findings

Why, hello. Here we are in July. With the heat upon us. Just in time for my third trimester. Oh, delicious summer. My pregnant self is determined to enjoy you, my favorite season, in spite of how you make my feet swell.

First things first. We have, more or less, unofficially wrapped up our local experiment. And we had some interesting discoveries along the way. I parted ways with Harris-Teeter (well, mostly) for the month of June and sourced a new local spot each week.

The first week, we kicked things off with ice cream at Maple View Farms in Orange County and also picked up milk, butter, buttermilk, along with Latta's Eggs, which are borne of happy-go-lucky chickens. In theory, this makes for better eggs. And I have to vouch for them. They are chock full of flavor. The Maple View Farm milk, I think, is also a worthy local purchase. This coming from someone who doesn't typically like milk.

Then, I braved the hippies at Weaver Street Market (a co-op mind you). I filled up on local fruit and veg, discovered Chapel Hill Creamery cheese, came across an excellent pork sausage made by a local by the name of Giacomo (kid you not) and, most importantly, purchased a small box of locally-made chocolate-covered sea salt caramels. Of which I ate three, leaving Ben with only one amazing chocolate, for which he has yet to forgive me.

The next week I braved the yuppie-hippies at Whole Foods...or as we fondly call it Whole Paycheck. Because you pay dearly for the lovely, fresh, organic, treat-laden experience. But I must admit that I loved the experience. Every second of it.

And finally, Carlye and I took Dash to the Durham Farmers Market last weekend. Which was full of life and interesting Durham-ites and good things to eat. I picked up an armful of oriental lilies, grape tomatoes good enough to eat straight out of the little box, blackberries, Celebrity Dairy goat cheese (so very good) and honey from a farm down the road. Also a sidebar worth noting, there's a stand that sells a magical baked good called the Doughnut Muffin. Uh, yeah. I paid two dollars for a buttermilk donut muffin, and it was worth every penny. Think muffin-sized donut hole that is slightly more dense than the average donut. Who dreamed this up?! A genius, that's who. I love you, whoever you are.

That's the shopping round up. And here's what I'll take away:

- Local meats are hard to find. I never did find local chicken that wasn't either unreasonably small or millions of dollars per pound. The local grass-fed beef we bought at Weaver Street was underwhelming. I'll probably stick with my hunky Harris-Teeter steaks. Local pork is a little easier to find, considering that we are in the great state of North Carolina. I would definitely buy the local bacon (yes, please!) and Giacomo's sausage again. But I'm not sure I'd go out of my way for it...more like, as a treat...or if I'm in the neighborhood.

- I really loved the local dairy, and I think we'll keep this on our grocery list from here on out. The Maple View milk is so delicious and creamy and not the slightest bit watered down. I also loved the local cheeses and will definitely seek out Latta's happy eggs.

- The local fruits and veggies are worth it. Plus, I love supporting the farmers in this area. I didn't think I would get philosophical about this, but going to the farmer's market, with local farmers handing over their homegrown tomatoes and peppers and honey...I don't know. I liked the experience and felt better about my cash going directly into their hands. I'd like to do local fruits and veggies as much as possible...but I still love my out-of-season apples and my tropical bananas. So, I think this will be a mostly-local situation.

- The locally roasted coffee from Cup A Joe hit me over the head for the first week, especially after all the mild-mannered Dunkin' Donuts coffee I've been downing during pregnancy. But now that the beans are gone, I miss it and will go back for more.

- Item-for-item, I did find that local food was more expensive, but not overwhelmingly so. For example, the hefty (and memorable) local pork chops were about the same price as the organic chicken I buy at Harris-Teeter. I also found that I was more precise and focused about what I purchased. In part, because I was hunting down local food, which is more the exception than the rule. And in part, because I was conscious of spending more per item. So, I didn't end up over-buying like I often do when I'm at Harris Teeter. Overall, I bought less for the same amount of money, but in some ways, I think I bought better. If that makes sense.

- For as much local eating as you can do, there are still items that will never be local. Like yogurt and Kashi cereal and parmesan cheese and orange juice and crackers. We won't deprive ourselves of these things, but I think we'll try to mix in more local eating where we can.

And so concludes our little experiment. I think we'll continue to eat as locally as possible -- though I don't expect us to be puritans about it. I do think I'm more willing now to go out of my way for fresh, local food than I was before -- sometimes the treat of a wonderful taste trumps convenience. And I also love many of the foods and places I've discovered along the way and intend to keep on my little sourcing adventure. This little experiment also reminded me how much I love food and cooking. Which was a nice reminder.

So, that's the whole long report. Next up, a report on the baby girl, who is at this very moment, kicking up a storm, letting her presence be KNOWN. (Lest we forget that she is the center of our little universe.)

P.S. Don't tell Ben, but I wish I could shop at Whole Foods every week. Oh, do I. What a lovely experience. It's such a delectable place.