Lunch Period

This past week my fridge passed away. It had a good life, filled with fresh veggies, uneaten leftovers and I am sure some of the finest food that I have ever created ( It was there through my culinary school years.) Although I am sad that it is gone and living with out a fridge is unbearable, I am ready for a new start and a new plan.

This morning our new fridge showed up all clean and shiny, with extra shelves for the loads of condiments that I can’t live without. I thought that this is the time that we start out fresh. Stop relying on the shops to do the work that I am trained to do. So from this point on I am going to chronicle my progress at becoming as self reliant and local as possible. (And taking my poor fiancee with me.)

There are things that I can’t give up, I realize this. Tim Horton’s Coffee, Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint soap, and this wonderful tea from Seattle. I will try to only use them as necessary (everyday- well the coffee anyway.)

We had made a start to do this even before the fridge died, we started a CSA. It was our first, and as ashamed as I am to say that, but I was working at a country club before getting my new job at the school, and I had no time. Not even just time to cook, I mean no time at all. So with my new found weekends, and blissful summers off, I am ready to begin.

So here is the idea. I will buy local. I will bake my own bread and make my own pasta. I will no longer haunt the deli and meat counter of my local supermarket, I will no longer try to eat berries in January and I will grow some of my own food.

I have a sea-foam green thumb. sometimes it is green and other times it is blue-meaning- I have a love-hate relationship with plants, but I went to the library today and took out two books on gardening. The Burpee Complete Gardener, and Garden Basics, hopefully this will give me some help as I erect my tiny greenhouse and cross my fingers.

I will irritatingly update you with information, recipes and pictures amongst the school food information.

So lets mark the date and wish the best for us. This will be a fun year of growing, canning, baking and to top it all of I am getting married.

I am ready for the new plan.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking a two day class/seminar with the famous Dr. Antonia Demus. This class brought on a flood of promise and worry. The promise was because I met a great group of people of many different backgrounds that were all focusing on the same goal, and the worry that it will be so long before there is any real change in the way the children in our country eat.

We talked about this amazing curriculum that could be implemented in any school in the country. All that is needed are a few volunteers, some basic equipment, food, children and most paramount funding and parental knowledge.

There are so many times that I watch in horror as the children of my school come into the cafeteria with doughnuts and potato chips for breakfast. Or they will have garlic bread and marshmallows for lunch, oh, and some fruit snacks. (That is honestly the lunch everyday for one of the kindergartners.) But I digress.

The curriculum contained many classes that could be presented to a varying group of kids- with all of the recipes, equipment, and basic information for each of the cultures that the classes are based on.

I have to complete a basic written test and then compile a final project that would be helpful to other food educators around the area. I have a brilliant idea that I should put together a website that is dedicated to Pittsburgh Foods, where to find them, when everything that is local is in season. Co-ops, food banks, farms, orchards, greenhouses, and all other interesting and local.

I know that the organic movement is big and fun but for my money local is the way to go because 90% of the time local things are pretty much organic- just with a smaller carbon foot print.

Yesterday I went to Soergel’s Orchard with my boss and his son. Aside from buying the best pickled beets that I have ever tasted, I saw the fattest pig in the great state of PA. Dudley, as he is known around the barnyard, weighs in at about 500 pounds and has some unfortunate dental work. When he smelled my apple, we wanted to be best friends. The two sheep (I could be wrong but I am pretty convinced that their names were Milli and Vannili-) were not impressed with the showboating that Dudley was doing. They refused to have their photo taken with me.