A new week...

Well, I'm still here even though TFAM is over. I feel like continuing my blog; we'll see what direction it takes as time goes on.

I've continued to eat pretty well (and mostly Market food), although I confess that I did have two meals out over the weekend. After painting for 5 hours PLUS each day, cooking dinner just wasn't happening. I had a burger combo Saturday and a humongous burrito last night. Were they good? The burrito was, and I wolfed down the fries. Did I feel guilty? Yeah, I kinda did, on nutritional and moral levels. Will I go out to eat again frequently? Yes. I know my lifestyle and my habits.

I do have some changes planned, for sure. I think I've put off writing them down because that sets things in stone and makes it harder to change my mind. One that I'll state for the "record" today - no more frozen dinners. They're so convenient for lunch, especially since I eat while I'm on the air. The lean ones aren't too high in calories, but the sodium content is ridiculous. They aren't a good choice for many reasons...and I can't get out of my head that I read that the meat (e.g. salisbury steak) is often from baby cows killed almost immediately after birth for that purpose. It will be more challenging to come up with something fresh for lunch every day, but it's definitely doable.

Paul Newman

10 Academy Award nominations...one win. A Hollywood marriage lasting an impossible 50 years. War veteran and race car driver. Paul Newman died today at the age of 83, after battling lung cancer.

Above all, Mr. Newman was a humanitarian and philanthropist. In 1982 he created Newman's Own all-natural food products with writer A.E. Hotchner. The first Newman's Own product was salad dressing. The brand has since expanded to include pasta sauce, iced tea, lemonade, popcorn, pretzels, cookies, coffee, grape juice, salsa, pet food, and most recently wine. The instantly recognizable picture on the label began as a sketch of Mr. Newman given to him by a young fan many years ago. What is truly amazing about Newman's own is that EVERY PENNY after taxes goes to educational and charitable causes. $250 million has been given to hundreds of charites, including the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for seriously ill children that Newman and Hotchner co-founded in 1988. Today, there are eleven camps around the world that have helped over 135,000 kids, all free of charge.

He told his daughter a week ago, "...it's been a privilege to be here." I believe the privilege has been ours.

Thanks for the Shout Out!

My friend Angie Heaton (yes, the local musician turned vintage bracelet maker at the Market) told me today that I was mentioned on local blog Smile Politely. I find that very exciting and cool. Thanks so much - I'm thrilled to be used as an example of locavorism and am honored to be mentioned in such a great local resource. Check out their blog - it's tremendously entertaining and informative.

Thanks also to Steve Plock and Tricia Ravelo, UI students covering local beats who interviewed me for class projects (environmental issues and sustainable agriculture, respectively). It was fun as a radio person to be the subject of an interview for once, and more importantly I'm really happy to get the locavore story out to students. If they send me copies of their work, I'll definitely post it here. : )

Apples are HEAVY

TFAM is officially over, yes. I was up early today, though, reveling in the fantastic weather as I rode my bike to the Market. I thought - you aren't buying $100 worth of stuff, so your backpack will do. But $20 will still buy a lot, so it was a semi-painful ride back home (about 25 min) with what felt like a small child sitting on my neck. Oh, it was worth it.

1/2 peck gala apples (last week for Roth Farms - LOVE those guys)
3 green peppers
2 red peppers
2 HUGE sweet onions ($1 each, again from Roth)
loaf honey wheat Amish Country Bakery Bread
small bottle apple cider vinegar from Co-op

What am I forgetting? There was something else. I was bummed that I couldn't buy any free-range eggs, but I didn't dare shove those in my increasingly-bulging backpack. My goal is to find that label on eggs as often as I can, but that's not easy because only a small number of farmers allow birds access to the outdoors and the grass they love so much. Most of the time it's easiest to find eggs from "cage-free" hens. It's wonderful that they aren't living their lives in ridiculously small, cramped cages...but some may never leave the barn or be provided straw or grass. So much to learn!

I got home and stretched my back and neck for a while, then made some garlic herb linguine with fresh pesto. No, I didn't rush off to buy something tasty from a fast food restaurant because I "can" today. Maybe later, maybe not. I have hours of painting to do at home and I might be too hungry upon completion to fix the oven-fried chicken I'm intending to bake. We'll see.

"Be the change you seek in your world." —Gandhi

Here I sit, as the last day of TFAM unwinds. I'm on the couch in my PJs, which I put on at like 6:00 - yes, on a Friday night. Sometimes that's just heavenly. It was the week from %&#@ and I couldn't wait to sit alone on the couch tonight and read, write, and watch the debates. They're on right now, but my attention is only half-hearted at best. I thought I'd be totally into it, but I feel mentally fatigued by news and politics right now. I'm just glad that when I checked my bank account a few minutes ago, the money was still there. These days, you can never be quite sure.

For the past three weeks, I have lived on $100 (less, really) per week on the freshest, tastiest, and healthiest food possible. The $20 left from those three weeks will go with me to the Market tomorrow, as I continue shopping and promoting local/seasonal eating on my own. I could have done it on less money, really; with even smarter planning I believe two people could've lived on that budget. I enjoyed more meat than I would typically eaten, improved my cooking by making some true staples of home cooking, and never EVER felt hungry. My mood was pretty constant even through a lot of stress due to a crazy schedule.

I read several books (referenced on the front page of the blog), learning more about localism, seasonal eating, sustainable agriculture, the blight of factory farms, the plight of family farms, the growing popularity of CSAs (community supported agriculture), organics, the impact of our food choices...etc etc. I've watched films like The Real Dirt on Farmer John and The Future of Food (genetic engineering). I still have several books and films on the way.

I immersed myself completely in all things food and agriculture, as is my personality - I can get a little obsessive. It really helped to get a view of the big picture, though, while dealing with my own small goals. In educating myself, I hope to pass along my knowledge and passion for these issues...without preaching too much. : ) I take after my father and find it all too easy to climb on a soapbox and rant.

I wasn't surprised to find that many people had never heard of a "locavore" and thought it must be a terribly difficult endeavor. But conversely, I've realized that there are many, many people who are searching for ways to make a difference in their lives and in the overall picture. They are making changes large and small, and every change helps. Those people are increasing in numbers and they're growing louder.

I'm not going to try to fool you or myself. As much as I'd love to eat seasonally and only buy organic and (as much as possible) local food, I know that it won't always be possible. Life, time, and financial constraints get in the way. I have my lazy spells and I can't pretend I love cooking enough to do it every single day. I appreciate and even crave convenience as much as anyone else. But I'm REALLY going to try to take the lessons I've learned and the habits I've formed beyond this last locavore night.

I plan to spend a little time thinking about my goals and then I'll write to express them. What I express NOW...my overwhelming gratitude to the City of Urbana, the vendors at the Market at the Square, and the Illini Radio Group. Thank you for allowing me this tremendous opportunity and the chance to be an ambassador for the locavore movement.

One More Day

Well, tomorrow is technically my final day of TFAM. Today was about as great as it gets - I forgot my granola for cereal so I ate zucchini bread (yes, I'm obsessed) for breakfast, but then had a huge mixed greens salad for lunch and some sweet corn, and roast with all the veggie trimmings (and a hunk of dill bread and butter) for dinner. SOOOO good! I used a can of Coke in the crockpot with 2 lbs. of sirloin tip roast and chopped garlic. Tossed in a little salt and pepper and turned it on low for about 8 hours. When I came home I added Yukon gold potatoes, carrots, onions, and mushrooms, and cranked up the temp. It was amazing.

