Day One
So I'm back from vacation, recovering from a crazy weekend of work, and guess what? Today is day one of our 100 mile challenge. Guess what else? There is nothing to eat in our house. Okay, that's not totally true. There are potatoes and beets and honey and bread. Therefore, first 100 mile breakfast is toast (I just wasn't up to beets before 9 am). I did want to impress you all with my 100 mile cooking prowess, but this is the reality of it: I'll probably be eating a lot of toast. (The bread is awesome by the way: Nature Bake Oregon Grains Bread, using grains from the Willamette Valley Seed and Grain Project. I got it at Harvest Fresh!)
Erik and I had once last pint and burger last night, and now we've arrived: one month on 100 mile food. Really, as we discussed over dinner last night, we already do pretty well on this front. The only food in our kitchen that is really illegal for this challenge is our fall-back food: dried pasta, beans of unknown origin, and those meals out when we're too lazy to cook. Mostly we do pretty well. Because of that, I'm not freaking out about this month any more: I'm really pretty excited. I am intrigued to see how I'll do with baking when I only have eggs and sourdough as leavening. I'm curious as to how many salad-and-egg meals we'll have. And how many potatoes we'll eat.
For those of you who have read Plenty, you might remember J.B. and Alisa talking about being hungry for the first few weeks of their 100 mile diet (and about how many potatoes they ate). After all, when you're used to carbo-loading with huge bowls of pasta on a regular basis, salad and other vegetable-based meals will leave you with some pangs. Erik and I are resigned to this fact. The real challenge will be resisting the last remnants of easy food that are in our kitchen or on our fridge shelves. Since we're only doing this for a month, we thought it would be best not to let ourselves have that "anything still in the kitchen is fair game" clause. Especially since I tend to stock up on staples, that would mean this month would be far from a challenge: we'd just coast through and clean out the pantry in the process. Instead, I (the cook), and Erik (the meal police), will do our utmost to remain honest and not sneak mustard or ketchup or secretly boil that last bag of pasta shells because we got home late from work.
Today we're going grocery shopping, and to our sadly neglected garden row, to restock our kitchen for the week. We'll let you know how we do.
Beth
Monday, August 15, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
100 Mile Diet: Installment 4
Let's Be Reasonable
Hello everyone!
Welcome to the month of the 100 Mile Diet challenge! Somehow it is already August, the kick off event has already happened (thank you to everyone who came!), and it's time to get down to business.
Initially Erik and I had planned to do our 100 Mile Diet for the month of August--the first through the thirty first. Then life got a little wacky, and suddenly there were two family trips taking up the first two weeks of the month. Not that we're complaining--it's time away in the summer, after all--but our 100 Mile Diet plans seemed a little out of touch. Because of that, we've decided to start our 100 Mile Diet in a couple of weeks, after all of the traveling is done. Check back in with us as we start officially on August 14th.
This little scheduling episode is a perfect example of what I have come to call the "let's be reasonable" phenomenon. Packing all 100 Mile backpacking food? Probably not reasonable. Not eating local cheese because the cultures used to make it aren't local? Probably not reasonable. Driving to the Pacific Ocean to lug seawater home and evaporate your own salt? Probably not reasonable.
This 100 Mile thing can get out of hand really quick! I really admire Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon (authors of Plenty), because although they were very strict with their 100 Mile Diet, they managed to avoid being absurd or unreasonable. They used the salt they had in their cupboards. They ate out on occasion. They happily ate out of season, processed, or otherwise off-limits foods when they were prepared by friends and family. They were reasonable. They weren't rude. They didn't preach to other people about their personal eating choices. And this is a hard thing to do when you are passionate about an issue.
