I have decided to challenge my culinary skills in the next 30 days in cooking with local products. I know this is beginning to sound like previous blogs about local this and eco-friendly that, but this is going to be a little more intensive.
It's not going to be a cold-turkey kind of challenge, as I am not into self-torture or such a limited diet. I, however, am blessed to live in South Carolina, and many things I love and "need" come from right here in my own backyard!
The 100 Mile Challenge, which was a Food Network Canada reality show filmed outside Vancouver, is my inspiration. On the show, families in the village decided to eat 50% local, 80% local, or 100% local. The focus was on the families that chose to eat 100% local. Everything that was not farmed, sourced, or processed withing 100 miles of the town was off-limits for 100 days. A very tough challenge in our age of fast foods and food addictions from all over the globe (such as chocolate and coffee.)
On a day to day basis I try to buy as much locally as I can, as I have discussed previously on this blog. This time, I am going to attempt 80% local for the month of April!
The rules that I have set for myself include: main ingredients for a meal (veggies, meat, dairy, cheese, carbohydrates) must be sourced from
South Carolina, or a state bordering her. I have chosen to include my aunt's citrus in Florida, since where she lives is only 150 miles away by road.
Spices will be allowed in my cooking, and ONLY California olive oil. I have a feeling that there will be some pork fat in my cooking this month! :)
Follow me along in my adventure, if you'd like! This is really going to test my creativity and food knowledge!
Tonight starts Day 1!
Dinner:
From my yard: baby salad greens (cos, oak leaf, bibb, spinach, arugala), herbs (chive, parsley, cilantro).
From Georgia: pecans, Asher blue cheese, hickory smoked bacon
From South Carolina: dried strawberries, the last from 2010
From Fernandina Beach, FL: meyer lemon juice
The finished product: Baby green salad with chive bacon dressing, toasted pecans and dried strawberries. Dressing made with lemon juice, olive oil, chives, cilantro, black pepper.
Drink: Charleston Tea Plantation Green tea, sweetened with local honey, chilled of course.
Dessert: baked Greenhill cheese, local honey, toasted pecans and dried strawberries
The Salad
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