This isn't our first entirely local meal. I'll post about the first one a bit later, because it's been such a hectic week. Tomorrow is my farmer's market day, little boy has been at a day camp all week, and I seem to have come down with tendonitis in both arms. The first local meal was before all of this craziness began, and I'm grateful for that, because this is only the second real, home-cooked meal we've had this week. Usually I'm a 5+ home-cooked meals a week kind of girl. I like to cook and I'm nutritionally picky.
I, ah, amended my definition of local a smidge this year. I'm allowing a 150 mi radius from Memphis because my milk and goat cheese sources are both a tad over 100 miles away. And after much deliberation, I've decided to give myself the gift of purchased wine/cider vinegar, because I couldn't find a good local vinegar. I tried, but it was all meal-ruiningly-bad.
So. Friday evening we had local polenta (from delta grind, and I'm afraid you'll have to google anything you're interested in because I'm to stinkin' tired to link) with sauteed green onions, swiss chard and beet greens (dodson farm and whitton farms) with the leanest pork sausage* I've ever had. You know how when you cook sausage the pan usually fills up with fat? I had to add olive oil to get the greens to cook "right." Bulk sausage came from Yoder Bros in Paris TN. We had a chopped "farmers market salad"- lettuce, radishes, carrots all from the market, cherry tomatoes from my garden- with a buttermilk/yogurt/goat cheese ranchy dressing. Buttermilk and milk for the yogurt (which I made) are from Rock Springs Dairy in Wildersville, TN (available in Memphis at Easy Way). Goat cheese is from Bonnie Blue Farms in Waynesboro TN.
This was good- even little boy ate it all. He said that the goat cheese tastes "gorgeous." Yes, it's a word I use a lot. He wasn't crazy about the swiss chard stems, but he tried one or two and I happily ate the rest.
Next up- our local pork chops, beet salad, and roasted potatoes. Every meal at our house doesn't feature meat, but it keeps the boys happy. I was a vegetarian for many years, and probably 1/3 of our meals are completely veggie, but we usually have meat as a side dish, as we did Friday night. There wasn't more than 1/2 cup of sausage in our meal (total, not in each serving), but it sure did help the boys to eat those greens. There were none left!
Have a great good-eating weekend everyone!
*Andrew Donnell, of Donnell Beef just let me know that this wonderful sausage comes from Barnes Farm and is his neighbor. He also makes wonderful porkchops, bacon, and porkloin. I have more porkloin in my freezer but I haven't broken it out yet. I'm looking forward to it, though!
5 comments:
sounds scrumptious! I'm the kind of girl that enjoys this kind of meals with just a bit of meat. I just found you in flick and I love all your pottery stuff. I wish I was closer to go see you at the market and get some of you creations. I couldn't find any info to buy those berry bowls. Could you please let me know??
have a great weekend!!
I need to try the sausage mixed with chard. We're not really fans of chard but we try to eat it anyway.
Love it, my boy loves goat cheese as well. And chard goes over much better with my husband when it's mixed together with meat. :)
It would be worth considering going to see an osteopath. I don't know how qualified they are in your neck of the woods, but in the UK they are highly qualified - they study with medical students. I was having awful overuse problems but since seeing the osteopath they are much better- mine does soft tissue work and gives me some (quick) exercises to help me help myself.
twelthknit, I'm afraid that I may be in the backwoods of homeo/osteopathic medicines. I have a book of exercises for my overuse injuries- they seem to help. I haven't been to see a dr. because I don't want cortisone shots- the first line of attack here.
thanks for your comment!
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