A Less Aggressive Blue
E. Boyer
Buy local. Support your local farmers. That’s the latest message. It’s a good message and I’ve really been trying to follow this sound advice. So, several months ago, I set out on my new crusade, bound and determined to support my local farmer and his/her brethren. With a sense of pride and commitment, I marched to my local farmers market. Well, it wasn’t exactly marching, per se, it was more like driving but with purpose and very good intentions. Upon finding the farmer’s market and more importantly, finding a parking spot, I was filled with enthusiasm and the sense that I was part of something big…a movement…a cause. I also felt a little worn-out after having walked the 13 blocks from my parking spot to the market! Turns out these things bring in quite the crowd but don’t necessarily give much thought to parking situation. No matter. With list in hand, I began my pilgrimage to support my local farmers. Spinach, red onion, bacon, eggs, blue cheese. The anticipation of my evening meal was overwhelming. First up… Spinach! Organically grown and hand-picked in the Sacramento Valley! Sacramento… is that local enough? Geez, I dunno. With just a titch of anxiety creeping in at the thought of not buying local enough, I throw caution to the wind and rationalize that it wouldn’t be at my local farmer’s market if it wasn’t local enough. Two big bunches of Sacramento Valley-organically grown-hand-picked spinach, please! Done. Next up, eggs! Feeling triumphant with my spinach purchase I amble over to the dairy section, encouraged to find that our local Dairy farmers and Hen houses are represented and that cheese and eggs are also available here. Only for a second do I pause to question if I’m mistaken or did I actually just spend $9 on two bunches of spinach. Naw, must be a mistake. Onward to the eggs! Cage-free, vegetarian diet, OICA certified organic. Choose from brown, fertile brown, or Omega 3-fatty acid enhanced eggs. Good lord. I had no idea. Seein’ as how I clearly didn’t do enough research before my egg purchase, I decide it prudent to read a few of the pamphlets. As it turns out, these hens have better living conditions than many inner-city families and it occurred to me that the Oakland or SF housing authorities could learn a thing or two…water, air and housing standards so that the hens can live happy, cage-free lives, free from stress and anxiety. Impressive! I decide on “Fertile Brown” and move on to cheese. Cheese, glorious cheese! For me, life without cheese would be barely worth living. Oh sure, friends and family are nice, but...reeeeally tough to compare to cheese. A spinach salad practically begs for a nice Blue and there before me, like a beacon of hope for all that is good tasty, stands a little booth filled to capacity with cheese of every variety. So, after spending about 40 minutes learning all about the virtues of artisan cheesemaking from one who I can only assume is an…artisan cheesemaker, I decide on one described as “not as aggressive as other Blues.” Heaven forbid I go home with an aggressive Blue! I leave the cheese booth feeling strong and confident with my 0.62 ounces of Organic Artisan Blue, knowing that it was made with care by worthy Artisan Cheesemakers in the rolling hills…somewhere near here. I’ll admit to fighting back the teeny, tiniest little squeal when I heard “That’ll be $22.37, please.” Hey, far be it from me to question the price of perfection…I had, in my hand, 0.62 ounces of non-aggressive, organic, artisan Blue and how can you really even put a price on that? Looking over my list, I remembered that I had a red onion in the larder which brought to my final item…bacon. Yes, apparently, if raised with love and kindness, thought and consideration and with plenty of space to roam and a vegetarian grain-based diet, it’s still considered politically correct or, at least o.k., to raise pigs so that one day they can be showcased in my spinach salad. Feeling a little overwhelmed with terms like CCOF, traceable & verified, sustainably ranched and so on, I gravitated toward something that at least sounded familiar…Hardwood Smoked Uncured and Organic…obviously. One half pound, please! After all, one can never have too much bacon in their spinach salad. A seasoned Farmer’s Market shopper at this point, I brace myself for a grand bacon total of $80 and am pleasantly surprised that it only came to $12.38. Where in the world the day went, I’ll never know but, I realized that my friends were due for dinner in about an hour so, I made the 20 mile trek back to my car (just kidding, but it really did feel like that!) and headed home with my cornucopia of local Farmer’s Market treasures. The spinach salad was declared a triumph and in truth…it really did taste better than those I’d made with inferior ingredients. But, more importantly, it inspired a lively and meaningful conversation about the importance of supporting our local farmers. So, give it a try, if you haven’t already…and it’s in the budget. If quality is important to you, you’re only alternative is to dig up your yard, hire a handyman to build an elaborate system of raised planting beds which you’ll have to plant and tend year round. You’ll also have to fence off a portion of your postage stamp-size yard for your hens and other livestock. Yep…kind of a hassle. And, besides…your neighbors are really gonna give you a hard time about the livestock. Really. They will.
