Cooking Local - Week 4

I have returned from Vermont but haven't dug through the many bags to figure out what I did with my USB cord for the camera, so pictures will have to wait.

Eating local in Vermont in the summer is an easy proposition.  I was very impressed with the farmers' market in Middlebury.  I had to really try to not buy too much food (of course I wasn't very successful and was glad I had the cooler for the trip home).  The baked goods, the cheeses, and the localy produced products complimented the produce and made my mouth water.  It was a good thing so many of the farmers offered samples.  The Middlebury food coop was a fun place to shop for groceries as well.  Vermont even has two eat local groups here and here that have gotten lots of press and they will be having a challenge in August.  I wish I could find something like this in my area.

For my local meal this week I had SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, BASIL & MOZZARELLA TORTELLONI (yum) from Putney Pasta.  They sell it at the coop in plastic bags to reduce the packaging.  I made a sauce of fresh tomatoes and yellow peppers from my CSA with fresh basil chopped on top.  I found all of these ingredients at the farmers' market but wanted to use up what I had brought with me. My side dishes were a little of the first part of that Yankee saying "Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without".   I made  marinated golden beets  (olive oil balsamic vinegar and dill marinade, I think next time I will use different herbs) and beet greens with cheese sauce.

Sources:

tortelloni  -- Putney Pasta Company,   Putney, Vt (78 miles)

yellow squash Olin Fox Farms, Reedville, VA (81 miles from Alexandria although it is 456 miles to here -- but most of that was in my rental car in a cooler)

brandy tomatoes Olin Fox Farms  Reedville, VA  (81 miles from Alexandria although it is 456 miles to here -- but most of that was in my rental car in a cooler)

olive oil -- Bionaturae organic not local

balsamic vinegar -- Bionaturae Organicnot local

golden beets -- one of the farms at the Middlebury Farmer's Market will have to see if I have a picture as I didn't write down the name

dill  -- Middlebury Farmer's Market

milk  Stafford Organic Creamery, Stafford, VT (40 miles)

flour King Arthur Flour, Norwich, VT (47 miles) while I am not entirely sure the flour is local I could buy less than 1/4 cup at the coop and at least it was a local company

Cheddar cheese curd Vermont Quality Dairies, Hardwick, VT (52 miles)

butter Vt Butter and Cheese Co.  Websterville, VT (36 miles)

Comments

[jessie]

Kind of embarrassing that I live in Middlebury and you're the one who is up on all the local food sources!

[Liz]

I swear, no one eats as well on vacation as you did, Jasmine. I'm so glad you still participated in the challenge!

Jessie, think of it as Jasmine doing the work of discovering all this good food for you. ;)

[panasianbiz]

I stumbled across your blog while I was doing some online research. When I go to a farmer's market, I always have to exercise restraint, or else I come home with bags of food I can't possibly eat before they go bad!

[LauraRN]

Yum!

[stacie]

I love golden beets!!!! Eat local, woo hoo!