Local Loves

July 22, 2010

I've got to say, that the absolute best part of eating local has been meeting all kinds of new people who live just down the street. Sure I love the CSA girls over at Long Meadow Farm, but how about the granola makers and the honey producers of Maine? Believe me when I tell you that I love them, too.

And you know what? They deserve some serious pluggage, so here goes...

Have you tried Grandy Oats Granola? It's 100% organic, it's made in Brownfield, the owner is an absolute love who is insanely passionate about organic oats, and it tastes fantastical. As if that's not enough of a sell, Grandy Oats Granola is priced almost identically to Bare Naked, their primary non-organic competitor. You can buy it at Whole Foods, Hannaford, Health Food Stores, and straight from the website. Its calories come from organic nuts and organic dried fruit--not all kinds of added fat and sugar. And--this is a good one--the granola comes in a reusable BPA free container. Seriously, now that I've discovered Grandy Oats, I'll never buy tupperware again.

Another product I'm completely loving on right now is Root Cellar Preserves. While they're not local to Maine, they're local to New England via Massachusetts, and that's good enough for me. I bought a jar of their zesty sweet pickles at Whole Foods last week, and let me tell you, I'm now a certified pickle snob. I scoff at Vlassic and the lowly peasants who enjoy them. Ha ha (that was me scoffing).

And as an added perk, fifty percent (FIFTY PERCENT!) of their profits go toward the restoration of antique New England homesteads. We're New Englanders! Souless subdivisions can kiss our patriot asses! We like old stuff! Now go buy pickles to help save it all!

And then, there's the place that's so close to my heart it might as well just open up my chest cavity and crawl inside--Wildmirth Farm. Wildmirth is owned and operated by my new friend Monika, and this woman, far and away produces the most beautiful honey you'll ever have the privilege of tasting. Aside from that, she's generous and sweet and kind. She basically flits around Central Maine, gifting friends and strangers with hugs, and recycled jars of her complete amazingness. She's like a honey missionary.

This past week, she came to my house and left those two jars behind. One was for my family, and the other was for a sweet little friend who's working like heck to get his good health back. After all, he's three, the has a lot of things on his to do list--climbing, sliding, running around naked. He's my kind of kid.

Monika charges $7 a jar, but she strongly prefers a good old-fashioned barter. In exchange for my next jar of honey I plan to gift her with the joy of my children for an entire weekend while I jet off for a mini-vacation. I love bartering.

If you're interested in Monika's honey, let me know and I'll put you two in touch.

And finally, this week, my sister-in-law and I loaded up the car for a day-trip and took the kids up to Steep Hill Farm for some blueberry picking. Between the toots, the screaming, and the cousin-fighting, we sucked the peace right out of that place. But now that we've gone, and you can rest assured we won't ruin your experience, you should absolutely go.

Don't miss my post from earlier today. It's all about foods that should get busy more often.