Local, Real Food
My biggest New Years resolution is to eat locally as much as possible.
a.
b.
c.
a. This morning Jeremy and I bought eggs from Jacque and Larry of Berry Creek Farms. How cool is it to get your eggs from farmers that call their chickens "their girls" and don't use harmful pesticides or antibiotics? Very cool. We also picked up butter, cheese and vegetables from other producers at the OSU-OKC Farmers Market. Winter is a difficult time to find fresh, local produce but so far so good.
b. We picked up the best cheese ever at Market C called Barely Buzzed - a sharp cheddar rubbed in coffee grounds and lavendar. While this cheese isn't produced locally we are supporting our local economy.
c. Another resolution is to really spend time making food. To make as much as possible from scratch. Today I tried out making my own tortillas - and they're delicious! Thanks to Megan-Joy for the recipe.
Our evolving approach to the way we eat is going to take time and isn't always going to be the most convenient but I can already tell that it is going to be worth it.
I've also added a couple of books to my reading list:
Real Food: What to Eat and Why
Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet
Currently reading: Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and The Durable Future
Do you have any recommendations or thoughts on eating local?
I'm not sure how I would like coffee grounds in my cheese, but lavender sounds amazing!
I buy those same eggs! I get mine at Native Roots. I don't eat eggs, but I use them for french toast. And it's weird, but I have a collection of the old shells in my windowsill. For some reason I just think they're really pretty. I get my bread from here: http://www.farrellbread.com/. They have SO many different kinds, I love them. And some of the best produce I've had I got from here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stratford-OK/Stratford-Greenhouses/193405561992. Their tomatoes are the best I've ever had, next to picking them fresh from your own garden.
I get my cheese from the Amish. http://www.amishcheesehouse.com/> And my honey is from Arthur Noakes, I do believe he is here in Norman. You can get it at Wal-Mart!
Bobbi - If you like coffee and you like cheese you would LOVE it.
Aura - Awesome! Thanks! I've actually never been to Native Roots but I'm going to try and hit it up on the weekends while I'm in Norman. We have a couple of smaller grocery stores here that carry those producers - like Crescent Market and Akins - and of course the farmers market. Thanks for the links!
I was just looking at that cheese in an add in the cheese magazine I subscribe to.
Its so tough to eat locally. I'm resolving to eat unprocessed and limit myself to whats in season. Good luck though, i love grower's markets
Another great book to add to your list: "Food Matters-a guide to conscious eating" by Mark Bittman. It has some great recipes and a really broken down approach to this idea.
You'll really love Native Roots. When they first opened, I could only get a few things there but had to do the bulk of my shopping at Albertson's. They've grown so much. Now that it's winter, I'm a little more limited, but in the warmer months, I can do all my shopping for an entire week's worth of breakfast lunch and dinners, there. I even buy my soap and facewash and such from them. Also, Dodson's has TONS of that Amish cheese. So if you're looking for variety, check there.
such a great, honorable goal!
my husband & i are extremely "green" and have our own retail store devoted to environmentally friend products [http://www.thegreenlifeco.com], but food - being that i don't cook well - is our hardest area to be 'good' about. i'll be trying harder in 2010 and look forward to hearing more about your journey if you blog about it further.
i read "the omnivore's dilemma" by michael pollan and it changed my life. highly recommended! [http://www.michaelpollan.com/]
Happy New Year!
Tobias and I take Andreas to the OSU-OKC farmers' market, too. I'm surprised we have never seen you two there. The four of us should meet there one Saturday!
I'm so happy that the tortillas turned out well. Did you end up using more or less whole wheat? What did you eat them with?
I think the changes you're making are wonderful. Putting so much time and effort into the food that my husband and son eat is the the most rewarding thing I've done thus far. Just think, by the time you have a little one, you will already be well established in this way of doing things and that's the only thing your child will know. :)
Megan-Joy - This was actually the first Saturday we've been! I can't believe we haven't shopped there sooner. I'd love to meet up there some time! We need to meet in real life, for sure.
I think we're going to do a CSA (1/2 amount) with Berry Creek Farms this year too. We're really excited and enthusiastic about the whole thing.
I've thought that I have nothing but time to learn how to eat local and cook well right now - and that by the time we have a family it will just be habit.
Jessica - I'm checking the site out now! Thanks for the link. I want to read Omnivore's Dilemma soon - I just wonder how much it is like In Defense of Food...
Megan-Joy - Also! I used your recipe exactly except I just used Olive Oil - I didn't have any expeller compressed Safflower.
They turned out delicious! I made a fajita type concoction with black beans, sauteed onion and bell peppers with goat cheese. It lacked seasoning because I forgot to put some in there. Oops. I want to make some breakfast burritos using the leftovers.
Do you freeze your extra dough or freeze the already cooked tortillas?
Thanks again for the recipe!
You are welcome again! I freeze the already cooked tortillas. They warm up well in a cast iron skillet.
I was going to ask you- did you pick up a Weston A. Price pamphlet at the farmers market?
Megan-Joy - I didn't pick up that pamphlet - what is it?
Do you know about the Oklahoma Food Cooperative? The co-op is like a monthly, online farmer's market selling 100 percent local food. www.oklahomafood.coop
If you DO know, tell a friend and spread the local love! :)
Oh, and they also sell Barely Buzzed (one of my favorites too!) at a new shop in Edmond: www.epicureanspantry.com
Their cheese isn't all local, but they DO sell lots of local meats and even fresh produce, eggs and bread when available.
The Weston A. Price foundation's philosophy is very similar to that of Michael Pollan. Two years ago, at the OSU-OKC market, a man from Earth Elements Farm approached me with one of their pamphlets. The minute I read it, it sparked something in me. I was still vegan at the time, dabbling in raw foodism as well, and the information in it completely blew everything I thought about food out of the water. They are strongly against veganism (not vegetarianism). I was against eating any animal products whatsoever and (unknowingly)hardly consumed saturated fat of any kind. I'm not the type to believe everything I read, but that pamphlet really motivated some changes in my diet.
Anyway, here is a link to their website.
http://www.westonaprice.org/Vegetarian-Tour.html
Sorry that I just wrote a novel on your comments, ha :)
i'm pretty limited in terms of what i can eat locally at the moment. wine and snow. good thing i really enjoy both!!
T and J - wine-flavored snow cones! We're really trying to figure out what it is that we can eat locally - I'm thinking lots of homemade pizzas. ;)
This is such a wonderful idea. I've been planning on doing much of the same and you've inspired me to take it one step further (with the homemade tortillas). Thank you! Cheers to a healthier and more local thinking new year! ox
p.s. between you and Aura I want to move to Oklahoma! :)
Kelly - Oklahoma is fantastic! Aura and I used to work at a fabric store together! Ha.
LOVE Market C! Nice to meet an other OK foodie! love your blog. I love to support local fare too.
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