weekend trip home, off the local wagon

I went home this past weekend to harvest my garden. It would have been difficult to continue eating a local diet (and insulting to my mother’s cooking) while there, so I took a break. With the exception of coffee, I was surprised at how unexciting such exotic delicacies as banana and chocolate were. I think that indicates that we’ve been eating pretty well these past few weeks.

I realized that I’ve gained an appreciation of both locally obtainable foods as well as their non local counterparts. For instance, I really enjoyed a fresh baked roll made with white flour. The texture was chewy yet smooth and airy, and its crust light and crispy in a way that our local bread isn’t. But I couldn’t taste the wheat. Given the choice, I’ll go for pancakes made with Cliff’s flour over all purpose any day. The two flours have their places. Same goes for lard and olive oil. As with anything, the balance is ideal. All in all, it was really nice to be with my parents and get some perspective on being a localvore

10/2

Breakfast: wheatberries, milk, blueberries, cracker with jam, wheat coffee

Lunch: Corn chowder, tomatoes, apple

Dinner: Tortillas, beans, wheatberries, fresh salsa, eggplant, salad, broccoli, sweetcorn, sweet potato, pumpkin pie, icecream.

10/1

Breakfast: Polenta with blueberries, syrup, milk. Wheat coffee, some potato sausage hash

Lunch: wheat berries, veggies, chicken of the woods. Apple, sweet potato,

Dinner: Broccoli soup, sourdough bread with blue cheese, salad, sweet potatoes, ice cream

9/30

Breakfast: Crackers, jam, wheat coffee

Lunch: Roasted potatoes, fried egg, salsa, sweet potato wedges

snack: more sweet potato, apple, slice of bread

Dinner: veggie soup, cheese, honey icecream.

9/28

Breakfast: Cornmeal pancakes, roasted wheat “Coffee”

Lunch: Leftover polenta, sourdough, smoked gouda and apple sandwich

Dinner: corn chowder, fresh bread, sauteed eggplant and greens

9/27

Breakfast: Toast, scrambled eggs, mint tea.

Lunch: leftover beef stew, bread, cheese

Dinner: spaghetti squash with broccoli, tomato, and kale, buttercup squash, crackers with jam.

Later: Hard cider

9/26

Breakfast: biscuit, squash, pear, mint tea

Lunch: pancakes, squash, sweet corn

dinner: salad, polenta with veggies, broccoli, more squash

9/24 and 25

I went on a very long trip with the Hampshire Farm manager, Leslie Cox, to attend a corn breeding workshop in Vermont and to procure some wheat seed from the Canadian border. What promised to be one very long day of driving turned out to be two, as our brakes caught on fire in Saranac Lake NY. Luckily, Leslie had friends in the neighboring town who own a bed and breakfast, so we were fed and had a beautiful place to stay. This unexpected change of travel plans led me to take a break from being a localvore. (I was, after all, more than 150 miles from Hampshire.) It was interesting not knowing everything about where the food came from. It felt a little exotic and luxurious. It really is amazing what we can get on a regular basis from a grocery store. Bananas, oranges and cantaloupe are definitely not in season in the Adirondacks, but they are commonplace breakfast fare none the less. As many benefits as there are to eating locally, I think that it is important to appreciate what the current food system can offer us.

I also had a mug of coffee, which was incredible. I still really miss coffee.

9/24

breakfast: cornbread with jam, mint tea

Lunch: apple, parched corn, mint tea

Dinner: unlocal roast pork, salad, rye bread, chocolate cake and icecream.

9/25

Breakfast: Coffee, cinnamon pancakes, orange slices

Lunch: Back to local: Stew with sourdough bread, apple

Dinner: beef soup with dumplings, applesauce, biscuits, salad.

9/23

1st breakfast: sage tea, apple, yogurt

Brunch: scrambled eggs with veggies, sausage, muffins

Lunch: wheatberries cooked with tomatoes, peppers and onions

Snack: Sourdough Bread! Finally, a successful loaf.

Dinner: LFI meeting: collards, carrots, sweet potato, fennel and watermellon salad, veal stew, more sourdough bread and butter.

Wow. I didn’t realize how much I ate today.

9/22

Breakfast: Yogurt, fried polenta with syrup, mint tea

Lunch: Crackers, apple, beef stew

Dinner: squash, kale, polenta and cheese

Snack: apple, toast, mug of warm milk