has a lot of interesting information about agriculture and food practices around the world. She has a lot of good information and suggestions. I do not think this book gets as much press as Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Plenty, or The Omnivore's Dilema but it really should.

I was looking at that one in the bookstore last week. Does it cover a lot of the same information as in AVM and OD, or is it markedly different? That's my concern--I don't want to get burnout on the topic!


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## eco_mama (Feb 10, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Carlin* 
Has anyone seriously considered moving to an area with more sustainable local food sources?

Carlin

Yes. Which is why I love living in the state that I do. I've come to learn that I have ALOT of choices for local food. We also plan on buying a lot of land in an Ecovillage that's being planned only 30m west of us which is RIGHT near the organic farm where we have our CSA and I know of at least one more big organic farm in the area as well. So when I think about living there not only am I thinking about the sustainablity of purchasing food, but also the health aspects (cleaner air) for my family.


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## Belleweather (Nov 11, 2004)

Oh yay! I'm so excited to find this tribe! We're working really hard on eating locally, but we don't really have a 'plan', it's kind of something we're working out as we go.
I think DH and I both got really inspired when we did a pick your own strawberries thing with some friends of ours and then made our own jam. It was SO MUCH BETTER than anything either of us had ever eaten that I think we ate nothing but strawberry jam on toast and in yoguart for a week.







Then we started thinking "Gee... what else could we buy and make for ourselves?" I haven't read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" yet, although it's on my reserve list at the library... I'm 238 of 452! Someday, my book will come, right?

Right now, I'm working on sucking up to the local dairy we've been getting milk from at the farmer's market... I really want to start making cheese and especially butter at home. We'd been ordering grassfed butter from Whole Foods, but it was *not* local (it came from Ireland!) and they discontinued it anyway. Going back to store-brand has been making me weep... it just has no taste whatever and the color is too weird after the high-carotene yellow of grassfed stuff. I was going to order a cheese-making kit this week, but I need to come up with/rig up a cheese press first. DH is starting is fall brewing projects... pressing windfall apples this weekend for hard cider, and buying local honey for Christmas Mead. I'm hoping we'll get a chance to bulk-order beef, but I've got to see just how far we can pinch our pennies.









I think we're going to have a tough time during the winter, but I've already got big plans for the spring... we have a crappy backyard for gardening, but I'm really going to push it to the limit with containers. I can't wait to grow potatoes in a big pot with my 2 year old!


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Oh! Hard cider would be totally, totally cool. *oozes envy* Has he done it before? What is the bottling process like?


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## Carlin (Oct 14, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eco_mama* 
Yes. Which is why I love living in the state that I do. I've come to learn that I have ALOT of choices for local food. We also plan on buying a lot of land in an Ecovillage that's being planned only 30m west of us which is RIGHT near the organic farm where we have our CSA and I know of at least one more big organic farm in the area as well. So when I think about living there not only am I thinking about the sustainablity of purchasing food, but also the health aspects (cleaner air) for my family.

That's very cool! I love the concept of ecovillages, particularly the development of a close, supportive community. I think it is something many people are desperately lacking.

There are good and bad aspects about where I live. Lots of agricultural goes on here and there are fruits and berries in the summer (although seldom commercially available) but a very short growing season. The growing season we do have though is temperate with very long days. It is possible to eat local here, although I think it would be very, very difficult to be a locavore and a vegetarian in Edmonton.


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## farmama (Nov 23, 2005)

yum. every time i check in with y'all i get hungry...

i liked harvest for hope (i'm partial, we're in it







) but i found AVM infinitely more inspiring, just because it's so readable. i love the nuts and bolts way that kingsolver talks about their food journey.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

my husband and i are definitely food snobs, but we've been this way for years because we got so into traditional foods, which of course leads you to sourcing carefully anyway. . .so even when we weren't buying local, we were still buying high quality. . .

and eating "regular" food is so unsatisfying, comparitively.

my first thanksgiving (as hostess) went over huge. no one expected me to pull off the meal, but everyone told me it was the best they'd ever had in a long, long time. it was all organic and about 90% local.

i served:

creamy herb-leek soup with a salad of late-season lettuce, green apple, dried cranberries, and walnuts with a vinegarette dressing;

organic, brined first, then roasted turkey stuffed with fresh organic veggies and herbs and lots of butter (falling off the bone so moist);

frozen, organic green beans steamed to crisp and roasted local, organic red and golden beets;

home-made cranberry chutney;

a goat cheese and herb creamy sauce in lieu of gravy because i didn't know how to make gravy--it was a total hit--

and sprouted-grain sourdough with raw, whole butter whipped with a bit of honey and herbs;

home made butter pecan ice cream with whole raw milk and whole raw cream, caramel sauce, and multi-grain (home made) shortbread cookies.

i decided to host it because i was so tired of boring, lack-luster, brown thanksgivings where very little was vegetarian and nothing was/is organic. my husband and i dreaded thanksgiving because of this!

so, we opted to host it and serve what we would like. and it was a total hit!

it was really because we've become such food snobs that we dislike dining out, going to friend's houses, etc.


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## WeasleyMum (Feb 27, 2007)

Sounds delicious! Especially the ice cream...

About relocating to areas with better foodsheds... I don't know if I would actually move *just* to be in a more local-friendly place, but it would come into consideration, certainly. And I think about when pondering a possible move from VA back to Texas, where we were until last year. There's so much food here! Dallas seemed pretty dry as far as locavorism goes, although I could be mistaken.

Anyone else's Farmers Market closing up soon? Ours only goes through the end of October, apparently.







:


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *WeasleyMum* 
Anyone else's Farmers Market closing up soon? Ours only goes through the end of October, apparently.







:

Yup, our farmstand is the same. I'll still be able to get eggs and what veggies they can store through the winter (spuds, some squash, onions), but things are going to look a little lean produce-wise around our house.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

our farmer's market goes to the end of november. most of the CSAs are the same. dairy, eggs, and meats are available all year round; the farm stands of the amish and mennonite communities are often open year round, but they move indoors into the indoor flea markets--you can get canned fruit and veggies, as well as a lot of squash, root veggies, pies, breads, cidar, etc; and our local HFS sources as locally as possible in the winter/early spring--but also brings in stuff from the "region" and of course, a good distance like florida and california (we're in PA afterall). but, they try to source it in the southern, eastern states that have a longer growing season.


