We take care of the whole transaction online. I can place the order through their website and pay via Paypal, and then I send my friend an e-mail with her total, and she reimburses me via Paypal as well. Very convenient and quick! No rummaging around for checks, which I really like.

So far my husband and I have tried the 2% milk, chocolate milk, Monterey Jack cheese,  and regular salted butter — all are fantastic. He commented that he never knew milk had an actual flavor, and that it tastes good!

I’m thrilled to knock another product off our grocery list. I no longer have to go to a grocery store to buy:

• eggs
• beef (unless we want a specific cut we didn’t get with our 1/4 cow, but it hasn’t come up yet)
• milk
• half-and-half or heavy cream
• yogurt
• sour cream
• certain cheeses
• butter

Very soon, I’ll be able to add pork to that list. Some friends and I are going to split a pig from Wood Family Farm in Turner, OR. We’ll each take a third… I’m curious to see what kinds of cuts we receive and how much.

The next thing I need to figure out is where to start getting chicken. After raising our own and seeing their little personalities, I just don’t think I can keep buying chicken from the grocery store. I don’t want “innovative chicken products” (via Ray’s Food Place), I just want some chicken that was allowed to live a little, you know?

Finally, I’ve been unsuccessful in tracking down any available turkey from local farms for Thanksgiving. From what I am reading online, most places sold out already and have waiting lists.  I’ve made a couple of calls, but am not having any luck getting a response. I think Ray’s sells turkey from a somewhat local farm, though, so I’m going to check that out again this year. Then again, maybe we will break with tradition this year and do something other than turkey.

Think I can cut out grocery shopping altogether by this time next year? (She asks hopefully…)

(photo credit: nickwheeleroz on Flickr)

My friend Veronica shows off a pumpkin she chose from the patch at Detering Orchards in Harrisburg.

A couple of websites I turn to when I’m looking for farms to visit are Local Harvest and Pick Your Own. On the Local Harvest site, you can search by state (here are my search results for pumpkins in Oregon), or narrow it even further by city or zip code. The Pick Your Own site is rather dizzying, but you can follow the links and end up on a page listing out farms by county (for example, Salem and the surrounding areas).

Don’t forget to call before you go! Many of the farms are currently offering hay rides, fresh cider, corn or hay bale mazes, and more.

I’ve updated the Recipe page and added a Baked Pumpkin Pudding recipe from HobbyFarms.com. Happy baking!

Flipping through the October, 2009 issue of Bon Appétit magazine, this little item about home milk delivery caught my eye. Curious if there were any dairies which provide home delivery in Oregon, I hit up Google. I found one and I have to say, I really thought there would be more. It seems like such an Oregon thing to do.

But, anyway, I found certified organic Noris Dairy, based in Crabtree and providing service to several cities throughout the Willamette Valley.

Hormone and antibiotic free, the cows at Noris graze on pasture year-round. Items available for delivery include milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter. Click here for distribution areas and days.

Aside from the convenience, I find the idea of home dairy delivery a sort of romantic notion. Glass milk bottles, cream rising to the top. Supporting a local farming family and healthy farming practices. I’d love to hear from anyone in the comments if you’re a current Noris home delivery customer. Let our readers know what you think of the products and service!

A friend and I have decided to try it out, so I’ll report back in a few weeks.

(Photo credit: cafemama on Flickr)

Larry Lev, an agricultural economist at Oregon State University, visits the farmers market in Corvallis. He specializes in agricultural marketing and alternative food systems and helps develop and strengthen farmers markets. Photo by Tiffany Woods.

CORVALLIS, Ore. ­ An agricultural economist at Oregon State University has hit the silver screen in a new documentary that examines and promotes the local food movement and that will show in Portland starting on Friday.

In the film “Ingredients,” Larry Lev discusses the benefits and costs of buying food from local producers. He says that although some local products may cost more than food transported from large-scale commercial operations, the extra expense can be worth it. The taste can be superior, and the money shoppers spend stays in the area and contributes to the vitality of the community, he says. By shopping locally, people are also keeping agricultural land from being developed and they’re establishing close relationships with farmers and fellow consumers, he adds.

