Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Eat Local Potluck Dinner--September 29

During this Eat Local Challenge month many of you are no doubt making connections with local food sources and delicious, fresh, flavors.  It only seems right, then, that we make some connections with one another. 

Thanks to the initiative of frequent commenter Heather Brubaker, I'm delighted to announce a Syracuse area Eat Local Potluck Dinner for Saturday, September 29 at 6pm.  This dinner will be held in the University/Westcott neighborhood of Syracuse.  It is my hope that this will the first of many such gatherings.  You can read more details below and if you'd like to attend please email me for specific location and directions:  JLBASKER [at] SYR [dot] edu.

What: Eat Local Potluck
When: Saturday, Sept 29th at 6:00 PM
Where:  University/Westcott Neighborhood

In the spirit of the Eat Local Challenge, please bring a dish that is made from food grown as local as possible.  This will give everyone a chance to share some of their favorite local food sources. Also, if possible, bring copies of the recipe so we can recreate your delicious dish on our own.   We'll have a chance to talk about the joys and challenges of eating locally in Syracuse and, perhaps, lay a foundation for an Eat Local Dinner Club.

Archive Alert: On this date in 2005 I was falling in love with St. Martin's Table.

On this date in 2006 I was looking at the Spin of the Spinach Controversy.

Local Food Source--Sundance Farm

When I pass the Sundance Farm stall at the CNY Regional Market I'm not sure what brings a bigger smile to my face:  the large, happy, sunflowers broadcasting happiness or the beautiful display of produce.  Or, it could be the signs that gently teach about heirloom tomatoes.  It is probably all of these things and more that make this stand a happy place to visit on a Saturday morning. 

Of course, those from the Skaneateles area may be well aware of this Marcellus-based organic farm.  Not only have they have been a fixture at their Thursday farmers' market, they even briefly had a storefront next to Doug's Fish Fry's back entrance.  (I had hoped to write about them this past winter--even had photos--but they had closed before I put the post up.)  I hope to make a visit to Sundance sometime soon--they are so close, after all.  In the meantime, I'll let these photos tell their story.  Perhaps they'll make you smile too.

If you haven't had an heirloom tomato before this sign is sure to tempt you.

The Sundance sunflowers are everywhere--even watching over the tomatoes and corn.

These beauties were the find of the day--fresh cranberry beans.

Have vegetables ever looked prettier in pink?  Sundance provides several recipes too.

These sunflowers make me think of a modern-day chuckle patch (anyone remember The Magic Garden?)

Sundance Farm can be found at the CNY Regional Market between Sheds D and E on Saturdays.

Eating Local in Winter Begins Now

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The 2007 Eat Local Challenge is underway and in case you didn't hear, the theme this time around is canning and preserving.  In her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,  Barbara Kingsolver notes that it is easy to eat local in the winter months but you have to prepare for it in the summer.  I've had mixed results trying to eat local up here in the snow belt of Upstate New York during the colder months but thanks to this year's challenge, I'm preparing now so that it won't be all root vegetables and storage apples come January.

September is a great time to be eating local in Central New York.  The markets are full of produce, backyard and community gardens are at their peak, and there is still more goodness to come.  Right now, I'm all about preserving tomatoes.  There are more Sungolds and Amish paste than even I can eat but if I put them up now, I'll be able to pull them out of the freezer or off the shelf just when the craving hits around November.  Many farmers' markets are selling tomatoes by the bushel so you can get in on the action even if you didn't grow your own.

In an effort to make it easier to find the local, organic, and sustainable producers in our area I've reorganized the links on the left.  Now the Local Food Sources are grouped by type so you can pick out the vegetable growers from the dairy farms more easily.  Please note, this is not a comprehensive list.  It is a rather quirky list that reflects the farms and producers closest to Syracuse or others a bit further out that I think are worth supporting and seeking out.  Some of the producers I'd like to list are missing because they don't have websites.  And if there are others that I might want to know about--please email me and let me know.  I hope that this list will only continue to grow.

In addition, let me recommend keeping up with the Eat Local Challenge blog.  There are some great posts and resources about canning and preserving food.  Plus, if you want to share photos about your eat local experience you can upload them there.

Finally, there seems to be a movement afoot to have a Syracuse Eat Local dinner this month.  I'll post more details as they come together. 
 

People Behind the Blogs and ELC 2007

Phew, orientation week at Syracuse University is over and I get back to blogging.  Actually, this means that the crazy life I lead during the academic year is back in gear but this place really isn't the same without the students so it's worth it.  My work life heats up just as things are heating up around the food blog world. 