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## Belleweather (Nov 11, 2004)

Our Farmer's Market goes until the end of October, and then gets relocated inside. We have a fantastic public building they put it in, and they serve a big pancake breakfast every morning -- I understand that there's WAY less produce, but still some dairy and meat and that there are a lot of crafts and preserves and raw materials. I've never been, but I think we'll keep going -- if nothing else, it would be a nice way to develop relationships with some of the farmers by eating pancakes with them.







And, since I didn't get a chance to can as much as I would have liked this year, maybe I can make up for it by buying someone else's canned fruit and tomatoes, right?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Valkyrie9* 
Oh! Hard cider would be totally, totally cool. *oozes envy* Has he done it before? What is the bottling process like?

DH has been brewing for about 5 years and has done a couple of batches of cider, but none from local home-pressed apples. Cider is absolutely, rediculously easy as a brewing project... pretty much, it's pour into the carboy, add the started yeast, stick in a closet to ferment, drain off into a clean carboy to let it settle out, and then bottle. I guess using home-pressed cider is a touch more complicated, since you've got to flash-pasteurize (heat to 120 degrees) to kill the native yeasties and bacteriums so it doesn't run away from you, but it's still reasonably straight-forward. WAY more straight-forward than beer, which we totally flunk at making.









Bottling is actually fun... you drain the cider from the carboy into bottle with a funky spring loaded wand, and then get this big rabbit-eared looking bottle capper to put the caps on. You load the cap in the top, position it over the bottle and then pull the ears down until it molds the cap around the bottle top. I LOVE bottle capping; it's so stress releasing! I've been threatning to come home from a hard day working and put caps on all DH's bottles for fun.









(Oh, and carboy = big 5 gallon glass bottle. I don't know why it has such a weird name, but it totally confused me when DH started brewing)


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## eco_mama (Feb 10, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *WeasleyMum* 

Anyone else's Farmers Market closing up soon? Ours only goes through the end of October, apparently.







:

Our CSA is done at the end of this month too.

Ok, I have to call yet BUT, I have found a farm (12m away) to get ALL our dairy products from. Plus a few other items. Yay.


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## Keeta (Jul 4, 2005)

Our CSA ends in two weeks, but our local farmer's market goes all year round; I had no idea we were so lucky, that this was so unusual! There is a huge public building for it, it's pretty cool. Not all the farmer's are there year-round, but there is always bread and some produce, although you have to ask about its origin lots of times. There are always other products like nut butters, salsa, jams & jellies, dried herbs and handmade soaps and things available. And I think eggs are there year-round. Oh and dried grains and beans. Yeah. And the coffee man there makes a mean latte.


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## juneau (May 20, 2005)

I spent a couple of hours driving to and shopping at the big city market closest to us (about 25 miles) and it continues to be a huge disappointment. Racks and racks of produce, none of it locally grown -- it's like shopping at the supermarket only cheaper. Blech. Inside are rows and rows of butcher shops but no one advertises locally pastured or organically grown animals. I couldn't even find decent dairy products. I did buy some locally made ravioli -- though it has exotic ingredients, like lobster -- and a few bulk spices, but other than that it was a bust. Anyone else have a city market like that?

(I should add that the friend I went with bought ingredients for ratatouille because all of the ingredients are "in season" but the stuff she bought was all shipped long distance and found in the grocery stores year-round, so why bother?!)

On the up side, our town has a local food festival and it's tomorrow! Yay! And I can walk there! The farmer's market sets up there and then the student coops (we're in a college town) have a cooking contest for lunch, using all local ingredients, and serve it for FREE. Oh, I can't wait!

And yesterday I made a circuit of the local farm stands and came home with a trunk full of produce: a huge bag of apples, cider, a giant Hubbard squash and almost a bushel of tomatoes. I roasted some of those last night and made homemade lasagna with my own pesto, pasta, and cheese.

Next week dh and I are cooking dinner for 60 (!) and I will use as many local ingredients as I can find. Veggie squash soup with the Hubbard and chili made with local pasture-fed beef and more roasted tomatoes.

Being a locavore is fun, but it sure makes supermarket shopping even more of a chore than it already was. Unfortunately, I do still have to go there.

*Belleweather*, your farmer's market sounds like fun! Ours shuts down in a few weeks. I will still be able to get meat and eggs from the farms in town, but green things will be tough to find.


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## farmama (Nov 23, 2005)

something has been bothering me lately. we definitely lean toward EATING locally, but how the heck do you buy other stuff locally (toilet paper, for example)? i'm all for buying less, and needing less, but there are some things that i need that are hard to find even made in the US. Any thoughts on this?

oh, and i was sooo thrilled to find an organic grain/flour farm within 300 miles of me, i baked six loaves of bread yesterday







.

Our market goes until the end of December, which rocks.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

other things can be too much to think about.

i think it can be possible to get clothing made locally, but not necessarily fabric, for example. . .


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## Keeta (Jul 4, 2005)

Hey if anyone is up for a local food "challenge," blogger Laura from Urban Hennery has started a Dark Days (of Winter) Eat Local Challenge. Basically, you commit to making one local meal a week and blogging about it. You get to make your own rules/caveats, define what "local" means to you, etc. It's a fun way to challenge yourself and your cooking and it's cool to see what everyone else is making! Laura will do a weekly roundup of everyone participating.

My "rules" will be:

1. The toddler is exempt, getting him to eat is hard enough!
2. Oils and spices are exempt.
3. Local means within 150 miles of my address.
4. I get one freebie non-local ingredient per meal (if needed).
5. We commit through the end of November, and then we'll reevaluate (we're out of town for most of December, so it'll get tricky then).

Come join us!


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## juneau (May 20, 2005)

I am making *fiesta chicken* _right now_, and I can't stop tasting it as it cooks! Yum!!!

I got a chicken at the farmer's market and peppers and onions from a tour of the farmstands, and added my own garlic and cilantro.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Has anyone here made that eggs in a nest recipe yet? It sounded a little peculiar to me, so we haven't tried it. The fritatta is great, though!


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## jkg (May 28, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Valkyrie9* 
Has anyone here made that eggs in a nest recipe yet? It sounded a little peculiar to me, so we haven't tried it. The fritatta is great, though!


From AVM? I was just looking at that recipe last night thinking the same thing, that it looked peculiar. But I still have some kale to use up so I just might try it. The sweet potato quesadilla recipe is on our menu for tomorrow!


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## Cajunmomma (Nov 21, 2001)

Subbing. I'm trying to do as much locally as possible, but that still means that oil and grains have to come from somewhere. I'm in Louisiana, so that means that most fruit is brought in too.

