I cheated.

That's right. I ate baguette, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. But it's okay. It was planned. I went to a "Cooking Locally" workshop taught by Alisa DeMarco from the Great Impasta. Of cource, it wasn't 99% local like this experiment, but I didn't expect it to be. I got some good ideas for meals and snacks, like Gypsy Pepper and Chevre Crostini, Heirloom Tomato Soup, and fried tomatoes with basil dressing. I sampled all kinds of different heirloom tomatoes, goat cheeses, and apples. It was nice learning some new tricks for the kitchen, like roasting red peppers in a flame, peeling tomatoes (which I've never taken the time to do), how to cut basil so it doesn't bruise, and use salt copiously!

Alisa said that some restaurants in the Northwest have switched from olive oil to butter, because of the demand for local food. Also, interestingly enough, Moscow, Russia, gets all of it's food from greenhouses located just outside city limits. Mostly, it's really exciting to hear people becoming more and more aware of where their food comes from and wanting to reconnect with their food and the farmers who provide it.

In other news, I had cornmeal grits for breakfast, and it was wonderful. This morning was one of the first chilly mornings of the coming autumn, and it was nice to have something warm that stuck to my ribs. The chilly morning also made the dense whole wheat toast I've been eating taste really good.