DDELC, week 3

One of the hardest things when I attempted my first Eat Local Challenge was finding pantry staples and basics. There are planty of fresh fruits and vegetables to be had within a 125 mile radius of my house but so many of the other basics were much harder to find. Dried beans, grains, all the things that I had come to depend on in my kitchen. Virginia isn't so into the specialty food market and so other than peanuts (usually packaged in gift packs) and Smithfield Hams, there wasn't much interest in promotion of Virginia agriculture. So it was quite a coup when I finally found a mill that sold localy grown wheat flour.

After many e-mails back and forth with Byrd Mill. I determined that the all purpose flour was a local product (as were the grits and buckwheat flour). I thought the histroy of this place was pretty cool as well. And the simplicity of the packaging...

The tradition of Byrd Mill began in 1740. Young Patrick Henry visited the mill often, bringing corn, wheat and buckwheat from his father's nearby plantation. Byrd Mill continued in operation at its original site until 1968 when an untimely fire brought an end to production in the original building. Byrd Mill is now located in Ashland, Virginia

For this weeks mostly local meal I made the butternut squash and camelized onion galette from Smitten Kitchen. I made some changes to keep it local (and also because I can be lazy about making crusts and need to keep it simple so I don't just eat the fillings without the crust). I substituted yoghurt for the sour cream and mixed the whole thing in the food processor (goodness knows there is no room in my freezer for much of anything, let alone chilling bowls). I also changed the cheese to something I could get locally and had on hand. The carmelized onion and roasted squash were so good together -- yum. I almost ate it as it was cooling.

all-purpose flour, Byrd Mill, Ashland, VA (76 miles)
unsalted butter, Natural by Nature, Avondale, PA (98 miles)
yoghurt, Lancaster County Fresh, Lancaster, PA (94 miles)
water, tap (0 miles)
butternut squash, Olin Fox Farms, Reedville, VA (81 miles)
onion, Three Way Farm, Warsaw, VA (62 miles)
Cheddar cheese, Lancaster County Fresh, Lancaster, PA (94 miles)
sage leaves, back porch (0 miles)
salad mix, Olin Fox Farms, Reedville, VA (81 miles)
feta cheese, Blue Ridge Dairy, Leesburg, VA (32 miles)
honey, Olin Fox Farms, Reedville, VA (81 miles)

non-local: salt, sugar (FL), cayenne, lemon juice (organic), olive oil (CA), balsalmic vinegar

Comments

[holly]

That looks YUMMY!

[The Purloined Letter]

Ooh, ooh, ooh! Looks absolutely beautiful--and I'm off to acquire some of the flour RIGHT NOW! Thanks so much.