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What food is supposed to taste like
Jul. 30th, 2008 02:50 pmSince I'm not going to Pensic (but everybody else is) I bring you this interlude of non-SCA related musing.
I'm becoming mildly surprised by the lengths I will go to in order to procure food products that meet my standards. Apparently, I also surprise other people. Co-workers have commented that "your stuff always tastes good, but its too hard to find all the ingredients!"
It's a dawning realization of what food is supposed to taste like, and how to obtain it. It should be noted that I grew up rather spoiled in this respect. My mother had an extensive garden. And her father had quite a bit of orchard land as well. So, we had a freezer filled with home grown raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, corn, peas, and beans. Plus a root cellar full of tomatoes, pears, applesauce, peaches, and blackberries. Add in dry storage for potatoes and onions. And Grandpa raised beef - we went through a side a year. She was also a dab hand in the kitchen. I didn't really know that bread came pre-sliced until middle school, since she made her own. Along with cookies, cakes, and other treats. Twinkies, Ho-Hos and other such stuff never wandered through the door.
Moving out was a bit of a wrench for me. It's impossibly to replicate that kind of food supply in an appartment. Thus began The Search. Now, I do not bother to buy organic for the sake of buying organic. I hunt for something locally grown, not bred for travel, and as underprocessed as I can manage.
Twice a week we visit the farmer's market. Nor for anything specific (that way lies disappointment), but for whatever looks good. This week that included corn, beans, peaches, tomatillos, tomatoes, and potatoes.
When I can, I get flour from the stone ground mill across the state (close enough to my parents for a quick visit). I like to bake. If I'm going to make bread, I line the oven with bricks and put a broiler pan full of water on the bottom, the better to simulate a wood-fired oven. (In fact, one of the things on my Dream House list is a free-standing outdoor wood fired oven. *sigh*)
Yesterday, I got a yen to make peach ice cream. I had the peaches from the market (Early Red Havens!). So we stopped by Fresh Market for some Jersey milk and cream. The milk is rather pricey. My husband raised an eyebrow at me. Until I gave him a sample. It smells different than grocery-store milk. It certainly tastes different. Now I know why Dad complains loudly and extensively about watery Holstein milk. Tonight - Ice Cream!!!
So, how likely am I to buy a small counter pasteurizer and get fresh milk from a farm with a herd of Holsteins, Jerseys, and Ayrshires? What do you think? Fresh cream and milk, even if it means making cheese and butter regularly with the excess?
Too many people don't have the foggiest clue what food should taste like. Anybody who "doesn't like" strawberries needs to be taken out into a field of Jewel berries in July and fed a few. If they can stop at a few. Sometimes it takes some getting used to. But it's well worth it.
To my delight, one of my new technicians raises eggs. And might be able to be coerced into raising us a heritage turkey for Thanksgiving. ;-)
Slow food. It's a good thing.
I'm becoming mildly surprised by the lengths I will go to in order to procure food products that meet my standards. Apparently, I also surprise other people. Co-workers have commented that "your stuff always tastes good, but its too hard to find all the ingredients!"
It's a dawning realization of what food is supposed to taste like, and how to obtain it. It should be noted that I grew up rather spoiled in this respect. My mother had an extensive garden. And her father had quite a bit of orchard land as well. So, we had a freezer filled with home grown raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, corn, peas, and beans. Plus a root cellar full of tomatoes, pears, applesauce, peaches, and blackberries. Add in dry storage for potatoes and onions. And Grandpa raised beef - we went through a side a year. She was also a dab hand in the kitchen. I didn't really know that bread came pre-sliced until middle school, since she made her own. Along with cookies, cakes, and other treats. Twinkies, Ho-Hos and other such stuff never wandered through the door.
Moving out was a bit of a wrench for me. It's impossibly to replicate that kind of food supply in an appartment. Thus began The Search. Now, I do not bother to buy organic for the sake of buying organic. I hunt for something locally grown, not bred for travel, and as underprocessed as I can manage.
Twice a week we visit the farmer's market. Nor for anything specific (that way lies disappointment), but for whatever looks good. This week that included corn, beans, peaches, tomatillos, tomatoes, and potatoes.
When I can, I get flour from the stone ground mill across the state (close enough to my parents for a quick visit). I like to bake. If I'm going to make bread, I line the oven with bricks and put a broiler pan full of water on the bottom, the better to simulate a wood-fired oven. (In fact, one of the things on my Dream House list is a free-standing outdoor wood fired oven. *sigh*)
Yesterday, I got a yen to make peach ice cream. I had the peaches from the market (Early Red Havens!). So we stopped by Fresh Market for some Jersey milk and cream. The milk is rather pricey. My husband raised an eyebrow at me. Until I gave him a sample. It smells different than grocery-store milk. It certainly tastes different. Now I know why Dad complains loudly and extensively about watery Holstein milk. Tonight - Ice Cream!!!
So, how likely am I to buy a small counter pasteurizer and get fresh milk from a farm with a herd of Holsteins, Jerseys, and Ayrshires? What do you think? Fresh cream and milk, even if it means making cheese and butter regularly with the excess?
Too many people don't have the foggiest clue what food should taste like. Anybody who "doesn't like" strawberries needs to be taken out into a field of Jewel berries in July and fed a few. If they can stop at a few. Sometimes it takes some getting used to. But it's well worth it.
To my delight, one of my new technicians raises eggs. And might be able to be coerced into raising us a heritage turkey for Thanksgiving. ;-)
Slow food. It's a good thing.
