www.eatlocalchallenge.com

Bitter Cold Hurts a Sweet Harvest

by Expat Chef

Store-bought berry on left dwarfs the local berries on right, but only in size. The winner in taste is still local, despite a tough season.

We got very spoiled last year. Each week of summer meant bringing home a basket filled with blueberries, blackberries, and fresh peaches. It was heaven. I was anxiously awaiting a bumper, early fruit crop with the record temperatures in March. And then the freeze hit over Easter. I awoke to snow on the ground the first weekend of my local farmer’s market. Three days of record lows created havoc with plants that had an early start.

A Mixed Bag of Greens

by Expat Chef

We had a rough spring with that loathed cold snap. It hurt all the farmers. Our CSA is starting nearly a month late. We see the grower at the market selling a few things he does have, that are not enough yet to fill the CSA bags for a week.

I bought some chard and kale from him. But as we walked away, he ran after us.

“Hey, you forgot your onions and radishes, oh, and some of these.” he said, running off before I could protest. The weather is not his fault. It's all part of the deal with a CSA. We're in it together. I wanted to pay him. But, since he won't take the money, all I can do is keep posting on eating local. Spread the word. Help it grow, and stay committed even in the wake of a record-breaking bit of record heat and cold in the span of a week.

Michael Pollan's Links

by Expat Chef

I signed up for emails from Michael Pollan's site based on a tip from a very reliable source that he may, just may be coming to our city for a speaking engagement. The first of the emails I got from the site lists the following recommended resources for finding out more about the farm bill. I am posting the email as written in his text:

"I've been getting a lot of questions from readers about the Farm Bill-- what sort of changes I'd like to see, and how people can get more involved. Since I'm a journalist, not an activist or policymaker,  I don't feel qualified to offer specific policy recommendations.  But for those interested in learning more about the Farm Bill and following the debate, I've put together some resources you might find useful. These will also be posted on the 'linking' page of my website, here: http://michaelpollan.com/link.htm. From what people in Washington tell me, we shouldn't underestimate the power of letters, calls, and emails to our representatives."

Got Grass?

by Expat Chef

On my way home from work, I pass not just one, but two California “Happy Cows” billboards. Given that I live in the Midwest, and I can find a cow standing in pasture less than 20 minutes from my city in any direction, I’m not all too clear on why I should be seeing ads about the mental state of cows in California. I’m also not certain why someone spent $17 million in 2001 alone to tell me how happy the cows are. I mean, many of the cows here look happy to me.

Especially the ones that make my milk. They pretty much live on a pasture most of the time. They get milked only a couple times a day, no hormones or antibiotics. They eat grass, lie in the sun and basically do all the things happy cows should be doing. I even have a photo of the actual cows that make my milk posted here. So, see for yourself. Do they look happy to you?

Must Have Been The Weather

by Expat Chef

I am pretty disappointed that we could not do the Pennywise Eat Local Challenge here. We were having this great early spring, it all looked just right for fresh produce, early in the season. Then out of nowhere, well, the Northwest actually, came this freeze with three days of lows in the teens. Brutal. So many lost plants and replanting. I woke up to the first open day of farmers markets to snow on the ground. The Midwest is a hard place to be a farmer indeed.

Here is it May, and the past weekend at the farmers market yielded little in variety for vegetables. I did find all my herbs and plants, but otherwise, the early spring lettuces were nowhere to be found unless you count the greenhouse-grown plants for sale. I did find two large plants of leaf lettuce for $2.00 each. The grower said I should get about four cuttings, making my investment $4.00 for eight heads of lettuce. Not bad.