Since my dismal showing on the first day of the Penny-Wise Eat Local Challenge, my local food quotient has greatly improved. My big error was skipping the farmer's market last weekend, which meant I was low on local staples, which can't be easily corrected, even with a remedial trip to Whole Foods. But we're getting there.
Last night's dinner was a sumptuous roast chicken from Petaluma stuffed with local herbs and served alongside locally-grown leeks baked until they were melty-tender and a salad made of Marin county lettuce and Point Reyes blue cheese. Total cost for 2 people? $13.00.
I should mention that I'm not counting the wine. $8 for the week? In what universe? Not mine.
This lunch, which I just finished scarfing down, was the best value yet: a lovely scramble made of 2 Santa Rosa eggs, raw milk cheddar from Petaluma, local dill, green onions and asparagus, and a salad made from the remaining lettuce from last night, plus Marin county snap peas and juicy strawberries from Watsonville. Total Cost: $4.80.
Ongoing issues: lunch on the fly, in between meetings - impossible (for me, at least) to eat totally local, but not hard to choose small, local cafes that use organic ingredients to increase the chances that some of the ingredients are local.