But I'm working on it, though. Meat and as much produce as I can from a local organic farm, and I'm trying to get to the local farmers' market for some of the rest--but none of our farmers' markets here have organic.


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## CharlieBrown (Jan 20, 2004)

subbing for now. Our CSA is closed from mid-Dec to mid-Jan. I buy my eggs, some meat and chicken from them, other meat is halal yet still local. Next week I will pick up my half a organic grass fed beef. I am very excited. I am in CA so fruit and veggies are year round almost.


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## Belleweather (Nov 11, 2004)

One of the things that has really held us back this summer, as far as putting by more produce was money. We were stupidly, insanely, desparately poor this summer so the cash just wasn't there to buy big amounts of anything, much less the supplies I'd need to get started with anything big like canning (although, we've managed to make do with the big brewing kettle and second-hand jars) or cheesemaking. I'm trying to think of a better way to budget our food money to handle big expenditures next year. Yeah, I want to grow more... but we live in the 'burbs, so there's a limit, you know? And bushels of apples and boxes of tomatoes are kind of a big chunk of cash.

Any thoughts from anyone else, oh Tribal Members?


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## juneau (May 20, 2005)

*Belleweather*, you might try asking your farmers about seconds. I bought a BIG bag of apples (close to a bushel) the other day for $7. The first-quality ones would have cost probably four times as much.


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## Keeta (Jul 4, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *juneau* 
*Belleweather*, you might try asking your farmers about seconds. I bought a BIG bag of apples (close to a bushel) the other day for $7. The first-quality ones would have cost probably four times as much.

I second this. One time we got a couple of boxes of seconds heirloom tomatoes that would have cost a fortune if they were first quality - they were perfect for making sauce and freezing, putting into minestrone, etc.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

yeah, seconds do cost less.

also, if you have a garden in the burbs, consider permaculture styled gardening. it's designed for small spaces, to save water, and to increase out put of the plants. it's a pretty amazing system.

i look forward to even having a yard or garden plot. i know very little about growing anything. my mother did some gardening, but usually buys mature plants; my father always discouraged me from having a veggie garden--i first expressed interest when i was 9 or so.


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## Belleweather (Nov 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *zoebird* 
yeah, seconds do cost less.

also, if you have a garden in the burbs, consider permaculture styled gardening. it's designed for small spaces, to save water, and to increase out put of the plants. it's a pretty amazing system.

i look forward to even having a yard or garden plot. i know very little about growing anything. my mother did some gardening, but usually buys mature plants; my father always discouraged me from having a veggie garden--i first expressed interest when i was 9 or so.

We're really looking into permaculture, but it's tough under the circumstances... we have a yard, but the entire thing is one a 40 degree slope. If we owned the house, I'd totally terrace out the whole place into raised beds. But we don't, so we're limited to container gardening and perhaps sticking some raspberries in the hedges and zucchini in the corners. So a lot of the ecosystem ideas of permaculture will wait... but I love what they have to say about growing good dirt.


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## eco_mama (Feb 10, 2006)

Well, the organic farm I wanted to go to for apple picking turns out to be about 60 minutes away. Blah!


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## Carlin (Oct 14, 2006)

Our biggest local farmer's market actually goes all year round. During the winter there is a lot less produce available, and what there is tends to be greenhouse grown.

So, what's the opinion on local, organic greenhouse veggies? It is probably fairly energy intensive, but I would guess it would still come out better than transported produce. I really don't like the idea of giving up everything green for the winter - as it is there will be no fresh fruit and I'd like to keep some fresh veggies in my diet.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

I would definitely agree that locally green-house grown fresh produce is better than transported. Other than home-canned, I can't think of a less impactful alternative. I mean, even with frozen, you've got the energy costs to keep them frozen, right? I'd love to have that option here.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

i wouldn't mind greenhouse grown foods. it makes sense to me. and, i love greenhouses. i'd love to have one myself, actually.


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## Carlin (Oct 14, 2006)

I wonder what the least "impactful" way of heating a greenhouse is. I know during an Edmonton winter that they must be using some additional heating, and as our electricity is almost all coal generated, it would be nice if they are using something different. I'd love to see a geothermal greenhouse!


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

i'm not sure what is used here, but a lot of it is actually solar. most of them are placed in open, southern spaces, and the glass traps a lot of that solar heat. the snow around can actually help the building hold heat along the ground/floor. . .

but yes, usually some sort of light/heat source is used. particularly when it is dark for long periods of time.


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## eco_mama (Feb 10, 2006)

i also wold like to have my own greenhouse one day. i like the looks of the yurt/greenhouses. i would also say solar and i dream of having a wind turbine or two. that's my goal. to use solar + wind only. i think it's perfect beause if the sun is not shining, you can still generate some power if the wind is blowing.


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## CharlieBrown (Jan 20, 2004)

I read it costs more to heat the greenhouse, than cost of gasoline. I will try to find the source.


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## Belleweather (Nov 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Carlin* 
I wonder what the least "impactful" way of heating a greenhouse is. I know during an Edmonton winter that they must be using some additional heating, and as our electricity is almost all coal generated, it would be nice if they are using something different. I'd love to see a geothermal greenhouse!


When we had one at my dad's house (we remodeled an old shed into a greenhouse) it was mostly solar. He had big 50 gallon plastic barrels full of water in the center, and a heavy cement floor, both of which held heat and radiated it out at night. We had to use electric heat in the dead of winter, especially if it was cloudy for a long time, but I was pretty amazed by how well just the sun and the passive solar worked in Minnesota. If we were building one now, we'd probably use a radiant floor system... but that's just my guess.

PS. I just put in my order for 55lbs of organic, local, grass-fed beef!! I'm SOOO excited to go out to the farm and pick it up!


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## eco_mama (Feb 10, 2006)

Just finished AVM







Now onto Omnivore's Dilemma.


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## juneau (May 20, 2005)

Find some beets with their greens (mine came from my garden). Cut the greens off the tuber, leaving a bit of stem. Roast the beets in the oven until tender.

Meanwhile, briefly saute some garlic in olive oil and then add the beet greens. Saute/steam until tender -- which takes a while because the stems are tough. While the greens are cooking, slice an apple into the pan. Cook until apple and stems are tender.

When the beets in the oven are tender, let them cool until you can peel them (don't have to peel if they are tiny) and then slice them into the cooked greens/apple.

The apple turns a gorgeous rose color and all together the beets/greens/garlic/apples are very sweet and yummy!

I've got beets in my garden that I planted at the end of August and so far I have been cooking the ones I have thinned from the bed. The plants will withstand quite a bit of cold so I plan to enjoy this recipe for a while to come.