Angelina Williamson, who spoke for us at the kick-off event, also touched on this issue of being reasonable in her presentation. Her son, for example, is an extremely picky eater. As she said, "letting my kid starve was not an option." Also, going without coffee was not an option (not worth the migraines). At the opening of her talk she put up a slide with a list of items she allowed herself that did not fit the 100 mile criteria. Among them were: baking soda, salt, spices, coffee, and vinegar. Oh, right. Basic things: leavening, flavor, preservative qualities, sanity-offering qualities. She also mentioned that these are all items that have been traded for a really, really long time now. At some point the argument that these few luxury items, ones that are consumed in relatively small quantity, are destroying our food systems and our planet rings a little hollow. Even folks living in the frontier west would get oranges once a year. (Did you read the Little House on the Prairie series? I did.) They bought salt and probably a few spices. These were things available long before apples were flown in from New Zealand or the Amazon rainforest began to be razed to plant soybeans. Seems reasonable to allow a few of them to squeak through the kitchen hazing process.
At what point does the "let's be reasonable" argument kick in for you? Would you be willing to deny yourself salt or spices in the name of eating a 100% 100 mile diet? Or would you be content to work harder to source staples from within that 100 miles--grains, beans, meat, produce, milk--and to cook more of your food yourself rather than reaching for a box, and let a few favorite spices stay in the cupboard? Would you prep and dry 100 mile backpacking meals to feed five people for four days, or would you go to Winco and buy your once or twice a year packets of Ramen noodles? Let me know what you think in the comments, and share with us what you think is reasonable to do as you plan for or start your 100 Mile Diet.
Talk to you all soon,
Beth
Hello everyone!
Welcome to the month of the 100 Mile Diet challenge! Somehow it is already August, the kick off event has already happened (thank you to everyone who came!), and it's time to get down to business.
Initially Erik and I had planned to do our 100 Mile Diet for the month of August--the first through the thirty first. Then life got a little wacky, and suddenly there were two family trips taking up the first two weeks of the month. Not that we're complaining--it's time away in the summer, after all--but our 100 Mile Diet plans seemed a little out of touch. Because of that, we've decided to start our 100 Mile Diet in a couple of weeks, after all of the traveling is done. Check back in with us as we start officially on August 14th.
This little scheduling episode is a perfect example of what I have come to call the "let's be reasonable" phenomenon. Packing all 100 Mile backpacking food? Probably not reasonable. Not eating local cheese because the cultures used to make it aren't local? Probably not reasonable. Driving to the Pacific Ocean to lug seawater home and evaporate your own salt? Probably not reasonable.
This 100 Mile thing can get out of hand really quick! I really admire Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon (authors of Plenty), because although they were very strict with their 100 Mile Diet, they managed to avoid being absurd or unreasonable. They used the salt they had in their cupboards. They ate out on occasion. They happily ate out of season, processed, or otherwise off-limits foods when they were prepared by friends and family. They were reasonable. They weren't rude. They didn't preach to other people about their personal eating choices. And this is a hard thing to do when you are passionate about an issue.
Angelina Williamson, who spoke for us at the kick-off event, also touched on this issue of being reasonable in her presentation. Her son, for example, is an extremely picky eater. As she said, "letting my kid starve was not an option." Also, going without coffee was not an option (not worth the migraines). At the opening of her talk she put up a slide with a list of items she allowed herself that did not fit the 100 mile criteria. Among them were: baking soda, salt, spices, coffee, and vinegar. Oh, right. Basic things: leavening, flavor, preservative qualities, sanity-offering qualities. She also mentioned that these are all items that have been traded for a really, really long time now. At some point the argument that these few luxury items, ones that are consumed in relatively small quantity, are destroying our food systems and our planet rings a little hollow. Even folks living in the frontier west would get oranges once a year. (Did you read the Little House on the Prairie series? I did.) They bought salt and probably a few spices. These were things available long before apples were flown in from New Zealand or the Amazon rainforest began to be razed to plant soybeans. Seems reasonable to allow a few of them to squeak through the kitchen hazing process.
