As I am sure all of you have noticed, spring has finally arrived! Us North Carolinians have really been enjoying the perfect weather with temperatures in the 70's and 80's. The flowers are blooming at the leaves are turning a beautiful vibrant green and I know I definitely have caught spring fever! Now is the perfect time to plant our vegetables and herbs in the Elon Community Garden. Over the course of the last two weeks, my partner and I have planted multiple varieties of carrots and lettuce, arugula, radishes, swiss chard, thyme, oregano, basil, and potatoes. Not all of what we planted will be ready to harvest in time for our Locavore feast, such as the potatoes, but they will be available for anyone else over the summer. In a few weeks our homegrown salad will be ready for preparation! I can't wait to reap the benefits of all our hard work!
The following is our potential menu for our Locavore feast at the end of the semester:
-deviled eggs and/or egg salad (with local bread?)
-cheese and fruit platter (with locally made crackers?)
-fruit salad
-traditional sald
-chicken skewers
If all goes as planned, all of the ingredients for our feast will local, right down to the mayonnaise and the salad dressing. Anything we don't grow ourselves will be picked from local famrs, or purchased ready-made from farmers markets or local general stores. It will be a feast suited for royalty and everything will be locally produced!
Along with preparing our local foods to feed the class, my partner and I are also trying to eat locally ourselves as much as possible over the course of the semester. A big part of our locavore diet is farmers markets foods and as of April 1st, the local farmer's markets have officially opened! Within just 5 minutes of Elon University are 2 farmer's markets that sell fresh local produce, meat, eggs, and prepared foods. Last week, I went to the farmer's market in Bulington, NC. This farmers market has both locally grown and imported foods. I stuck to the local stuff and got some fresh North Carolina strawberries. They were fantastic!! This past Thursday, I went to the Elon Community Church Farmer's Market, where farmers from around the county come and set up booths and sell locals eggs, meat, dairy products produce, and homemade products such as soaps, oils, and jams. Here are some photos!
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I purchased a dozen farm fresh eggs, some apple butter, and chocolate chip cookies baked in a solar oven! This tiny little farmer's market really had some hidden treasures, and I have really been enjoying home cooked eggs for breakfast the past week! The amazing fresh fruit and eggs on top of my healthy regular diet of Local Yogurt has made being a locavore fun and so tasty. And it really hasn't been very hard! I can't wait until next Thursday so I can go back and get more eggs and fruit. YUM! Check back later this week to see how our veggies and herbs are doing in the garden and see what other local gems I can find. Later Locavores!
