First beauties!!!!!!
I am very much supportive of the eat local movement. This makes a whole lot of sense to me and I want to support all the local farmers I can. However, I am basically an impatient person, and, living in the northeast, (or is it mid-atlantic? – I never get this) the growing season is very limited. I can’t live to eat in the confines of a May-October growing season. I have many foods which inspire me on a daily basis – and yes, when I am inspired, I want to eat them. Yesterday, upon the recommendation of a friend (thank you Elyse!) who sourced some white peaches for me, I drove to Wegman’s in Bridgewater and secured 8 white peaches from California. These were the first decent looking peaches I have seen in New Jersey so far this year. The peach season is short enough as it is (and cherries, and a lot of things). Actually, local peaches don’t come to market in NJ and on Cape Cod until mid to late Summer. Am I willing to wait for these? In a word, no. Herein lies the dilemma.
I understand the whole send the message theory – don’t buy commercially-farmed produce and meats, thereby sending the message that local farming should grow and the entire commercial farming/ranching business should ultimately (mostly) fade away. I understand all of the global warming issues and pollution issues, I do. And I sympathize with all of these issues. And I am torn about this. But, in reality, can I not purchase the food I want in the short run to eat what I want to eat? I don’t know how to resolve this issue, not just for myself, but for the good of local farming, the economy and the health of people and the environment in general. This is a huge issue and not one to toss off lightly.
That all being said, I guess I am willing to indulge in those peaches even though they came in a huge truck all the way from California. I confess, I cannot wait to bite into my first juicy, flavorful peach, make pies, cakes, scones, salads, chutneys, ice creams and – on and on. So, write me up as one of the sinners, I guess I’m toast in this regard. Bottom line, I will buy local as much as I can wherever and whenever I can. In the meantime, I am off to the kitchen.
I just love the NYT Dining Section but some weeks it is better than others. This week is better. Today, they have a feature on the Todd English Food Hall in the Plaza. I have not been there yet and I can’t wait to go. Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but I am secretly in love with Eric Ripert. I have been for a long time. I have not eaten at Le Bernadin, my husband has (huh?) but I have eaten at Blu in the Caymans. This was a real treat. I love Eric because of his passion for food, his creativity and of course, his accent, which would make a box turtle swoon. Anyway, when I go someday, I hope I get to see him! Melissa Clark’s article on Mayonaise made me want to follow along with each of her experiments. Yikes, corn syrup??? have I never read the label????? UGH. Anyway, I am especially interested in trying her recipe for the sweet potato salad – I am a sucker for sweet potatoes and have been searching for a great summer salad with them for a few years. Have tried Bobby Flay’s and Mustard Grill’s but still on the march. I’ll save the sweet potato story for another day. And, I hope to try the flounder recipe this weekend! As my weakness for carbs was well exposed yesterday, I have to say I am once again weakened by the picture of the challahs under “calendar” – I am a total sucker for challah and brioche and could probably bake and eat this every day for the rest of my life and never tire. When I am trying to wean myself off the grain and sugar, I make a big pot of turkey chili (I currently like the Cooks Illustrated version and add one can of black beans – so total 3 cans of beans)or soup so I can eat a good size lunch and snack later in the day if I am starving. The chili is on the stove now. So, I probably will not succumb to the urge to bake some challah or brioche today. But, oh, Blue Cheese-Pecan scones at Ovenly in Brooklyn?? Thank God I don’t live close to Brooklyn. They sound yummy! All of this makes buying the Times today a great idea if you don’t already have it.
Bye – out to lunch……..
These peonies survived the rain – had to cut a large bouquet of pink ones yesterday, though!