I expect chard cooked this way with apple and garlic would be quite tasty, too, though not quite as sweet.


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## jkg (May 28, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *juneau* 
Find some beets with their greens (mine came from my garden). Cut the greens off the tuber, leaving a bit of stem. Roast the beets in the oven until tender.

Meanwhile, briefly saute some garlic in olive oil and then add the beet greens. Saute/steam until tender -- which takes a while because the stems are tough. While the greens are cooking, slice an apple into the pan. Cook until apple and stems are tender.

When the beets in the oven are tender, let them cool until you can peel them (don't have to peel if they are tiny) and then slice them into the cooked greens/apple.

The apple turns a gorgeous rose color and all together the beets/greens/garlic/apples are very sweet and yummy!

I've got beets in my garden that I planted at the end of August and so far I have been cooking the ones I have thinned from the bed. The plants will withstand quite a bit of cold so I plan to enjoy this recipe for a while to come.

I expect chard cooked this way with apple and garlic would be quite tasty, too, though not quite as sweet.

That sounds SO good! Thanks for the recipe!


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

chard and beets are relatives.







so, it should taste the same.







i love beet greens!


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## sebarnes (Feb 2, 2005)

Hi All! I've been lurking since this thread began, but since I have a few seconds without a baby at my breast I thought I'd take a second to jump in! We are slowly trying to go local. We have a local source for meat, eggs, most of our fruits and veggies (thank you CSA!!) flour and milk. Although we froze some of our summer veggies, I'm not sure what is going to happen this winter since our farmer's market isn't year round. We are just stepping into cheese making, after I was totally inspired by AVM. DH is really on board with us learning how to do as many things as possible by ourselves. If we were in a different living condition, he would totally be pushing for us to get our own animals and have a huge garden, as he grew up on a farm where they were pretty much self sufficient about everything.

So, I have a question - if you are trying to go completely local, what do you thicken/sweeten your smoothies with? We have always used bananas as a thickener and sweetner, but there aren't any bananas here, obviously! What local substitution could someone suggest? (we're in the west, btw).


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## Carlin (Oct 14, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *juneau* 
Find some beets with their greens (mine came from my garden). Cut the greens off the tuber, leaving a bit of stem. Roast the beets in the oven until tender.

Meanwhile, briefly saute some garlic in olive oil and then add the beet greens. Saute/steam until tender -- which takes a while because the stems are tough. While the greens are cooking, slice an apple into the pan. Cook until apple and stems are tender.

When the beets in the oven are tender, let them cool until you can peel them (don't have to peel if they are tiny) and then slice them into the cooked greens/apple.

The apple turns a gorgeous rose color and all together the beets/greens/garlic/apples are very sweet and yummy!

I've got beets in my garden that I planted at the end of August and so far I have been cooking the ones I have thinned from the bed. The plants will withstand quite a bit of cold so I plan to enjoy this recipe for a while to come.

I expect chard cooked this way with apple and garlic would be quite tasty, too, though not quite as sweet.

Thanks Juneau!
I made this yesterday with a few alterations to use what I had in the fridge. I used swish chard and added some left over squash that I roasted with the beets, and some yellow bell pepper. Along with the garlic I added a touch of heat by chopping up a small orange (and very spicy) pepper we got from the farmers market. The sweetness from the apples complemented the heat from the pepper quite nicely. It got rave reviews. Served along with local, free range organic chicken breasts stuffed with feta and spices, it made for a very tasty locavores meal! Everything but the feta and spices was either from the garden or farmers market, and even the feta was only from Calgary (about 200 miles away.)

Yum, yum, yum.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Our farmstand closes on Tuesday.







I'm already feeling bummed out. I bought a bunch of canned salsa, but that's not going to get us through the winter.

On the plus side, I had a great conversation with a manager at Albertson's yesterday; I had noticed that there were apples from NEW ZEALAND for sale, which I just cannot get my brain around when we live 300 miles from all the Washington apple orchards. I mentioned to her that I was concerned about the environmental cost, and she totally agreed. She did say that Corporate determines what they get, and that if I would be willing to write them a letter expressing my concerns (particularly about how I'm willing to pay extra for more local stuff) that she'd really appreciate it and support it as best she can. So I need to get that done in the next couple days before I lose momentum. Seriously--it is harvest time here in the northern hemisphere. How on earth could apples from New Zealand be fresh right now? Could they possibly have been in storage since the harvest in the southern hemisphere like 6 months ago? Ewww!


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## sunnylady303 (Sep 17, 2004)

Good for you for asking those questions! As we come into winter and I'm having to work so hard to make sure we eat good, whole foods for dinner every night, I feel my committment flagging a bit. Planning very completely is the only way we manage to eat well and I am struggling with that. Plus the FM is closing, we've just moved and I miss miss miss our two CSA's (the one here I don't like very much), and our own garden isn't so great this year. Plus I didn't put up as much as I wanted to. The stuff that I did put up we've eaten a lot of already (blueberries and black raspberries YUM!). I'm just struggling. No one else that I know IRL is concerned about this stuff. I need to reread AVM and get remotivated. I found a local dairy but can't seem to find the money for the deposits to get it. It's started to seem extreme. I am passionate about this stuff usually; I don't know why I'm struggling now. Oh well, enough about that. I'll get reinspired. It's too important not to.

As I side note, I just have to share this. You ladies are the only ones that could possibly understand how excited I am - everyone else I know (like my parents) just say, "Who's that?" But I went to a wedding yesterday for some really wonderful people who we've come to love and Wendell and Tanya Berry were there and we sat with them at the reception and I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT! He's like my hero. I was totally cool though because I'm sure he gets fawned over all the time. But it was wonderful. I was sitting there with his wife talking about where she grocery shops and it was so neat. It was a strange mix of meeting my hero and meeting these people in my new community who I want to be just normal with. But there was no one to share it with who would appreciate how excited I was, but I thought you all might!









Happy locavoring!


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

when the apples were in season in NZ, i was there. they have quite good apples, and it's amazing how tense they are talking about local food, considering that most of their income comes from exporting apples! (among other things)

so, talking about eating locally was something that they're into--because local foods are less expensive than imports (and food is expensive there in general)--but they did not want american's eating local (american) apples.

and, considering that the northern part of the southern island and the north island are pretty temperate/warm--they can actually stay in season throughout their winter, and they also have some very hardy breeds of apples that they grow there.

anyway, itneresting to birng it up.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *zoebird* 
and, considering that the northern part of the southern island and the north island are pretty temperate/warm--they can actually stay in season throughout their winter, and they also have some very hardy breeds of apples that they grow there.

