Since undertaking the Summer pledge, most meals I have been preparing have been pretty close to 100% local. This meal I am going to share with you is a simple meal and was my first true, local, meal.
It starts with a farmer’s market and on Saturdays Leah and I make our way to the busy market to find our friendly neighborhood good food growers. Each market visit, we usually spend a good deal of time at the Heiden Valley Farms table where our wonderful beef farmer sets up shop. The sale takes less than 30 seconds, and yet we seem to cause a huge back-up as our conversation takes no less than 5-10 minutes. This is where the difference starts: Upon shaking Jim’s hand, a secret and unspoken bond has formed between us. It is the close relationship of a grower to a consumer.
Small talk leads to talk, and each and every consecutive purchase leads to not only business, but friendship. My friendship with my wondful local beef farmer fosters a healthy environment that not only boosts satisfaction, but also food quality. Where would the farmer’s incentive to cut corners be if he personally knew and shook hands with the person/people he or she sells their products to?
Red leaf kale is something that grows abundantly in the Rochester area and you’ll be hard pressed not to find any form of kale at any market. Kale is a wonder plant I discovered several years ago and have been munching on ever since.
In my CSA box, I was given several different things this week, including an interesting beet like vegetable I’ve never seen before. Here is the CSA difference: surprise and creativity! By switching local, I have so far tested and tried 12 new species of plants that I have never tried before. Beets! Radishes! Turnips, spinach, broccoli, tiny-red-root-things-I-don’t-know-what-they-are! Spinach and broccoli may seem strange to some people, but what most don’t realize is that there are sometimes dozens or hundreds of different species of a single plant. A Super-Market finds it economical to only carry one species, but go to a normal market, and you’ll find several variations!
This was our meal:
A 1# Sirloin Steak (100% grass fed and pastured) covered in Beet dices and wrapped in leaves of Red Leaf Kale and baked. Green Peas and locally produced spices including black pepper, salt, cardamom, etc. with a “Very” Blueberry wine from the Finger Lakes.
The difference doesn’t just come from the taste. It comes in the security and the knowledge that you are also supporting your local economy.