we're back...

our vacation was wonderful. i haven't had time to go through pictures, but i hope to have some up soon of little lucy enjoying herself on the river. she did great despite an ever-changing schedule--this girl was born for the great outdoors, travel, adventure and relaxation. well, maybe not the relaxation part just yet, but i see it in her future. 

as for me, the days did hold a bit of relaxation here and there. i managed to start (and finish) an excellent book titled "plenty: one man, one woman, and a raucous year of eating locally." i had started this book well over a year ago, but never had a chance to finish it. it got tucked away in a pile of books, and i unearthed it just before heading out the door on our trip. so glad that i did. it's re-ignited the spark that i have for eating locally. yes, our household does get a local csa box, but there's so much more that we can do to further our attempts in this area of eco-friendliness. 

the authors of plenty dedicated an entire year to eating items only found within a 100-mile radius of their home (or wherever they happened to find themselves). yes, there were some very slight exceptions to their rules, but for the vast, vast majority, they ate only what could be obtained within their self-set boundaries. doing so opens a can of worms as far as technicalities are concerned--are 25-mile chickens that eat 1,000-mile feed still laying eggs that one can consider local?

i won't give away more of the book--i'll just recommend it as a super-interesting read that attacks the way americans eating has evolved throughout the centuries with great insight and factual  information. our first day back from vacation found us at the ferry building farmer's market in san francisco, buying not only locally grown produce to supplement our farm box, but some cheese and meats as well. realizing that if we were able to swing it financially, we could also procure items like butter, bread, pancake mix, cornmeal, beans, honey, yogurt and milk there as well. i'm hoping that together, jeremy and i can make a greater shift in the kinds of food that we're eating, even if it means paying a bit more for higher-quality local goods, while sacrificing some of our junkier supermarket selections to make up the difference in cost. 

on the cheap side of things, our garden is finally ready for its first harvest: we've finally got zucchini & cherry tomatoes, with larger tomatoes green on the vine but there nonetheless. the eggplant and peppers are proving themselves to be quite slow. that's okay--we'll be patient. and lucy does enjoy her daily strawberry hunts, though finds are usually limited to one or two miniature berries. next year: a massive strawberry patch for my girl!