I had to throw together dinner last night; we had decided not to buy any groceries until we had been to the farmer's market. And so I made a frittata, with local eggs and produce from my garden (turnips, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, and green onion tops). I used raw butter as my fat, which at least comes from California (about 250 miles as the crow flies).
The market was hopping last night, and happily for Papa the "tomato lady" was finally back. We bought:
tomatoes
a cucumber
avocados
local, free-range eggs
Cara Cara oranges
sugar snap peas
leeks
a maui onion
a red onion
Fuji apples from the Tehachapi area
There was much more, however many of the growers are conventional. The farmer I bought my onions and leeks from took the time to tell me what he sprays and what he doesn't, and how often, and why. I bought from him even though he uses urea as his fertilizer, because of his openness and honesty. I don't know that I would buy from him again; I have to balance my belief in organics with my belief in eating local.
After that we walked to Trader Joe's for a few things, and again lamented how hard it is to find local produce there.
I'm more inspired than ever to expand the garden and grow more of our own food. The question is when, and where, and how do we do it sustainably (not buying plastic or old growth lumber) and without breaking the bank?
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