Project 365: Day 43

Local Eats

Two years ago I heard Barbara Kingsolver speak in Harvard Square. She was touring to promote her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life.

Here is a little explanation of the book taken from the website:

Part memoir, part journalistic investigation, this book (released May 2007) tells the story of how our family was changed by one year of deliberately eating food produced in the place where we live.

Soon after I heard her speak, I bought the book and started reading it. It was at a pretty cold time of the year and I very quickly felt the impact of the information in the book when standing in the produce section of the supermarket. As a vegetarian, not wanting to eat produce was a pretty alarming feeling. So, I put the book down (only having read about 50 pages!) and vowed to read it later.

Now, with our impending home ownership and the start of the farmer's market season, I feel much more capable of acting on the information the book presents. I am reading the book and have already gotten way farther into it than last time. It is helping to feed my excitement about being able to grow some of my own food. For the moment, I am focusing that energy on the recently opened Midtown Farmer's Market.

This morning was really cold and grey and windy, but I got up early and went to the farmer's market shortly after it opened. It was worth it because what I purchased, I immediately brought home and ate for breakfast.

Paul and I shared cheese curds from the Ellsworth Dairy Cooperative, locally grown asparagus and bread from a local breadmaker. All of the items were delicious. The asparagus was so fresh that we ate it raw. The cheese curds were so fresh they squeaked. And, the bread was so delicious that it made me giddy!

The bread was made with walnuts, fig and anise. You can bet your bottom dollar that I am going back to this booth next week!