Tomorrow is my final day of living by the locavore book...but then what? I'll address that, well, tomorrow.

A One-Woman Assembly Line

Yes, the title is a contradiction in terms, I realize. I felt like my own assembly line in the kitchen tonight, though. I keep saying how busy I am and that's certainly not changing; I had a remote at Sprint til 6 then I ran to buy some spices and non-food items. By the time I got home it was 7 and I had a lot to do.

I feel like I've been disconnected for the past couple days. I've been eating Market food but not able to cook creatively and abundantly like I did for the first two weeks. It's just been impossible and I'm very tired. Tonight, though, I got back on my game and feel really good. I confess that I sampled the tacos brought to the Sprint store by the kind folks at Taco Loco, a new restaurant across from Menards. The Sprint manager thrust them on me and yes, I was super hungry. (They were amazing, by the way - when I saw fresh cilantro on top I knew they had it going on.) I don't do very well saying no to yummy stuff, although I'm proud that in the past week I have refused pecan pie, a double cheeseburger, a bouquet made from strawberries dipped in yogurt, and everything at the Pick Your Purse Preview Party.

Anyway, by eating just a little I was able to refocus my attention on the projects waiting for me at home. I was going to make oven-fried chicken (using bread crumbs to fake the breading) which would've been somewhat time-consuming, but instead I baked 4 loaves of zucchini bread, cut up a delicious seedless melon, and made a fresh batch of pesto. Using pine nuts made all the difference this time. It was fantastic. Messy...but fantastic. I also washed a mound of dishes that sort of resembled the illustration from one of Shel Silverstein's poems in Where The Sidewalk Ends. (Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout Would Not Take The Garbage Out ).
But you know, it was wonderful to get back into the kitchen and cook and clean - while it can be overwhelming at time, there's a certain element of relaxation to it after a long, loud day.

The greatest pressure with eating locally (and buying as much as I have been every week) is the rush to consume everything before it spoils. I searched everywhere for Debbie Meyer's Green Bags at the store but ccouldn't find them. Apparently they keep produce fresh for years, maybe. Actually, I guess it's a month. Of course a family wouldn't take as long as I do to work their way through the fresh market food.

Tomorrow - the roast with potatoes, onion, and carrots (non-market). Maybe some fresh dill bread and butter. MMMMM!! I'll have a huge salad for lunch, with mixed greens, peppers, cucumber, and tomato (if there's any left in my garden). I tell you what, the food never ceases to be delicious.

Saw this article on Yahoo News! today - a main headline. It cites a new Government Accountability Report on factory farming out today, and begins...

"Factory farms can produce more raw waste than large U.S. cities, threatening not only water quality but air quality as well. Both the number of factory farms and animals fed in confined feeding lots has more than tripled in 20 years, and yet the Environmental Protection Agency is trying to roll back already weak pollution regulations."

CLICK HERE to read more.

Peaches in my purse

Today is an incredibly busy day at the radio station, since we have our big Pick Your Purse Preview Party from 5-7 tonight. The on air staff has to be at the Hilton Garden Inn by no later than 4, so I'll be at another event right through the dinner hour. No snacking on hors d'oeurves (sp?) for me - all I've done for 3 weeks is yap about TFAM. : ) It's good - this will keep me on the straight and narrow. I need to find some stuff to snack on and fill me up before I go, though, because if a waiter walks by me with a tray of goodies I may be really tempted.

I'm excited to put together another crock pot meal for tomorrow - sirloin tip roast from Triple S with all the fixins (potatoes, carrots, onions, etc). MMMM...love the crock pot. You know, it's hard to find a basic, no-frills recipe for roast online. So many had fancy ingredients and too many things that deviate from the Market. I thought the idea of crockpotting was to make life easier!

Gotta dash home to change into my dress clothes and "eat dinner" at 3, as it were.

Back in the Groove

As soon as I pulled in the driveway and unpacked my bag last night, it was time to get back on track with TFAM. I was cleaning lettuce and boiling pasta and chopping veggies and planning out today's meals. I'm glad to have regained my focus and while I'm stressed about a VERY busy week, I feel terrific.

You know, THAT is what I've been thinking about the most today - how incredibly GOOD I feel. Everyone asks right off, "have you lost weight??" They assume that because I'm eating so many fruits and veggies and no "treats," that I must be wasting away. Once I remind them that the Market has fantastic meat and Amish bread, I assure them that being hungry and dropping pounds are NOT results of the plan. I don't own a scale but I'd guess I'm the same, really.

More importantly, I feel wonderful. Yes, there's some added stress with food preparation and cleanup, but overall I'm pretty happy and relaxed. I don't get cranky due to hunger between meals, and there's been none of that soaring up and crashing down from a sugary mid-afternoon treat or soda. I'm sure it's a combination of things:

1. Nutritious, fresh, tasty food
2. Lack of preservatives, chemicals, hormones, hydrogenated garbage, etc
3. Working hard at something I'm very excited about
4. Interacting with the people responsible for my food - gosh, I love hanging at the Market and getting to know the vendors.
5. Knowing that I'm doing my small part to promote localism and (at least for now) step away from large scale agri-business and the corporate takeover of, well, everything.

Don't worry, I'm not going to start preaching. : ) I just feel so upbeat and positive and I am 100% certain my healthy Market diet is playing a huge part in that. Please, come out to the Market this Saturday and see what I mean. Even though TFAM techically ends after this week, I still plan to be there.

Heading back to C/U

I've had a nice visit with my parents. : ) Trips home are never frequent enough, really.

After three weeks (not counting shopping before "TFAM") of marketing, I'm growing sentimentally attached to some of the vendors. So many - well, almost all - are incredibly friendly, helpful, and (if they remember me) excited about discussing my "locavore" adventure. One of my faves is the guy from Kuntry Kettle. I hate that I don't know his name, but if you frequent the Market you've seen him and his honey, bbq sauce, salsa, etc. I'll post a picture so that you'll know immediately. He's fun to chat with and I've updated him each week on the progress of TFAM. He thinks I could live on far less money and while I believe I'm frugal enough to cut back, I wouldn't want the powers that be to get any ideas!! : ) Anyway, I commented that I would love to do this again next summer, and he said, "you know, you'd have to do something sensational to make it better...up the ante somehow." I laughed and replied, "yeah, sort of like reality TV, right? They always have to outdo what they've accomplished in the past." I walked away still thinking about it - what COULD I do to make it even cooler if I tried again? I've found out that a person can easily live off Market food, within a very reasonable budget. Gosh. Any ideas?

Week Three begins...

So this morning was my final trip to the Market (for this adventure). I went early since I had to drive to my parents', and I'm glad I arrived when I did because the place was REALLY crowded today! I think the (failed?) promise of good weather contributed to that, as well as no football distractions.

Anyway, here's this week's list:

2 lbs. sirloin tip roast
1.16 lb. Italian lamb sausage (Country Cottage Farm)
dozen large brown eggs
Pasta Alley Zesty Italian chicken noodle soup mix
(includes noodles)
Zesty garlic sauce mix (like alfredo)
small package garlic and herb linguine
2 loaves Homestead Bakery bread (dill, oatmeal)
jar Kuntry Kitchen Country Garden Salsa
6 ears sweet corn (keep it in the husk til you cook it)
pie tin of Amish Country Bakery cinnamon rolls
bag peaches
bag Honeycrisp apples (the best EVER)
2 lbs. variety of heirloom tomatoes (brandywine, green zebra, etc)
small dark green striped seedless melon
2 cucumbers
2 red peppers
1 zucchini
bunch spinach
1/2 lb. salad mix
bunch basil


I think that's it - I'm out of town now and am relying on a rushed list written as we shopped. You'll notice that I only bought two kinds of meat. I still have plenty left from last week, probably because I ate so many salads! Running out of food on $100 is definitely not a problem - I eat constantly. I have $5 left for the week but carry over another $15 from the previous two, so I have plenty of cushion. I still need to buy a 1/2 gallon of milk, and should I need anything else it won't be a problem.

