I’ve done the Buy Local Challenge. I’ve hosted an all-you-SHOULD-eat supper club party. I subscribe to CSAs, and except for eating at Olive Garden last week (my son begged me to join his friends and their families during a break from their academic competition), I always dine out at locally-owned and run establishments. Lowcountry Local First’s first-ever Eat Local Challenge should be a cakewalk for me.
- My latest bounty from Ambrose Farm
To get started, on Tuesday, I picked up my bag of veggies from Ambrose Farms. This is my first CSA season with them. Previously, I’ve subscribed to Legare Farms, Pinckney’s Produce, and Thackeray Farms. With Ambrose, I opted for the smallest share size since I hate seeing food go to waste, and I wasn’t sure we’d be able to consume it all. But after getting my first bag (and seeing my daughter mow down all the strawberries on the ride home), I think I might need to upgrade to the medium share.
The Ambrose CSA also has an egg and a wine option. I picked eggs, since we easily go through a dozen a week. Chucktown Chicken’s eggs are raised nearby in Georgetown. The wines, while not made locally, are from Grassroots Wine, a locally owned and operated distributor that focuses on small winemaker-run vineyards around the world. The wine option is a great deal, if you don’t mind picking up at the Tomato Shed Cafe every week.
If you’re new to eating local, I suggest you check out the latest issue of Dirt, the local food guide we publish twice a year. We’ve got stories about honey, asparagus, and fish composting in addition to a resource directory of farms, markets, and locally produced foods.
As for me, this morning I ate some Greek yogurt for breakfast (purchased at the Piggly Wiggly — that counts, right?), and I’m anxiously waiting for my strawberry salad to be delivered from Black Bean Co., a local food/slow food fast food joint. If that makes no sense to you, read our article about founder Ellis Grossman and how he’s become a farmer in order to supply his two restaurants with the freshest produce ever.
Oh. My salad showed up, and it’s a thing of beauty. Makes eating local very easy indeed.
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