The Local '08 Layout

So. A year of local eating. We began to discuss how exactly to go about this.

"How am I supposed to cook without cumin?!" I asked horrified.

I am not a chef by any means, but my love of cooking has taken me into a new galaxy of spice planets I never knew existed. And yet wait… I didn't even dry herbs from our garden… oops! Would I have to do with out basil until summer? What would we do until then? Questions like this began to flood our kitchen discussion and it didn't look like the sea of "huh?" was going to part anytime soon.

"Well, you can put cumin on your exception list," says always-optimistic Steve.

"No." I huffed. "I want to do this right."

After all, I think this was my idea. And although my raiding of our cupboards to store for 1 year anything that says "MADE in CALIFORNIA" or "MADE with products from ITALY, ARGENTINA, and TUNSIA," I was very surprised, when I finally took the time to look, to see how gas guzzling my food habits really are, and how difficult this might be. (no lie. My olive oil lists all 3 of these places as the origin of olive trees. That's one expensive plane trip for those tasty black or green yummies. Wish I were an olive.)

Ohhh, I love mayo too. Where's this from? New York, huh? Kinda close. All right, what the heck IS mayo anyway? Oil, water, eggs, vinegar, lemon juice… I can make that! Who knew?

Then it became even more challenging. Chicken, beef, vegetable stock? I make our own soups weekly, and this to me is like shoe shopping for other chicks… like, totally fun, you know? But I make it easy on myself and open up my can or box of stock and WALLA! Soup for the masses. So, I consulted Betty. Making my own stock, says Betty Crocker, will require the bones, organs and other such parts of our dinner we don't like to think about. Hmmm… great. I've managed to steer clear of giblets for 30 years. Guess it's time to grow up. Now vegetable stock is much easier, but we didn't plan ahead to have all sorts of local vegetables in storage for our January beginning. What to do?

What's next on the questionable list? Hmmm… I don't about you but I don't remember passing any sugar fields in West Michigan as of late. Sugar was clearly out. Honey and Maple Syrup would suffice. BUT WAIT! I forgot about Pioneer Sugar, made in Michigan from Michigan sugar beets. HAZAA! But wait… I haven't eaten bleached, white, refined sugar in five years. I bake with the raw sugar cane, a much more natural alternative for my vivacious longing for sweetness.

(A side note: knock me off my high horse. I recently learned of the inhumane treatment of sugar cane workers. My buying habits support this. My buying habits make all the decisions in this country. Make no mistake about it. My dollar is my politics. Ug! This brings up the constant question… if you knew where your food came from, who made it, how it was made, would you want to eat it? Is it ok that the coffee farmer makes 6 bucks a day while I shell out the 3.67 for my one, just one, frothy, hot, and creamy latte? Who gets this money? CEO's, producers, middle men. The person that toiled tending the coffee trees can barely feed his family. Soap Box Moment: Buy Fair Trade people!)

Was I really going to start ingesting white sugar in the name of said sweet tooth? The World Health Organization states that 6 teaspoons of sugar reduces our immune system by 25% by affecting our white blood cells. The bigger shock? One soda has 16 TEASPOONS of sugar. Ack!

What else? What about Elle? I probably won't be making her food anytime soon with new baby in tow and a commitment to make Celia's food. "Elle Pup" was added to our List of Exceptions. Nutro Max Natural was here to stay.

And what ABOUT Celia? Rice cereal, bananas, avocados, peaches, sweet potatoes; pretty typical first foods and yet, not exactly in season… well, NEVER in season for 2 of those up here in the North, eh? It really didn't take much thought. "Celia." Second thing written on our Exception List.

Now, I won't continue to bore you with the myriad of other items that came across on our, "What the?" list. In the end, this was the conclusion:

It's January in Michigan, folks, and we did not prepare a food storage from the year previous, which obviously makes 100% local eating almost impossible at this time. So we have decided to do 3 things for our local eating goal that we CAN control starting in January, and then come the first weekend in May, we are putting our heads onto the local eating guillotine. And I say, let it roll!

FIRST: We have committed ourselves to only the support and consumption of local, pasture raised and humanly treated animals that we not only know the farmer but also know the cow or chicken that ended up on our plates o' plenty. We are officially done with meat that comes from Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO's).

SIDE NOTE: A note about being asked to dinner. When someone invites us into their home, takes the time to cook for us, and puts their efforts into a meal, we will eat happily and thankfully. We're not here to evangelize. This is a personal decision. We are grateful for others generosity and we'll just leave it at that. Yet, we're not allowed to call up mom and say, "Hey, can we come to dinner and would you make pineapple banana surprise with shrimp?"

SECOND: We both get our exceptions list. Celia and Elle get what they want, as has been established. Here's our current list of free-bees: (after all, says Steve, there has been trade happening for thousands of years. Some things are so special to us; we must keep them in the El Voller-o diet. Our goal is to change what has become an entirely trade guided food system relying on cheap oil and cheap labor from other countries. And most of the trade is silly. We are apple growers to the umpth degree in the glove state. But you'll find most of your apples at the store from Washington State. ???? Our local farmers grow berries, vegetables, bake bread and on and on. But next time, even in the summer food bliss, check your berry package. Does Mexico or Chile really have superior strawberries and blueberries to Post Farms that's 10 miles away that were allowed to ripen naturally, that are grown for taste not shipping?)

ANYWHO....

Jeannie

Chocolate for Winter (everyone knows chocolate releases seratonin in the brain, which in our absence of sunlight is muy importante para mi.)

Olive Oil (I will start making my own butter as soon as we get our cow share program going on – but even then – olive oil, I have decided is my drug habit I'm not ready to give up)

Spices (I've opted to keep my spice rack spinning. BUT come summer, this may change. I think it'd be interesting to see the flavors I can come up with using herbs from my garden only)

Coffee and Tea (This is comforting to me and keeps my cold winter hands happy. The only rule: Must be fair trade. If we're out to breakfast and their coffee isn't, well, H20 and I will become good friends (since OJ is gone for a year now) When summer comes, we will begin to dry herbs for next winter's herbal teas)

Almond Milk (since Celia is allergic to cow's milk (although is fine with RAW cow milk cheese – hmmmm….) I need to drink this to help with my calcium needs as I'm building little bones for baby. Again, when we get our weekly gallon of milk from our happy Lubber's Farm cow, this may change if Celia digests raw milk)

Yeast (gots to make our bread, yo)

Vinegar (I cook and clean with this -- gotta stay)

Steve

Oatmeal (I'm looking for an oat farmer, but until then, Steve eats this DAILY at work)

Coffee and Tea

Beer (We are allowed to drink local wine – there are TONS of local wineries, but beer has been a stumbling block. YES, the companies are local (Bells, Founders, Holland Brew), but where do they get their barley, hops etc… Should we be so anal to say if they don't get it from Michigan, they're out. Maybe. For now, Steve says, no)

We also get 6 out to eat allowances a year – totally free – eat drink what you want!

We can accept say a bunch of bananas from a visitor from an area where they grow. Our friends in Florida and California, I'm looking at you.

THIRD: Although we can't really do this until spring, we have decided to figure out what would be in season during winter in Michigan. What could we have stored? What could we have canned? Frozen? Dried? And although we have to count on good ol' trusty Meijers Thrifty Acres (do they still call it that?) we are only allowed to purchase and cook food that fits in those categories. Turnips, Parsnips, Carrots, Beets, Celeriac here we come!

Wish us luck!

We're off.