At what point does the "let's be reasonable" argument kick in for you? Would you be willing to deny yourself salt or spices in the name of eating a 100% 100 mile diet? Or would you be content to work harder to source staples from within that 100 miles--grains, beans, meat, produce, milk--and to cook more of your food yourself rather than reaching for a box, and let a few favorite spices stay in the cupboard? Would you prep and dry 100 mile backpacking meals to feed five people for four days, or would you go to Winco and buy your once or twice a year packets of Ramen noodles? Let me know what you think in the comments, and share with us what you think is reasonable to do as you plan for or start your 100 Mile Diet.
Talk to you all soon,
Beth
Thursday, July 28, 2011
TONIGHT! 100 Mile Diet Kick Off!
We hope to see you there!!
What?
100 Mile Diet Kick Off Event
Where?
McMinnville Public Library, Carnegie Room
When?
7pm
Local woman Angelina Williamson will be sharing her experience eating a 100 Mile Diet for a year. There will be a question and answer session following. Local wine and nibbles are provided!
What?
100 Mile Diet Kick Off Event
Where?
McMinnville Public Library, Carnegie Room
When?
7pm
Local woman Angelina Williamson will be sharing her experience eating a 100 Mile Diet for a year. There will be a question and answer session following. Local wine and nibbles are provided!
Friday, July 22, 2011
100 Mile Diet: Installment 3
So, What Inspires You?
Hello all!
Well, I don't know about you, but this weather makes me curiously more optimistic about this whole 100 Mile Diet thing. It seems more possible that there really will be peppers and peaches and maybe (gasp) melons! Hooray for summer.
This week we finally, after arduous work and coordination, got the 100 Mile Diet publicity out in McMinnville. You might have seen it... I hope you've seen it... if you haven't seen it then I'll get more out there so you can see it... And now that the whole thing feels much more real, I'm excited to start some conversations with you all about why we are doing this thing.
Inspiration is important with things like this experiment--things that are challenging and force you to think and to examine ingrained habits and all that self-help-ish sounding good stuff. I've been thinking a lot about why I want to do this, and came up with a little list (man, I love a good list). Have you come up with your inspiration for participating? If so, share it! If not... maybe go write it down, stick it to your fridge, and then share with us too!
Beth's List of Inspiration:
1. Turning sentiment into action.
If you're anything like me, you've probably thought, read, watched, etc a lot about food issues. You've been horrified and amazed and perhaps brought to tears by what you've learned (ok, maybe that's just me), and always wondered what you could do with that knowledge. Well, here it is. I've been learning about local food for a long time. Finally all that passion is channeled to a very specific, time-lined purpose. Action.
2. Farmers!
We are so blessed to live in this county with all of its fantastic, hard-working, trail-blazing, passionate, and talented farmers. Their hard work and dedication to producing true, honest food is super inspiring. I've always supported them, but this project feels makes that support seem more concrete somehow.
3. Freshly picked peaches.
Have you ever bitten into a fresh, sun-warmed Veteran peach at the peak of ripeness? Um, ya.
4. I love to eat.
Obvious? Perhaps. Still, I love food: growing it, buying it, cooking it, sharing it. And there's nothing better than assembling a meal and knowing precisely where everything came from, down to the farmer's hand who you laid your dollars in. So good.
Talk to you all soon,
Beth
PS> If you haven't seen the poster (!!!), here's a glimpse:
Hello all!
Well, I don't know about you, but this weather makes me curiously more optimistic about this whole 100 Mile Diet thing. It seems more possible that there really will be peppers and peaches and maybe (gasp) melons! Hooray for summer.
This week we finally, after arduous work and coordination, got the 100 Mile Diet publicity out in McMinnville. You might have seen it... I hope you've seen it... if you haven't seen it then I'll get more out there so you can see it... And now that the whole thing feels much more real, I'm excited to start some conversations with you all about why we are doing this thing.
Inspiration is important with things like this experiment--things that are challenging and force you to think and to examine ingrained habits and all that self-help-ish sounding good stuff. I've been thinking a lot about why I want to do this, and came up with a little list (man, I love a good list). Have you come up with your inspiration for participating? If so, share it! If not... maybe go write it down, stick it to your fridge, and then share with us too!
