Sunday, July 20, 2008

Locavore Eating -- Eat what you have!

One of the purposes of this experiment is to remind people to THINK about what they are eating and making smarter choices. Again, I am reminded of the vast quantities of food I have socked away in our house.

This weekend, I scrounged through my freezer and found BBQ pheasant, roasted red peppers I had made last summer, duck stock ice cubes and chopped peppers. I went to the pantry and found green lentils, white rice and wild rice. And I have a slew of spices -- some that I tossed this weekend because they were older than 'several' years. Really we should all toss much of our spices!

Now it's true, I have probably been a locavore even before I heard the word by personal choice. I love gardening, I love to buy food from gardeners and ranchers and local food just tastes better. Cooking is a favorite pasttime and I love to 'make my own' when I can. With this experiment, it's got me thinking about the great benefits of eating local as well as shopping in your own cupboard BEFORE going to the store. This has been an added benefit.

So over the weekend, I made a recipe called Kitcheri which is an Indian lentil / rice / spices dish. This is so delicious and easy to make. I added the pheasant and had a complete meal. Again, shopping AT HOME is a smart move.

Over the weekend, I went back to the Farmer's Market in Spearfish and bought eggs from Sturgis, zucchini and peas from Spearfish (I think), tomatoes from Newell and these pickled jalapenos from ND. Close to local and really hot and fantastic. I also got another loaf of that oatmeal bread. From Runnings we were lucky to get two pints of fresh raspberries -- $12 is a high price to pay but they will only be here for a short period. And they are grown a few blocks away. Now that defines a Black Hills Locavore!

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