I never get tired of the taste of freshness. For breakfast this morning I made tortillas with cheese, eggs, jalepenos, onions and tomatoes--again. Always delicious, always satisfying. For lunch I was working so I made a lunch I could eat on the run. I cut up half a head of napa cabbage (thanks Vermont Valley Community Farm) and some red peppers Then I made a dressing from peanut butter (big surprise), cider vinegar, honey, hot peppers and garlic--very yummy. I drank a blueberry smoothie (yogurt and blueberries) and ate an apple.
Dinner was at The Roman Candle a Buy fresh, Buy Local participant. We talked to the owner, Brewer (his name not his title). He said reliability and availability are the biggest obstacles for restaurant owners when it comes to buying local. They do go over to the Eastside Farmer's Market to buy tomatoes for their caprese salald, and they are trying to source all local basil for their pesto. They currently buy fruits and veggies from a local purveyor but not all the food is grown locally.
It seems the connections are not yet easy enough for restaurant owners to take advantage of what is grown here. Here's an idea right from the Farmers Diner Scott posted about a few days ago: How about a central commissary where fresh, local food can be processed and then delivered to local restaurants in the same form they can get from Sysco or other big providers? The chicken can be broken up the same way line cooks are used to, cheese can be shredded, veggies prepped--an idea like this would provide jobs and make local food a viable and reliable option for local restaurants. Something to pursue?
Friday, August 24, 2007
Friday, August 24: Day 24
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2 comments:
It seems like delivery is a big issue around here when asking local restaurant owners why they don't buy local. They want to do it but they want it delivered and most of the farmers around here aren't set up for that.
Thanks for the link! I look forward to reading your blog.
REAP food group (www.reapfoodgroup.org) has looked into this extensively. They had a feasibility study done with some other food orgs (forget who, sorry); it wasn't great because the folks doing the study assumed that you'd need to start up full scale, rather than starting with, say, carrots, and working your way up.
However, this is definitely something that is being thought about! I think I remember hearing that an ex-farmer in the area is planning a trial of a smaller scale processing facility.
Also, do you know about www.artisanfoodsdelivered.com? They are doing delivery of milk, cheese, ice cream, meats, etc. No produce yet, but definitely more reliable delivery.
Kate
KateS781@yahoo.com
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