tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38426151807987746762009-07-13T18:35:59.748-07:00Eating Local for Urban Families: Share recipes, local food and sustainable eating news and resourcesKatherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-59704183073288927112008-07-09T23:00:00.000-07:002008-07-09T23:00:00.359-07:00

Extreme Consumerism: Eating What Only Grows Around YouI was featured in this article on MSN last month about local eating. It's a great article, the other subjects are interesting people and it was super cool to be included with Alisa Smith, co-author of Plenty.It's always a little strange for me to be reported on since I'm usually the one asking people the questions. I'm always concerned with

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-78433689610198314572008-07-08T13:15:00.000-07:002008-07-08T13:15:01.213-07:00

This gorgeous infusion is inspired by a recipe from Gayla at You Grow Girl in her book by the same name. (Did you know you can also follow her on twitter? Follow @yougrowgirl.)The recipe is basically this: 1. Put some edible herbs (like mint, lavender, lemon balm) in a clean jar. 2. Cover with tepid water.3. Set the jar out in the sun for 3 - 6 hours. Viola! Tea.From this process you get a

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-39687905624106633352008-07-08T01:00:00.000-07:002008-07-08T12:55:05.864-07:00

I honestly didn’t mean to be away for 9 months. Was I hibernating? In a way.When I stopped blogging last fall I was transitioning from post-baby, part-time working life to full-time working again. Yowza. I thought I was easing into it but, as a good friend told me recently, work is like water: it will seep in everywhere if you let it. My blogging time got eaten up with client work, networking and

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-8089787085958270752007-10-23T11:23:00.000-07:002007-10-23T12:27:39.652-07:00

Last night I told Aaron we're in a new eat local challenge and explained the rules, the main ones being we do one 95% local meal per week. We kind of chuckled because this isn't much of a challenge for us. This is how we've been eating for a year.Then today Alisa and JB from from 100 Mile Diet fame had a blog post about getting to the sources of local food. I've heard from lots of readers about

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-46003646196345500652007-10-22T22:43:00.000-07:002007-10-22T23:19:13.705-07:00

Oops! I missed posting for the first week of the Dark Days Challenge hosted by my fellow Northwesterner, Laura from Urban Hennery. This is another eat local challenge for the months out of the year when it's not quite as easy to find as much fresh, local variety as it is in the summer months.(from Laura's rules)1. We have to cook one meal a week with at least 90% local ingredients2. We have to

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-29988170000654168842007-10-19T07:53:00.000-07:002007-10-19T08:17:16.835-07:00

I hadn’t been back to my alma mater, Mills College, since I packed up my dorm room, stuffed it all into my dad’s van, along with Aaron’s motorcycle (seriously, we put the bike in the van) and headed north to Portland. But this past weekend I headed down to the Bay Area for a journalism department reunion and finally saw the campus and all of its gorgeous Spanish architecture, inhaled the scent of

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-87920614916876369762007-10-08T00:27:00.000-07:002007-10-23T12:28:18.609-07:00

It's official: I'm a member of Flexcar!After reviewing some material I picked up at their booth at the Green Sprouts festival a few weeks ago I did the math and realized that my 10-year-old, paid off, totally reliable Subaru Impreza, which I drive about 100 miles a month, costs me about $200 a month in gas, insurance and maintenance. Imagine all the local eggs I could buy with $200 a month...One

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-67166285411931776702007-10-08T00:05:00.000-07:002007-10-08T15:03:54.182-07:00

Not our first visit of the year to Kruger's Farm, but the first for pumpkins.Somehow, they still have strawberries. Sure, half of them were moldy the next morning, but at a buck a pint, and in October, you can't really complain.There's more than pumpkins over in those fields...a sign of healthy, clean soil.Who is that big four-year-old in the back, there? And maybe if that baby would quit

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-15998635131503525032007-10-07T14:30:00.000-07:002007-10-07T14:54:15.241-07:00

From eggbeater: Pastry Chef Am I. Moderne or Old-Fashioned? This is an example of why I'm madly in love with Shuna. God, I love indignant, passionate, slightly cranky and inspiring food writing.I first heard her speak at BlogHer in July when, as the subject of scathing restaurant reviews came up, she gave an impassioned, teary request to food writers to remember the folk who are pouring their

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-87369275820991880302007-10-05T16:54:00.000-07:002007-10-06T19:08:20.347-07:00

Psssst! If you look over on the right-hand column of this page and scroll waaaaaay down you'll see the Google supplied news for local food issues. I always find interesting stories from around the world on local eating and food supply issues.Food is the mega trend of 2007The U.S. is easing up on its practice of selling surplus commodoties to NGOs at low prices, possibly opening the door for small

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-23341663874481596762007-10-04T00:30:00.000-07:002007-10-05T00:58:39.258-07:00

My husband rolls his eyes when I tell people this: I can read the personality of a house. Sometimes. If I really want to. Some houses, I don’t want to read. There is too much sadness, anxiety or a sense of resignation. We once lived in a new apartment. It was a like a baby, excited to see what we’d do next. My uncle once lived in a house that hated children.Our house has always been a house of

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-45260323037370797372007-10-04T00:04:00.000-07:002007-10-04T14:24:53.227-07:00

The first night after the Eat Local Challenge was over, I got a nasty cold. I was achy and cranky and not up to cooking.So I ordered take out. Thai Food from Thai Ginger, one of the best-loved Thai places in North Portland.And, it was…salty. That’s what I noticed first. The vegetables were quite cooked and salty. But then the Pad Thai was super sweet and oily. Before I could bring it up Clara

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-87268871593869215112007-10-03T01:24:00.000-07:002007-10-03T10:27:05.199-07:00

