Week 10 ~ International & New England

Amanda in Scotland showed that you could even be homeless (well, more like in-between flats) and still enjoy local foods. Luckily, she has access to a good farmers market and was able to stock up on provisions.

Karen in Ontario enjoyed some meatloaf this week. About her OLS experience she said, "Overall, it really makes me think about where food comes from and how it's made. I will definitely be continuing with this in many different ways!"

Moonwaves in Ireland enjoyed roast chicken, homegrown peas, and green tomato and lemon chutney before heading off to Germany for an experience she'll never forget with WWOOF.

Wendy in Maine made an eggplant parmigiana type dish that even her non-eggplant loving husband enjoyed. She added, "I think I've gotten closer to finding that balance between eating local and my food budget."

Leslie in Martha's Vineyard enjoyed grass-fed beef from a local farm, along with veggies from her garden.

Frances in Western Massachusetts started the day with a simple omelette and cantelope melon, and ended with grilled veggie and goat cheese sandwiches.

First, Korinthe in Massachusetts stuffed a runaway zuke, then used my favorite tortilla recipe and became her own tortilleria.

Laurie in Massachusetts also went for two meals this week: fried clams (dug by her husband), and that famous New England delicacy: lobster.

And James and I enjoyed a simple garden frittata along with scarlet runner beans and a glass of homemade (and homegrown) strawberry wine.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in One Local Summer for these past ten weeks. It's always satisfying to see a tiny seed of an idea grow into something mighty. Your efforts are truly inspirational.

Don't forget that the Eat Local Challenge takes place during the entire month of September this year, and the emphasis is on putting up the harvest so you can enjoy those local foods year-round!

Week 9 ~ New England and International

Korinthe unintentionally went for a two-fer this week. She started with a Deborah Madison-inspired potato soup, and came back later with a whole day's worth of local eats.

Laurie put together a lovely pizza featuring her backyard tomatoes.

Wendy treated her husband's business associates to a typical Maine feast: lobster, corn on the cob, coleslaw, rolls and a blackberry and peach cobbler. Mmmm.... I would have loved to sit in on that business lunch!

Leslie's simple meal shows how truly easy local eating can be.

One Local Summer is inspiring Heather to try new things: last week she made her first pizza, and this week she feasted on grilled veggies, trying grilled zucchini for the first time.

My sister-in-law was visiting for a few days, and we treated her to chicken enchiladas verde, made with our own chicken and tomatillos. Who knew Maine could be tomatillo country?

Karen in Ontario made a fabulous meatloaf.

Mary in Ontario found a new toy in the local thrift shop, and made a batch of Kettle Corn from local popcorn, and called it dinner. It's maybe a wee stretch, but she was excited, so go look!

Moonwaves in Ireland is having a busy time of it, but managed to squeeze in a plate of veggies and some nice Cheddar cheese.

Amanda in Scotland managed to squeeze in a meal of baked potatoes topped with summer veggies and cheese. She finished her dissertation, so wander over there and congratulate her, 'kay?

Cheryl in Vancouver made a gorgeous summer veggie quiche.

Sadly (or not), next week is the final week of One Local Summer. Will the intrepid local eaters stick it out? Will there be a surge in participation? Will everyone be on vacation instead?
You'll only find out if you tune in next Monday for the final installment.

Week 8 ~ New England & International

Frances showed her visiting friends how they roll in Western Mass. (it sounded cooler when she said it), first by hiking on the Appalachian Trail, then grilling up a plethora of local veggies. And what would a visit with good friends be without dessert of peach & strawberry sorbet?

Korinthe made a big dish of Macaroni & Cheese with veggies and sausage.

Lisa enjoyed her own home-raised, home-butchered, beer-marinated chicken for dinner, along with corn on the cob, roasted red potatoes, refrigerator pickles, and red cabbage slaw. If that wasn't enough, they had blueberry ice cream for dessert.

