16
February
2008
A little more about defining what’s local, what’s local enough (2/11 posting) . . .
These are excerpts from This Organic Life by Joan Dye Gussow (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2001) discussing her point of view about eating locally/sustainably:
In much of the continental United States, of course, and certainly in regions where the ground freezes in winter, some tropical plants just can’t be grown. Would eating locally mean we had to give them up? Perhaps not; trade in some of these foods might be managed in a fair and earth-friendly fashion. But most fresh fruits and vegetables probably aren’t among them. The high water content of these foods (88 percent of a peach is water) and their tendency to rot if they get warm, means that we are, in effect, burning lots of petroleum to ship cold water round. Because the value of unfettered global trade is unquestioned and petroleum is artificially cheap, these sorts of costs are not being examined. So when the only tomatoes my local supermarket offers are air-shipped from Holland – in August, when local tomato vines are heavy with fruit – I’m supposed to ignore the energy cost of chilling, packaging, air-shipping, and trucking those flawless-looking objects to my neighborhood. (p.82)
And a few pages later she talks about ‘exotics’:
Exotics such as coffee, tea, chocolate, and spices are in some ways easier to deal with than fruits and vegetables. They are durable, don’t need to be kept cold, and – because they’re dry – are comparatively light, so they cost much less to ship than succulent produce does. Some of these products can now be purchased from fair trading companies that buy directly from growers with whom, as their name implies, they trade fairly by paying more than the going price. But the environmental costs of processing and transporting these foods still needs to be considered in any rational planning for sustainability, as do possible alternative uses for the land on which these crops presently grow. (p.86)
The exotic I’ve grappled with the most - around eating locally - is olive oil, traditionally imported from Italy and Spain. Not that I’ll end that relationship, which I’ve grown to love, but I’ll buy more California olive oil from now on.
We’ll return to Joan Dye Gussow’s wisdom when we begin a conversation about garden plots, even tiny ones. Coming soon.
s.s.
Posted: Eat Local
13
February
2008
It’s mid-winter and there’s that local produce we’re so devoted to, but it happens to be the season for Valentines. We’ll return to the serious business of eating our vegetables later.
Indulge in your favorite guilty pleasure and then feel free to indulge a little more – these are ‘mostly local’ chocolates. No, we’re not growing chocolate here, at least not yet, hopefully never (if we can get a handle on climate change). What we do have are a handful of chocolatiers who are importing the raw material, often in the form of fair trade beans, and then making their own from scratch using some local/organic ingredients. They’re winning our hearts, receiving accolades and awards for their social and environmental responsibility.
Check out their websites to find out where they’re available –often in mainstream retail groceries or at the Chocolate Box downtown.
Fiori Chocolates
Theo Chocolates
Fran’s Chocolate
Chocolate Vitale
It’s Valentine’s Day. Melt someone’s heart, in a good way. 
Posted: Desserts, Eat Local, On the Local Table
13
February
2008
Easily made – in about 15 minutes - with egg yolks, whole milk, cornstarch, a little butter, vanilla, oh, and some chocolate. Not instant pudding, but definitely retro and better than what I remember from elementary school cafeteria lunches, though I thought it delicious then too. May this sumptuous version take you back…..
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
Pinch of salt
8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 2/3 cups whole milk
2 egg yolks
2 T butter
½ t vanilla
Mix the sugar, cornstarch, chocolate and salt in a heavy saucepan. Whisk milk and egg yolks together in a separate bowl and then pour into the sugar mixture. Whisking continually, bring it all to a boil over medium heat and continue cooking for one more minute. Chocolate melts, pudding thickens and becomes the familiar dessert we know and love.
Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Quickly pour into 4 – 6 small bowls. Cover with plastic wrap (let it lay right on the pudding in order to minimize the ‘skin’) and chill for a few hours. After chilling, top with a big dollop of sweetened whipping cream.
Cut this in half, it makes a nice batch for two to share, a couple of servings each.
We urge the use of locally produced dairy products and chocolate (more tomorrow about that), and thank you to Gourmet magazine’s online recipe archives for inspiration.
Posted: Desserts, On the Local Table
11
February
2008
Living locally. We’ve asked ourselves a lot of questions about this, so let’s talk about the ambiguity in what it means to go green at the dinner table, to step lightly, live locally. What is local enough in relation to the food we eat? How far was the food transported, and if it comes from far away should we just eat it less often? Is there a viable local substitute? Should weight and perishability be considered? We can get citrus and olive oil from California, is that local enough? What about coffee, chocolate, and Parmesan cheese, none of which are grown/produced in the USA? Which non-local items to continue using, or not? How difficult or easy is it to sustain a 100-200-500 mile boundary for buying food?
What food is local enough if a smaller carbon footprint is our goal? Washington State legislature defines ‘local’ as produce grown in Washington - a crisp definition. We hear a lot about a 100-mile diet. Though a 100-mile geographic diet is worth striving for some – or all – of the time, the word diet is off-putting, evoking images of deprivation. We want to do what’s best for the planet, but we don’t really want to go on a crash diet.
Regional is another way to define local. Washington’s local boundary can include the entire Pacific Northwest, all of Oregon, maybe part of British Columbia. Some produce, especially citrus and olive oil, from California? It gets tricky.
There’s urgency to living sustainably, no question about it, and making it attainable is an important mission – it guides our thinking at Mixed Greens. A regional boundary helps with getting started minus the ‘crash’ in crash diet. It makes living locally manageable. We can strive toward an ideal, (which will be different for every household), and recognize value in taking a step even if we’re not doing it ALL right away. With regional boundaries, we’ll achieve 100-mile meals some of the time and without the imagined fuss.
Buying food grown closer to home makes sense - fresh seasonal produce tastes better and is more nutritious, less carbon fuel is required for transport, local farmers have a chance to flourish, and it honors children everywhere who inspire us toward stewardship.
Eat Local
Posted: Eat Local
5
February
2008
Brussels sprouts, let’s face it, some consider them one of the more, shall we say, difficult vegetables to love. The PNW climate offers ideal conditions for this controversial rotund little veggie. It’s available all winter, and packed with nutrients - for starters it’s high in dietary fiber, vitamins A, B6, and C, potassium, and iron.
We’d like to change your mind about Brussels sprouts if you’re skeptical, and treat you to something new if you’re already an appreciator. We offer a couple of recipe ideas that are a little different and entirely local.
Ingredients:
1lb Brussels sprouts
1T olive oil or butter
1 small onion
2 slices bacon
2 sprigs thyme
Local Sources:
Brussels sprouts and onions from Willie Greens
Shoulder butt bacon from the Wooly Pigs
Brussels Sprouts
Trim the outer leaves and stems from Brussel Sprouts. Add to a pot of salted, boiling water and cook until tender, usually 5-6 minutes.
Drain sprouts, cut in half or into quarters, and set aside.
Melt olive and/or butter in a sauté pan or skillet, add diced bacon, a small or larger amount depending on your taste (or omit completely). Render bacon until browned, but not crisp. Remove bacon from the skillet and add one diced small onion to the pan along with two sprigs of thyme. Cook onions until soft, not browned, and season with salt. Turn to medium high, add the sprouts to the onion mix, cook and toss for several minutes, until sprouts begin to brown. Return sautéed bacon to the pan, check for seasoning and serve.
Variations: Before serving toss with chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, and/or toasted breadcrumbs, dust with a little finely grated hard cheese.
Recipes inspired by Alice Water’s The Art of Simple Food (2007)
winter recipes, Brussels sprouts, eat local, Pacific Northwest recipes
Posted: On the Local Table, Produce
