Grazing Local on Vacation

After years of learning about where my food comes from and trying to change my habits and routine as it relates to food while at home, I'm starting to want to know where my food comes from (and shop at farmers' markets, visit farms, etc.) while we're on vacation too. Especially since we travel so much in California (and we often stay in houses with a kitchen), there is no reason we can't often find a farmers' market or a farm nearby.

During a recent weekend in Pismo Beach, I made a point of checking out the lively Thurs night San Luis Obispo farmers' market, the Arroyo Grande Meat Company and Village Butcher Shop, and Avila Valley Barn. At the SLO farmers' market, we stopped by several stands to buy peaches, raspberries, watermelon and eggs (chicken and duck). At the local butcher, we took home some delicious sausage And in the u-pick orchards at Avila Valley Barn, we picked some delicious white peaches.

Tale of Two Markets

I had not realized how far I have come in wanting to know and appreciating how much I know about where my food comes from until today in two unintentionally divergent food buying experiences while visiting family in LA.

8:30am: Morning trip to Whole Foods to pick up a few things for breakfast.

While trying to find some fresh fruit to go along with our bacon, eggs and potatoes, I walked up and down the produce aisle fully expecting to find something that looked delicious while also local and preferably organic. With apples and citrus still going strong (at least in California), and early berries starting to come in, I figured I'd have my pick.

Instead, I passed organic Washington apples, conventional citrus from California, and berries from Costa Rica. The only thing that I could find that was truly local and organic - strawberries from a vendor 75 miles away in Ventura County - had quite a bit of bruised fruit and a couple packs that were moldy. Ugh. Really? No organic apples or oranges from local farms in California when they are so plentiful at local farmers' markets? Or a better selection of organic berries from one of the dozens of strawberry farms within 100 miles?

I regularly shop at Whole Foods, and although not perfect, I appreciate their commitment or leaning towards environmental sustainability. But wow, what a disappointment.

10:30am: Unplanned trip to the Calabasas farmers' market that we had never been to

Walking the aisles of freshly picked navel oranges, fuji apples, and organic strawberries, I was like a kid in a candy store. Especially after the disappointing Whole Foods trip earlier in the morning, it was so refreshing to have my pick of fresh, delicious, sustainable fruit. Kaiya and I could sample fruit from a variety of vendors from Ventura, Fresno, Bakersfield and elsewhere. And I was delighted to talk to each of these new vendors that I had never met before and learn more about where they were coming from, what they grew on their farm and how it was grown.

I know this is what I do every Sunday at the Mountain View farmers' market, but it was eye-opening to be able to do this somewhere else and on vacation, and to have the experience juxtaposed with shopping at a store that I still respect and value for its commitment to good food.

Shopping at the farmers' market 1, buying food anywhere else 0.

Connecting Friends With The Food We Eat

In my own personal exploration of connecting with the food that I eat, sharing that connection with my friends and family has been an equally interesting and inspiring experience. At my daughter Kaiya's 3rd birthday party, I laid out a spread of local farm sourced sandwiches, snacks and fruit, and provided labels so people would know what they were eating and where the food was coming from.

Plenty of my friends and family commented on how good the food tasted, and I often replied that it all came from farmers' market vendors I had come to know and trust. Others noted how pleasant it was to know where the food was coming from. And when a friend jokingly said he wouldn't eat anything unless I grew it in my community garden, I shot back that I may not have grown it in my garden, but I do know and have shaken the hands of the farmers that grew the tomatoes, potatoes, apples and pears, etc. that we were eating. It felt good to spark discussions and to engage people just by spending a few minutes writing down names of a few fruits, vegetables and farms.

Here was the lineup of the food:

• Tortilla espanola bocadillos, with russet and purple potatoes from Specialty Produce and onions from Phil Foster Ranches / Pinnacle Organic, both in San Juan Bautista (along with baguettes from Panorama Bakery that sells at the Downtown Palo Alto farmers' market)
• Chorizo bocadillos with chorizo from G Service who sells at the Downtown SJ farmers' market
• Cherry tomatoes from Veggielution in East San Jose and Full Belly Farm in Guinda
• Chips and salsa, with heirloom tomatoes from Veggielution in East San Jose and white corn from Specialty Produce
  
• Crackers and cheese, including a goat cheese chevre log from Laura Chenel in Sonoma and garlic quark from Spring Hill Cheese in Petaluma
• Gala and fuji apples from Mellow's Nursery & Farm in Morgan Hill
• Warren pears from Phil Foster Ranches in San Juan Bautista