About Me

Making Roots. . .
It's hard to imagine that I've lived in the Washington, D.C. area for nearly six years now. This place where I had no real roots, no immediate family, has somehow become home. Here I am living in a garden apartment, loving the cozy lifestyle shared with my husband and dog.

Despite my surprise at the permanence of this busy city lifestyle, creative pursuits still exist. For years my favorite hobby-- both in process and end product-- has been cooking. My first real cooking attempt came during the summer I was ten. I dreamed up a wonderful recipe of fried zucchini(only to discover that I had breaded and fried cucumbers for my family!).

More recently, I can competently identify the difference between a cucumber and a zucchini. But now, I've come to consider another challenge. One of the conveniences of where I live is the "local" shopping center within walking distance of our community. But what does it really mean to buy food there? I can pat myself on the back for walking to the grocery store, but if my produce comes from South America am I really doing the environment any good?

Having read many articles on the local foods movement and Barbara Kingsolver's recent book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, I am at a bit of a crossroads. Growing my own vegetable garden in our window wells is a ridiculous proposition, and I live in an urban environment with limited local options. What to do? This blog will explore my adventures in eating as many locally produced foods as is realistic for this lifestyle. In other words, this is not a purist attempt at a local diet, merely an effort to put my money into the real local economy, and to do the environment and nutritional intake of my family some good.

About my categories:
While most are self-explanatory, here's what to expect when you see this:

"Di(sh)patch from the Farmer's Market": I visit a local market, describe my experience, then create a meal with the ingredients purchased that day.

"Issues": This covers issues related to sustainable and responsible food consumption.

"Wining and Dining": I review restaurants that focus on local and/or sustanable ingredients. In addition, I visit vineyards and wine festivals in the northern Virginia and DC area.

Guest Bloggers:

Kate Headley
Kate loves to photograph the market and is happy to taste-test Tiffany's dishes. Here's her website: kate headley photography.