The South, week 1

Our southern OLSers have stepped up to the plate. (So to speak.)

Maggie grilled filet mignon and served it alongside her own fire-roasted potatoes, multicolored carrots, onions, and Chiogga beets. She and her husband quenched their thirst with Shiva I.P.A. from the Asheville Pizza & Brewing Company.

Lastewie proved that local food can be portable! She took veggies from her garden and made them into a delicious soup in her workplace microwave oven. She noshed homegrown fresh cucumbers, too.

Joanne lives in the tropics, so it’s the off season for her. So she whipped up a vegetable soup from local storage veggies: kohlrabi, radishes, carrots, parsnips, and onions. She topped it off with leftover free-range chicken. The best part? The kids ate it, too.

Molly (left) made a southern specialty: pork BBQ with a side of coleslaw (thank goodness Duke’s mayo is local!), smashed potatoes, and sauteed zucchini.

Jeff and Joyce kicked off OLS with the taste of summer: a chef salad with local country ham and eggs, and baked potatoes with cream.

Jasmine made pasta out of fresh local zucchini, then paired it with roasted sweet potatoes that she stored from the winter.

Steph rustled up hamburgers on Mennonite-baked bread (not forgetting, of course, a slab of local tomato on top), with a crisp side salad.

The Purloined Letter made gorgeous pizza adapted from Barbara Kingsolver’s recipe in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Jen marinated a tangy cucumber salad and served it with Caribbean-rubbed pork chops.

Laurie’s first OLS meal was barbecue chicken with a side of potatoes and green beans--the same ingredients as my meal, but with a different spin!

Paulette served up her homestead’s very own steak, plus local baked potatoes and the essence of midsummer--blackberries.

Pattie made a local meal of turkey casserole (with eggplant and tomatoes) with a side of beets, radishes, beet greens, and Purple Peruvian potatoes. But she’s also been eating local full-time, sampling lamb’s quarters, amaranth, Persimmon Creek Seyval blanc wine, Magnolia bread, and Jittery Joe’s coffee.

Bibliotecaria kicked off the week with a summery vegetable salad, including red pepper, cukes, red onions, corn, parsley, basil, and cilantro. Then she made buffalo steak with roasted caramelized cauliflower.

Late-breaking news!
Jessica has put locally-produced tofu to excellent use on the grill. Just thinking about it--with its side dishes of sweet corn, potatoes, and zucchini--makes my mouth water.