First, after more than a year of conversing via email and blog comments, I finally got a chance to meet Jill--an amazing woman who often comments on this blog.  Actually she is also a great source for new food and restaurant suggestions.  Jill has several blogs (alas, not about food--though she may want to think about that!) and knows more about the digitization and the virtual world of the internet than I ever knew existed.  We had set up a time to meet at Freedom of Espresso on Monday but as luck would have it, actually, finally, met at the Stones Throw stand at the Regional Market. 

I am more convinced than ever that the food and wine bloggers of Central New York need to get together.  There's already been a suggestion of meeting prior to the Alice Waters lecture on October 9--I like that idea, but wouldn't be able to be there (though I'll be at the lecture).  I've long thought that at meet up at the NY Wine and Culinary Center in Canadaigua would be nice, fun, and central for the folks coming from Rochester and points west.  But then again, what better way for food and wine bloggers to get together than to have a potluck?  What do you all think?

Meanwhile, the 2007 Eat Local Challenge begins on Saturday!  During the rest of this week I'll be posting about some other local producers and farmers that I have been made aware of--there are so many options available to us that this challenge should be a breeze!  Check out this post on the ELC blog site for more information on participating. 

Working the Pyramid

This is a page from George Siemon's powerpoint presentation on Coorperatives and our Hope.  Siemon, of CROPP Cooperative writes in the Organic Valley newsletter about how important co-ops are to ensuring that healthy, organic food gets to the market--CROPP (Cooperative Regions of Organic Produce Pools) is the largest organic cooperative with 900 farmers in 24 states producing dairy and meat products. 

What I like about this pyramid is that it shows the national Organic Food Production Act (with that USDA Organic label we now look for) as the foundation--meaning the place to begin--in a journey of eating better for self and the planet.  At the top of the pyramid is "Grow your own".  Siemon encourages us to explore the continuum "each in our own way."

Looking for the organic label is a great place to start but if we are going to ensure the survival of our small and mid-size family farms we will have to encourage others to explore the continuum--work the pyramid.  Now that we're in May and the trees are finally beginning to bud I want to encourage everyone to begin shopping our markets again--both the Ithaca Farmers' Market and the CNY Regional  Market are open.  While it may be too soon to fill your market basket with lush produce, it is the perfect time to pick up packs of seedlings of tomatoes, lettuces, onions, or anything thing else you want to stick in the ground or in a pot to get your home garden started.  And, oh yes, if you buy that little pot of rosemary and tend it--you are growing you own. 

So go on, work the pyramid.

Archive Alert:  This date last year I was just starting the 2006 Eat Local Challenge.

The Ups and Downs and the Real of Eating Local

So how's the Penny-wise Eat Local Challenge going for you?  Over my way I must confess, it is a struggle.  I'm enjoying lots of local yogurt and granola and eggs but haven't cooked much because of this week's crazy schedule.  Today and tomorrow I go shopping for this big brunch I'm giving on Saturday--a penny-wise local brunch.  Wish me luck.  I've got a few ideas though--it looks like we'll be doing a couple of quiches because I can get flour, butter, eggs, cheese, and milk locally, I just need to figure out the other fillings.

Meanwhile...I was excited to see The New York Times devote a special Wednesday Dining In section to "Eating Well While Eating 'Green'"--which means, eating local!  I've got the print version to treasure but if you haven't seen it, it should be available here for a limited time (reg. may be required:  login:  cookin; password:  inthecuse.

But just as folks get are getting excited about eating locally, we here in Central New York have one less option:  Green Rabbit Farm is going out of business.  This is more than sad.  There are many reasons why this great farm couldn't make it--we can probably imagine how difficult it can be to keep a farm going but that's for another post.  Itf should trouble us that one of the best, small, organic farms in our area will no longer exist.

But there is a glimmer of hope on this gray, drizzley day--I went to a presentation on community gardens last night hosted by the Hunger Project and it seems like there is a fire and enthusiasm for taking over vacant lots and making good, clean, food accessible to all that just might make it happen--urban orchards anyone?  Oh yeah!

Time to get Penny-wise and Local!

Okay, here we go!  Now let me say straight up, that I may not be the best example to follow in this Penny-wise Eat Local Challenge.  I'm going to do the best I can--which is the goal for all of us, no?  But I realize that this is not a typical week--with many meals beyond my control.