Beth's List of Inspiration:
1. Turning sentiment into action.
If you're anything like me, you've probably thought, read, watched, etc a lot about food issues. You've been horrified and amazed and perhaps brought to tears by what you've learned (ok, maybe that's just me), and always wondered what you could do with that knowledge. Well, here it is. I've been learning about local food for a long time. Finally all that passion is channeled to a very specific, time-lined purpose. Action.
2. Farmers!
We are so blessed to live in this county with all of its fantastic, hard-working, trail-blazing, passionate, and talented farmers. Their hard work and dedication to producing true, honest food is super inspiring. I've always supported them, but this project feels makes that support seem more concrete somehow.
3. Freshly picked peaches.
Have you ever bitten into a fresh, sun-warmed Veteran peach at the peak of ripeness? Um, ya.
4. I love to eat.
Obvious? Perhaps. Still, I love food: growing it, buying it, cooking it, sharing it. And there's nothing better than assembling a meal and knowing precisely where everything came from, down to the farmer's hand who you laid your dollars in. So good.
Talk to you all soon,
Beth
PS> If you haven't seen the poster (!!!), here's a glimpse:
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The 100 Mile Diet: Installment 2
The First 100 Mile Meal
Hello everyone!
A shameful but packed two weeks or more have passed since I've written anything. Sorry! Luckily, I'm coming back to you all after (mostly) finishing publicity for the real 100 Mile event! Hooray! It should be up around town soon.
I wanted to just write a quick post about my first 100 mile meal. Call it a test run/learning experience/a way to use a lot of fava beans... any way it was delicious.
So yes, fava beans. I picked up a huge bag of them at market last week, and needed to use them up. I wasn't quite sure how... in search of inspiration I ended up walking carefully around Roth's reading labels and picking up produce from within that 100 mile radius. I did pretty good: a couple bunches of delicious spinach from Brownsville, green onions from Milwaukee, mushrooms from Yamhill, cherries from Dayton, a half gallon of apple cider from Hood River, and amazing chive havarti from Salem. The plan? Some kind of a salad. Maybe minus the cherries.
In the end, I sauteed the onions, favas (painstakingly removed from their fuzzy pods--so worth it!), and mushrooms in slightly ridiculous amounts of creamy local butter. I chopped the spinach roughly, tossed it in a big bowl, and added the hot beans, shrooms, and onions to the mix. Stir, stir, and viola! Wilted spinach salad. I cubed some havarti and tossed it in as well. Um, yum! The mushrooms and spinach were earthy, the beans sweet and green, the cheese sharp and bracing. Minor success!
Though I was able to catch myself before putting olive oil in the pan and before grinding some pepper over the finished product (kitchen habits lie deep), I did sin in one major way: salt. Salt is going to be a sticky spot for this experiment I think. I've been researching, and so far the closest source I can find is in Northern California. Does anyone know of a source for Oregon-harvested salt? If you do, you will be a hero to many a community member quite soon. Post it in the comments!
Hopefully everyone is getting excited about this event! For more information, check out the events page here, or a community billboard near you in the near future.
Cheers,
Beth
Hello everyone!
A shameful but packed two weeks or more have passed since I've written anything. Sorry! Luckily, I'm coming back to you all after (mostly) finishing publicity for the real 100 Mile event! Hooray! It should be up around town soon.
I wanted to just write a quick post about my first 100 mile meal. Call it a test run/learning experience/a way to use a lot of fava beans... any way it was delicious.
So yes, fava beans. I picked up a huge bag of them at market last week, and needed to use them up. I wasn't quite sure how... in search of inspiration I ended up walking carefully around Roth's reading labels and picking up produce from within that 100 mile radius. I did pretty good: a couple bunches of delicious spinach from Brownsville, green onions from Milwaukee, mushrooms from Yamhill, cherries from Dayton, a half gallon of apple cider from Hood River, and amazing chive havarti from Salem. The plan? Some kind of a salad. Maybe minus the cherries.