“In the end, it comes down to choices. Price is one aspect that consumers take into account, but it’s not the only one and often not the most important one,” says Lev, who was filmed on campus.

Lev, who has worked at OSU for 25 years, specializes in agricultural marketing and alternative food systems. He also works with colleagues in the OSU Extension Service’s Small Farms Program to develop and strengthen farmers markets. He was asked to appear in the documentary because he had worked with one of the members of the film crew on various projects, including workshops to match chefs with farmers.

“Larry gave us a lot of great information to work with,” said the film’s producer and cinematographer, Brian Kimmel, who lives in Portland. “The most important thing he did was describe how this whole economics system works with the local food movement. A lot of the people are looking at this and saying, ‘Yes, this is something we want but it’s too expensive.’ Larry’s experience shows otherwise. It was great to have Larry to fall back on and say, ‘This does make sense and here’s how.’”

“Ingredients,” which premiered in Germany and won a Silver Sierra Award in the documentary category at this year’s Yosemite Film Festival, shows the farmers and chefs around the country who are revitalizing the connection between food and the land. It features diversified farms of the Willamette and Hudson River valleys, the urban food deserts of Harlem, and the kitchen of Alice Waters.

In addition to Lev, other Oregonians featured in the film include: Portland chefs Greg Higgins and Pascal Sauton; Anthony and Carol Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm in Gaston; John Eveland of Gathering Together Farm in Philomath; Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seed, also in Philomath; farmer Laura Mastersonof 47th Avenue Farm in Portland; John  Neumeister of Cattail Creek Lamb in Junction City; farmers Sheldon Marcuvitz and Carole Laity of Your Kitchen Garden in Canby; Shari Sirkin of Dancing Roots Farm in Troutdale; and former Lake Oswego Mayor Judie Hammerstad.

The film will screen at 5 p.m. on Sept. 26 and 27 at the Bagdad Theater in Portland.

To buy a DVD or find out how to organize a screening of the film in your community, go to www.ingredientsfilm.com.

Funny, these sound like my normal vacations!

Anyway, in my internet wanderings, I came across Leaping Lamb Farm in Alsea, OR, and discovered that they offer a farm cabin stay – a perfect staycation idea for those of us around the valley!

Our farm stay promises a retreat from the stresses of city life. Enjoy the privacy of a self-contained cabin, including: two bedrooms with queen-sized beds; a full bath; complete kitchen and eating area; large, airy living room with a double-futon couch; and, multi-level deck with views overlooking orchards and pastures.

I e-mailed the owners, and Scottie replied quickly and added this:

We feed our guests farm-fresh eggs and they are allowed to pick whatever fruits and veggies they want for their meals from our gardens, orchards, and fields (blackberries, not hay).  We certainly have lots of food choices to offer and have just added inoculated mushroom logs to our endeavors.

Doesn’t it sound wonderful? Alsea is a lovely area, wonderful for day trips. There are hiking trails and waterfalls. The Thyme Garden is nearby, and Greengable Gardens and Gathering Together Farm are both a little less than 20 miles away.

I’m definitely checking this out someday — the sooner the better!

(Photo from Leaping Lamb Farm)

We got six Barred Rock pullets & they are super cute. They seem to be quite hardy, which is great but isn’t keeping me from being a little anxious.

I’ll have a few more updates later — many thanks to Nate Rafin of Living Culture for the e-mail alerting me to some great spots local to Salem.

If you’re in Salem, your help is being requested by the group Chickens in the Yard (C.I.T.Y.) on Monday night, March 9th.

C.I.T.Y. is a group of citizens working to convince the Mayor and City Councilors to adopt an ordinance that would allow residents of Salem to keep a few backyard hens as pets and for eggs. On Monday evening at 6:30pm, the City  Council will be hearing testimony about the proposed zoning change and will vote on wording of the ordinance.

They are asking for residents to help fill the Council Chambers during the meeting to show your support. (Council Chambers, Room 240, 555 Liberty St SE, Salem).

