Kathy, Todd and I went to the Tremont Farmers Market after work today.
I got 1/2 chicken from Hickory Acres Meats and 8 oz GrassFed Lemon Zest Cheese. I also got lettuce, basil, onions, garlic, beets and a light purple eggplant.
I enjoyed sampling the treats from the vendors' booth. I ate a pre-challenge piece of margherita pizza and had a piece of No Whey vegan light chocolate peanut butter brittle - yummy!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
North Union Farmers Market
Therese (mom) sells recycled glass garden sculputures some Saturdays at the Farmers Market (at Crocker Park in Westlake, OH). I helped her out yesterday, and we both bought some local goodies for the challenge which starts Wednesday.
I got 4 lbs organic rolled oats, 5 lbs organic bread flour, 6 1/2 lbs organic whole wheat flour and 1 lb of navy beans from a vendor that distributes for Stutzman Farms. I also got 1/2 lb raw honey from the Ohio Honey Co. In addition, I got locally grown sweet potatoes and gala apples (very crisp and delicious!).
Mom got an enormous watermelon, lots of Yukon Gold potatoes and 2 blocks of cheese made from Ohio 100% grass fed cows' milk.
Tuesday, off to the Tremont Farmers Market with my sis!
I got 4 lbs organic rolled oats, 5 lbs organic bread flour, 6 1/2 lbs organic whole wheat flour and 1 lb of navy beans from a vendor that distributes for Stutzman Farms. I also got 1/2 lb raw honey from the Ohio Honey Co. In addition, I got locally grown sweet potatoes and gala apples (very crisp and delicious!).
Mom got an enormous watermelon, lots of Yukon Gold potatoes and 2 blocks of cheese made from Ohio 100% grass fed cows' milk.
Tuesday, off to the Tremont Farmers Market with my sis!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Local Creamery, Eating Weeds and Such
Just a few links I thought might be of interest to Ohio participants:
Dr. Peter Gail (speaker at the Weed and Feed dinner that Kathleen mentioned in the blog for our one week challenge):
http://www.goosefootacres.blogspot.com/
Local source for coffee substitute:
http://www.dandyblend.com/
Local creamery with invitation (second link contains address and phone number);
http://luckypennyfarm.com/index.php?page=about
http://luckypennyfarm.com/index.php?page=news
Pick your own:
http://www.pickyourown.org/OHcleveland.htm
Dr. Peter Gail (speaker at the Weed and Feed dinner that Kathleen mentioned in the blog for our one week challenge):
http://www.goosefootacres.blogspot.com/
Local source for coffee substitute:
http://www.dandyblend.com/
Local creamery with invitation (second link contains address and phone number);
http://luckypennyfarm.com/index.php?page=about
http://luckypennyfarm.com/index.php?page=news
Pick your own:
http://www.pickyourown.org/OHcleveland.htm
Exception Question
I would like to pose one more exception to the challenge. Yesterday, I showed my garden sculptures at Dean's greenhouse and nursery in Westlake during their tomato tasting festival. I spoke to a lovely young woman who had a booth with balsamic vinegars and olive oil. She educated me on balsamic vinger. Apparently, it takes years and years of aging and processing balsamic vinegar and all of the "true" balsamic comes from Italy. What do you think of adding vinegar to our "allowed" items? I'm just sayin'.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Finding Food
We took a trip to the West Side Market this morning (our usual Saturday morning adventure)... and local food abounds! If you are in the Cleveland area, visit the Basketeria stand to find tons of Ohio produce this week!
In addition, here are some resources for food supplies:
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA)'s website, with links to farms across Ohio-- this one's great because you can search by what item you're looking for: www.oeffa.org
Ohio Proud, which lists food and agricultural products grown in Ohio at: www.ohioproud.org (not all organic)
Eat Wild, which lists grass fed animals raised in Ohio for those of you who eat meat: www.eatwild.com
The USDA has a list of local farmer's markets across the US; that can be found at: www.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/farmersmarkets
City Fresh, which is a community supported agriculture (CSA) program in three Ohio counties (including our own, Cuyahoga) and can be found at: www.cityfresh.org
And, I found the blog of someone who did an Ohio local food challenge a few years ago; a couple of these links I found because of her... so visit her blog from her challenge at: www.tigersandstrawberries.com
Sharon, Todd and I are visiting a local farm in Ravenna next weekend; Tim Fox at Breakneck Acres-- I spoke to him on the phone for a while yesterday, and he was great. You can "like" his farm on facebook at: www.facebook.com/breakneckacres or visit the farm in person.
Hope you find this helpful! Of course, if you don't live in Ohio, there are probably similar websites/programs in your area... and just a few minutes on Google should find you what you need.
In addition, here are some resources for food supplies:
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA)'s website, with links to farms across Ohio-- this one's great because you can search by what item you're looking for: www.oeffa.org
Ohio Proud, which lists food and agricultural products grown in Ohio at: www.ohioproud.org (not all organic)
Eat Wild, which lists grass fed animals raised in Ohio for those of you who eat meat: www.eatwild.com
The USDA has a list of local farmer's markets across the US; that can be found at: www.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/farmersmarkets
City Fresh, which is a community supported agriculture (CSA) program in three Ohio counties (including our own, Cuyahoga) and can be found at: www.cityfresh.org
And, I found the blog of someone who did an Ohio local food challenge a few years ago; a couple of these links I found because of her... so visit her blog from her challenge at: www.tigersandstrawberries.com
Sharon, Todd and I are visiting a local farm in Ravenna next weekend; Tim Fox at Breakneck Acres-- I spoke to him on the phone for a while yesterday, and he was great. You can "like" his farm on facebook at: www.facebook.com/breakneckacres or visit the farm in person.
Hope you find this helpful! Of course, if you don't live in Ohio, there are probably similar websites/programs in your area... and just a few minutes on Google should find you what you need.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The rules
We have decided to run our local food challenge during the month of September. All foods consumed during this period must be grown, foraged, and/or purchased from local farmers/growers. Exceptions are salt and olive oil; also if an ingredient is used for preservation/canning, that item should be locally sourced (if possible); if it is not possible to obtain the ingredient through local sources, it can be used anyway (preserve your food safely!)
Each participant will have four "vacation days" to be used for special events, restaurant visits, and/or travel days.
Local food means different things to different people. We live in Ohio, and so decided that local food for our definition means Ohio grown. If you are in a different locality, please decide for yourself what "local" means.
NB: There are some restaurants that serve and/or specialize in local food. Call ahead to find out what's being served locally on today's menu-- you might not need to use a vacation day to have a meal out!
Each participant will have four "vacation days" to be used for special events, restaurant visits, and/or travel days.
Local food means different things to different people. We live in Ohio, and so decided that local food for our definition means Ohio grown. If you are in a different locality, please decide for yourself what "local" means.
NB: There are some restaurants that serve and/or specialize in local food. Call ahead to find out what's being served locally on today's menu-- you might not need to use a vacation day to have a meal out!
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