1. Terra Chips, and Garden of Eatin' and Bearitos corn chips, are manufactured in Melville, NY, *almost* within range at 256 miles. HOWEVER, they are distributed through the UNFI warehouse in Chesterfield, NH, which is 248 miles from Ithaca and 222 miles from Melville, which means they travel 470 miles to get here. It's a huge commercial enterprise, anyway, not really the kind of family farm I had in mind to support. Lord only knows where the corn comes from (though at least it's organic.) They're part of Hain Celestial, which also owns Celestial Seasonings and Arrowhead Mills. I suppose we might go there in a pinch, but then again, maybe not.
2. Bilinski's chicken sausages, one of our favorite convenience foods, is manufactured in Cohoes, NY, just north of Albany (170 miles). Their website says they use local ingredients, and some of their flavors are organic. Makes me happy.
3. We discovered a new chocolate bar producer in Jacksonville (8 miles) named Lucienne's. Apparently they've been making biscotti and wine truffles for awhile, but this is the first time I've seen their chocolate bars. Clearly not locally grown, but even so, it means we don't have to make an exception for chocolate :^) We bought three flavors to try -- hazelnut praline, lemon & rosemary, and cinnamon & cayenne.
One possible downside is that their chocolate is certified by the Rainforest Alliance, not by Fair Trade USA. Both are better than nothing, but the Fair Trade standards are more highly regarded. One key difference is that Fair Trade works with small farm cooperatives and guarantees a minimum price for the product, whereas Rainforest Alliance works with larger producers and guarantees a minimum wage. I'd have to look more closely to decide how strongly I feel about the difference; it might be worth starting a dialog with the producer. (One of my favorite things about small local businesses is that this is actually a realistic option. And I've learned a lot the few times I've tried it.) => For more information, please read this update.
4. Brad's Raw Chips, a newish company based in Pipersville, PA (195 miles) makes a gluten free cracker. It's based on sprouted buckwheat groats, which can be grown regionally. Their press coverage says they use local ingredients, and there's a bunch of farm updates on their blog, so I think we're good on that one. They're wickedly expensive, but we got a couple bags to try them out (sweet potato and kale flavors.)
5. We have local barley, too! And the de-hulling seems to be more complete than it is for the oats & rye, so it's more suitable for grinding. We've used barley in the past to make tsampa (a Tibetan snack that we learned about at Judy's Day a few years ago) but it might be time to branch out into more general baking.
Tsampa
barley groats
butter
salt
sweetener
spiced tea (ithaca chai or bengal spice)
Roast barley groats in a frypan, stirring constantly, until they give off a nice aroma. Grind into flour. For each person, mix two or three heaping tablespoons in a bowl with a dab of butter, a sprinkle of salt, sweetener to taste, and enough spiced tea to form a dough. Form into desired shape & bite or pinch off pieces to eat. Repeat until full.
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ReplyDeleteI tried the chocolate, because it was "legal" and I wanted to see what it was like, but with some reluctance. I think we may someday find our selves in a post-chocolate, post-coffee "apocalypse" (at least, I think that's the way many would see it) and I'd like to get a sense of how addicted to chocolate I really am. (To my advantage, I never acquired a taste for coffee.)
It's interesting to note that, because of the demand for other products including biofuels that require similar growing conditions, the number of acres of coffee plantations is already shrinking, and the price of coffee is spiking as a result. I'm sure there are more shifts like this to come.
As for the Tsampa, it reminds me of a quote from Crocodile Dundee that I don't think I'm allowed to post... to each his own, I suppose. It certainly has calories to keep one warm in the Himalayas. But then, you can also just rub the (traditionally yak) butter into your skin, I'm told.
@Greg -- about the tsampa -- you're obviously not a kid.
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