Fun Market sighting: my friend and local musician Angie Heaton, selling her wares next to a guy rocking out on the bass clarinet. She turns vintage belts into cool bracelets. I coveted them but alas, I certainly couldn't spend my food money on FASHION!!!

I brought the cinnamon rolls home for breakfast tomorrow - boy, they look outrageously good and downright sinful compared to my typical steel cut oats. : ) I also brought the melon, salsa, organic tortilla chips and cookies (from Strawberry Fields), and assorted fruit. Oh, and I packed leftover pasta and sauce for today's lunch and gave my folks two loaves of my zucchini bread. That is one of the best things about cooking - sharing with others.

I'm usually REALLY bad when I come home. As my parents have aged, they seem to eat more junk and convenience foods, and they go out for lunch and dinner A LOT. I used to be overweight and readily admit that the only way I avoid temptation is by keeping far away from bad stuff, so when I'm here and IT'S here, I eat like crazy. CRAZY. I'm actually sort of glad to have The Farmer and Michelle to keep me and my blood sugar in line.

I'm really tired from my 6am wake up call and the drive, so I plan a nap. That's a benefit of visiting with these senior citizens...there's always time for napping. : )

Long day...

Today was a bit stressful. Because I had a remote broadcast at Krannert from 5-7 (and plans after 7), I had to do some serious food planning. I slept really late, but it didn't matter - before work I basically had to make stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That was a strain, as you can imagine. But before The Farmer and Michelle I would've thrown whatever I could find in my backpack, and while it wouldn't have been total junk I would have been hungry most of the day. While it was high mania to get it all ready at 7am, I had plenty of food to get me through.

Since I still had about $15 from Saturday's Market money, I decided to stop by Strawberry Fields on my way to Krannert. I treated myself to a bag of organic tortilla chips, some chocolate chunk cookies (!!!), a huge water (1.5 litres - will reuse it many times for sports) bottle, a small loaf of french bread (to go with some more pasta tomorrow), and a bottle of peach fizzy drink. Yes, the drink was a total treat since I've only had 3 sodas in the past couple weeks. But before you holler at me for going off track, remember that we'd agreed that I could supplement my diet with stuff from the co-op or Strawberry Fields. By the way, I spent a little under $10.

I bought the chips and cookies to take to my parents' house this Saturday. My aunt and uncle will be celebrating their 60th anniversary on Sunday so I'm driving home after my Market shopping. I'll admit right now that I plan to make some concessions at their celebratory brunch, but I'll do my best to eat "according to plan" during the rest of the visit. I really need something to distract me from the bad stuff at my parents' house, and I'm hoping a few treats from here will do the trick.

I plan to buy some tasty Market meat to cook up at home on Saturday night. : ) You can find chicken, ribs, turkey, stewmeat, beef tenderloin steaks, ribeyes, ground beef, beef roasts, pork roasts and chops, Italian and Polish sausages, bacon, breakfast sausage patties, and ground pork, lamb, and more. It's funny - what I hear more than ANYTHING from co-workers and friends is, "Wow. I didn't realize the Market sold meat!!!" Maybe I'll buy some stuff for salad as well and actually cook my parents dinner.

I hope that having those cookies from Strawberry Fields (and perhaps something else from the Co-op on Saturday morning) will help me avoid the ice cream, chocolate covered raisins, Snickers, mixed nuts, popcorn, and anything else that may be whispering at me from my parents' cupboards.

Questions Answered

Well, I'm about 1/2way through The Farmer and Michelle. It's been quite a curiosity to people, who tend to ask similar questions - thought I could answer them in one place:

1. Has it been hard to eat this way? NOT AT ALL. The food is fresh and amazing and the variety is such that I can have all sorts of meals. I've deliberately tried to break out of my routines and demonstrate how many types of dishes are possible, using almost entirely market food. It's not hard in the least. The challenge?

2. How time-consuming is this lifestyle? To be honest, very. I make it more so than it would have to be, but you know that cooking things from scratch takes time, PERIOD. I could try to be more simple, but again - I'm making huge efforts to be creative and I'm pretty obsessed overall. If I'd started out as a better cook, I wouldn't spend so much time researching and pondering every day's diet. I truly enjoy the time spent cooking, though - it's relaxing and fulfilling when you're not in a hurry. Nights like last night are really stressful, though. I understand that's why most people don't cook like this anymore.

The most time-consuming part? Washing dishes!!! It's insane, actually. : )

3. Have you lost weight, because you aren't snacking or eating processed foods? I don't think so; in fact, I worried for a while that I would GAIN weight because I'm eating so much!! I just can't go crazy with the bacon or butter or bread...but avoiding sugars and trans fats and hydrogenated stuff balances it out.

4. Do you feel better? Aren't you craving junk food? Yeah, I really do feel better. I usually eat well so some changes weren't drastic - I always do whole wheat pasta, turkey burger, etc. I think the biggest difference is that I'm eating healthy, substantial meals almost every time, so I'm not hungry every couple hours. If I do get hungry, I'll eat an apple or piece of zucchini bread (mmmm...critical). Because of that, I don't have cravings. I just don't think about it. Now when you put a plate of cheese fries RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME, I may buckle a little. lol But I'm honestly not thinking about how I can gorge myself after The Farmer and Michelle ends.

5. Is it financially feasible to live this way? People who don't shop at the Market would be surprised to find that many foods are comparably priced or even cheaper than their counterparts in the grocery store. The fruits and vegetables couldn't be more fresh - many of them were picked the day before. (Ever wondered why tomatoes in the store are often pale and hard? They were picked too early and shipped hundreds of miles, if not more.)

Some things at the Market are more expensive, yes - like meat. But you're getting fresh cuts that come from grass-fed animals raised in a humane environment. You don't have to worry about hormones or pesticides or the cruelty that may have been exacted toward those creatures. It tastes sooooooooo good, too. I understand that some people feel they can't afford to spend more than they do, but I argue that budgeting and some shifting of priorities would allow for the slightly higher cost. I bought a 4-pk of huge polish sausages for $4...what I would've paid for one value meal at a fast food restaurant. My dozen farm-fresh brown eggs were $3.75, less than an omelette at almost any greasy spoon. Oberweiss milk is $4 a half-gallon; how much was that little bottle of water or fancy chain-store coffee? I'm not saying I plan on giving up splurges here and there, but the point is valid.

When people gripe that organic or locally-grown food costs too much, they fail to consider all the work that goes into it. Have you ever picked blueberries? I spent an hour at Pontious Farm in Monticello in 90-degree summer heat, and got about 1.5 lbs (and a few Japanese beetles). They were awesome and I had fun, but I worked for them. These farmers toil to bring you the freshest and most beautiful produce I've ever seen, driving their products to the market and burning up outrageously-priced gas. They deserve every penny they earn and more, and again - their prices are definitely comparable.

