Eat at Joe's!

How Local Is Local?

Speaking of local food:  How do you know your "local" food is really local?  If you grow it yourself, you know.  If you buy it from a farmer, you know.  If you buy it through a CSA or at a farmers' market, you can feel pretty confident, I guess.  If you buy it at a grocery, you maybe can't be so confident.  And when you buy it at a restaurant — say someone says the asparagus or beef in their stir-fry is local — how do you know?  Eventually, you have to trust someone, but as the chain gets longer and longer, the web of trust extending from your mouth to the land — that local dirt — gets more and more tenuous.  If Frito-Lay buys potatoes from someone 300 miles from their factory, then ships their potato chips another 300 miles to you, is that local?

In my opinion, this is the organic problem all over again.  The "USDA Organic" definition has already been causing backlash for a while, and it's still going on.  It's probably resulted in more use of terms like "biodynamic," and maybe to a lesser extent in the interest in truly local food, and in the web of trust it implies.

Suggestions, O Gentle Readers?  Whom do you trust, and how do you do it?  Are we reduced to that supposed quotation from Stalin: "Trust, and verify"?  

Local Awesomeness: Lemon Balm Sorbet

In case it hasn't been clear from previous posts how much I like the refreshing nature of sorbets, and how easy they are to make:

Lemon balm sorbet by local SEEDS/DIG teenagers a hit at Farm to Fork 

References:

• SEEDS (South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces)
• DIG (Durham Inner-city Gardeners)
• Farm to Fork 
• lemon balm 

These teenagers grew the herbs for their sorbet and made it themselves.  How's that for local food?  And it impressed the Farm to Fork folks, who are mostly local farmers, restaurateurs, and food workers.  I think that's pretty cool.  

If you like ices, sorbets, granitas, &c, I'd also suggest digging up a copy of

• The Curious Cook by Harold McGee

It's out of print, but worth the effort, even if for no reason other than his article called "Fruit Ices, Cold and Calculated."  Its several pages of simple tables should get you started on making ices from most any common fruit, and some other foods like coffee and wine.  You want Chapter 10. :) The tables are easy, and allow you to pick a fruit, then look up how much sugar you need for the type of ice you want. McGee may also recommend a little lemon juice, if you want, to balance out the sweetness from the sugar you'll need to get the texture of ice you desire.  

For your extra credit project, I can add one piece of advice to McGee's wisdom: substitute about 25% plain corn syrup by volume -- less, if you like -- for his sugar recommendations in the softer ices like sorbets.  The corn syrup will improve texture by making the ice crystals smaller, while also making it slightly less sweet.  There aren't many good culinary reasons for keeping a bottle of Karo syrup in your pantry, besides making pecan pie and perhaps sweetening mixed drinks: putting it in sorbets is a nice extension to your culinary repertoire.  (By the way, I believe I stole this piece of advice from Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book.)

Now, go to the farmers' market, a fruit stand, or a local grocery store.  Buy the best, cheapest fruit they have in season.  Go home and make some sorbet.  You'll need an ice cream freezer -- 20 years ago, mine cost me about $20.  You may also want a blender for some stuff.  And enjoy. :)

Did I ever post about that blackberry sorbet I made last year?  Hmmm....

Edit:  By the way, I'd forgotten that Varmint has been making really cool ice pops at home.  I never got myself to buy any molds, but I always wanted to give that a whirl.

"Vegan vs. Carnivore"

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I wonder how long it will take for there to be a "Vegan vs. Carnivore" episode of Deadliest Warrior?

I Really Wish I Spent More Time Reading Other Food Blogs

Via Carpe Durham:

• Durham Drink Specials
• Barfly Durham 

More Awesomeness

Recall for Beef Products Expanded

Durham Farmers' Market Polls

I've seen in multiple places that there are a couple of polls running nationally on farmers' markets.  As I hope most of you know, we have a nicely growing farmers' market here in Durham.  If you like the DFM, you might want to vote in these:

1. The Care2 "Love Your Farmers Market" poll will give $5,000.00 to the market that wins their poll, which runs until 17 September 2009.  There's a total of $15.000.00 in prizes being awarded to winners, runners-up, and randomly selected markets.  They're also giving away several hundred dollars in cash and tote bags to voters and "recruiters" (those who get other folks to vote) over the period of the poll. The above link leads you to the poll, where you'll give your name, ZIP code, and e-mail address.  Or you can go directly to the page to vote for the Durham Farmers' Market.  
2. The American Farmland Trust is also running an "America's Favorite Farmers Markets" contest.  I don't see when that poll closes; winning markets will get "Free No Farms No Food totebags for use in customer giveaways."  Again, you can go directly to the page to vote for the Durham Farmers' Market.  And again, you'll need to leave some information about yourself.   Ya gotta love that cow graphic on the AFT main page.  :)

Both polls have pre-checked boxes for you to get information from the respective organizations about their missions; the Care2 poll will also send you weekly updates.  

Go knock yourselves out.  :)
  

Nestlé Toll House Cookie Dough Recall

Oh, awesome.  

Frozen Monkey Love On A Stick

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Bacon Fat Roux?

Do any of you ever make roux with bacon fat or grease?  I like using rendered bacon fat in things, but whenever I make a roux with it, I seem to have trouble getting all the fat bound up.  Even if I use an excess of flour, the roux still feels greasy or has unbound fat floating in it.  If I use another fat, it works fine.  Anyone ever run into this?  I'd like to know why.  

Yeah, I'm Sure It's Easy. Not.

The next time you plan a food event and it comes off well, pat yourself on the back, because it doesn't always work so great.  

Christian Albin Dead at 61

Famed, longtime Four Seasons chef dies at age 61. 

[Via Ray.]

ƒinally

Boy, you hop out to L.A. for a weekend, and look wtƒ happens:

ƒullsteam plans on 726 Rigsbee

The Late Night Issue Downtown

One of the things that's been improving in downtown Durham since I moved here is that there's food available at night.  There are places near or inside the loop to eat dinner now, like Rue Cler, Piedmont, and Bull McCabe's.  There's usually been food in the Brightleaf Square area available late, but downtown proper still doesn't have much available late night.  It's getting better though: the menu at Bull McCabe's seems to look better every time I go, and their late night menu has a burger now, which is nice.  But it'd still be better to see, say, a 24-hour takeout Chinese place, or perhaps as Barry wants, pizza by the slice.

Anyway, I've been thinking that a business that didn't want to commit to an entire 24-hour operation downtown could edge into it by just opening a stand (perhaps still in a storefront) -- no seating, just takeout.  Then they could expand if it becomes clear that the business is there.

Geez, am I dumb.  It's much easier than that.  :)  Not to mention that someone could do a cart.  Or maybe we'll see one of Durham's finer mobile Latino food operations inside the loop.  That would be way cool.  

National Doughnut Day

Apparently, today is National Doughnut Day, whatever the hell that means.  I'm told that KK and DD are handing out free doughnuts, along with some independent doughnut places.  

By the way, is it "donut" or "doughnut" for you?  Maybe I'll put up a poll.  :)

You Knew This, Of Course

I hope you folks already know this, but:

"Lard: After decades of trying, its moment is finally here."

[Via Aunt Jenny, who really ought to have her own food blog.  :)  ]