Ahh, that was the part I was unsure of. I'm so glad you were able to clear that up for me!

Imagine living somewhere you could grow your produce year-round!


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## KelliHope (Oct 29, 2007)

wow what a cool thread!!
We had bought a half dozen copies of Omnivore's Delemma and handed it out everyone we know - awesome book!!
We run a farm in Vermont that raises lamb - 100% grass fed, and pastured poultry and a little bit of grass-fed beef too. We also have our own chickens and a small garden. We have taken to bartering with other local farmers for veggies, honey, flour, beans, maply syrup and other things. Now that I'm pregnant, my husband s even more adamant that we eat out of our own stores, so to speak, so we are canning, freezing as much as we can. He is really funny, likes to fill me up with healthy grass-fed fats and all kinds of wholesome stuff.
I have just started AVM, husband read it in 2 days and can't wait for me to get more into it.
So good to see other's doing what we are!


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## Keeta (Jul 4, 2005)

Hey locovore mamas! I just finished Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally, and it was pretty good! I liked Animal, Vegetable Miracle more, both because it was more informative in general and because it was just, well, better written. But Plenty is interesting in its own right, and it's a quick read. The authors tackle some crazy stuff, like making their own sea salt, and you really feel their pain while they scour their area looking for wheat of any kind. They write quite a bit about how the experiment affected their relationship, too, which I frankly could have lived without, but that's just me. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more recipes or accounts of what they ate on a day-to-day basis, but I'm weird that way: a food voyeur.


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## elsa_elsa (Nov 2, 2006)

hello locavore mamas!

i'm so glad to have found this thread. I love love love eating locally and am lucky to live in a town that has a wonderful all year round farmers market but am unlucky to be living in a rather short growing season...which means soon no more fresh greens. however, i've frozen alot of greens for the winter (i actually bought a small energy effiecient freezer just for this reason)

although I'm very committed to eating locally, some of my housemates are not, and they often buy mangos, bananas and other tropical fruits. very tempting!

one thing I'm trying to figure out right now is how to get more vitamin c into my diet with local food. i used to drink/eat alot of oranges in the winter, but i'm trying to avoid that now. anyone know of any high vitamin c foods? i've heard that some people drink cedar tea, but i'm not sure how to prepare that.

anyway, this thread has re-inpsired me!


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

I know pine needles and rose hips both have scads of Vitamin C. Maybe you could find some of those and make tea?

I hear you on the orange juice. That's a hard one for me, since oranges obviously don't grow anywhere near Idaho. DD drinks a lot of it, and so the concession I have made is to buy it in concentrate, whenever possible. Then at least we're not paying to ship all the water, if you know what I mean. It's not the best solution, but perhaps it is more environmentally friendly to do it that way.


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## KaraBoo (Nov 22, 2001)

I am more and more interested in eating locally. Since quality organic is often difficult to find, I think I should shift my focus to local products.

I order meat from one butcher, who has a local farm, makes his own sausages, stuff like that. I sometimes want lamb, however, and the best lamb comes from NZ...so I admit to getting that sometimes.

I shop various veggie stalls in my neighborhood and want to limit my produce buying at the regional store.


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## ryleigh'smama (Aug 10, 2005)

Hi! My family and I have been trying to eat locally as much as possible for about a year now. We go to farmer's market weekly, and also the local natural food store for supplies. Luckily our farmers market is year round. I feel so much better eating locally, about my impact on the world, and about the great food that I find.


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## sebarnes (Feb 2, 2005)

Okay, someone, somewhere posted a link to a site where you could look up your state and see when things were in season. I've looked and I can't seem to find it. Does anyone know what is was???? Please???


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## emmalyne (Jun 29, 2007)

I am pleased to have a place to interact about this. We've been trying to eat more locally, though not in the county like AVM. Does anyone rent and have chickens? I'd *LOVE* to keep some but buying a house seems a long way off.


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## emmalyne (Jun 29, 2007)

I forgot to subscribe.


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

i think you only need a yard to keep them in. i don't think it's necessarily a rental problem.


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## Keeta (Jul 4, 2005)

Hey locavore mamas, just wondering how people did with eating locally over Thanksgiving? We did pretty well on our sides (our main dish was a homemade seitan "turkey" and although I could have gone to a lot of effort to make homemade seitan with like 2 lbs of flour, I skipped that step and used boxed vital wheat gluten - but it was so good!). But we did have local brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, pumpkin pie (made with a *real* pumpkin and half and half!) and a buttermilk blueberry pie, with frozen local blueberries and local buttermilk. YUM!


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## accountclosed3 (Jun 13, 2006)

i used local dairy products, the turkey was from within 100 miles, the parsnips were local, the bread was local, the salads were local, but the soup and green beans and dessert stuff were not.


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## Belleweather (Nov 11, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *emmalyne* 
I am pleased to have a place to interact about this. We've been trying to eat more locally, though not in the county like AVM. Does anyone rent and have chickens? I'd *LOVE* to keep some but buying a house seems a long way off.

I'm working up the guts to bring this up with our landlord next year, but I'm not sure I have the skillz to have happy healthy chickens just yet. According to our local ordinances, I don't actually NEED my landlord's permission, but I think I'd like to have it anyway.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Keeta* 
Hey locavore mamas, just wondering how people did with eating locally over Thanksgiving?

We did pretty poorly, mainly due to bad planning. But we have high hopes for next year.

I'm really wondering what other mamas in the north part of the country do about local veggies during the winter? We're in Wisconsin and there just isn't really much growing anywhere under the foot of snow we get. Next year, I'm hoping to put up WAY more food, so that will help. But I also just um... don't love winter veggies. I very much want to LEARN to love them, but it's hard... I need to become enchanted with beets and parsnips and turnips and cabbage, but have no idea where to start. Help!


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

We were at my SIL's house for Thanksgiving and she's not on the locavore track right now. But...we did have pheasant instead of turkey, and it was shot and killed by my BIL. It was so delicious! So that was a nod to local/organic eating.

As far as winter veggies go, well, we're not doing great on that. I don't care for squash at all. I've made some pumpkin butter and froze it, and that's good in my oatmeal, plus we've frozen shredded zuchinni for bread, but that's about it for our local produce stocks in the freezer. I definitely plan to freeze a LOT of summer veggies next year.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

I didn't realize this thread was even here. Keeta posted on a thread I started in Nutrion and invited me.









