I thought I’d give a quick summary of what I learned from my Eat Local Challenge this past month, then (thankfully!) move on to other subjects (or not!) Biggest challenge: Definitely eating out. There are precious few options for eating local food in restaurants. In fact, I have found that restaurant staff are genuinely puzzled…

A long, hot day. Lunch: a green salad with tennis-ball, spotted aleppo, and green-leaf lettuces, spinach, radishes, and peas from my garden, topped with my homemade green goddess dressing. Sliced strawberries. Pita crisps with marinated goat cheese. Leftover field peas and red potatoes. Dinner: Pita crisps with egg salad, made with herb mayonnaise and quince…

I couldn’t have tried harder to mess up these barbecued pork chops. First I put them on low to simmer while I went to water the community garden row. When I got back, they were burnt on the bottom. So I flipped them and removed the pan from the heat. Then I turned up the…

Today has been a great day, and it’s not over yet! I went to the Greensboro Farmer’s Curb Market as I do every Saturday morning except this time there was one difference. A photographer from the News and Record went around with me while I shopped. My first stop was at the Molners’ booth, where…

Day 25: Not much happened food-wise. I went to the chiropractor for the first time in six years for a very sore and stiff neck, and I just didn’t feel like eating. I munched a little on leftovers and some marinated Goat Lady Dairy cheese. The good news is that my neck felt a lot…

Ladies and Gentlemen, in that corner, we had the mustard-based “Sticky Fingers Carolina Classic Barbecue Sauce“, hailing from Charleston, S.C. In this corner, from the pork chops a couple of weeks back, our returning champion, tomato-based “Lip Lickin’ Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauce,” hailing from Greensboro, N.C. In Lip Lickin’s favor, it was bought at…

Every time I turn around, somebody is suggesting that I make a frittata. It’s so easy. It’s so versatile. It’s the perfect dish for spring. Yada yada yada. Oh, all right! I’ve always been a quiche baker – it is my standard potluck dish. But omelets – no way. They always end up as fancy…

Today was a special day of my Eat Local Challenge. Bistro Sofia and Slow Food Piedmont Triad co-hosted a local seasonal lunch that featured food and wine from many local farms. A few of the farmers joined us. Two of them are friends – Steve Tate from the Goat Lady Dairy, and Deb Bettini, who…

The only hard part of the Eat Local Challenge has been not being able to find local food when eating out. I enjoy going out to lunch with my co-workers and we can’t afford to go to a fine restaurant so often. So I’ve had to get used to eating lunch at home, alone. (Cue…