My first One Local Summer Meal for OLS 2007

This is the second year that Liz at Pocket Farm has issued a challenge to eat One Local Meal each week for 10 weeks in the summer. Last summer I was traveling too much to participate, but this year I am committed.

So last night was our first One Local Summer (OLS) meal. I’ll begin at the center of the plate. My protein was a sirloin steak from Clarissa Allen’s farm. I had bought lamb from her before, but never knew she sold beef until this spring when I saw a Grass Fed Beef sign on her lawn. She has a small herd of about 10 now. The potatoes were from Glenn and Linda Hearn’s Tiasquam Brook Farm and the strawberries from Andrew Woodruff’s operation out at the old Thimble Farm. The lettuce was from Ethel and Ralph Sherman’s patch in Chilmark. For about two weeks every summer Ralph has the most extraordinary local iceberg lettuce. One outer leaf can cover sandwiches for four. I mixed that with salad greens from Blackwater Farm to give the salad a spicy bite.

From my own garden I managed to garner 4 small zucchini, a few garlic scapes and some VERY early garlic. I sautéed the garlic, added the zucchini and scapes flipped the pan a couple of times and then put ground salt and pepper and slivered mint leaves. Then I covered it and turned off the heat. The potatoes were seasoned from thyme, parsley, rosemary and garlic from my garden, and the salad with nasturtium blossoms.

That first bite of steak was sublime. Over the years Clarissa and her husband have planted over 27 varieties of organic grasses in their pastures and they tend to finish the herd on the south side of the property overlooking the ocean. The proof is in the taste.

So I would say I dined like a queen last night. Can’t wait until next week!

SALAD

iceberg lettuce - Sherman Farm (2 miles)
Salad greens - Blackwater Farm (3 miles)
nasturtiums - garden (0 miles)
dressing Annie's Naturals Balsamic - (not local)

HERBED POTATOES

red potatoes - Tiasaquam Brook Farm (1.5 miles)
herbs and garlic - garden (0 miles)
olive oil salt and pepper (not local)

ZUCCHINI NITZA

Zucchini, mint and garlic - garden (0 miles)
Olive oil, salt and pepper - not local

SLICED STRAWBERRIES WITH MINT

Strawberries - Whipporwil Farm
Mint - garden (0 miles)

GRASS FED SIRLOIN STEAK

one sirloin steak - Allen Farm (5 miles)
salt and pepper - not local