I really think that shopping locally is feasible, especially if you plan and do the research. You may not be able to afford everything, but you could certainly start out buying a little here and there. Gradually, you may figure out ways to add more local stuff to your diet, and I promise you that you'll feel great on many levels.

I've never been into shopping and I'm a beginner cook, but I'm having a blast at the Market. Give it a shot this Saturday...maybe you'll come home with an eggplant.

Feeling Saucy

Ahhhhh, life got in the way of my big plans last night!! I'd intended to make a big pot of spaghetti sauce from scratch and eat a big salad and a plate of pasta...but that didn't happen. My yard was pretty gross after Sunday's flooding, so I spent 2 hours raking and bagging, then mowing. I couldn't start cooking til 7, and the chopping alone (I'll post the recipe) took FOREVER. Long story short - I played volleyball at 8:30, so all I could do was make the sauce and put it in the fridge for tonight's dinner. I cooked up a polish sausage quickly and ate it in the car. You know what, though? That was a better choice on a sports night. Too much food is NEVER a good thing when jumping up and down is involved. The only problem was that I got sort of hungry after the game, and when we went to the Office II...well, I had a couple bites of cheese fries. They're my ultimate weakness, and I couldn't resist a taste. Please don't revoke my locavore card!!!

Here's the sauce recipe, using my monster eggplant. I threw in oregano, basil, salt and pepper:

Emily's Super Eggplant Sauce

Prep Time: 15 MinutesCook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 45 MinutesYields: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large green bell pepper,
chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can diced
tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup water
1 (16 ounce) package

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook eggplant, bell pepper, onion, and garlic until soft and tender, stirring often.

2. When done, transfer vegetables to a large stock pot. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and water. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot over pasta.

Eggplant?

Oh, what's a girl to do with an eggplant? I have to confess that I threw an untouched one away from last week's Market trip - the only casualty and waste. I feel terrible, but I never did come up with a recipe other than eggplant parmesan (which I'd already made and frozen a while back). My friend Bettina made an excellent suggestion - "Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Salad," but I confess it's a bit too involved for me (and my lack of a food processor) during this crazy week. BUT...I found this recipe at All Recipes for spaghetti sauce - PERFECT! I'd planned to make my own sauce tonight, and this will combine both efforts. Phew. Glad that's resolved.

I never in my life thought I'd be worried about an eggplant.

Last night's swiss chard was a success! It's very much like spinach. I tried red wine vinegar instead of lemon juice, and that was pretty okay. I was shocked that a huge bundle of leaves cooked down so quickly, but it was still more than enough for me!

So what do YOU do with eggplant?

The Locavore Pledge

I've been surfing the net tonight, looking through links I've saved about locavores/seasonal eating...and you know what happens. One blog leads to another to another to another. Sometimes I'm still blown away by the vastness of the internet. I added a few more links of interest to my front page, including "...slowly she turned." There I found The Locavore Pledge:

If not LOCALLY PRODUCED, then Organic.
If not ORGANIC, then Family farm.
If not FAMILY FARM, then Local business.
If not a LOCAL BUSINESS, then Fair Trade.

Back on Track!

The basement is dry and I've gotten my focus back on the matter at hand - vegetables!! I was up super early to make sure things were fine downstairs, so I had plenty of time to make some buckwheat pancakes. You'd think with their consistency that they'd fill me up til lunch, but I'm a serious grazer. I had a mid-morning apple with Co-op peanut butter, and just REALLY ENJOYED a huge fresh salad - spinach, tomatoes, green pepper, and cucumber. Topped off with some Newman's Own caesar dressing, it was perfection. Not as low-calorie as it could've been...but a girl's gotta splurge a little!!

I'm excited to try some of Triple S's deli-sliced ham on Amish bread in a little bit. It's nice to have a sandwich option, and the ham really looks fantastic. Toss some spinach and tomato on the bread, add a little chevre, and I'll be good to go!

Thanks to Lisa, who in her comment yesterday suggested a great recipe for swiss chard. I don't know that I'd ever seen it before Saturday - this is what rainbow chard looks like. Beautiful, eh?


Here's the recipe:

Cut off stalks (can eat them, cut in small pieces)
Chop the greens
Sautee slices of onion and couple cloves of garlic in olive oil
Throw in greens along with salt and pepper
Cook on medium heat for "maybe 10 minutes"
In bowl, dress greens with lemon juice and a bit more oil

Off my game

Talk about life getting in the way of your plans...I'm totally distracted right now, when I need to be planning my meals for tomorrow and uploading some of the pics I took at yesterday's market on this blog. The torrential rains earlier today wreaked havoc on our neighborhood, though. It's an old street with equally old drainage systems, and it couldn't handle hours and hours of heavy rain. The flooding was so dramatic that even after it receded, the clean up went on for the rest of the day. I stuck to my locavore eating with bacon and an omelette with veggies for lunch, and pesto pasta for dinner...but my fresh salad and fruit went by the wayside.

But tomorrow is another day, and thank goodness the rains of Ike seem to have subsided.

Shopping Spree...

Yesterday was so busy that I didn't even have time to blog. After a hugely successful and very fun trip to the Market, I painted for several hours, then went to a going-away party. I tried to dash off a quick "I'm too busy to write" entry, but my hand bumped something and deleted it all...took that as a sign that I should just come back and try harder in the morning.

Boy, am I glad we didn't get this weather yesterday! It ended up being really nice yesterday, albeit windy and kind of steamy. I hit Lincoln Square village at about 8, and week #2 shopping was ON. I wanted to focus a bit harder on vegetables and fruits - last week I only bought 4 apples because I was concerned that I'd run out of staples like meat and bread. Hardly!! By the end of the week I realized that my diet was actually LACKING veggies!! How could that be?!? I still got plenty of meat this week (and tried a couple new things), but really hit the salad stuff hard:

1 lb. chicken drumsticks
1 lb. turkey burger
pk. of 4 polish sausages (!!!)
1 lb. bacon
1 lb. deli-sliced ham!
1 lb. whole wheat flour
1 loaf Amish bread
jar strawberry butter

small bag chive and onion linguine
2 cucumbers
purple cabbage (to make slaw)
swiss chard (not sure WHAT to do with it but it'll be fun to try!)
2 spinach bundles
2 onions
2 zucchini
1 eggplant
2 red peppers
1 green pepper
3 ears corn (still tastes great, almost end of season)
1 lb. green beans
dark striped seedless watermelon
bunch cilantro
6 potatoes
8 Jonathan apples
4 pears
2 1/2 gallons Oberweiss milk

So I have like $15 left, believe it or not!! I kept circling the Market, trying to find other things to buy. I'm left with enough money to dash over to the Common Ground co-op if I need anything else. I feel really good about my purchases, though...the only issue is that I'll have to eat like crazy to get through all the fresh stuff!!

USA Today: "Think Locally, Act Locally"

It was pretty cool to open USA Today's online version and see this great article today, arguing for localism and its positive impact on small business:

Read the article HERE.

Makin' a list...

...and checking it repeatedly, I'm sure. It's time to start thinking about what I'm going to buy tomorrow for week #2 of The Farmer and Michelle. I have about $5 left from week one that I'll probably use for some Oberweiss milk today - a 1/2 gallon has lasted me, but I've had to use it a little sparingly.

