"One Local Summer" Begins

It's time for another eat local challenge. Regardless of whether anyone reads my blog, I found that participating in the challenge and needing to write about our efforts was a motivator to keep me thinking and planning ways to create more of our meals from local sources. So, now, it is the "One Local Summer" challenged organized by the writers on "Farm to Philly". There are 138 participants. 30 states in the U.S. are represented, plus there are a few Canadians participating this year as well as several people from France and the UK.

Here is the deal that the 138 of us signed on for:
The challenge - prepare one meal each week using only locally grown ingredients - the exceptions are oil, salt and pepper, and spices. The challenge will begin on Sunday, June 1 and run until Sunday, August 31.

I started off with a very tasty, mostly local brunch today. A scramble with eggs, leftover salmon (troll-caught Pacific from our trip to the coast last weekend), yellow fin potatoes from the Astoria farmer's market, Oregon crimini mushrooms, and Willamette Valley Cheese Co. farmstead cheddar. I did also throw in a few non-local grape tomatoes. A delicious start to the challenge. Tonight, we're eating out as we usually do with our friends just before seeing a play at Portland Center Stage. I think the restaurant we are trying out tonight does make at least some effort to use local ingredients, so I'll check that out and report on it later.

And, just to show off, I"ll finish up with a view of spring in our front yard. It's rhododendron and azalea season here and these guys are in full bloom.