Living Locavore

Last week, I opened a magazine and read an article that changed the way I think about food. I picked up the excellent CCM “Diner” publication and learned about a movement called “Locavore.” Added to the dictionary in 2007, a Locavore is someone who eats a significant portion of his or her diet from local food sources. It’s good for the planet. It’s good for your health. And, it’s good for your budget.

Think about it, it makes total sense. Why should I go to my local grocery store and pay for tomatoes that were picked green and shipped 1500 miles to me? You know that as a consumer, we are paying those transit costs. Instead, why wouldn’t I go to my local Farmer’s Market and buy tomatoes that were picked yesterday and shipped from . . . Nipomo. It was a complete “a-ha” moment for me.

And, the universe continued to point me in the Locavore direction when an article in the newspaper the next morning mentioned that the Cal Poly Organic Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program was accepting memberships for the summer/fall season. If you are unfamiliar with the Cal Poly Org Farm’s CSA program, you can pick up a box of fresh, seasonal organic produce at Cal Poly or one of several convenient locations in San Luis Obispo.

Mrs. Vino knows that when the universe consistently points you in a direction, you should follow. So I signed up for the CPOF program. Last week I picked up my first harvest box. The day was sunny. As Mr. Vino put the box into the backseat of the car, the scent of warm, earthy fields filled the vehicle. Heaven. Mr. Vino was driving and I was craning my neck trying to see what miraculous gifts I had been given. Seriously, it was just like Christmas. With vegetables.

As I danced up the stairs to the kitchen, I was already giddy. For me, this was like an episode of Iron Chef San Luis Obispo. Who knew what bold and subtle flavors I would be exploring. Carrots. YUM. Beets. AWESOME. Basil. YEE HAW, IT’S PESTO TIME. Kohlrabi. HUH??? Kale. OK, YOU CAN’T WIN EVERY TIME.

It was late and we started simply. The main course that night was roasted chicken, so I just boiled the carrots and the tiny little taters that were in the box. OK, I haven’t had a garden-grown carrot since my teenage years, when I used to help my dad in his vegetable garden (he had a fondness for “unusual” vegetables, that’s how I knew what the Kohlrabi was). The simple boiled carrot and potato were proof that La Vida Locavore is delicious. Sweet. Earthy. Creamy. Incredible in it’s simple, clean flavors.

I’ve got to think it’s easier to live La Vida Locavore on the Central Coast in summer than say . . . In Chicago in the middle of winter. And local proteins are a bit harder to find than local vegetables, so living Locavore might mean living, at least partially, vegetarian. (Sorry, Mr. Vino.)

So stay tuned and see how living Locavore progresses. Including next week’s blog with the recipe for Kohlrabi. It’s excellent with anchovy, garlic and olive oil. But then, isn’t everything.

Cheers!
Andrea Bradford

For more information: CCM/Diner (http://www.centralcoastmag.com/html/guides/wine_dine/locavore/index.html)
Edible, San Luis Obispo (http://www.ediblecommunities.com/sanluisobispo/)