In fact, I think one of the reasons why $144 seems like so much money to me (to feed a family of two or more with two wage earners for a week) is because two of my meals each and every week from  September through May are taken in community.  And I only cook one of them.  This week, I'll be eating out tonight (a meeting), Wednesday (our church's community dinner) Friday (a special event potluck) and Sunday (our regular student dinner).  If I could get truffles, I'd eat them every other night!

So here's what I'm going to do:

Definition of Local for this Challenge:

I'm going to use the 250 mile radious this time around.  Let's face it, even with the 70 degree weather we're having, it's still not peak eating time here in the northeast and I want to be able to forage further afield if necessary.  This would let me include D'artagnan duck, sausages, and chickens in my menu (because otherwise there won't be any chicken this week.)  I'm hoping this will also fetch me a few more greens too.  Though I have to say, I was at an Earth Dinner at Circa last night sponsored by Organic Valley and the carrots, apples, and french fries that accompanied the pot roast, pulled pork, and chicken (respectively) still tasted fresh and wonderful.

Exemptions to Claim:

I'm going to claim my usual exemptions--sugar, salt and other spices, baking soda and baking powder.  I've got some local sourdough starter so I can still make bread and I plan to include some products that, while having far away ingredients, are produced locally--like Tierra Farms mulberry and pistachio granola. 

Any Changes to the Budget Goal:

Even though we're eating so weird this week we'll stick to the two wage-earner budget and set it at $144 for the week.  This, however, will include the ingredients I'll buy for the brunch I'm hosting on Saturday afternoon.  Talk about a challenge!  We'll see what I can come up with.

Other Personal Goals:

I guess given the slimmer pickings this early in the season, my personal goals will be trying not to eat my local and organic milk and cereal for every other meal I'm not eating out.  And when I do eat out--to the extent possible--I'm going to try to keep it to restaurants that source locally.  Oh yeah--to make sure I track all of this I'm going to pay in cash only--money just slips right out of me when I use that ATM card for everything.

Well that's me.  If you are participating I'd love to hear your goals too so post a comment and let us know how it is going.  Also, keep checking the Eat Local Challenge blog for tips and inspiration. 

Penny-wise Eat Local Challenge--A Casual Conversation

I can admit that I live in a bit of a bubble where most of the folks I speak to on a regular basis understand the issues and the benefits of eating locally.  In a recent conversation struck up between strangers I rediscover the broad spectrum of consciousness on this issue.  How does one speak of the Penny-wise Eat Local Challenge to folks who think that choosing potato chips over green peppers is the better economic choice? 

You can get the gist of the conversation here on my latest post for the Eat Local Challenge blog.

Penny-Wise Eat Local Challenge Announced

If you have ever thought the words "eating local" and "affordable" couldn't occupy the same sentence, then this challeng is for you!  During the week of April 23-29, Eat Local folks across the country are going to see if it is indeed possible to eat locally and sustainablly on the budget of the average American and YOU are invited to join in. 

Check out all the details here.  The Eat Local Challenge blog will also be the place to read about other's progress and for you to let us know how it is going. 

Now, it may seem that the hardest part of the challenge for those of us in Central New York may not be eating within the budget but eating at all.  But never fear, as we get closer to the Challenge date I will be posting information about where to get local foods this early in the growing season without subsisting totally on microgreens.   

With that said, I'm hoping a good number of us will participate.  The dollar amounts given for the budget are national ones so everyone will have the same amount of money to spend whether they are in San Francisco or DeRuyter.  I'm hoping that bodes well for us--but we'll see.   If you think you'd like to participate post a comment here and let us know.  And remember, you don't have to have a blog!

Fare thee well dear tomatoes

Yesterday a friend approached me about the "eat local thing".  He really wanted to see if he could commit to eating within his foodshed.  Great!  And so we began a discussion of what this would mean.   "But, but, you mean no salad???" he asked.  Well, I told him, I don't usually eat the green salads we've been enjoying all spring and summer once the frost comes unless it comes from a local greenhouse (and I'm not growing my own--yet.)  When I told him that I probably already had my last tomato until next June, he was nearly beside himself. 

But it will be okay, I assured him.  We have some wonderful veggies that we can eat all winter long and with some creativity, we may not even get too tired of them.  Celery root, potatoes of all kinds, carrots, parsnips, all those that keep nice and cool in your veggie bin or root cellar.  But for the next few months we must be content with dreaming about the tomatoes to come.  When I begin putting the garden to bed on Thursday, it is the dream of next year's juicy crop that will keep me going.

Last year I wasn't as successful at eating locally in December as I would have liked.  But I'm ready now.  It may not be a cakewalk, but it will be a little bit easier given the lesson's I've learned.