How are you cold climate peeps doing? Why is winter so long? And it's not even started, kwim? lol


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## momaste (Oct 9, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sebarnes* 
Okay, someone, somewhere posted a link to a site where you could look up your state and see when things were in season. I've looked and I can't seem to find it. Does anyone know what is was???? Please???

www.localharvest.org is where to look up farmers markets and CSAs in your area, and they'll often have lists of what is available when. Is that what you wanted?

I've been eating locally for the better part of a year now, and my blog is about eating locally on Weight Watchers. I found a grain CSA, am part of a year round produce CSA, and bought 1/4 of a cow, 1/6 a pig, and several chickens and turkeys that are currently in my freezer. There are several organic, local dairies, and we buy dairy from them. We're fortunate to live in Northern California, where it is very easy to eat local even in the winter. It would be harder in places that freeze over and have no winter produce.


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## momaste (Oct 9, 2006)

Oh, and we had a local Thanksgiving, with the menu on my blog (in signature) and it was fantastic! Everything was local to our region and organic, and it was all delicious. It was my first Thanksgiving cooking the meal and I'm taking it over from my mom, who was impressed by how well it went.


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## emmalyne (Jun 29, 2007)

bumping!


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## mikaela (Oct 3, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Keeta* 
Hey locavore mamas, just wondering how people did with eating locally over Thanksgiving?

I'm a little late to the party, but I made a fabulous sweet potato smash for dinner at a friend's house. I used the CSA shallots and sweet potatoes I'd been hoarding all season







I'd been saving them for so long that I almost didn't want to use them!


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## Jeanne D'Arc (Apr 7, 2007)

Joining!

I'm a locavore but It *has to be organic*. I _am_ lucky in that
I live in Northern California and we have quite a few CSAs
in my area...

www.localharvest.com is a GREAT website! That is how I
found mine.


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## momaste (Oct 9, 2006)

Jeanne, where in Northern California are you? I'm on the Peninsula and have had a lot of luck with the caff.org (California Alliance with Family Farmers) website for finding local just about everything. I also found a grain CSA that has been AMAZING, way up north in Fort Scot. It's not in my 100 mile radius, but I'm okay with that since it's supporting a local farmer, organically grown, and the only grain I could find outside rice (Lundberg) and whole wheat flour (Full Belly Farm). Phipps Country Store in Pescadero is awesome for beans, too, if you hadn't found them. You can click my blog link for my eating local blog - I have lots of local sources on there, too.









So, for my petty whine of the day: Mr.M went to run errands and came bag with a 20 lb. bag of enriched white rice.







: You'd think after all the discussions we've had about eating locally, about finding local sources, after going with me to pick up grains from the CSA, and especially with me only making brown rice and whole grains, you'd THINK he'd figured out that we're not buying that for a reason. You'd think, but you'd be wrong. Silly guy says, "We were out of white rice and I just picked it up because I like it!" So now there are 20 lb. white rice in my pantry, not even organic, next to my pretty mason jars of kamut, bulgur, teff, and rye. Oh, and 4 varieties of local, organic RICE. Grr.


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## PancakeGoddess (Oct 8, 2004)

can we revive this thread? I'd like to talk about seed-starting for a gardening dummy, meal-planning for a mama whose mama never cooked, and how to find local dairy.

Also, how to raise chickens in a medium-sized yard without having chicken poop on everyone's feet all the time?

I love that there are at least 3-4 different threads about eating locally and the Kingsolver book on MDC. yay.

Also, if you're in Ohio and have some good sources of local food or recommendations for CSAs, please pm me.


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## emmalyne (Jun 29, 2007)

Our landlord OK'd chickens! Here are two great sites about keeping them in a medium backyard:
http://www.mypetchicken.com/default.aspx
http://backyardchickens.com/
I barely can wait!


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## juneau (May 20, 2005)

Amy, where in Ohio are you? I'm west of Cleveland about 35 miles. I don't know any CSAs here but there are good local farm sources of meat, eggs, and in the summer, lots of fruits and veggies.

You've reminded me that I've got to get my seeds ordered and going! I have been doing this for several years now, but always learning...

I've got grow lights in my basement over a table made out of plywood and sawhorses. I start lots and lots of tomatoes (sell some seedlings at the Farmer's market) in March. But I think I've got to get onions going ASAP, also some cold-weather-loving herbs, like cilantro and parsley.


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## speaking_of_faith (Jan 12, 2008)

Glad someone 'bumped' this thread.

I read "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" a few months back and my eyes were opened to the hidden cost of transported food.

Now, I am taking 'baby' steps to purchase more local foods. I was able to shop at the local 'farmers' market a few times when I was off of work and the produce was of better quality (although the price was about the same) as the supermarket produce.

Earlier this week, I made a pesto sauce made from basil that my kids picked out of our "container garden".







:


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

So I bought the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook a few weeks ago, and I can see how it is ultimately going to help us eat more locally during the winter. The premise of the book is to make vegetable purees (squash, cauliflower, carrot, sweet potato, broccoli, avocado, bell pepper, etc.) and freeze them to add them to recipes later. So you might add bell pepper and carrot puree to spaghetti sauce in order to up the nutritional value, or there are recipes for making baked goods with purees--lots of different ideas.

With that in mind, I will definitely be hitting the local farmers market differently this summer. While cauliflower is in season, I can buy masses of it, steam and puree it, and hopefully freeze enough of it to help us through the leaner winter months.


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## aliall (Mar 19, 2006)

I have read AVM, and Plenty and am half way through Omnivore's Dilemma. Great reads. I started a website for local food in my area.

It is hard to find local food in the winter. I am vegetarian, so we don't usually worry about meat. I just found a local organic grain farmer. It is a bit expensive, but I feel good about it. We get our eggs just outside of town. We are putting in a bunch of fruit trees this year and will work on making the garden more productive this year. It has been interesting reading everyones posts!


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## PancakeGoddess (Oct 8, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *juneau* 
Amy, where in Ohio are you? I'm west of Cleveland about 35 miles. I don't know any CSAs here but there are good local farm sources of meat, eggs, and in the summer, lots of fruits and veggies.

You've reminded me that I've got to get my seeds ordered and going! I have been doing this for several years now, but always learning...

I've got grow lights in my basement over a table made out of plywood and sawhorses. I start lots and lots of tomatoes (sell some seedlings at the Farmer's market) in March. But I think I've got to get onions going ASAP, also some cold-weather-loving herbs, like cilantro and parsley.