In the end, I sauteed the onions, favas (painstakingly removed from their fuzzy pods--so worth it!), and mushrooms in slightly ridiculous amounts of creamy local butter. I chopped the spinach roughly, tossed it in a big bowl, and added the hot beans, shrooms, and onions to the mix. Stir, stir, and viola! Wilted spinach salad. I cubed some havarti and tossed it in as well. Um, yum! The mushrooms and spinach were earthy, the beans sweet and green, the cheese sharp and bracing. Minor success!
Though I was able to catch myself before putting olive oil in the pan and before grinding some pepper over the finished product (kitchen habits lie deep), I did sin in one major way: salt. Salt is going to be a sticky spot for this experiment I think. I've been researching, and so far the closest source I can find is in Northern California. Does anyone know of a source for Oregon-harvested salt? If you do, you will be a hero to many a community member quite soon. Post it in the comments!
Hopefully everyone is getting excited about this event! For more information, check out the events page here, or a community billboard near you in the near future.
Cheers,
Beth
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Fruit of the Month: June
The Delectable, Delicate Strawberry.
A true sign of how strange the weather has been this spring is the late arrival of strawberries. They only really started showing their luscious red faces at market a couple of weeks ago… so technically, this very tardy post is right in the middle-ish/end of the season. Forgive me: I’ve been to busy eating them to write about them.
I think we all have some sort of special memory associated with strawberries. Whether it was your grandma’s strawberry shortbread, waiting impatiently for the first Oregon berries of the season (something not crunchy and white inside from *cough* California), Tess of the D’Ubervilles naughtily nibbling the delicate fruit in your high school English class, or perhaps the dreamy lyrics of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” the strawberry tends to have a mythic persona. The first fresh fruit of the season (if you don’t count rhubarb, which is technically a vegetable anyhow), it oozes sweetness and promises of warmer weather and the start of a succession of delicious berries that will carry you all the way to fall. Lovely.
My most prominent memories of strawberries are the mornings that my mom got us kids up really early (okay, it wasn’t that early, but it was the start of summer break—whatever happened to sleeping in?) to go pick berries at Jaquith’s Farm. It’s always awkward, picking strawberries. When you’re little you have to crouch down in between the rows and untangle the berries from their lush foliage. Later, when your legs are longer, you learn the method of straddling the row—greatly increasing your yields and the soreness of your back the day after you pick. I also remember the slightly icky feeling of too many berries before breakfast. Funny how that was immediately erased by a bowl of fresh berries and cream when we got home…
So strawberries are a nostalgic fruit, and also one full of promise. They are also fleeting, so get out there and pick (or buy) to your hearts content! Lay by a little early summer ambrosia for some day in December when it is truly dreary outside, and I guarantee you won’t remember how sore your back was.
The particulars:
Strawberry season—This varies greatly depending on variety and, of course, weather. Historically, I think the last week of May or first week of June was a good time to start looking. These days, we have to be more patient, with them arriving in the middle or even toward the end of the month. Also keep an eye out for ever-bearing berries! They can be found clear into the fall!
Delectable varieties—Did you know that varieties of strawberry vary significantly by region? Here in Oregon, varieties of historical significance include Hoods and Bentons. New ones are arriving all the time. My favorite this season has been Honeye.
Where to find them—At the farmer’s market! I’ve also spotted ones from local farms at Roths and Harvest Fresh in McMinnville. Also, u-pick and picked flats for sale are available at Bernards Farm, Farmer Johns, and Sweet Oregon Berry. Have a favorite u-pick place? If you’re willing to sacrifice secrecy, share it in the comments!
Recipes!—Check out the Recipes page (click on the tab above) for a couple of my favorite strawberry recipes. Feel free to share yours in the comments!
A true sign of how strange the weather has been this spring is the late arrival of strawberries. They only really started showing their luscious red faces at market a couple of weeks ago… so technically, this very tardy post is right in the middle-ish/end of the season. Forgive me: I’ve been to busy eating them to write about them.
