ecoyear

We had a winter farmer's market this past Saturday. I got a chance to stock up on Haystack Mountain goat cheese, Hazel Dell mushrooms and I also discovered Munson Farms popcorn. The kids, who are transitioning from microwave GMO popcorn, thoroughly enjoyed popping corn kernels on the stove and declared the result "a thousand times better" than what they had been eating previously. So here's one snack food we won't have to do without on a 100-mile diet...

Talking to some of the folks displaying wares at the market, I learned oats aren't really grown in Colorado, and other crops, while available, are not of the gourmet calibre that is required. In one case, facilities for processing quinoa a certain way just aren't available in Colorado, so the vendor buys quinoa grown and processed in Bolivia. In another case, negotiations with local farmers may eventually result in a specific type of mustard being available locally, but until then the mustard is grown in Canada. It really shows the extent to which we have developed a food economy that depends on far flung jewels. It also reminds me of a saying a friend of mine once adopted when she moved to a remote area: "cook what you like, or like what you cook!!", or in this case, "grow what you like..."

___Boulder looks just gorgeous this morning, with a fresh coat of white snow sparkling under a cloudless sky.___

About cooking what I like, here's a thought for those of us locavores who are not naturally gourmet chef: like what you cook! Though the ingredients are more delicious for having traveled less, when it comes to my family, I find myself competing against the sweet-salty-fat offerings that fast food joints have been tailoring for years to target our genetic weaknesses. I am not sure most people can eat locally without a return to somewhat simpler flavors, without giving up gourmet food to some extent. You can say you have no taste for it, but for those of us accustomed to eating out fairly frequently, it takes a little getting used to.

A local meal for this week would include for example - an apple/butternut squash soup with local bread. I am beginning to long for some fresh greens, and so I am scheming to put out a box on my deck in which I can grow some winter greens, such as recommended in Eliot Coleman's book on Four Season Gardening.

Here's a photo of some fresh berries...not for me unfortunately, but the local birds seem happy!