Us New Englanders must have had the chicken harvest on the brain, because James and I also spent part of our weekend dispatching our meat chickens. Along with baked chicken, this week's dinner consisted of new potatoes, coleslaw and a baked tomato, all from the garden.

Leslie is a lucky one with a friend who is a fisherman. Gordon supplied the Bonita, and Leslie's garden supplied the rest.

Between her farm share and her Boston Organics box, Magid had a ton of veggies to get through. In order to make room for all of it in the fridge, she roasted some, made a couple of salads, and enjoyed it all with scrambled eggs with greens. She says she couldn't get herself interested in "figuring out a dessert", but I don't see how she had the room!

Wendy's having a tough week on her homestead, and a simple pizza was an easy thing to make for her girls. I don't think they thought it was boring!

Laurie enjoyed a swiss chard & potato torta, summer squash, and a cuke and tomato salad.

Cheryl in Vancouver got the kids involved in a very involved dinner: baby portobello mushroom ravioli. No one cared that they didn't eat until 9pm, because they were having SO MUCH FUN!!

Moonwaves in Ireland had a very special omelette with her very own peas and tomatoes in it. Three cheers for home gardens!

Mary in Ontario finally got her hands on some local peppers, and made some lovely vegetable fajitas.

Only two more weeks of One Local Summer to go. I know some of you are dealing with record heat, but we're starting to wake up to some CHILLY mornings! It's hard to believe summer is ending already.

Week 7 ~ New England & International

I've always thought of pasta "primavera" as a late spring/early summer dish, but here in Maine, we don't really have enough veggies for this classic until sometime in August. It was well worth the wait, though.

Leslie had the meal that seems to make most folks outside of New England the most jealous: lobster.

Wendy's husband often comes home for lunch, but this past week he missed out on a tomato and cheese omelet, homefries and french toast. I bet he's sorry he had that meeting...

Heather gave tortilla-making a try, and filled them with local eggs and pico de gallo.

Frances found herself craving a hearty vegetable soup after waking up to a chilly morning.

Lisa just added a tortilla press to her collection of kitchen tools so she could make corn enchiladas the slow-food way: with homemade corn tortillas, and two kinds of homemade cheese. Yum!

Korinthe enjoyed burgers, salad and some more of her salsa verde.

Laurie dined on foccacia along with veggies two ways: warm and roasted, and cool and marinated.

Moonwaves in Ireland turned to the kind of hearty meal her Mum would make: mince with potatoes. Mmmm.... comfort food.

Rebecca in Scotland has been super busy writing her dissertation, but managed to find time to get to the Edinburgh festival and make some homemade pasta with zucchini sauce. Whew!

Karen in Ontario enjoyed a simple meal of scrambled eggs with veggies.

Cheryl in Vancouver needed a quick meal, and tossed some non-local pasta with garden veggies and pesto (even local Parm!). She made up for the non-local pasta, though, with a local breakfast and lunch.

Yukino in Moldova got back in the game this week with a baked veggie and pasta dish that nearly looks like pizza.

Mary in Ontario went all out with a local Indian feast: pea curry, zesty roasted corn on the cob and even samosas (one of my absolute faves)!


Another great week of summer down, with a lot of great local meal ideas. I'm thinking I need to hit Mary up for that samosa recipe....

Week 6 ~ New England & International

Fran and her man Dan gobbled up an entire Deborah Madison-inspired tomato gratin made with lovely heirloom tomatoes. Wouldn't you? It looks delicious!

Along with several other local meals, Wendy made ratatouille for the first time, and found that it tasted pretty good, despite looking "a little nasty".

Leslie's zucchini gratin with goat cheese was similar to my own crustless zucchini pie, both good uses for the super-abundant summer vegetable.

Heather borrowed her mom's rolling pin in order to whip her pasta into shape, topping it with homemade tomato sauce with zucchini.

Korinthe had roasted veggie tacos this week, and is finding that eating a more vegetable-based diet is making her feel healthier.