I think we all have some sort of special memory associated with strawberries. Whether it was your grandma’s strawberry shortbread, waiting impatiently for the first Oregon berries of the season (something not crunchy and white inside from *cough* California), Tess of the D’Ubervilles naughtily nibbling the delicate fruit in your high school English class, or perhaps the dreamy lyrics of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” the strawberry tends to have a mythic persona. The first fresh fruit of the season (if you don’t count rhubarb, which is technically a vegetable anyhow), it oozes sweetness and promises of warmer weather and the start of a succession of delicious berries that will carry you all the way to fall. Lovely.
My most prominent memories of strawberries are the mornings that my mom got us kids up really early (okay, it wasn’t that early, but it was the start of summer break—whatever happened to sleeping in?) to go pick berries at Jaquith’s Farm. It’s always awkward, picking strawberries. When you’re little you have to crouch down in between the rows and untangle the berries from their lush foliage. Later, when your legs are longer, you learn the method of straddling the row—greatly increasing your yields and the soreness of your back the day after you pick. I also remember the slightly icky feeling of too many berries before breakfast. Funny how that was immediately erased by a bowl of fresh berries and cream when we got home…
So strawberries are a nostalgic fruit, and also one full of promise. They are also fleeting, so get out there and pick (or buy) to your hearts content! Lay by a little early summer ambrosia for some day in December when it is truly dreary outside, and I guarantee you won’t remember how sore your back was.
The particulars:
Strawberry season—This varies greatly depending on variety and, of course, weather. Historically, I think the last week of May or first week of June was a good time to start looking. These days, we have to be more patient, with them arriving in the middle or even toward the end of the month. Also keep an eye out for ever-bearing berries! They can be found clear into the fall!
Delectable varieties—Did you know that varieties of strawberry vary significantly by region? Here in Oregon, varieties of historical significance include Hoods and Bentons. New ones are arriving all the time. My favorite this season has been Honeye.
Where to find them—At the farmer’s market! I’ve also spotted ones from local farms at Roths and Harvest Fresh in McMinnville. Also, u-pick and picked flats for sale are available at Bernards Farm, Farmer Johns, and Sweet Oregon Berry. Have a favorite u-pick place? If you’re willing to sacrifice secrecy, share it in the comments!
Recipes!—Check out the Recipes page (click on the tab above) for a couple of my favorite strawberry recipes. Feel free to share yours in the comments!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Come Check Out the Chickens!
The 3rd Annual Garden and Coop Tour is happening this Saturday!
Six different coops are participating this year, which is sure to give you tons of garden and chicken housing ideas! Slow Food will be out and about at one of the stops sharing our favorite egg recipes with you all. Specifics for the event are below and on the Events Calendar page.
We hope to see you there!
The Details:
What: Chicken Coop and Garden Tour, Free self-guided tour of coops and gardens.
When: Saturday, June 18, between 11:00 and 4:00
Where: McMinnville and surrounding countryside
Registration and tour details available at OSU Extension office, 2050 Lafayette Avenue, 503. 434.7515. Sponsored by OSU Extension 4-H programs, Stacey Lynn's Farm, Slow Food Yamhill County and local coops and gardens.
For questions contact Judi at valleycreekfarm@gmail.com.
Six different coops are participating this year, which is sure to give you tons of garden and chicken housing ideas! Slow Food will be out and about at one of the stops sharing our favorite egg recipes with you all. Specifics for the event are below and on the Events Calendar page.
We hope to see you there!
The Details:
What: Chicken Coop and Garden Tour, Free self-guided tour of coops and gardens.
When: Saturday, June 18, between 11:00 and 4:00
Where: McMinnville and surrounding countryside
Registration and tour details available at OSU Extension office, 2050 Lafayette Avenue, 503. 434.7515. Sponsored by OSU Extension 4-H programs, Stacey Lynn's Farm, Slow Food Yamhill County and local coops and gardens.
For questions contact Judi at valleycreekfarm@gmail.com.
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