Tomorrow is the official kickoff of Nashville’s, “Eat Local Challenge”.  Mary Crimmins, a local food advocate who started the Woodbine Farmers Market has set the challenge.   So yesterday I set out to my favorite farmers market, the West Nashville Farmers Market, over on Charlotte in the Sylvan Park neighborhood to stock up on some staples for the month and get veggies and proteins for the week.  My goal is to support my farmers, my community garden and to again get off processed sugars and stay off it.  I am going to try and post meals that I had for the day.  I can use 10% non local items which should account for avocados, lemons, olive and coconut oil, salt, pepper and other spices.

Here is what I bought this week:  (It looks like a lot but several things are freezable including the two loafs of locally made bread currently sliced and in my freezer.)

Veggies and Fruit:   bag of local field peas consisting of purple hull, lima and creamer from the Produce Place, lemons, an avacado and a red onion from the Produce Place.   I bought an eggplant, zuccini, 2 watermelons, 2 ears of corn, 2 pints of baby tomatoes, 3 heirloom tomatoes, 1 bunch of basil from the Delvins.    A squash, 2 heads of garlic, a cucumber and another bunch of basil from Foggy Bottom Farm.   From another local grower I bought 1 pint blueberries and 1 pint of blackberries.  (I will more than likely freeze half of these for next week.)

Meats and Cheese:  1 pound of ground beef and two fryer breasts from Westwind Farms,  a dozen eggs from Delvin Farms, goats milk feta from Noble Springs and some sheep’s milk feta from the Produce Place.  ***not sure where the sheep’s milk feta is from but I trust that while it may not be real local it is still good for me!****  and I bought my first pound of Primm Springs soysage to try… my friend Rosemary who makes  yummy lemonade and gazpacho that she and her family sell at the WNFM has bought this company.

Staples and Dry Goods:  two trays of fresh pasta from Alfresco Pasta, one angle hair and one wide egg noodle… this gives me 16 servings which should last about 2 months if I can control myself!!!,  1 pint of gazpacho from Rosemary, a bag of almond granola from Twin Forks and a jar of salsa from Ousley Ouch .

Wow that is alot!!  I am just like I was in my 20s shopping for clothing when I go to the farmers market!

Last night I sorta kicked of the eating local thing.  Last night was supper club and the theme was movie/book inspired.  In honor of Food, Inc. I made a watermelon salad featuring the cucumber, some of the tomatoes, half the red onion, some of the sheep’s milk feta…  the mint I got from my community garden and the marinade from my pantry items.  It was very good!  I used a quarter of one the melons.. a seedless sugarbaby… I shared half with my upstairs neighbor.

Here is the official recipe for Tomato and Watermelon Salad .  Thank you Steamy Kitchen!!!

I can not wait for my tomatoes to ripen in the community garden!!

An image I created for the Tomato Festival in East nashville... the first year's tomato harvest from the Old Hickory Village Community Garden

Tomorrow is the official start to the eating local challenge.  It is never too late to start!!