End-of-the-Month Musings

There aren't enough days left in August to get to all the local meals I dreamed up. Never did get around to the potato gnocchi with local ricotta, although I have both ingredients on hand. Didn't make the Hangtown Fry with local oysters and eggs, or the Joe's Special with local ground beef and spinach.
That doesn't mean I won't make them, eventually.
But I am proud to report that I finally attempted baking with Full Belly Farm whole-wheat flour. I'm not much of a baker, so I'm not surprised that my results were on the tough side. Then again, 100% whole-wheat bread is notoriously chewy.
Beloved husband and co-cook spent much of the morning recreating the baked beans of his New England heritage, this time with Napa soldier beans from Rancho Gordo, Napa mustard, Marin County honey, Peninsula chile flakes, "Sonoma" salt (still not sure of the provenance of that), McEvoy olive oil, and roasted Marin Sun Farms lamb bones as a substitute for the animal flavor of salt pork. Dang, it was yummy.
The bread was pressed into service as hot dog buns for the beef dogs from MSF. They were kinda tough too, but perhaps we needn't have cooked them so long. I realize the hot dogs may have nonlocal spices in them, but MSF owner David Evans is seriously serious about local, sustainable food -- and if he's not putting any regional coriander grower out of business with his recipes, who cares? More power to him. I say support the guy.