I'm east of Dayton about 15 miles - not too close. Have you seen the website Local Harvest? There must be some CSAs near you.


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## my2suns (Jan 3, 2003)

I am in Georgia and our family has made the choice to eat locally. Right now I am getting milk and butter from a farmer 5 minutes away. I am working on finding produce that is local. Having a hard time right now due to the season. I am excited to know our family is making an impact on our environment!!







:


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Way to go, Mel! You should be getting some great local produce before too long, right? I would think (based on my perspective here in the frozen north) that Georgia would start up fairly early.


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## boigrrrlwonder (Jan 18, 2007)

Okay, I saw this thread, and I love the idea. I haven't read any of the books they are based on, but intuitively, trying to make more of my food come from local sources seems like the obvious next step (I'm already vegan). I love the local harvest link I found on here. Any recommendations for vegan-friendly cookbooks that would make eating local easier? Most of my cookbooks have veggies that don't come in season at the same time at all.


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## spiderdust (Oct 3, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Valkyrie9* 
So I bought the "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook a few weeks ago, and I can see how it is ultimately going to help us eat more locally during the winter. The premise of the book is to make vegetable purees (squash, cauliflower, carrot, sweet potato, broccoli, avocado, bell pepper, etc.) and freeze them to add them to recipes later. So you might add bell pepper and carrot puree to spaghetti sauce in order to up the nutritional value, or there are recipes for making baked goods with purees--lots of different ideas.

I need to find this book!







:


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spiderdust* 
I need to find this book!







:

It's been pretty handy. It is a bit labor-intensive to get all the purees done and frozen, but man, it is nice to be able to just pull a frozen portion out of the fridge and add it to whatever I'm cooking. Once you get the hang of it, you just start putting the purees into whatever you're cooking, regardless of whether there is a recipe for it.

My only complaint is that cooking cauliflower makes the house reek. I'm going to do my next batch outside on our BBQ grille burner.


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## spiderdust (Oct 3, 2005)

Bumpity-bump!









With the approach of spring, what local foods have you been able to find?


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## ShanaT (Oct 24, 2005)

Bump again
We've got lots of local food becoming available and would love to hear what other people are doing with it!
We're getting lettuce, greens, rhubarb, asparagus, and all our local meat and dairy.
Has anyone read Defense of Food? Its not as good as Omnivore's Dilemma, but very interesting just the same.
Avoid food-like substances!


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## mikaela (Oct 3, 2007)

Right now, I'm just trying to use up the veggies in the freezer and canned applesauce (all from last season) in preparation for our first CSA pick up in SIX DAYS! So excited


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## ShanaT (Oct 24, 2005)

Funny, I'm hoarding my last 2 quarts of applesauce because September is a lot of pork chop meals away (DH won't eat pork chops without applesauce).
Enjoy your first CSA delivery!


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## beachbaby (Jan 21, 2003)

Can I join in? I posted on the 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' thread that inspired this one, and lurked for a while here.

I really started eating local in full force last summer, but sort of lost enthusiasm over the winter. I've found local sources for beef, pork, and chicken, and have (had!) a freezer full of venison, so am feeling more inspired now that I know there are more than just veggies here!

How is everyone doing planning meals around CSAs, farmers market and farm stands? That's my biggest challenge right now.

Gotta run, toddler waking. More later.


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## ghostlykisses (Sep 27, 2007)

Beachbaby, don't feel alone. I was all gung ho about local food last summer but the long Vermont winter kind of killed that since I was on a diet and most "winter" produce found here is the high calorie kind. I am excited for the CSA and farmers market to start. I also have straberries growing in the garden. Mmmmm!

Here is my thing....I am moving from the north to the south. The local foods will be different and the growing seasons too. I am going to be so clueless down there!


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## holyhelianthus (Jul 15, 2006)

BUUUUMP!!

I just came across this thread through the AVM thread in book club. Now I am off to read it all.

I live in a heavy agricultural area in So Cal BUT the problem is I just don't trust the quality. It is soaking in pesticides for one. I guess this is a WWYD?


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

Doesn't August feel like the greatest gift? February is one long cabbage and butternut squash meal...but August. Wow, such gratittude! lol


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## holyhelianthus (Jul 15, 2006)

Can anyone explain to me "Slow Food" and why I might want to join or not? Thanks!


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

From About Us on the Slow Food site:http://www.slowfoodusa.org/about/index.html


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Yep, there's definitely more bounty in August! I've put up a flat of blueberries and more than a flat of strawberries. I'm rolling in the jam! However, I really am wanting to get into squash pureeing and freezing and am getting antsy about it. I totally missed the broccoli and cauliflower time (this is for my puree stuff out of Deceptively Delicious), and I'm hoping I can find it in the fall at the farm stand.

I've been so excited the last few weeks: the farm stand is selling local, organic milk that comes in glass bottles, as well as local organic cheese and cream. It rocks! I'm really hoping they keep up with it over the winter, as they obviously close down for lack of produce. They do sell eggs in the off season, so I'm hoping, hoping, hoping for milk.

So for you folks who don't can (like me), what do you like to put up for the winter?

Oh--almost forgot. I got in on a meat CSA that comes due next month and we'll have a half pig, 10 chickens and a turkey, all organic and from heirloom breeds. Right on!







:


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Oh I just found this thread! Mind if I join in?

We're doing so good on eating locally anymore. We raise our own cows and pigs and dh hunts so we're pretty much set on meat. I'm still getting chicken from the store though. Valkyrie, I see you're in Idaho like me, where did you get the chickens?

Our veggies and fruits are all grown ourselves or purchased at the farmer's market. I'm hoping to avoid buying any frozen veggies this winter, so I'm freezing all of my own.

We've got lots of friends and so far have suppliers for peas (they're picking now and I know a driver who brought me a ton), onions, corn and potatoes.

So far in my freezer: all the meat mentioned above, peas, blueberries, raspberries, plums, my purees, and lots of frozen zucchini.

I'll add: peaches, beans, broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes.

I also have pears and apples and don't know what to do with those. Any ideas for preserving salsa, besides canning? Canning scares me a little since I've never done it.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Allyson, HI! I'm getting my meat through Alpha Omega Ranch, which is in Carmen near Salmon. Not exactly close by (I'm in Boise) but it was the only place I could find with organic chickens. They're going to run me $10/bird, approximately.

Where are you guys at? I've got a source for local beef, but if you are nearby, I'd swap you some chickens for some beef!