Tonight it's BBQ spare ribs in the crockpot. After that, I'll have just a small amount of turkey burger and about 1/2 of the bacon left. I've honestly eaten much more meat during the past week than usual...but it's taken the place of processed and preserved stuff I typically turn to when I'm rushed. Lean frozen dinners have been replaced by amazing leftovers for lunch. I've pretty much stopped craving granola bars (or my fave, Fiber One bars), but when I've needed a carb-y snack, the zucchini bread fits the bill. I may have to cut back on that, though...I'm going to gain weight!!

This Market food is so unbelievably good that I make wonderful meal after wonderful meal...this morning I had french toast (THAT AMISH BREAD!!! OMG!!!) and bacon. For lunch it's leftover turkey meatloaf and country green beans from the other night. Spare ribs and cornbread for dinner!! Who AM I??

So today I start my list again. I'm hoping to squeeze in more fruit as well as sliced ham for sandwiches (Triple S). Other than whole wheat flour, I won't need more dried goods for now. I have about 9 eggs so another dozen should do me, just to be sure. (gonna give boiling another try!! lol) You can bet I'll be hightailing it to the bread folks (Homestead Bakery & Great Harvest). I'm in love with that Amish bread (can you tell), and just *maybe* will be able to treat myself to some cookies or cinnamon rolls. Maybe...but I do want to fit in my clothes after these three weeks!!!

The week is winding down...

...and I still have quite a bit of food. I wanted to knock out a pound of frozen turkey burger, so I decided to try a meatloat. Mix resident chef Sarah Addison assured me that turkey would work well in a loaf (that word...ugh), and gave me her recipe:

Sarah's Loaf
1 lb. ground turkey
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1/2 c. bread crumbs
diced onion
garlic
salt and pepper

Cook at 350 degrees for 50-60 min.

I ate it with brown gravy and it was AWESOME!!! I may have liked turkey better than regular meatloaf. Also made my final two ears of sweet corn and ate one. I realize that I've stretched the corn out waaaaay too long. Ideally, corn should be eaten within a day or two after being picked. Leave ears in the husk til you're ready to use them. I did that, but I've had these last two ears for six days now...they held up pretty well, but I was pushing it. The corn season is winding down; I had to try to eat as much as I could in a week!!!

It's Thursday, and I have a comfortable amount of food left. Tomorrow night I'm going to make spare ribs from Triple-S in the crock pot, with BBQ sauce from Kuntry Kettle in Ava. If you've been to the market, you know the guy with the big Santa Claus beard and the honey sticks (for lack of a better term). He was just the coolest last Saturday! We chatted in depth about "The Farmer and Michelle" as I picked out a bottle of honey BBQ sauce. His sauce is made by Amish folk; he makes his own honey. I can't wait to talk to him again on Saturday, although I won't need to buy any of either just yet.

Still have an eggplant that fills up most of the top shelf in my fridge, too. Does that go with ribs? lol - just kidding! Some fresh cornbread sure will, though!!!

Apples!

After a breakfast of steel-cut oats with yummy market honey (Blu Ribbon Apiaries from Monticello), I arrived at work to find a big bag of just-picked apples on the table. My co-worker Tom said, "I thought of you and the local eating issue, and brought these in!" THAT is very cool, and it was so nice of him to go to the trouble. He'd picked them from his own tree, for all here to share. Thanks, Tom!

My apples, green beans, and peppers were all purchased from Kleiss Farm Produce last Saturday. They have a HUGE spread at the market with tons of different produce at really reasonable prices. The red peppers, at 75 cents each, were a delicious STEAL!

I can't think of any breakfast food that has filled me up like steel cut oats. Seriously...I eat all day long but at noonish, I'm only now starting to get hungry.

Pasta Alley

I'm LONG overdue on this mention...every time I've been to the market, I've taken note of how friendly and helpful the folks with Pasta Alley are. They feature a wonderful variety of noodles with creative and delicious flavors, and are always glad to offer sauce suggestions, cooking tips, etc. According to their website, they sell original pastas, sauces, soups, bread mixes, bread dippers, and specialty egg noodles - albeit a smaller selection of stuff at the market. They do a lot ofSince last Saturday was the first shopping day of my Locavore adventure, I made it a point to introduce myself to vendors and explain what I would be doing. The woman working at Pasta Alley (and I'm ashamed that I can't remember her name - I think it's Jennifer?) couldn't have been more enthusiastic or interested, and her attitude was infectious.

Their pasta is outstanding - this week I'm eating garlic and herb which is great with olive oil, garlic, fresh tomatoes, and onions. The best part of Pasta Alley? Let me quote from their website:

"Our original business focuses on serving the developmentally disabled population both residentially and vocationally. Purchasing Pasta Alley has allowed us to incorporate our mission of providing meaningful working opportunities to our clients while allowing them to participate and take pride in producing a fun and exciting product line."

It feels so great to support their business...their cause.

Another day done...

...and you know, cooking (and especially the cleaning up) is really time-consuming!! I realize you've let out a collective "no kidding!!!", but indulge me. In a society where it's just too easy and tempting to pop something in the microwave or go through the drive-thru, slowing down and putting a complete meal together (from scratch) is like slamming on the brakes. I understand why busy parents with kids going 100 different directions feel they simply can't do it. You have my admiration for the many hats you wear and balls you simultaneously juggle. Still, there's something magical and peaceful about preparing a meal.

The dishes? That's another story, although it's sure nice to have a clean kitchen at the end.

When I was a kid, my mother worked full-time then came home and cooked....she took a 10-minute nap and had a vodka gimlet first...which I totally get now. Sometimes on Sundays, she'd make as many as 13 loaves of zucchini bread (5-6 at a time to save energy) or apple pies totally from scratch, freezing them so that my dad could thaw one any time he wanted. I thought it was pretty awesome but I totally took her extreme efforts for granted. Now I think - how did our moms do it??

While I'll never be like my mother, I do enjoy baking. Tonight while making dinner I used her beat-up old pans to bake two loaves of zucchini bread and a loaf of squash bread. I had to use the two largest pieces of fruit I'd ever seen, and this was a perfect opportunity to cure my sweet tooth! I used market flour, eggs, and the fruit - the primary ingredients. The zucchini made two loaves of bread (it cost $2), and there's still some left.

Yes, squash and zucchini are fruits. According to Wikipedia, "botanically, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of the female zucchini flower." Can I say "ewww" without seeming immature?? ; ) j/k

While they baked I made more whole wheat pasta and a chicken breast, and ate them with my fresh pesto. I'm thinking that I should've used pine nuts. The sauce was good but not as good as I'd hoped. : ( And wow - a little goes a LONG way. I also had fresh green beans simmered in a saucepan with bacon, onion, and garlic. MMM! That was a lot of fresh flavor on one plate.

For breakfast - buckwheat blueberry pancakes. I've heard more than once from friends who don't care for buckwheat flavor, but I'm not sure why. Maybe I don't notice because I have gotten used to whole-wheat pancakes. They seem similar to me. I had a BLT for lunch...ANYTHING on that Homestead Bakery bread tastes amazing.

Lastly, I still had $9.50 remaining from my $100, so I was able to go to Common Ground today and buy another dozen eggs. : ) Thanks to Kelly, by the way, who passed along great boiling suggestions in response to my "failure" post.

Failure...

I screwed up and wasted THREE EGGS...

I love hard-boiled eggs, and find them to be the perfect snack at work. Since I get hungry frequently and don't have the granola bars or crackers I ususally rely on between meals, I figured boiling a few of my farm-fresh eggs would be GREAT!

