Thinking outside of the lettuce.

Faced with the need to plan a week of packed lunches that ALWAYS include a salad, I was stymied.  I had managed to nurse a few lettuce plants along in my cold frame, but the bulk of what was left was made into Flora's last meal (she loved lettuce - the good girl).   I have made the decision to eat seasonally this winter.  You know me - I "heart" a challenge.  I figure I have a well-stocked pantry and am fairly creative, so I should be able to see myself through....100+ salads....hmmm.

The first one I made was with brown lentils, chopped tart apples, chopped, cooked potato, chopped red onion and parsley.  I precooked the potatoes and cooled them, then I presoaked the lentils, heated olive oil in a pan and stirred in curry and sea salt, then added the lentils, coated them in the spices and added water to cover, simmering them until they were just done.  I drained the lentils and cooled them to room temperature.  While the lentils were cooking, I cored and chopped the apples and tossed them with lemon juice.  When everything was about the same temperature, I threw it all together, added some chopped red onion and the surviving parsley from my window box and mixed it well.  Surprisingly good!  You have to admit - it sounds, well, odd.  This made enough to keep me going through three lunches, plus a little for my parents.  I didn't tell them everything that was in it, as sometimes, TMI can cause a more timid person from exploring new taste sensations, if you know what I mean.  I believe that mothers call it "hiding the veggies".

I have a nice head of cabbage in the fridge, more apples, a few oranges, there are dilly beans, corn salsa, pickled beets, tins of sardines and tuna, all KINDS of things.  I have nuts in the freezer, dried cranberries, there is leftover turkey coming up - I think I will make it! 

My favorite way to pack a salad for lunch?  I prepare the dressing and pour a small amount in the bottom of a wide-mouthed Mason jar.  Then I layer the salad, starting with the heartiest ingredients that won't mind a nice dressing soak.  Twist on the lid, and BobsYerUncle!   They can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days, depending on the ingredients, and all you have to do before eating is shake the jar well.  I was feeling quite smug about this method until I ran across it on the Internet.  I'm still calling it mine.

Do you have some creative salad ideas?  Share!!!!  With 100+ salads ahead of me, I need all the help I can get...

Local - What does it mean, exactly?

You all know how I feel about certain terms -- "baby" vegetables come to mind.  Another bugaboo is the loosey-goosey use of "local".  As soon as one of these terms gets hot, everyone and their Uncle Vanya is using it to describe their merchandise or produce.  According to the WSJ, Wal-Mart has jumped on the local bandwagon as well.   As soon as I read that, I thought, "oh-oh, local is going the way of organic."  Wal-Mart, it seems, is embracing local food for two reasons - they save on fossil fuel costs by limiting their shipping distances, and they are opening the door of a large new market with deep pockets.  This can be both good and bad for local farmers across the country.  Slipping under the sheets with Wal-Mart can be a double-edged sword.   As far as the new "local" fanaticsm, my personal feeling is that a lot of the local food embracers fall right off the wagon as soon as they realize that "local" means they can't get blueberries in January.  But, I digress.

Also discussed in the article was what "local" means to three food retailers who are also on the "local" bandwagon:

Safeway says it doesn't consider food locally grown if it takes more than an 8 hour drive from field to store.

Kroger defines locally grown very loosely.  It can mean grown in the same state, or within the same "region" of the country.

Supervalu varies from store to store.  Some of their stores call produce that comes from neighboring states "local".

I have a much tighter vision of "local" food.  My front yard, for instance.  Or my friend Marianne's greenhouse about twenty minutes away.  Since I live in an area of New York state that butts up against both Vermont and Massachusetts, is produce from those states local?

A local farm (approx. 10 miles from me) markets its sweet corn as "native" corn.  Some people I have talked to think they grow Indian corn.  Maybe "native" vegetables will be the next hot marketing term?

What is your definition of "local" produce/food/goods?  Is local food a fad?  Or are people finally getting it?