Red Handed Jill
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- Mar 15, 2010
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We all know this is a trendy idea lately (really - we need a word like locavore?), but I think it is a little different for someplace like a BnB. It can be part of the locale, the attraction, the ambiance - getting into the area.
I've been trying to incorporate as much local food as possible, and have been able to fill my menu "templates" largely (not entirely) with produce from a couple farms up the road. I've noticed my guests are impressed and sometimes seem surprised when I can tell them exactly where the peaches/tomatoes/berries grew, the names of the farms, etc.
I have tried to acquire food from local producers (like local companies, not farmers). The thing is, the company's local, the food isn't necessarily. I go to the local pecan company. Lots of pecan products - but they're not locally grown/made. They're from all kinds of different states. I think "our" pecan company has a relationship with other pecan companies - one makes the jams, one packages seasoned nuts, one presses oil, one makes pies. I didn't find a single item that was processed here. (Well, bags of pecans. LOL)
I bought a jar of honey processed 20 miles away - to discover just that. The honey was processed there, but the bees were in South America. (Honey is heavy. Was it really worth the cost of shipping it?)
While meeting the farmer and picking the foods up myself is fun and cool (and even educational for my kids), DANG it's a lot of work in the kitchen - real cooking from scratch. I was relieved when one of the farm owners said his wife is working up recipes to can the local wild fruits and market them. Inside I was thinking, "THANK GOD! I'LL TAKE A CASE!"
Am I the only one who finds that "local" foods aren't necessarily local?
I've been trying to incorporate as much local food as possible, and have been able to fill my menu "templates" largely (not entirely) with produce from a couple farms up the road. I've noticed my guests are impressed and sometimes seem surprised when I can tell them exactly where the peaches/tomatoes/berries grew, the names of the farms, etc.
I have tried to acquire food from local producers (like local companies, not farmers). The thing is, the company's local, the food isn't necessarily. I go to the local pecan company. Lots of pecan products - but they're not locally grown/made. They're from all kinds of different states. I think "our" pecan company has a relationship with other pecan companies - one makes the jams, one packages seasoned nuts, one presses oil, one makes pies. I didn't find a single item that was processed here. (Well, bags of pecans. LOL)
I bought a jar of honey processed 20 miles away - to discover just that. The honey was processed there, but the bees were in South America. (Honey is heavy. Was it really worth the cost of shipping it?)
While meeting the farmer and picking the foods up myself is fun and cool (and even educational for my kids), DANG it's a lot of work in the kitchen - real cooking from scratch. I was relieved when one of the farm owners said his wife is working up recipes to can the local wild fruits and market them. Inside I was thinking, "THANK GOD! I'LL TAKE A CASE!"
Am I the only one who finds that "local" foods aren't necessarily local?