One Local Summer 2007, Week 5, Success and Failure

Posted on | July 26, 2007 | 11 Comments

This weekend is filling up with hefty to-dos, so I decided to get my OLS meal made last night before I escaped out the door of my messy house to the harmony singing group I joined. That was probably a mistake. So was setting about the project without a plan, a recipe or the necessary enthusiasm for the project. People, I was on faulty auto pilot and the meal reflected that sorry state of being.

one local summer week 5, pasta yuck

I knew I had to use the grass-fed ground bison from the farm in Mahoning County because it had already been out of the freezer for two days. I browned it up in the skillet, then added some onion and carrot (from the farmers’ market) to the drippings, and then some kale (market). Now what? Rice is CA, so that’s out. We could just eat it plain. Ew. I dug through the cabinet and saw that I had a box of spinach whole wheat spaghetti from about 400 miles away. OK, I can deal with that. I wasn’t about to start making noodles even though my coop order arrived and I now have 15# of organic flours from under 100 miles away (grown and milled). That’s next week’s project, and not on a day I have to get out the door and try to carry a tune.

So OK, I boiled the pasta, under-cooking it because it was looking kind of gloppy right from the minute it hit the hot water. Yeah, that didn’t really help. I don’t know about you, but a huge part of my ability to enjoy eating anything has to do with the texture, and this meal was dead to me before I even tasted it. When I dumped the noodles on top of the meat and veggie mixture, I felt a little gaggy. This was going to be dry and mushy at the same time. I spooned in half a container of Ohio sour cream, praying it might help it go downâ€”but doubting it had that kind of power. It’s only sour cream, after all.

Just in case you were wondering, it’s never a good thing to call the family to the table with the disclaimer that “dinner’s ready and it’s nasty. you’ve been warned.” Just try to get a four year old to eat a meal she’s just heard called nasty by the cook. She sure enjoyed that big bowl of Gorilla Munch and milk.

The pasta flavor was beyond bitter. The mix might have been just fine atop a bed of buttered rice, but these noodles were utterly and completely disgusting. I’m thinking the chickens are going to turn their beaks up at the leftovers. I know I sure as hell won’t be taking it for lunch today, and I noticed Chris didn’t touch the container for his lunch either.

Better luck next week?

The breakdown:

Pasta: 400-ish miles
Ground Bison: 35 miles
Onion, Carrot, Kale: 30 miles
Sour Cream: 50 miles
EVOO, Paprika, Salt & Pepper: away
My pride: away

After reading that, you might be wondering where the success in my headline comes from. Well, I didn’t have any main ingredients from CA, which is a huge improvement. Also? I managed to sing harmony to several songs last night, even the final round of Amazing Grace. That was so cool.

[tags] one local summer, locavore, eat local [/tags]

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Category: Eat Local, Food & Nourishment, OLS 2007

Comments

11 Responses to “One Local Summer 2007, Week 5, Success and Failure”

Cathy
July 26th, 2007 @ 6:31 am

So cool you’re in a singing group!! You are an inspiration!!

[Reply]
kate
July 26th, 2007 @ 7:50 am

i love that you posted about your nasty, as i often feel like a dolt when i come up with a dinnertime nasty. you are, after all, a food goddess, and it helps us mere mortals cope with our human foodie condition

[Reply]
Kelly
July 26th, 2007 @ 8:18 am

Well, I don’t know about an inspiration, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for sooo long. We use the book Rise Up Singing and tend to do a lot of folk songs, spirituals, rounds and chants. Excellent for harmony, which I really struggle with. But last night, I hit it several times and it felt amazing!

[Reply]
Kelly
July 26th, 2007 @ 8:19 am

seriously, Kate…this was the worst meal I’ve made in ages. Just awful. Ugh. Just look at it! It’s all gray and mungy. Bleeeech.

[Reply]
El
July 26th, 2007 @ 11:28 am

Ah, we’re not immune to the “yucks,” are we? It does kind of suck to feel both uninspired AND feel like you *have* to make something, and quickly! You know, though, kelly, I have kind of admired your determination in making certain things (the pizza, the borscht). I never manage to have that much forethought, OR determination. Just a vague idea, and using what I’ve got on hand ; )

I’m glad to hear about your singing group, though. That sounds like fun.

[Reply]
Dacia
July 26th, 2007 @ 12:53 pm

well…it doesn’t look appetizing. the beginning sounded good, but those noodles…. glad you had some success and who doesn’t love the occasional cereal for dinner?

[Reply]
water
July 27th, 2007 @ 6:09 am

I’d call it a success – your husband and kids are still local. Man, those guys really love you!

[Reply]
Kelly
July 27th, 2007 @ 6:33 am

Well, thanks El. I’ve been trying to have a plan. But it was also kind of fun to rat myself out with this bomb of a meal. I mean, it’s not all sunshine and light in the kitchen!

[Reply]
Kelly
July 27th, 2007 @ 6:34 am

Heh, it is pretty gross looking, isn’t it Dacia?

[Reply]
Kelly
July 27th, 2007 @ 6:35 am

Water, you ain’t a kidding! Of course, they all stick around because between them they know how to make spaghetti, ramen noodles and scrambled eggs.

[Reply]
Angelina
July 27th, 2007 @ 1:03 pm

I just hate it when I make meals like that that I know I’m not going to like before it hits the table. It happens to all of us I think. I often keep it in the fridge in a firm state of denial until it forms a moldy sheen which means I can throw it away without feeling guilty. Nice, huh?

[Reply]

One Local Summer 2007, Week 5, Success and Failure

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