August Eat Local Challenge - Conclusions

With the August Eat Local Challenge ending today,  Jen of Life Begins @ 30 and Locavores deserve a big round of applause for encouraging everyone to support their local farms, ranches, fisherfolk, and artisans by eating foods grown within 100 miles of their homes. Great job!

Although in the blogoshpere I only took part for the last two weeks of August, I've been going out of my way to buy locally produced foods for the last decade. For me, the transformative moment came a dozen years ago with my first visit to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, back when it was in a parking lot in front of the then dilapidated Ferry Building. At that time I was a vegetarian (lasted about 3 years), so discovering fruits and vegetables bursting with actual flavor was an epiphany.

I particularly remember tasting an astonishingly flavorful tomato called Uncle Jack's Mortgage Lifter at Nigel's Eatwell Farm stand, then simply known to all as Tomato Wonderland, since he was the only farmer at the market growing heirlooms. From that point on, I was sold. There could be no going back to eating commercially produced, tasteless, aroma-less, juice-less, characterless, unripe, waxed, uniform, out-of-season, shipped-around-the-world produce.

So when I heard about the August challenge, a little late, to buy and eat locally produced food, I had to participate to show my support.  I had a great time! I was reminded of how fortunate I am to be living in an area with such an amazing variety of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, sustainably raised livestock, locally caught fish, and artisanal products (cheeses, breads, olive oils, vinegars, wines). The Bay Area is truly an embarrassment of riches.

In the past couple of weeks, I've tried to use this blog to celebrate the locally produced delicacies that make living here such a joy. I barely had time to scratch the surface, though, and the month is already over! (I especially regret not finding local sardines this month, although I know they're out there somewhere....)

It was also a somewhat humbling eye-opener to uncover the number of items I use on a daily basis that are not produced in my local region (I list these in my opening post about eating locally). I tried to make an effort to not eat too many of the foods on this list, but I did have my weaknesses (I tried giving up my morning cuppa tea, but the wicked withdrawal headaches and general grumpiness--sorry N--put an end to that).

What's the first thing I will cook on September 1? I brought some lovely bomba rice, pimenton, arbequina olive oil, and saffron back with me from Spain that I can't wait to use to make a vegetarian paella-style rice dish. Then, over the Labor Day weekend, my wife and I are already planning a big Indian feast for some of our friends which will use all the international spices I've been denying myself.

Both meals will, of course, still feature some of the magnificent vegetables (artichokes, peas, eggplants, cauliflower, tomatoes and more!) from our local farms, as will as many of my future meals as possible.

I look forward to participating again in August 2006 for the next edition of the Eat Local Challenge!

Comments

[jen]

I was glad to have your participation, Brett.

Have you ever checked with Swan Oyster Depot about sardines? It's best to call them and see what they have that day, but I often get anchovies from them and seem to recall them having sardines ... they are seasonal, though (and I don't remember the season). I don't know where they get them. Another thought is to find out where Hayes Street Grill gets their sardines. Let me know if you find them, otherwise I will keep an eye out.

Jen

[Brett]

Jen, thanks for the sardine hunting tips--I never would've thought to look at Swan. I'll take any excuse to go there, though. I adore that place! I know that Patty Untermann of Hayes St. gets all her fish from Monterey Fish. I usually buy my sardines from Fresh Fish stand on Saturday, but they haven't had them lately. They should be in season now, so when I find them, you'll read about it, I'm sure.