'tis the season

not sure when it all started. i imagine it was when i began cooking more and getting interested in regional and seasonal foods. or it could have started back when i learned of the uncertain life of a banana and the length it traveled to reach my larder each day. that one still hurts.

more importantly, we're both focusing on the bounty of the west coast, and being more intentional around what really grows around here... and when. the latter is tricky. we're so accustomed to eating whatever sounds good at the moment. it's been fun and puzzling to learn what is available because it is the season, and what is available because of genetics or petroleum or some such aberration.

we're still working on this part: we've begun to cut out the safeways (easy) and trader joe's (not so easy) from our consumer diet, and are spending more time at the coops, neighborhood markets, and farmer's markets. these are all excellent lessons in seasonal food, while exposing drought, blight, hail storms, and other such natural events impacting food production. at the coop, you'll likely see notes near produce, explaining why the apples' condition and flavor may be flawed. these spots offer quite an education.

without intention, this weekend was a celebration of what we've been learning, reading, and experimenting. david made two loaves of expertly braided challah. we made our own noodles for a lasagne filled with locally-grown meats and vegetables. we made a delicious salad from greens and vegetables grown and harvested nearby. when all was said and done, the can of tomatoes, the hand full of walnuts, and the oil and vinegar that comprised the dressing were the only ingredients we couldn't trace in family tree fashion.

this is all a work in progress, progressing toward something we haven't identified, but it sure is fun in the process.