The South, Week 2

Week 2 of One Local Summer was a holiday week--and a food-centric one, at that. A lot of our participants took advantage of the Independence Day vibe and grilled all-American fare. As for me, I inexplicably made Greek food. I’m just a rebel, I guess. Nevertheless, the 4th is my favorite holiday (I think it's because I was at an impressionable age in 1976), and you can bet I spent it carving out big hunks of Georgia watermelon and watching the neighbors' fireworks mingle with the lightning bugs.

A business note, while I’m thinking about it: If you’re posting OLS photos to Flickr, please let me know in an e-mail. There are so many photos there that your pic may be lost in the shuffle unless you give me a heads-up. Thanks!

Okay, here’s the week that was...

Non-blogging participant Molly celebrated the 4th of July with grilled pork kebabs, sauteéd Swiss chard, green beans, and grilled zucchini. She and her friends drank Gaelic Ale from Asheville’s Highlands Brewing Company. Bonus points: the meat was from less than a mile away.

Another non-blogger, Joanne in Florida, tucked into wild Key West coconut shrimp, an apple and kohlrabi salad, and locally grown watermelon. “Yummers,” she said, and I agree 100 percent.

And Amber in Arkansas enjoyed pinto beans with brown rice; steamed baby squash and white bell pepper; fresh tomatoes; a lettuce, tomato, and cucumber salad; and grilled peaches for dessert. Everything except the peaches came from Arkansas. The peaches were sourced from just across the Louisiana border because--just like in my part of Georgia--local peaches were destroyed by adverse weather this year.

Jeff and Joyce celebrated Week 2 with garlic-butter roasted pork and scalloped potatoes, plus a side salad for Joyce. They wish the cheese they used was from somewhere closer than Ohio, but I say anytime you know the farmer, you’re doing something right.

Jasmine’s computer is in the shop, but she went above and beyond the call of duty and posted about her local meal from a nearby Panera franchise. She made a chard and zucchini frittata with roasted tomatoes, sauteéd okra with tomatoes and onions, and green beans with a sundried tomato pureé. Good, and very vegetable-y!

If I could take photos as beautiful as Jessica’s, I would just about die of happiness. She whipped up a very picturesque plate of sauteéd tofu, potatoes tossed with rosemary and olive oil, fresh green beans, and corn on the cob.

The Purloined Letter focused on the green and herbaceous this week. Check it out: Garden crustless quiche (with local Amish goat’s milk and eggs, plus pickings from the garden), a salad laced with lemon verbena, and a dessert of honey ice cream with spearmint-and-lemon-balm tea.

Laurie eats off of outrageously beautiful pottery. And this week, what she was eating was Farmgirl’s caramelized beets with garlic, squash casserole, and a green salad.

Paulette is starting to make me a little jealous with her ranch’s homegrown grassfed beef! This time it was T-bone steaks, a vegetable medley, and local red wine.

Pattie says ice cream counts as dinner, and I’m not one to argue...especially when it’s homemade from raw milk, duck eggs, and blackberries.

Bibliotecaria was inspired by her CSA stash to create a pasta dish brimming with basil, parsley, tomatillos, and tomatoes.

Maggie had friends over for Independence Day. On the menu? Grilled steak, coleslaw, roasted potatoes, and a carrot salad. Inquiring minds want to know how in the world she found North Carolina vinegar!

Lastewie, needing a local meal, dropped in on some cheffy friends with a huge garden. (I can vouch for them, ‘cause I’ve been there. These are the folks you want to invite you to dinner!) They dined on dauphinoise potatoes, beet and bean salad, tomato and cucumber salad, homemade bread, and leftover pie with ice cream. Being a considerate guest, Stew brough a 6-pack of Carolina Brewing Company IPA.

And finally, Elian got creative, making veggie wraps with collard leaves as the wrapper! Southern sushi, y'all.