Lisa's meal of noodles, veggies and queso blanco was Asian-inspired, and included a starter featuring her own homemade crackers and cream cheese. (note: I realize the link isn't working, but that's what it says in my feedreader. Lisa, where did your post go?)

Magid made a simple corn & potato chowder, along with a sauté of veggies.

Laurie enjoyed an incredibly fresh roast chicken dinner: just one day from plucked to plate.

In Ontario, peaches for dessert followed Mary's signature pizza and cucumber salad. What's your signature pizza?

And in Ireland, Moonwaves enjoyed hamburgers with her own homemade ketchup. You know, I've never made ketchup because we don't really eat all that much of it, but I may just have to give this recipe a try.

Thanks again for another great week of local food!

Week 5 ~ International & New England

Looks like we're halfway through One Local Summer 2007! Of course, that only means the challenge is half-over, not the summer (although I personally wouldn't mind a return to cooler temps). The bifurcated carrot is apropos nothing, I just thought it looked cool.

In reverse this week, I bring you the International and New England participants...

Mary in Ontario was inspired by Cheryl's gnocchi of a few weeks back. They look like they came out perfectly!

Cheryl in Vancouver composed a meal made of side dishes: potatoes, Szechuan green beans and her "favorite salad". Cheryl, do tell what's in that salad... I think I see lentil sprouts.

Karen in Ontario made a fine looking pizza with green peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes. Two kinds of cheese (cheddar and goat mozzarella) topped it off. That definitely rivals the pizzeria!

Amanda in Scotland was missing her man this week while he was off in Israel. So what did she do? She made several days worth of pasta with local veggies, worked on her dissertation, and hogged the bed.

Laurie tucked into a plate of meatloaf, veggies and cornbread (with no wheat flour!). A diligent search paid off, and Laurie found a good recipe in a cookbook from the '20s. Wanna share it with the rest of us?

Lisa kept the house cool by grilling a pizza topped with home-grown sundried tomatoes, Greek basil and homemade mozzarella and ricotta.

Stephani discovered one of the benefits of eating locally: shedding a couple of pounds. No, not because you'll starve if you eat locally, but because eating lots of fresh veggies is so darn good for ya! She made some big pots of veggie and bean soups to take her through this week.

Fiber artist Kim in the mountains of New Hampshire joined us for the first time this week. She's found that sourcing local ingredients is a little bit harder than she thought it was going to be, but recently stumbled across a grist mill while visiting a friend. She pleased the kids enormously with oat and strawberry pancakes. Yum!

Leslie had a hard time resisting striped bass this week, and served it with a simple butter, garlic and basil sauce. She also came up with some creative ways to serve all those extra cukes.

Magid is trying to use up that farm share before the next one comes in, and cooked up tons of veggies.

Wendy's daughter got married this weekend, so Wendy treated her visiting sister to a Maine lobstah dinner. Earlier in the week, her young daughter got creative with her chef salad.

It's been hot in Maine. Whew! I know I don't have much room to complain about the heat, considering what the rest of you are dealing with, but when you get used to negative temps in the winter, anything above 85˚F has me wilting like a head of lettuce in the full sun. So I made some quick, easy, fall-apart noodles with one of our favorites: canned smoked fish.

Thanks for another great week, and keep making those fabulous local meals!

Week 4 ~ New England & International

James and I enjoyed the first potatoes of our season this week, and nearly died from delight. The pastured lamb was fabulous, but those potatoes may haunt my dreams.

Carole in Massachusetts joined us this week with her first local meal, and she did a fabulous job: Swiss chard quiche, tossed salad and steamed kohlrabi. The family had never had kohlrabi before, but gave it the seal of approval. I agree!

Wendy in Maine checked in with barbeque spareribs, a salad and corn. Corn! in Maine! There is hope that I'll see some soon, then. She also tried her hand at making crackers.

Leslie brought American Chop Suey to her Slow Food convivium's potluck dinner.