Read more about C.I.T.Y.’s goals at their website and also see this video segment at Living Culture.

Good luck, Salem!

The OSU Empty Bowls Project (6-8pm)

Cracked Pots’ UnGarden Art Show (11am-6pm)

Well… okay. Driving around the state for your food does sound like a pretty bad idea. But, was it really necessary? And what about the other reasons for choosing local foods (when possible)?

I admit, I don’t know Salem as well as I know the Corvallis/Albany area, but I have been trying to understand what this gentleman wasn’t finding close enough to home. I think that this aspect of local food advocacy can be a gray area, and we need to be informed consumers. Here are some of my thoughts on shopping locally:

Let them come to you
The Oregon Farmers’ Market Association website has a page devoted to the markets in Oregon. Here’s the list for the Willamette Valley. At the Corvallis market, I’ve noticed signs on vendors tables that indicate how many miles they drove to be there… cool, if that’s a concern to you. With some planning, a once-or-twice-weekly trek to the local market for both vendors and buyers should help decrease the need to run all over town later. And buying at the market supports your local economy because we are fortunate enough to have farmers for neighbors.

Focus on your daily route
We all have to go somewhere, sometime. Whether you get around by bus, car, bike or foot, see if there are farm stands along your route. Additionally, keep your eyes open for people selling items from their private homes, such as eggs or extra produce from their gardens.

Sign up for a CSA box
Find a farm that delivers near you, or where you can pick up from a convenient location. You’ll probably end up trying items you’ve never tried before, and that’s just part of the fun.

Buy in bulk
If you have enough freezer space, you can purchase meat and poultry directly from local farmers. That link leads to just a partial list, so check around. (And let me know if you find websites I don’t have listed yet!) Supplement with your farmers’ market purchases and find yourself at the store a lot less.

It’s okay to go to the grocery store or corner market
Many local grocers and markets carry locally produced items. The trick is to make sure those items aren’t shipped out to some far away central location and then back to the stores.  But, for example, Lochmead Farms, located in Junction City, sells products through Dari Mart. There are other local dairy producers, too, that you can find in many grocery stores. (It would be interesting to know exactly how the dairy supply chain in Oregon works. Anyone knowledgeable in that area want to write a guest post?)

Grow your own
Garden! Even just a little! Driving is less of a concern if you can step outside to gather some fruits and vegetables, or pluck herbs from your windowsill.

Cooperate with your friends and neighbors
Carpool to the weekly farmers’ market or pick something up for your neighbor while you’re already out. Go in together and buy a cow or split a CSA box. Share the bounty from your gardens. Okay, if you’re all swimming in zucchini, that’s kind of a dud idea, but trading, say, blueberries for apples is a lovely way to get to know people. If you’re lucky enough to live on a street with many gardeners, why not help each other out with the chores, too?

Learn how to preserve
Freezer jam keeps for about a year and it’s easy, just cook, cool and freeze. Or, learn how to use canning equipment and preserve all manner of produce for the months when we have little to no fresh fruit or vegetables. If you want to learn more about food education and preservation, consider the Lane County Family Food Education/Master Food Preserver Program (FFE/MFP).

Give up some stuff. Or don’t, but then accept that you aren’t perfect.
I like bananas. I’ve cut back, but I’m not going to beat myself up for buying a bunch of bananas every once in a while. If you want to try to give up every single thing that’s not locally produced, then more power to you. But I think very few people could sustain that and I’m certainly not going to point fingers if I see you eating a Reese’s peanut butter cup.

Finally, ask yourself why you do this
Are you looking for local food because you like the taste, the freshness, the better nutritional content, and supporting your farming neighbors? Or do you only care about reducing your carbon footprint? That’s an admirable goal, but this isn’t a wholly realistic way to go about it. Farm management techniques can have a greater impact than whether that tomato traveled across state lines.

Bottom line
If everyone chooses to simply do what they can in terms of eating locally, then there’s no giving up when we can’t sustain the effort.

(photo credits: “Cornucopia” by kate e. did; “bounty on my counter” by cafemama)