September is over, the leaves are yellow and collecting in my flowerbeds. And the Eat Local Challenge is over.How’d we do?1. As much as possible, eat produce grown and meat and eggs raised in Oregon and Washington.Grade: BOf course, we strayed here and there, but for the most part this is what I bought at the store and markets. And it was easy! Our dinners were almost always all local (except for

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-3210085586766827102007-09-28T00:31:00.000-07:002007-10-01T07:40:04.616-07:00

Summer goodbyeSummer goodbyeYou can no longer stayAutumn is on its waySummer goodbyeSummer goodbyeThat lyric is from a melancholy song the kids at preschool sing this time of year. It’s like a lullaby that sings you into the quiet, dark days of winter.Melancholy meThis past Wednesday was the last market day at the Interstate Farmers Market, the one closest to our house. Like every Wednesday

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-79038114823211074552007-09-27T22:00:00.000-07:002007-09-28T01:23:42.236-07:00

The kind ladies at Enviromom, Renee and Heather, whom I met at Green Sprouts last weekend, gently pointed out that I haven’t been posting a lot of recipes. And they’re right. It’s been so hectic around here I haven’t been taking the time to make notes and take photos. But last night I did, and here’s a great example of what we’re eating for dinner these days.This meal is “seasonal transitional,”

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-81406167675392533512007-09-26T03:15:00.000-07:002007-09-26T03:23:51.160-07:00

What happened to September? Oh, I know: school started, clients came back from vacation, and I had to get back to work. I love my work and I’m so lucky to be able to do it at home and spend so much time with my kids. But it interferes with my blogging.Last Saturday, while Clara and Aaron were off at a birthday party, Iris and I took the bus up to Peninsula Park for the Green Sprouts Organic Baby

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-50823348071518883972007-09-12T22:11:00.000-07:002007-09-25T23:07:53.579-07:00

According to the exceptions we claimed for the Eat Local Challenge we can use up whatever was in the house when we started.This is how much salt we have left.I feel like I've taken so many more exceptions that most people because of food allergies and such, that I can't make an exception for this. We can live without table salt, for sure. It's just that it makes everything taste so much better.

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-89291843712726937702007-09-11T22:05:00.000-07:002007-09-11T22:11:03.054-07:00

As part of this month’s Eat Local Challenge we pledged to try to limit our spending to $144.00 per week, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (I’m trying to find the exact citation of this). I was worried about sticking to this, because I regularly spend that much or more in one trip to the store, and I go a few times a week.And…we did go over by a good chunk, mainly because of poor planning and

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-86259439778650805272007-09-11T00:01:00.000-07:002007-09-11T09:51:21.024-07:00

I am dreaming about food. Almost every night. I fall asleep to visions of tomatoes hanging heavy off of jungles of vines, more than I know what to do with but I want to cook and preserve them all, as if the salvation of the human race depends on it. In my dreams I wander abandoned roads deep into forests, searching, my feet sinking deep into mud, winter sun keeping watch through the skylight in

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-61151036414684940832007-09-04T13:54:00.000-07:002007-09-04T14:24:53.163-07:00

We’re on Day 4 of the Eat Local Challenge and we’re doing pretty well. Much of what we ate this weekend was from our local region, if not our metro area. When we sat down to dinner last night—pork loin with plum sauce, beet and cucumber salad, and Oregon Jewel wild rice-- we realized that all the food was local, save for the salt, pepper and vinegar. In fact, most of our meals this weekend were

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-17111862142709422772007-08-30T16:16:00.000-07:002007-08-30T16:25:01.109-07:00

Clara is enthralled with Take Home Chef.I'm fascinated.

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-87420406318529297982007-08-29T11:32:00.000-07:002007-08-29T11:07:47.619-07:00

The Eat Local Challenge is upon us again and we’re going to take this opportunity to step up our game a bit. It’s summer and it’s been easy to eat mostly local since the farmers’ markets opened but we know we can do a little better. I’ve been meaning to search out local providers of some odds and ends—like vodka and vinegar, goat cheese and farm-fresh eggs—but I’ve needed a kick in the pants to

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-88039365692661107272007-08-28T13:30:00.001-07:002007-08-28T13:41:12.964-07:00

So this wasn’t my most successful venture and I think I know why. After a little random poking at favorite blogs I happened to come across Alanna’s post at Kitchen Parade on slow roasted tomatoes. I didn’t put the tomatoes face DOWN! Aaaaaaggghhh. I wonder if that’s why the tomatoes, after 16 hours, were still mushy.That’s what they looked like when I pulled them out of the oven at 2 AM. (Oh,

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-58694520207867214572007-08-27T22:42:00.000-07:002007-08-28T11:17:09.679-07:00

Back from our annual pilgrimage to Orcas Island and my head is full, so full. I’d like to say it was a relaxing trip but I was actually on the verge of an anxiety meltdown most of the time because I’d decided that Armageddon is actually here and we’ve brought it upon ourselves.And I’m not at all exaggerating.I’m feeling a little more even-keeled now that we're home. I'm hoping daily distractions

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3842615180798774676.post-82581090258848421572007-08-24T15:09:00.000-07:002007-08-28T11:17:54.124-07:00

Here’s something funny about me:I’m afraid to grow food. I mean, in my garden, like tomatoes and zucchini and strawberries. It scares me.It scares me because while I can be a total diva in the garden when it comes to just about any other kind of flower or shrub (I even start from seed! Well, sometimes…) I am totally intimidated by the planting schedules, worrying about frost, and pests and all

Katherine Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14064276543569324415noreply@blogger.com4