I followed my mom's method of egg boiling: put them in the water on the stove, and turn on the burner. When the water starts boiling rapidly, take the pot off and remove the eggs. Run them under cold water. Actually, I've only recently started instantly cooling the eggs, after reading that recommendation online somewhere. Maybe that was my downfall today...

When I got it out today to start peeling (and I've read that farm-fresh boiled eggs ARE hard to peel), my fingers went through the shell. It looked like the picture above, but messier.

I'm trying to find info about farm fresh eggs - do they take longer to boil for some reason? I did find some instructions online for boiling that contradict my final steps:

• Bring your eggs to room temperature before cooking. If the egg has been stored in the refrigerator it can be warmed gently under a flowing hot tap water. By bringing the eggs to room temperature, they're much less likely to crack in the hot water and they take about 1 minute less to cook.
  
• Gently place the eggs in a single layer in a pan with enough cold water to cover eggs completely. Over high heat, bring water JUST to a rapid boil. As soon as the water reaches a rapid boil, remove pan from heat and cover egg pan tightly with a lid.
  
• Set timer for 17 minutes for large eggs or 20 minutes for jumbo eggs. After that time, remove from heat and drain off water from the eggs. Transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice cubes and cold water. Let eggs cool at least 10 minutes in cold water, then drain either store in refrigerator or peel the eggs

Would letting the eggs sit in the hot water longer after boiling have done the trick? Is there a special way to boil fresh farm eggs? I think I actually made a soft-boiled egg based on the picture above (which is supposedly a perfect example of THAT). All I know is that I'm disappointed and hungry.

How to make PESTO

Would you believe I'd never tried pesto til I moved to Champaign?!? I swear, how could I have even claimed to be alive????? My friend Stacey made fresh pesto with tortellini about a year ago and I was hooked forever.

Fresh is best. I made it for the first time last night, and doing so is much cheaper than buying those TINY bottles in the big store.

4 c. fresh basil leaves
1/2 c. olive oil
1/3 c. pine nuts (I used walnuts that I had - several recipes suggested this cheaper option)
2-3 medium fresh garlic cloves (I went with 3)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1.5 tsp. kosher salt (may want to tone this down a bit)

Combine the bail, olive oil, nuts, and garlic cloves (I minced mine) in a blender or food processor.Blend until a paste forms, stopping to push down the ingredients when necessary. Add the cheese and salt, and blend til smooth.

Freeze sauce in ice cube trays if you'd like, then transfer to ziploc bags. (what a great idea to help with smaller portions/saving space!!)

Organic?

As I've prepared over the past couple months for this adventure, I've done a lot of reading and shopping and (imagine this) talking about it. On trips to visit my parents, I've shopped at their little farmers' market and chatted (lectured?) incessantly with my dad about things. Bless his heart, he mentioned buying an organic melon at the big store and said, "I know you're really trying hard to get into this organic thing." Well, yes - that's true. But I tried to explain to him that my journey here is to eat food grown locally, when a particular food is in season. Those aren't exactly the same thing, although most local growers certainly follow organic processes.

So what exactly IS organic? I did some reading today since the topic was featured at Web MD. By the way, I'll always try to quote credible sources - if I get something wrong and you can explain why, PLEASE tell me! I'm paraphrasing below...

Experts say that if you can't afford to go all-out organic (it IS pricey at times), that you should consider spending the you're able to allot on organic produce since it is most likely to contain pesticides. The Environmental Working Group recommends going organic on the "dirty dozen" - that produce most susceptible to pesticide residue.

• apples
• cherries
• grapes
• nectarines
• peaches
• pears
• raspberries
• strawberries
• bell peppers
• celery
• potatoes
• spinach/lettuce

Organic milk, beef, and poultry contain no hormones or antibiotics, which have been linked to increased antibacterial resistance in humans.

So, "100% Organic" means the food has no synthetic ingredients and can use the organic seal. Just plain "Organic" means the food has a minimum of 95% organic ingredient and can use the seal, as well.

Overwhelmed but definitely NOT underfed!

Even though I've written every day, I feel like I have SO many things to tell you that I can't keep up. As I was typing that, I had to stop to run to the stove - my eggs from Triple S Farm (certified organice vendor) were boiling!! I feel like the best way to truly discover the difference in a farm-fresh egg is to try one hard-boiled. Don't get me wrong; they were AMAZING in my omelette this morning. I added lots of yummy stuff, though, so the flavor was a bit masked. True to form, the color was a deep yellowish orange. If you buy a farm-fresh egg and wonder if there's something wrong with it because it looks so different...no, that's how it's supposed to be.

Let's talk about my breakfast:

3 strips fresh bacon (also from Triple S)
2 eggs
green peppers
onions
chevre (goat cheese) - the mildest flavor, goes well with lots of stuff

My huge omelette was topped with fresh homemade pico de gallo (I'll include the recipe in a future post). Wow!! I enjoyed every bite and was stuffed til like 11:30.

I snacked on some blueberries (my 80-something aunt and uncle brought them back from a grower in MI and gave me 14 lbs - I have to eat them!).

Lunch was a PB&J, market-style: two slabs of honey wheat bread from Homestead Bakery in Arthur, natural (unsweetened) PB from Common Ground, and blueberry jam from my friend, Bettina. I'd taken some Oberweiss milk to drink, but forgot about it - I have to go back to work tonight so maybe that'll be my evening snack out there.

Dinner: I was super hungry as usual, but filled up quickly on a big turkey burger with bacon, goat cheese, and pico. I had two ears of corn on the side but only ate 1/2 before I truly was full. Saved 'em for later. I really am a grazer, so eating a little bit every few hours is best for me.

Here's a little bit about Triple S Farm:

Triple S Farm is a 200-acre farm where they raise pork, beef, lamb, chicken and duck with an all vegetarian diet. The animals graze on organic pastures. The 800 hens produce farm-fresh eggs.
Produce includes a wide variety of potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, tomatoes, sweet corn, carrots, beets, peppers, turnips, watermelon, cantaloupe, popcorn, edamame (tofu beans), asparagus, cloves and hard red wheat. The Schutte family invites people to visit the farm for a tour or a camp out at the pond.

Triple S is located in Stewardson (south central IL), a very rural area where the nearest town boasts a population of 50.

What I Ate Today

I already wrote a discourse on the benefits of steel cut oats, and for lunch I continued to love the garlic herb pasta from Pasta Alley (I'll explain tomorrow - those people deserve a huge shout out) with a slice of heavenly bread from Arthur. That was dinner last night. For an afternoon snack I had a golden delicious apple with natural peanut butter from Common Ground.

Tonight's dinner: chicken breast with BBQ sauce, sweet corn, and zucchini steamed in one of those AMAZING Ziploc cooking bags. (they steam food in its own juices, giving you the exact cooking time and making it virtually impossible to screw up) The zucchini, by the way, was about the size of a small cat. It was $2 and I'll be eating it all week. Everything was from the market, and it was great! The chicken was breast on the bone - I usually do boneless but it was very juicy and tasty. The corn was very good, but it's reaching the end of its season and I'm afraid this may be the last batch til next year. I need to tell you more about the BBQ sauce, and the pasta, and the bread...

But it's late and I'm really tired...cause, uh...it's 10:15. Yikes. As my friend Mike Cation says, I am old and domesticated.

