My apologies. Really, I'm sorry, but my dog ate my eat local challenge that was due today and I'm going to have to start over.
I worked on the challenge for eight days and was doing great. I made fresh garbanzo beans, dropped them into a tomato salad with lime. I made fresh hummus, baked bread, mashed potatoes, sauteed broccoli with garlic chips. I baked squash, froze corn, scrambled eggs, tossed salads. I sliced apples, pears, halved figs, spooned melon. I snacked on walnuts, almond butter, licked my fingers of goat cheese that topped a mixed green salad. I dripped single cups of organic fair trade coffee and poured local milk from a methane powered dairy into them. I invited people to tell me their local stories, to go to the farmers market, to come on over for dinner. I did not want for anything.
And I didn't want the red velvet cream cheese frosted cupcake that a co-worker gave me today. I'm not kidding. There are new pants in the closet and they have no room in them for a cupcake.
"I brought this for you," my co-worker smiled, holding a smashed, triangle of cupcake out to me. "I had it in my bag," she explained.
"Oh, no problem," I said reaching for it, noticing with a watering mouth that it didn't stick to the bag. "Thank you," I coughed at the smell of sugar.
I still had a choice, after she left my office to save it for someone on the street. I knew I wouldn't throw it away. But those thoughts were fleeting, barely articulated. I ate the cupcake hurriedly before my challenge got in the way.
After that my farmers' market date cancelled. "I have to work," she emailed. It was the same time the sugar began going the way of the stock markets. Not pretty.
There was nothing to do but have a bowl of brown rice.
Brown rice is my answer to everything. Brown rice with a little olive drizzled over it after it's hot. It's better than a red velvet cupcake. Unless the person giving it to you is smiling and the cupcake is smashed within an inch of its life.
Then it's a toss up.
What's your local food answer to everything?
2 days ago
6 comments:
red potatoes and eggs. They are both available year round and they taste good together or on their own. Yum!
I have to second what Heather said, roasted potatoes and eggs. Or sweet potatoes and black beans.
Right now, it's watermelon which is quickly giving way to pomegranates. I'm also enjoying the last month of strawberries. But here's my truth. A red velvet cupcake? It's okay every now and then. As is a handful of fair trade, organic chocolate chips. Sometimes, times are hard and I need a little chocolate to get me through. :)
Roasted green chilis which perfume the air at the farmers market this time of year. Stuffed with all sorts of local ingredients-- squash, cheese and onions or chicken if you prefer. The chilis are also great with eggs and potatoes, on pizza or as green chili stew. You can bet we're stocking the freezer.
diana
I could pretend to be noble, but the truth is that I'm right there with green bean. I keep a secret stash of organic chocolate chips in the cupboard. A small handful does wonders. I have to change my hiding place whenever my husband finds them -- and he looks!
heather - My mouth is watering again. I'm with you all the way. My Grandmother was the Italian Queen of potatoes and eggs.
jennifer - You and Audrey at Eat Local Northwest are both tempting me with the sweet potatos and chilies. I've been looking at them longingly but the season isn't quite cold enough yet. I'm still so enjoying tomatoes. After that though, watch out. I'm there.
green bean - I think a cupcake and chocolate is okay too. I just wanted to play the story up and yes, I was trying to be pure for the ELC and fit in a new pair of pants. Hah! That didn't happen. The fair trade organic we-give-10%-to-an-endangered-species-fund chocolate arrived at work today which I ordered after reading your chocolate post. It's ridiculous delicious and I'm not really a chocolate girl. The sad part though - it arrived in a forest and warehouse of packaging. We saved everything to reuse but it did dampen my enthusiasm. Another piece of chocolate was a good remedy.
diana - You are a woman after my own heart. I've kept a bag of jalapenos in the bottom drawer of the fridge stocked up for a couple of months now. The freezer has it's share too. Livin La Vida Caliente'!
donna - That is too funny your husband looks for the chocolate. We keep treats for the neighbor's kids who say so sweetly, Can we have a treat? But I have to pick something my husband won't eat before the kids have a chance. When the current batch of candy is gone I'll choose something fair trade or at minimum not chartreuse.
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