Local diet update - September 28, 2009

It was a VERY cool week in local food! I've been harvesting sweet potatoes, green bell peppers, green onions, and sage out of my backyard. I'm learning to cure sweet potatoes (this is my very first potato harvest) and with any luck, I'll be enjoying them throughout the winter.

The seeds we planted earlier in the month are coming up beautifully and we have plans to put even more veggies in as soon as we clear the sweet potato beds.

I've also been dipping into my pantry and am using up the last jar of cabbage soup from last winter. What can I say? I'm still eating last winter's harvest. Canning is awesome!

Saturday's farmers' market was super busy. Not only was I manning the market's information booth (my usual Saturday station), but I was also filling in as stock-girl for the Leaning Tree Farm booth. I filled in last week too and really enjoy the fast pace of the vendor booths, always at the ready to fill the table bins with crisp veggies from the coolers.

I did manage to get around and check out everyone's harvest. It was another beautiful week in food. Check this out...

This week's Brazos Valley Farmers' Market included:

Veggies and Fruits: red potatoes, yellow onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, cucumber, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, green beans, a variety of hot and sweet peppers, okra, spinach, herbs, purple hull peas, patty pan squash, dried apples

Baked Goods: yeast breads, sweet breads, cookies, pound cake, cheesecake bars, pecan bars, pies, kolaches, dog treats

Canned Goods: jams, jellies, salsas, pickles, chow-chow, relish, veggies, chutney, veggies

Other Foods: cornmeal, grits, wheat flour, eggs, honey, hot pepper sauce, jalapeno oil, olive oil, locally-roasted coffee

Non-Food Items (hand-crafted): soaps, lotions, bath gels, perfumes, stained glass art, decorative plants, fruit trees, gourds, aprons, greeting cards, decorative spoons, jewelry, candles, pot holders, pillows, stuffed animals, a variety of welded iron work (lawn ornaments, plant stands, knick-knacks, etc)

In light of the 100 Day Challenge I've joined where I'm trying to go 100 days without buying anything (except fruit) for myself, I'll divide up my haul into categories: Dave's food, things I've bartered for myself, and things that were given to me. The bottom line is, I can eat stuff I don't buy during the 100 days, relying on my backyard garden, my pantry full of home-canned goodies, and anything bartered or given to me. Since I don't have a supply of fruit, that's the one exception. Ok. Here what I came home with on Saturday:

Dave's Food - Two carrots, a pound of green beans, and some red potatoes (for a nice steamed vegetable medley); plus a jar of his favorite jelly (grape). Total: $9.00

Bartered Food - I bartered a loaf of my homemade whole wheat bread for that container of local whole wheat flour; I bartered a second loaf of my homemade whole wheat bread for the bag of sweet peppers, eggplant, and zucchini.

Gifted Food - That beautiful yellow onion was a gift from one of the vendors.

Ok. Um, yeah. There's still the humongous tin of olive oil in the photo, right? Ten bottles worth, in fact. So in week #1 of the 100 day challenge, I've already bought something for me that wasn't fruit. Or did I? Does it count if I had ordered it months ago? And actually, aren't olives considered a fruit? Pshew! That was sneaky, but perhaps I'm not cheating after all!

The only missing piece was local fruit, so on Sunday, I biked on over to the produce market for a Texas watermelon (actually just 1/4 of one, which is all I can eat at a time). I'd say our supply of local foods is complete!

As usual, the local diet forecast is looking pretty amazing. Lots of bartered goodies to enjoy this week (including some leftover patty-pan squash from last week), as well as harvests from the backyard, a pantry full of local rice and all-local soups, pasta sauce, and corn. Plus there's the farmers' market veggies I bought for Dave this week and a full supply of local eggs in the fridge. There's even plenty of local honey for me to use in my homemade whole wheat bread.

So what's local in your pantry this week?

Have a great week, everyone! And as always, Happy (and mindful) eating!