The 4th annual Dark Days Challenge starts Dec. 1 and it’s time to prepare.
Here’s my Dark Days Boot Camp advice: Get going now! (It’s advice I hope to follow, too.)
Two Dark Days blog posts (two meals) are due up on your blog by Dec. 15.
Your challenge, if you signed up or if you want to participate unofficially, is to make one local meal a week using local ingredients.
You define local and you can take it to the next level by cooking SOLE, sustainable, organic, local and ethical. Some ingredients are exempt. But this is a challenge, so do your best!
Here are my three tips, gleaned from my Dark Days experiences last year:
Stock up at a Seattle farmers market: Year-round farmers markets in Seattle’s Ballard (Sundays) and University District (Saturdays) neighborhoods will yield you a ton of local goods.
You’ll also be introduced to a bevy of local farmers.
I could start naming them, but it’s a long list. Just grab a large wad of cash and get there early for the best selection. Expect to pay at least $5 a pound for local meats.
Sign up for a CSA home delivery: You want this to a little bit easy, right?
Two CSA home deliveries that service most of Snohomish County are Full Circle Farm and Klesick Family Farm.
Be sure to ask or find out where the foods are from to make sure they meet your definition of local. You can also sign up for service from Spud.com, which carries many local staples.
Find local food at your mainstream grocery store: Now is the time to stock up on Western Washington wines, cheeses, milk and butter. Golden Glen Creamery products from Bow have made it into many stores, along Fresh Breeze Organic Dairy from Lynden.
Top Foods, Haggen and PCCs have the best selection, I’ve found, but you’ll find surprises everywhere if you look closely enough.
Also, be on the lookout for local apples, hazelnuts and other produce items that have made our state famous.
Good luck and stay tuned!
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