Or, at least, let us return to eating from California.
by Patrick
Yesterday, noticing a severe bareness of cupboards, we went to our local supernatural-market, New Seasons, to stock up on some basics. As it was the last day of May, we decided that the Eat Local Challenge was officially over.
Our Eat Local Challenge has been a heavily nuanced affair; we've made exceptions, we've lived without certain things and either found replacements or found that we didn't miss them so much . . . and then there are the things that we have lived without, and that I am really glad to see again.
Here's what we got at the store yesterday that we haven't purchased in a month:
Peanut butter. A big jar of Adams crunchy peanut butter. This is the remaining hole in the megacorp ban in our larder. I've tried organic peanut butter. I've ground my own at the co-op. I don't like anything as much as Adams. Dammit. I don't even know where it comes from. Is it even possible to find out? I remember when I was a kid, this was the "natural" peanut butter choice. Now, it's owned by Smuckers. If anyone has an alternative, I'd love to hear it. Other than giving up peanut butter, I mean.
Lemons. From California. I've successfully used apple cider and asian pear vinegars as a replacement for lemons this month. And I've unsuccessfully tried to make cheese without them. I miss lemons. I didn't know I liked them so much. During a normal month, we use them nearly every day. Hurray for lemons!
Wine. You know, it was a little odd, standing in the wine aisle and telling myself that I could choose bottles of wine from anywhere in the world. This past month, we've discovered some truly excellent local wines. They are much more expensive than perfectly good wines from Chile, Argentina, and Australia . . . but at New Seasons, you get a 20% discount for buying a case! So we stocked up on some of our Willamette Valley favorites, and included a bottle each of an interesting French, Argentine, and German wine to lessen the economic impact.
Writing this makes me realize I could write a whole post about Willamette Valley wine. Instead I'll offer one crucial recommendation: J. Christopher 2004 Pinot Noir. If you can find it, buy a lot of it. You won't be sorry.
Brown rice. Unrepentantly purchased, in bulk, from the organically grown Lundberg fields, located sort-of nearby in Yolo County, California.
Olive oil. After some searching, we found a bottle of Napa Valley Naturals olive oil that did not include any Mediterranean olive oil.
Carrots. From California. Have I really gone a month without buying (or eating) carrots? Well, yes, I believe I have. Once I made stock with locally grown parsnips. Another time I just skipped the carrots entirely. But I am happy to see them return.
Garlic. From Mexico. Sigh. Surely this is not necessary, the growing and importing of garlic from another country. Surely this is a result of the cheap oil glut. Surely someone around here will tend to my garlic needs when oil is $1000 a barrel and all the shipping roads are crumbling. Right?
Meanwhile, this month has introduced us to a lot of resources we weren't previously aware of. Our nearly-within-the-city-limits CSA farmshare started up in mid-May. We've found some great local cheeses, more local meats than we will ever know what to do with, and some good restaurants that focus on locally grown and produced foods . . . among other things.
As for the future, I am not going to start freely buying from the global marketplace. I didn't do that before and I am not starting now. I know that in some ways my food choices will be changed by the eating, and the thinking, that I have done this month.
But I have to admit it: I am grateful for California's bounty, and our proximity to it, even if all it amounts to is brown rice, carrots, lemons, and olive oil. Those are very, very important things.
The rest — or most of it, anyway — I can find around here.
Here's looking up your old address.
Patrick & Holly live in Portland, Oregon. Their blog Letter from Hen Waller records their experiences in urban homesteading, human-powered transportation, and otherwise living la vida local.
