Friday, August 22nd, 2008...12:07 am
Yes, yes, hello!
Hi all. Thanks for checking in. If you are in a reader, take a hop over to the site- I did a big theme change a month or so ago.
No, I don’t have any new posts of substance. I would just rather be eating and cooking than stopping to take pictures and then writing about it. I am not sure how to get the motivation back, especially in the summer since there is so much to do! Here is an example… this is what I was doing last Saturday instead of taking pictures or writing here:
- the most beautiful pickle I think I have ever put together: green and purple tomatillos with red paprika and habanero peppers
- gazpacho, including some without cucumber for Fantôme Chocolat
- zucchini pickle with a cider vinegar base, tumeric and mustard powder and seed
- summer squash asian inspired pickle (sesame oil, soy, hot and sweet chili sauces, garlic), and then a second batch so Fantôme Chocolat wouldn’t steal the one meant to go to a friend’s house Sunday evening
- an eggplant spread to have on some fresh peasant wheat bread from the farmers market
- a quick summer squash dill pickle
-blanched some fresh lima beans which ended up sauteed with onion for dinner with gazpacho and eggplant spread on farmers market bread
- smaller pieces out of a big chicken
-probably something else that I have forgotten
I have pickled and frozen a bunch of stuff so far this summer. I also had surgery that kept me out of work for 6 weeks and I started a new job that is going to be higher profile.
There is also a lifestyle change that probably won’t impact the blog- I am no longer a vegetarian. Just after 4 years of vegetarianism (this time) I went back to eating meat. Over the past few years I have been moving to much more of a locavore way of life. I don’t have the numbers worked out (I really could not do all the measuring and tracking required), but I feel confident in saying at least 65% of my food is from local sources. I rarely set foot in a grocery store these days and when I do go to the store I am supporting my local businesses instead of the larger chains. My conviction in vegetarianism always came from my dislike of factory farming and the environmental implications. I do not consider myself a religious person, but this article in the NY Times Of Church and Steak: Farming for the Soul has stuck with me since I read it last year. No, it is not justification for my decision. I like meat. I always have. Now I know where I can find people that will raise it in a way I feel I can live with. I have me a lot of them at the farmers markets.
I still eat a lot of vegetarian meals but I have cut out the mass produced vegetarian convenience foods. When I eat meat, I want it to be something I can live with. Have I made exceptions to my locally raised policy? Yes- for some small local places that are owned by people in the community. At one place I was even around for the owner talking about issues with a meat supplier and I gave him some the names I buy meat from. I would be surprised if he changed anything, but we had a good discussion.
So, that is what has been going on here. And since I did not plan to post tonight I don’t have any pictures ready. Sorry about that.
1 Comment
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 am
Locavore is a great word and describes what I’m trying to do/achieve/eat as well - I think it’s a good decision.
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