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

We're near Twin Falls. Salmon is a bit far for chickens. I'll have to see what I can find a little closer. That place looks amazing though!

I was thinking about this thread last night, while dh was searching for steak in the freezer. All we've got left right now is hamburger and a few roasts. We'll probably be butchering again next spring, so I'll have to remember to let you know.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
We're near Twin Falls. Salmon is a bit far for chickens. I'll have to see what I can find a little closer. That place looks amazing though!

I'm doing a pick-up anyway...what if you had some chickens arranged with her, and when I went up there to pick up my stuff, I got yours too? And then you could meet me in Mountain Home or something to get your birds?


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Valkyrie9* 
I'm doing a pick-up anyway...what if you had some chickens arranged with her, and when I went up there to pick up my stuff, I got yours too? And then you could meet me in Mountain Home or something to get your birds?

Hmm. You know what, let me think about it (and survey my freezer space







) and I'll let you know. When are you picking up?


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## holyhelianthus (Jul 15, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *UUMom* 
From About Us on the Slow Food site:http://www.slowfoodusa.org/about/index.html

I read this already and I still don't see the benefit. I was hoping for an "review" from some members if there are any here.


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## UUMom (Nov 14, 2002)

I just bought the most delicious strawberries from a food stand nearme. OMG. Wow. Summer. I went back for more any they were sold out. I will remember that taste the rest of my life. Perfection in juciy red.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
Hmm. You know what, let me think about it (and survey my freezer space







) and I'll let you know. When are you picking up?

I hear ya on the freezer space. If my DH gets an elk this year, I'm really going to have to do some creative space management!

I'll probably pick up in late September, early October. It'll likely be an overnight camp-out trip for DD and I, which should be very interesting. Unless some nice Salmon, ID MDC mama wants to put us up!


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Valkyrie9* 
I hear ya on the freezer space. If my DH gets an elk this year, I'm really going to have to do some creative space management!

I'll probably pick up in late September, early October. It'll likely be an overnight camp-out trip for DD and I, which should be very interesting. Unless some nice Salmon, ID MDC mama wants to put us up!









Well that's the thing for us too. I haven't let dh hunt the last few years because we have no room and while we still don't have much, he's dying to go.

Sounds like a fun trip! So from Boise to Salmon, how would you go? Through Mountain Home/Fairfieldish? Just curious how you'd get through there.


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## Valkyrie9 (Sep 29, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
Sounds like a fun trip! So from Boise to Salmon, how would you go? Through Mountain Home/Fairfieldish? Just curious how you'd get through there.

I'm looking at my atlas right now, and it looks like I'd take 21 northeast through Stanley, then catch 75/93 north to Salmon. So I was a little discombobulated there. Would it be worth it to you to meet me either in Stanley or in Boise if you had meat that I was picking up? Just a thought.


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## Daizynee (Jul 18, 2008)

subbing in


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Valkyrie9* 
I'm looking at my atlas right now, and it looks like I'd take 21 northeast through Stanley, then catch 75/93 north to Salmon. So I was a little discombobulated there. Would it be worth it to you to meet me either in Stanley or in Boise if you had meat that I was picking up? Just a thought.

It probably wouldn't matter. I'm trying to figure out if we can manage a camping trip to Stanley sometime before it gets too cold anyways. I'll have to let you know.

That road from Boise to Stanley is interesting! I took it when my oldest was 2ish and dh was stationed up there. Its like the never ending road I swear. Scenic, but very windy and closed in. I do think they close it down in the winter, but I'm not sure how early that would start, probably not in October.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

We're going vegetable picking tonight! There's a big u-pick farm not far from here that has cucumbers, corn, cabbage, carrots, beans and peppers ready now. I think I'll get some peppers, corn, cabbage, carrots and beans and preserve what I can and just eat the rest.

Is it possible to freeze carrots and then eat raw? I'm going to freeze some for soups anyways.


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## spiderdust (Oct 3, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Alyantavid* 
Is it possible to freeze carrots and then eat raw? I'm going to freeze some for soups anyways.

You could, although I've found it works best when you blanch carrots first before freezing. I've followed the guidelines in the Ball Big Blue Book of Canning & Freezing (or whatever it's called... it's gone through a few incarnations) when freezing carrots.


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

I think I actually have that book. I'll check it out!


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## OMama (Feb 18, 2005)

I'd like to join you guys! Just finished *Animal, Vegetable, Miracle*.

I feel confident about finding local poultry, dairy, fruit, vegetable, and even beef sources in my area, but what about fish? Any other Western WA mamas have some sources to share? The Pacific ocean is obviously not far! Where can I go (besides Pike's Place) to get local fish and other seafood?


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## *Aimee* (Jan 8, 2007)

Valkyrie, I live in Nampa. I'm a vegetarian who is thinking of starting to eat meat again. I'd love your resources on local meat! I personally don't think I'd be comfortable eating pigs, but everything else I think I'm down for.


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## *Aimee* (Jan 8, 2007)

oh subbing


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Hi there! In the interest of limiting FYT to subjects not hosted elsewhere on the board, we have moved your tribe here. You're still a tribe, which means you're still support-only. If you have any questions about the move, please do not discuss it on the boards. Rather, contact an administrator or start a thread in Questions and Suggestions. Thanks, and happy posting!


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

Just bumping this back up.

Now that summer's over and the garden is done, I've been making lots of soups and casseroles. Its so nice to sub in your frozen or canned veggies instead of "a can of ....." It tastes better, is way better for you and it makes me feel good about what I'm feeding my family.

Dh and my oldest son recently went onion picking at a friend's farm and we are full of onions now! Along with our friends and families. And mil brought me a 100 lb bag of Yukon Golds she'd picked. I really really love doing this!

Oh and my dh is taking a college speech course this semester and right now we're working on a persuasive speech to eat local and organic foods. I'm amazed he's as interested as he is, but I'm very happy about it!


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## lactivistmama (Aug 30, 2008)

Hi! Bumping up a really old thread.. Is there anyone still eating local?


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## Alyantavid (Sep 10, 2004)

We do for the most part. Its a little harder this time of year but we're still mostly local, heck, mostly food grown on our own property right now.

Idaho moms: B&G Produce (near Twin Falls) shut down so no more u-picking there. And Valley View Lavendar farm is moving or shutting down as well. Their property is for sale and they're selling off lavendar plants so I'm not sure if they'll keep running or not.


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## Liquesce (Nov 4, 2006)

Oh, yay! I was just thinking about starting a locavores tribe here ... I didn't realize there had been one apparently for nearly forever.


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