How did we do ?

The month-long Eat Local Challenge is over and I, for one, intend to continue eating locally as much as possible. What surprised me about the month long challenge ? How easy it was for me to stick to the rules - I was already eating mostly locally produced foods and the few things which came from far away , for example citrus fruits, bananas, or avocados, were easy to do without.

Food which was out of season, such as lettuce, was easily replaced with seasonal vegetables and was not missed. It will be interesting to see if this applies to fall and winter eating as well; right now we are replacing lettuce with arugula, which has volunteered in the garden and has come up in a thick stand, producing more than we can eat. I must admit I was sad when I harvested the last cucumbers, it's going to be a long time until next July when we will taste cucumbers again !The most difficult thing about the challenge was finding locally produced flour and oil, we never did manage to find either one.

And just in case anyone was wondering whether our effort at eating locally produced food made any difference : my neighbor, who sells my eggs at her farmstand at a weekly farmer's market told me that her sales have increased so much this summer that she is going to expand her business and sell at another farmer's market. Last year she was so discouraged by lack of sales, that she almost decided to quit, but this year she can hardly keep up with the demand. Her customers are lined up three deep before she even opens and " everyone is talking about the Kingsolver book."

So pat yourselves on the back, all you Local Eaters, you are making a real difference to the local farmers , thereby keeping a little bit of the country from turning into a housing development . Hurray for us and keep up the good work !

Maine is...

beautiful harbors
endless mountains







boats

weathered old farmhouses overlooking the sea

New England fall asters

quiet walks

lobster boats

lobster pounds

lobster traps and gear

bright days as well as dramatic weather on top of the mountains

lovely coves

and cozy inns at the end of the day.

T and I are back home now and the Easy Houseguests have flown away to Europe ( and have arrived safely at home, too.) What a wonderful time we had traveling through New England ! We're already planning the next trip - this time we'll be their - we hope - Easy Houseguests and explore what is at their doorstep; perhaps a stay at a beach house in Denmark or island hopping in the North sea ? Stay tuned....

Heeeeeeere, chickie, chickie!

The new chicks have arrived and the whole family is SO EXCITED ! As you can see, R loves them and W is very intrigued. I am beginning to gently explain that these chickens will be our food, and R keeps asking if they hurt when we eat them, or if they feel after we kill them. The whole concept is kind of amazing and bewildering, from a 4 year old's point of view.



Despite the potential of R's emotional trauma when the chicks become our dinner, I am really looking forward to having a freezer full of chickens that I KNOW were raised respectfully, ethically and organically.

weekly grocery shopping

Glad to hear that G and T are having fun traveling through New England. I read the foliage report this evening and it says that the long hot summer has prevented the leaves from turning yet in most of the Northeast. This is actually fabulous for me and R because we are going up to Kripalu in the beginning of November.
As far as the Eat Local Challenge -- I went to Whole Foods yesterday ready to stock up on my favorite dinner --- bags of salad mix with assorted sliced veggies and then a protein on the side. The bags of salad were so sad and wilted! Even the local salad mixes looked past their freshness. A lady shopping next to me remarked that she was going to go to another supermarket to try their lettuces. However, since I am part of the eat local challenge - I got creative. Tonight I ate zuchinni, tomatoes, onions and garlic all cooked with a little olive oil and salt and pepper together with a pork cutlet. It was fresh and tasty. I also bought a spaghetti squash and am going to try to microwave it and prepare it from a recipe I found on the internet - like a little pasta carbonara with faux spaghetti. Should be pretty tasty.
The one food that I'm missing in this challenge is Bananas. I really enjoy them as a quick treat when I have along day in NYC - they are available at every deli and there are plenty of fruit vendors on the sidewalks selling them for 25 cents a piece. I will break down and have one this week I think......hee hee.

Going to the fair

We had a great time at the Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine.








The fair is put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and a great time was had by one and all. Here is a parade to extoll the virtues of organic practises put on by the children.

We all learned a lot !

I found out how to build a wood-burning breadbaking oven like the one on the right. T learned how to grow vegetables in winter by covering the crops with a simple greenhouse built right over the row .

It's fall in Maine

It was a wonderful fair ( check ou the guy on the lower left ) !

Travelers' update

We are in Maine and are blown away once again by the beauty of the coves, the rocks, the woods just starting to change to their fall colors, boats in and out of their harbors, lobsters and the beautiful New England houses built long ago.
We have been to Damariscotta and seen the Pemaquid Point Light and have spent a few days on Monhegan, a tiny island out in the ocean, where T had a truly remarkeable adventure.
This morning T and I are off to the Unity Fair, an agricultural fair put on by The Maine Organic Farmers Association. The Easy Houseguests are going to explore Camden while we are away.
There is so much to see and do every day that the reports and pictures of our travels will have to wait until we have a quiet moment, which may be when we return home. We are having a grand time and are enjoying every minute of this trip !

Cheers !

While on the road, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to eat locally . However, we found you can always fall back on locally brewed beer ! In the small glass is a sample of pumpkin beer, the big glasses are filled with Pemaquid ale, both local products.