We're getting to the point of needing to re-provision for the Eat Local Challenge. Yesterday, after a thrilling birthday visit to an unnamed store (which left us both so buzzed we had to have a glass of (local) wine afterward), we stopped by one of the few stores that I know of in Marin County that carries incomparable St. Benoît yogurt.The purpose of the yogurt was to mix with the mayonnaise I had made the day before. This would be used as a dip for local artichokes we had bought at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market over a week ago, when I wasn't even thinking about the ELC yet (OK, I'm lying, I was thinking about it).
I had made the mayonnaise with a very aromatic olive oil (the only local oil we have on hand at the moment). Have you ever heard potent olive oil described as having an artichoke perfume?
Well!
The yogurt-mayonnaise dip (nothing else added, nothing at all) was perfect with our artichokes. We had planned to eat only the leaves, and save the bottoms for another dish.
But it was so good. Stunningly good. We each devoured two whole artichokes, bottoms and all, sitting at the patio table making nonhuman sounds.
Nrngghfffmmgah!
Llmmnggrrmuh!
Sources: Wine from Kunde Estate, Sonoma, CA. Artichokes from Swanton Berry Farm, Davenport, CA. Yogurt from St. Benoît, Sonoma County, CA. Mayonnaise: oil from McEvoy, Petaluma, CA; egg from Triple T Ranch, Santa Rosa, CA; vinegar from juice I extracted from apples grown in Sebastopol, CA; salt from “Sonoma Salt,” an inscrutable source found online with no telling details.
Posts
7 comments:
i love that artichoke image! Swanton Berry Farms sounds like an amazing business-- the Chron featured them today in their "Faces of Organic" series.
Oh, Davina... thanks.
Have you gone to the Swanton web site? They're even more radical than you thought (though the Chron's section today was pretty awesome). And the artichokes were so darn fresh... squeaky goodness.
OK - which store for the yogurt?
I love artichokes, but I gotta have melted butter! Are there any local butters?
Oh, my dear, you are so in luck. I got my yogurt at Woodlands Grocery in Kentfield. It's also available at Andronico's in San Anselmo. And a store in Sausalito, and one more in Tiburon. (If you click on the sources at the end of my post, you can go to St. Benoit's home, where they'll tell you all the shops.)
Local butter! Oh, my dear, you are so in luck. Clover (Sonoma County) and Straus Family Creamery (in Marin). Straus also has yogurt and more. Well, so does Clover.
We live in the middle of cow country!! Who knew?
I assumed that you got the yogurt at Andronico's since I knew that they carry it. Funny but earlier this week I was thinking about artichokes. However, I prefer hummus as a dip.
I think I'll go up to Swanton Berry Farm today. It's been a while, and berries are finally coming in.
Last year's visit is on my blog if people want to see it. Jim Cochran is a wonderful man. And hunky!
Hummus on artichokes? OMG, I have to try that.
Tana, I bought strawberries today at my local farmers market, and after I put them in my bag, I suddenly thought -- oh, s***, I shoulda bought Swanton. Good socialist that Jim is.
Post a Comment