Herbs

My softball game was rained out tonight (??? - no rain since early afternoon), so I spent a good chunk of the evening making pesto and pico de gallo. One batch of pesto took my entire bunch of basil, which is shocking since the end product is about 1/2 a small Tupperware container. Pesto goes a long way, though, and I look forward to eating it on chicken and pasta. Just to show you that I had no concept how blending the ingredients would shrink them - I bought two ice cube trays and prepared to freeze my huge batch in them, as recommended by several websites. lol

Had to get going on these projects tonight, because fresh herbs don't last long once they're picked. Good advice: put them in a glass of water and keep them in the fridge standing up. That really helped. The basil and cilantro, by the way, were only $2 and $1 a bunch respectively, purchased by Blue Moon Farm, located in Urbana. Wow, their stand looks like something you'd see in a photo spread in a food magazine...absolutely gorgeous food and herbs. Absolutely organic, as well - Blue Moon Farm is a certified organic vendor. While market vendors make it a point to not use pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, without going through a timely and costly process, they cannot say they are certified organic. Blue Moon Farm can. Here's some more info I found about them:

Jon Cherniss has been growing vegetables organically since 1988 and has an additional 10 years of general farm work/ marketing experience. He promises to provide a passion for organic produce and a healthy appreciation for humor. His spouse is a soil scientist whose research focus includes organic matter management in organic and alternative crop production systems.

Blue Moon produces one of the widest varieties of certified organic produce and herbs in East Central Illinois. Blue Moon's selection ranges from heirloom tomatoes to exotic Asian vegetables. The farm's salad mix makes Cherniss' stand a perennial favorite at the Urbana Farmers' Market. The farm's produce also is available occasionally through some area natural foods stores. Additionally, Blue Moon produce is featured by several area restaurants, including bacaro Italian restaurant, Radio Maria, Café Kopi, Great Impasta, Kennedy's, Milo's, Café Paradiso, and Timpone's.

12:45 and I'm still full!!

Wow...I cooked up a healthy serving of steel cut oats (purchased at Common Ground - $2 in clearance section) this morning, but was only able to eat half. You know how usually serving size is too small? I doubled their recommendation...should have stuck with it. I ate in in shifts, and now it's well past lunch and I'm still stuffed.

What are steel cut oats? Well, they're also known as Scotch oats, Irish porridge, or coarse-cut oats. They're unrolled oats that are cut into only two to three pieces. They're very thick and substantial; evn though they take a while to cook, they are still pretty chewy (in a good way) when they're done. You can cook them up in the evening, then reheat them in the morning.

Steel-cut oats are lightly processed. That means they probably still have most of their good stuff intact (fiber, nutrients, etc.).

Okay, it suddenly looks like it's going to storm, and I'm on the air. I'd better focus on the task at hand and come back later.

"Food Miles" - where did that broccoli come from?

This was taken from www.sustainabletable.org:

"Food miles" refer to the distance a food item travels from the farm to your home. The food miles for items you buy in the grocery store tend to be 27 times higher than the food miles for goods bought from local sources.

In the U.S., the average grocery store’s produce travels nearly 1,500 miles between the farm where it was grown and your refrigerator. About 40% of our fruit is produced overseas and, even though broccoli is likely grown within 20 miles of the average American’s house, the broccoli we buy at the supermarket travels an average 1,800 miles to get there. Notably, 9% of our red meat comes from foreign countries, including locations as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

So how does our food travel from farm field to grocery store? It’s trucked across the country, hauled in freighter ships over oceans, and flown around the world. A tremendous amount of fossil fuel is used to transport foods such long distances. Combustion of these fuels releases carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and other pollutants into the atmosphere, contributing to global climate change, acid rain, smog and air pollution. Even the refrigeration required to keep your fruits, vegetables, dairy products and meats from spoiling burns up energy.

Read the rest here.

Day Two

Camping was fantastic but it POURED all night (did it rain here?). Thankfully we stayed dry in our tents. It's a fairly short drive to Lake Shelbyville, and Eagle Creek was peaceful and sparsely populated this weekend. Wolf Creek State Park is across the lake, and on the governor's list to be closed on November 1st. Don't get me started on that topic.

I took along turkey burger, tomatoes, peppers, and corn for my meal - and I was stuffed!! But let me tell you - I had my first epiphany. I'm a fan of turkey burger, and choose it over beef at home and out if possible. I try to buy "the good stuff" at the store. I'd never eaten grass-fed turkey before, though - and it was VERY DIFFERENT. It was delicious and fresh and lean and, well, tasted like TURKEY. The vendor (see below) told me that it was a mix of white and dark meat "to keep it moist," and that it would make a great burger. She was right! I paid $5.50/lb. for the turkey burger, and used maybe a 1/4 per burger. How much do you pay for a 1/4 lb. burger in the drive-thru or at a restaurant? I assure you that it isn't going to taste THIS fresh, and you probably have no idea where it came from.

I bought the turkey burger as well as cornmeal and whole wheat flour from Moore Family Farm. They had a handwritten sign detailing the heartbreaking story of the loss of most of their turkey herd - the birds were killed by a wild predator (paraphrasing here). They lost most of their crop and this has devastated their supply and of course their business. I was glad that at my tiniest level, I was able to personally help someone by purchasing their stuff. Shopping locally...yet another benefit for everyone.

Here's a little bit about the Moore Family Farm:

The Moore's family farm is located near Watseka, Illinois. Jim and Diann Moore and their two teenage sons own and operate their nearly 100 year old farm. The Moore's raise seasonal grassfed beef, lamb, goat and pasture-raised pork, chicken, and turkeys, and farm fresh brown eggs.

No animal is confined to a conventional building. Jim and his sons mix all of the feed for the animals on the farm, providing a nutritional, drug-free diet for each species. The poultry raised on the farm is purchased and delivered as day-old birds from hatcheries. All of the other animals are raised on the family farm from conception to processing age.

Camping

As I said when I started this blog, life does indeed get in the way. On my very first night, I'm going camping (Lake Shelbyville) with friends. As promised, the primary ingredients of my meals will be from the market. I'm taking turkey burger, ears of corn for grilling, fresh peppers, etc. It should be great!

Note: I didn't buy any tomatoes or onions from the market because I've had bumper crops of my own this summer. Gardening is becoming a huge hobby for me and there's no way I'll let what I have fresh at home go to waste. I plan to make fresh pico very soon!

Remember...if you have any recipes, please pass them along in the comment section or email me at michelle@mix945.com. I'd be so grateful!

Day One

Wow, I had such a great time this morning!! My friend (now "accountant/advisor" with regard to market shopping) Bettina and her son Dax met me at 7:30 by the orange City of Urbana tent, and we were off! I'd been strict in prior emails about how focused and serious I was going to have to be today, but in no time we realized we could laugh and talk while still concentrating at the task at hand.

The three of us carried bags, Bettina had a notebook and the money in an envelope, and I spoke frequently into my mini-recorder dictating the details of each sale. Dorky, yes, but that way I was able to keep track of everything easily - I'll write all those details (item, cost, vendor) tomorrow night. Today, I'll start with my very impressive list of items:

2 lb. turkey burger
1.59 lb. spare ribs
2 sizeable chicken breasts
1 dozen eggs
1 6oz. container goat cheese (chevre)
3/4 lb. peanut butter *
1 jar BBQ sauce
1 honey bear
loaf honey wheat bread
2 large bags of pasta
small bag cornmeal
small bag whole wheat flour
gluten-free hot cereal *
buckwheat pancake flour **
steel cut oats **
1 lb. green beans
6 ears sweet corn
4 apples
3 big green peppers
2 red peppers
a monster eggplant
an equally huge zucchini
1 big summer squash
1 bundle basil
1 bundle cilantro

The items with asterisks were purchased at the Common Ground Co-op now open in the Lincoln Square Village. I'm not a member but I'll include some membership info at a later date; it's a super cool store. The ones with two asterisks...well, I'm taking a small liberty here. I bought them at the co-op two weeks ago on clearance, but I'm going to eat them now and subtract their cost from the money I have to spend. Fair, yes? They were only $2 a bag (STEAL!!!). Anyway, including those in my grand total, I've thus far spent:

$90.50!!!

