Eat Local Challenge: day 31

Wow - in so many ways I can hardly believe it's been a month of chronicling my Eat Local Challenge. It's been a lot of fun to focus on, yet I realize that pretty much every day I do very well on the Eat Local front, be it in the locally grown or raised groceries I am fortunate to have available at multiple markets and at my co-op, or be it in the form of the many wonderful local businesses who also work with other local businesses in creating and preparing delicious menus for those times I don't want to cook myself.


While the chronicle will end today, and we'll move on to other subjects (and maybe let some other folks have more to say), my co-op continues the Eat Local Challenge through September, so I'll keep getting my "local" card punched every time I shop. I'm happy to report that shining the light on local this month has confirmed that I have developed many habits that are based around seeking out and supporting my local farmers and small businesses, and I think that's better for my health and better for the economic health of my town. And that's downright sexy. Today was a day of running about, dashing into the studio for bouts of work interrupted by meetings and checking on the drooly dog still recovering from dental surgery. I munched on much in the way of local fare: figs from the tree, more leftovers and veggies from last weekend's markets, etc., but as I worked my way into the evening, I realized I had no signature "day 31" fare. 

braised beef & potato tamale with peach/jalapeno salsa from
Bandido's Burritos, accompanied by a cool Payne's Pale Ale from The Wedge.

Luckily, my sweet friend Melissa helped me solve that problem!  She works at one of our many acclaimed local brewery/pubs, The Wedge, and she put a call out for (of all things) a cup of coffee.  I was headed back to the studio to wrap things up for the night and The Wedge is along the way, so I grabbed a cup and took it to her.  In return, she treated me to one of my favorites, our locally brewed Payne's Pale Ale.  While I was catching up with her at the bar and realizing that I was hungry for dinner, I learned one of my favorite local eateries, Bandito's Burritos, was vending from a food cart in the parking lot.  Moments later I was back at the bar with a braised beef and potato tamale, moist, hot, and spicy, still wrapped in the banana leaf in which it was cooked. Add a little local peach/jalapeno salsa to that and I had just the right amount of spice to compliment my cool Pale Ale. So good I got another one for lunch at the studio tomorrow.


What better way to cap off the month?!