Melissa safely made the big move from Maine to Colorado last week (which means I'll have to send her over to the Western round-up). Not only did she try her hand at high-altitude baking for the first time, but she scored her veggies (for free) as part of her new job at Red Wagon Organic Farm. Beet pizza never looked so good.

Heather fought off an unseasonably chilly, rainy day with a pot of spicy sausage and kale soup.

Laurie filled round zucchinis with homemade chicken and cranberry sausage. More squash (in the form of pattypan) and Johnnycakes rounded out her meal.

Stephani's CSA recently started and she's flush with veggies. Like Heather, she made Sausage & Greens soup, but her sausage ended up being too spicy. Whoops!

Frances laid out a feast for herself and Dan this week: salad, grilled veggies, hard boiled eggs and cheese. And local beer to wash it all down.

Korinthe had a successful go at making mozzarella, which topped her two-faced pizza: one half pesto, the other saucy.

Burgers on the grill appealed to Lisa, and she did hers up deluxe, with onions, mushrooms and queso blanco. Add raspberry ice cream, and you really can't get any better than that.

Amanda in Scotland checked in with a meal made by her man, Aaron, who she keeps barefoot and in the kitchen. ;) Aaron spoiled her with a spinach and mushroom frittata, sauteed zucchini and Hibernian brown bread (one of my absolute faves).

Karen in Ontario dined on steak, spuds and peas, before sharing more of her garden pics with us.

Cheryl in Vancouver made some sweet-looking veggie burgers. Who needs pre-formed patties when you can dine on grilled eggplant, zucchini, and baby 'bellas with Swiss instead?

Week 3 ~ New England & International

It sure has been busy here, and it seems elsewhere as well because entries are down for the week. Go see what others are making and check in next week with your own local meal!

James and I finished a long day of barn-building with barbecue chicken, grilled garlic scapes and green beans. Easy and satisfying!

Leslie had a green theme this week: green beans, sugar snaps, garlic scapes along with local fluke with garden herbs.

Jen & Steve spent week 2 on the Cape, but are back this week with striped bass from their vacation.

Heather is still experimenting in the kitchen and making new foods.... this week she successfully attempted making pasta, although she lacked the equipment for rolling it out.

Lisa also gave pasta-making a try with her new toy, I mean tool. (Don't get jealous, Heather!)

Cheryl's meatloaf looks like a quick, easy and comforting meal.

Laurie's husband went clammin' and provided the cherrystones and oysters for their local meal.

Fellow Mainer Wendy had nine (nine!!) local meals this week, and still thinks she's not doing enough. Can someone besides me talk some sense into her? ;)

ETA: Stephani received her first CSA share, and made herself a bowl of Spring Pea Soup. Also in her share was a loaf of olive bread, which although not local was no doubt delicious I can say this with confidence... her CSA farmer is an awesome baker).

Mary in Ontario learned that a little bit of persistence pays off, as she finally found locally grown and milled grains. She used some of her new cornmeal in cornbread that she served alongside curried carrots and oven roasted beets and potatoes.

A trip to the Italian market inspired Cheryl in Vancouver to make a big, bubbling dish of homemade gnocchi. Freshly churned berry ice cream looks like the perfect finish to her meal.

Amanda in Scotland enjoyed a traditional Irish dish called Colcannon.

Karen in Ontario got the morning started off right with a lovely frittata.

And Yukino in Moldova had a stunning array of local food pics this week.

If anyone was missed, just leave a comment in your area's roundup, and next week, please have your meal posted by 6 pm EST. Thanks so much, and keep cooking those great local meals!

Week Two ~ New England & International

Another fabulous week of summer has come and gone. Here in New England, we're just getting past lettuce season, so the variety of locally available produce is improving a bit. Now comes the hard part of waiting for things like ripe tomatoes!

In Maine:
Wendy prepared an old family favorite, chili, using some home-canned tomatoes from last year's garden.

Melissa is making the most of her remaining time in Maine, and continuing the seafood theme. This week's meal of pouch-cooked haddock, salad and strawberries starred heavy cream from a local farm in the form of butter, buttermilk dressing and whipped cream. Wish Melissa and her man a safe move to Colorado, why don'tcha?

