This is how we do it

(Yes, you’re supposed to sing this blog entry title to the 1995 hit song by Montell Jordan!)

How are we going to subsist while eating items from within a 100-mile radius of Cleveland? Here the plan:

- Farmers Markets: The North Union Farmers Market operates farmers markets at several locations around Cleveland throughout the summer. And fortunately, one is located at Cleveland Clinic, my place of employment, on Wednesdays! The other I attend regularly is at Crocker Park on Saturdays. The farmers markets will provide us with:
o Bread from Breadsmith in Lakewood (they try to use as many local ingredients as possible)
o Pasta from Ohio City Pasta (they also try to use as many local ingredients as possible)
o Produce from the various vendors
o Meats, cheese and grains from the various vendors

- Herdshare: I’m happy to announce that as of this week, we’re members of an Amish herdshare run by the Yoder Family in Amish Country, Ohio. While we’re not technically herd owners, more on that later, we are part of the group and therefore are enabled to buy from the Yoders’ online site:
o Beef, chicken, pork, etc.
o Eggs
o Produce
o Grains
o Cheese
o Raw milk*

- Grocery Store: Heinen’s in Cleveland carries Hartzler Family Dairy milk. They also carry Mitchell’s Homemade ice cream, and you can imagine my excitement when I discovered this weekend that Michell’s is featuring flavors made from ingredients within 100 miles of Cleveland :)

- Our garden!! This is the one that excites me most. This year we’re growing tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, squash, cucumbers and herbs.

*You must be part of the herdshare in order to purchase the raw milk. Raw milk sales are only permitted in Ohio if you are a herd owner, aka a part owner of a cow. I’m not ready to jump into the raw milk scene yet.

So this list looks pretty comprehensive, right? It is, but it isn’t. What’s most daunting to me is that our menu will essentially be created for us by what’s available each week. For example, asparagus and lettuce are going gang-busters right now, so we’re eating lots of it. However, later this summer asparagus and lettuce won’t be available at the markets. Which means we won’t eat it.

Like I said, we’re using the month of June to gear up, clean out the cupboards at home and stock up on local items.