One Local Summer, Week 7: New England

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Is anybody else having a hard time believing that we’re already into Week 7?  Whoa!  Where does the time go? 

Here’s what we’ve been eating in New England this week:

NH

I chose to highlight a meal of grilled flank steak and “Italian” green beans.  We’ve hit that time of year when pretty much every meal is a local one.  Figuring out which meal to highlight is a nice problem to have!

Lisa had a fabulous cheddar burger, with buns baked on the outdoor grill!  Lisa makes a good point in her entry about comments she gets about eating “all those eggs and that beef!” But her latest physical confirms that, if you choose wisely, you can eat the good stuff!  I agree, Lisa - pastured beef and eggs really are better, both in taste and in terms of nutrients!  Mmmmmm…

MA

Erica got the first tomatoes of her CSA share this year this week, so she enjoyed them as a salad, along with a pork cube steak and homemade yogurt sauce.  Quick-cooking pork and other cool ingredients helped cut down on time spent near a hot stove!

Simple and gorgeous, Laurie’s entry this week highlighted two NE summer favorites: littleneck clams and heirloom tomatoes.  Tthe littlenecks were dug by her husband, and served with garlic scape butter and big slices of german stripe tomatoes. Yum!

Bivalves were also on the menu at Sarah’s.  She enjoyed “Italian-style big flat pasta with mussels, and a tomato-onion-eggplant sauce.  The pasta was made with locally-milled white flour and home-ground local spelt flour, plus black pepper, salt, and a drizzle of olive oil.” She points out that these were the first nightshades of the season for her.  Here’s to hoping for many more!

VT

Lamb sauteed in a sweet onion wine sauce with zucchini and kale, was served with a VT summer ale at Stacey’s.  Stacey wishes she could find a local oil that she could use in place of butter, especially in the summer when butter can seem heavy. 

Although, since she’s already into the zucchini, I will say that after a while the only way I can look forward to eating zucchini again is because it’s a chance for some butter and salt!

A full blown veggie feast is highlighted at Peaceable Imperatrix.  Vermont artichokes, sauteed zucchini and tomatoes and a big fat Greek salad were all delicious and all local!

Have a great week, everyone!