Pastured Pork Share

So excited to participate in my first "pork share"! I found this opportunity through the local chapter of Slow Food USA. The basic concept is that a group of people come together to buy a whole pig direct from a farm, then it's arranged for the pig to be butchered, and each person who buys a share gets a bunch of fresh pork direct from the farm.

We bought our pig from Fogline Farm, a farm near Santa Cruz that prides itself on its sustainability. They sell veggies through a CSA, and eggs, chickens, hogs and jams direct to consumers and through farmers' markets (around Santa Cruz / Monterey). I've had a chance to visit the farm and chat w/ the farmers - Johnny, Caleb, Jeff . It's inspiring to see these young, passionate guys dedicate their work lives to growing such good, delicious, healthy food.

I purchased 12 lbs of pork for $100 - the shares I got consisted mostly of pork chops and pork belly, with a couple lbs of stew meat and a large shank. Given the quality and cuts of the meat, my instinct is that it's a pretty decent price for local, pastured pork. And regardless of the price, it feels really great to support a local, small-scale, sustainable farm. Given the lack of good options near me to purchase local, pastured pork, I might make this a regular thing.

Another Monday Dinner

Three mushroom soup with portabello, brown buttons, shiitake mushrooms from Far West Fungi in Moss Landing (sold at the Mountain View and Palo Alto farmers' market)

Spicy grilled cheese sandwich with pepper jack from Spring Hill Cheese in Petaluma (sold at the Palo Alto farmers' market)

Summertime Monday Dinner

Sweet white corn and heirloom tomato risotto with white corn from G&S Farm in Brentwood (Mountain View and Palo Alto farmers' markets), tomatoes from Baia Nicchia in Sunol (Menlo Park farmers' market), shallots from Borba Farms in Aromas (MV farmers' market) and olive oil from Soul Food Farm in Vacaville

Side of zucchini and yellow summer squash from Happy Boy Farms in Watsonville (Mountain View farmers' market)

Walking The Market

I love walking the Mountain View farmers' market on Sunday mornings and figuring out what I cook for dinner during the week. Especially during the summer, there is such an abundance of delicious produce to choose from where a meal builds itself. This past Sunday, one meal came together when I had the idea to do a skirt steak salad - and I quickly added corn, peaches and red peppers - accompanied by a tortilla espanola (Spanish omelette).

Tortilla espanola with russet potatoes from Zuckerman Farm, yellow onions from Swank Farms in Hollister, eggs and olive oil from Soul Food Farm in Vacaville

Build your own salad:

Salad mix from Happy Boy Farms in Watsonville

Sweet white corn from G&S Farms in Brentwood

Cilantro from Nunez Organic Farm in Watsonville

Red peppers from Borba Farm in Aromas

Grilled skirt steak from Pampero Ranch in Sunol

White peach from Kashiwase Farm in Winton

Miso salad dressing from Nago Foods

Pietro and Local Seafood

As I have gradually moved my food purchases to local, sustainable and direct from the grower/producer when possible, I have been pleasantly surprised to find purveyors of beef, chicken, pork and... fish. Although it's a bit of a drag to not walk into a store and get fresh seafood any day of the week, a little planning ahead in getting to the Sunnyvale or Palo Alto farmers' market on Saturday morning provides the opportunity to buy fresh, locally caught seafood from H&H Fresh Fish and Pietro of FV Anne B.

Dinner: miso black cod from Pietro on a bed of mei quin (like bok choy) from High Ground Organics, with a side of corn (Happy Boy Farms) and shiitake mushrooms (Far West Fungi)

Monday Dinners

You know, it's easy to prepare meals on Mondays with local, sustainable food - because I have typically just gone to the Mountain View farmers' market on Sunday morning.

Here was tonight's dinner:

Mixed green salad from Fat Cabbage Farm in Pescadero, with cherry tomatoes from Rhodes Family Farm

Grilled rib-eye steak from Pampero Ranch in Sunol

Steamed broccoli from Nunez Organic Farm in Watsonville

Roasted Bintje potatoes from Thomas Farm in Watonsville

New Routine

I recently realized that I have settled into a whole new routine about the food that we eat in our household. Over the years, as I have assimilated more and more information about how food is produced, the choices that we collectively make as consumers, the options that we have to eat fresh and healthy food, I have taken incremental steps to change my routine.

It started with information that lead to buying less of food produced and/or sold in ways that were less in line with my values (industrial agriculture and large retail chains with no regard for environmental sustainability) - this just meant buying less "bad" stuff than actually doing anything positive, a first step. I took note of the times that I avoided that purchase or a trip to that store.

And I eventually switched to proactively seeking out food produced and sold in ways that are line with my values (supporting local businesses and local economies, producers who care about environmental sustainability) - this was refreshing and more motivating to think about the positive (vs. just avoiding the negative). My trips to the farmers' market were inspiring when I made the effort (which was not all the time) - and I celebrated when I could point to parts of meals with inspiring food.

And this evolved into developing connections and relationships with the people who grow the good food that I buy - which has been transformative. I have realized that not only do I look forward to my weekly trip to the Mountain View farmers' market as one of the best, most inspiring times of the week - it's part of an interdependent relationship where the growers rely on me to buy the delicious, healthy, sustainable food that they are working so hard to produce. My irregular, whimsical inspirations grew into a meaningful relationship.

And now it's just routine, just a part of my life. Sunday mornings are farmers' market days. I don't decide whether or not I'm going to go - I just do. I don't decide whether IF I'm going to buy anything from the farmers I've come to know and trust - it's just a matter of deciding WHAT I'm going to buy to cook that given week. And I don't even really notice anymore where the food is coming from in the large majority of the meals we cook at home - because it's become so routine that the food comes from local farms that I know and love.

It may have taken me a while to get here, and I am by no means a purist when it comes to local, organic and sustainable food, but to get to this point has been quite a journey well worthwhile.