I have the remaining $9.50 to put toward Oberweiss milk and/or any emergency purchases I might need to make this week. The milk is $4 a 1/2 gallon at County Market, so I'll be nailing my $100 right on the dot, basically. Hmmm....maybe I'll save the buckwheat pancakes for next week and keep my $2. : )

We really had a fantastic time at the market. The vendors are incredibly nice and helpful, and when they heard about this "adventure" they were kinda fascinated by it. I promised I'd give them a plug, which I will once I break out the mini-recorder and listen to my rambling.

Onward...but first, a HUGE thanks to Bettina and Dax for all their help. Bettina caught my math errors and was incredibly savvy with purchases and possible recipes. She also gave me a jar of her own canned blueberry jam that I might have to sneak a taste of soon. : ) After all, the berries were picked at wonderful Pontious Farm in Monticello...there's another entry for later.

Thanks, Bettina!! Thanks to everyone at the market. Here we go!

Eating within 100 miles

Here's an article from Time magazine, detailing the 100-mile diet concept:

The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet

My Last Meal

...just some humor there. It's not that bad!! : ) I'm getting really excited and nervous about shopping at the market tomorrow; I did, however, go out to eat tonight and stuff myself with a huge muffaleta sandwich and two sweet teas. I'd considered a Big Mac or something deep-fried, but couldn't bring myself to go that far.

I tend to procrastinate and I worry that I haven't prepared enough for the upcoming week. I've flipped through several cookbooks geared toward farmers markets and seasonal eating, and printed out several recipes from my fave online resource, www.allrecipes.com. A friend gave me an excellent cookbook that I plan to use religiously - Simply in Season. I love pasta so you can bet that I'll be eating pasta with homemade sauce and maybe some fresh pesto at least once this week. At least once...

My skeletal plan for tomorrow:

1. Take envelope with $100 in cash (don't mug me). Spend about 80% of it, leaving a cushion in case I need something from the Common Ground Co-Op.

2. Arrive at the market with a basic shopping list. Of course it's 9:00 and I haven't started one, so that may be optimistic on my part.

3. Greet the vendors, ask questions, and start buying!

4. Write down what I bought, from whom, and how much it cost. I'll be able to give some if not all of that information to you as we go, so we both can see where the money went and how well it lasted.

5. Start cooking!

I'm a bit manic...

Sorry I haven't written yet today, but it's been a frantic jumble of preparation at work today for this promotion. Between copywriting and recording stuff and asking/answering questions, I've tried to print any recipes that sound good - and more importantly, realistic - to a novice chef like ME. A shopping list will be a MUST for tomorrow's first official trip to the market.

Another stressor - I'm super frugal and a bit of a money hoarder when I only have a limited amount. It won't be easy for me to just SPEND the $100 freely. I'll probably have to pass through the 5 aisles of the Market over and over, then go to the co-op, then come back, then wring my hands a few times before the money is gone. You can bet, though, that I'll find a way to spend every penny since that wonderful, fresh, local food has to last me til the next market!!!

I plan to be at the Market by 7:30 tomorrow ("doors" open at 7a). If you see me with my two big mesh bags and my cheerful friend/shopping assistant Bettina in tow, please say hello!

So what IS a locavore?

I'm gonna cheat on this one, using the definition given by Wikipedia:

A locavore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles. The locavore movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to produce their own food, with the argument that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locally grown food is an environmentally friendly means of obtaining food, since supermarkets that import their food use more fossil fuels and non-renewable resources.

"Locavore" was coined by Jessica Prentice from the San Francisco Bay Area on the occasion of World Environment Day 2005 to describe and promote the practice of eating a diet consisting of food harvested from within an area most commonly bound by a 100 mile radius. "Localvore" is sometimes also used.

The New Oxford American Dictionary chose locavore, a person who seeks out locally produced food, as its word of the year 2007. The local foods movement is gaining momentum as people discover that the best-tasting and most sustainable choices are foods that are fresh, seasonal, and grown close to home. Some locavores draw inspiration from...advocates of local eating like Barbara Kingsolver, whose book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle chronicles her family's attempts to eat locally. Others just follow their taste buds to farmers' markets, community supported agriculture programs, and community gardens.

NOTE: I really loved Barbara Kingsolver's book mentioned above. I've read several books on this topic but her writing was wonderful and her experience relatable for us in the midwest. Huge recommendation.

Gearing up...

Well, here we go...this is the first blog entry for our latest Mix promotion, The Farmer and Michelle. This will be a more in-depth look at my September adventures at the Urbana Farmers Market. Starting this Saturday (9/6) and for the next three weeks, my goal is to eat primarily foods purchased LOCALLY and SEASONALLY. The journey will be chronicled here, and we'll talk about it on air as well.

SUMMARY: I will be given $100 a week to spend at the Urbana Farmers Market. We've agreed that the Common Ground Co-Op (in its new location at the Lincoln Square Mall) and Strawberry Fields are also acceptable shopping venues as they feature local foods and items I may be unable to find at the market. I plan to be as honest and disciplined as possible. When cooking, my primary ingredients must be from the market. Life happens, but I'm going to do all I can to stick to my plan. I love a challenge.

Let me just put a few things out there before Saturday:

1. This idea grew out of recent hype about "locavores" in the news. Someone suggested it as a radio promotion, and the question raised was, "who'd be most willing to try something like this?" Well, here I am. Why not??

What's a locavore? A locavore is someone who eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius such as 50, 100, or 150 miles. We'll get more into that later. All I know is that starting Saturday, I'm a locavore.

2. I'm a beginner at what has become a fast-growing movement. I've done a lot of reading over the past few months about farmers markets, slow food, arguments for eating locally, CSAs, etc...things I'd never really understood or even heard of before. I've learned a lot and hope to pass along links, book suggestions, recipes, and whatever else may be of interest. Mostly, my goal is to bring awareness to our fabulous market and local resources.

3. When it comes to cooking, I'm a novice. All the reading and research has made me interested in cooking for the first time in my life, and I'm suddenly into it. That doesn't mean I can do very much at all, but I will try - and my assignment after launching this blog is to come up with a list of meals for the first week, so I'll know what to buy. Maybe creativity will come with time, but right now I need guidance.

4. I'm not a vegetarian. The market has many different kinds of meat as well as eggs and goat cheese, and I plan to buy some of each. They don't sell milk, but we've agreed that Oberweiss (bottled in North Aurora) is fine and can be purchased at any store.

5. I'll do live "commercials" each Saturday morning from the Urbana Farmers Market, sharing what's hot and happening that week at the market - for example, what produce may be new. I'd never really thought about the fact that fresh foods come and go. Peaches won't be around much longer, sadly.

6. I'm really wordy and I love to write. That's probably not a surprise since I'm in the communications field. Still, I'll try not to get carried away with long entries. In fact, I'll stop NOW after only one more thought...

I'd love your input and help. Feel free to make suggestions, email recipes, etc. My email address is michelle@mix945.com