Heather is reading labels, asking questions, and learning more about where her food comes from. This week, during some of our cool Maine weather, she roasted her first chicken.

"Build your own chef salad" was the theme at Cheryl's this week.

Stephani and I both had quiche this week, only hers was crustless.

In Massachusetts:
Leslie's braised lamb shanks look positively mouth watering. Ruth Reichl's Hashed Browned potatoes were a lovely addition.

Laurie had a creative twist on linguine with (freshly dug) clams.

Fran has embraced the bounty of Massachusetts and Vermont with two local meals this week: the first of goat cheese, eight-grain bread, and grilled squash, and pesto pizza with veggies and more goat cheese.

Korinthe hosted a bbq which turned out to be mostly local.

In Vancouver, Cheryl's frittata was a big hit with her son, who has turned to begging for more!

In Ontario, Karen's hearty salad did double duty as lunch and a side dish to grilled burgers.

Also in Ontario, Mary found inspiration from Stacey's post, and made some new local food connections, culminating in fried eggplant and veggies for dinner.

In Scotland, Amanda brought a little bit of America to her 4th of July feast of burgers, potato salad, pickles and strawberry shortcake.

In Ireland, Moonwaves prepared a simple spinach omelet for herself.

Yukino in Moldova checked in with boiled potatoes with sauteed tomatoes and parsley, and pancakes.

And for anyone who thinks it's too late to participate in One Local Summer, I'd love it if you read this post.

Week One -- New England & International

Well, we've made it through the first week of OLS! I can hardly believe the excitement for the project and the gorgeous meals I've seen throughout the week. I only wish I could see more of them. My time has definitely been centered around the northern parts, but once in a while, I hope to see what everyone is contributing.

New England:

I had a hard time knowing which of Wendy's local meals was her "official" entry. She started off the week with a local family breakfast, followed up with a dinner of spareribs and sides, and finished off with a chicken dinner. She's come a long way since last year.

Leslie may have had one of the most local meals I've seen... everything in her meal came from five miles away or less! And before you start thinking that she lives on a self-sufficient farm, just know that she lives on an island. Pretty cool.

Jen & Steve topped sauteed kale and garlic scapes with some locally made spinach ravioli.

Melissa got a head-start and had her local meal last week because she's leaving Maine soon for Colorado. But what better way to say goodbye to Maine's cuisine than with a boiled lobstah dinnah?

Heather had grilled pork chops and salad along with her (first ever) biscuits.

Magid's leftovers were a smart way to finish up a local meal.

Korinthe pulled together a lovely summer meal despite being in the middle of a heat wave (100˚ in the kitchen drawer!).

Laurie enjoyed crockpot shortribs with herbal iced tea sweetened with her own backyard honey. Hooray for bees!

Stephani tried goat meat for the first time. Guess what? She liked it!

Cheryl shared a homegrown chicken dinner with her family.

International:
Karen in Ontario dined on grilled bison.

Cheryl in Vancouver brought the Mediterranean to her with some veggie sandwiches.

Mary in Ontario had a wonderful time exploring her local farmstand (and got caught up on the local gossip) before creating a lovely local potato salad.

Moonwaves in Ireland (I knew that, really I did) learned that a little bit of enthusiasm can help create a fabulous beef stew even at the end of a long day.

Amanda in Scotland made veggie tacos, gazpacho, and a strawberry pie.

Yukino in Moldova enjoyed some simple foods on her own, and an assortment of locally produced meals with her family at "Villa".
And finally, I know she's not in my area, but for anyone who felt that this first week was an exercise in frustration, please read what Stacey has to say. Last year, she was new to the local food scene, and had to spend a bit of time sourcing out local suppliers. This year, she's a pro. Use Stacey as your role model, and know that it's possible to change the way you buy your food. It just takes some extra effort, and some time to make it work, but it's totally worth it.