Eating Locally

A couple of weeks ago, after beginning Barbara Kingsolver’s book about eating locally (and seasonally), I started thinking about just how locally I am willing to eat. There are the obvious exceptions, like chocolate, coffee, tea, and spices, which even our ancestors had to import from far, far away. I wouldn’t deny myself those things, since they have always been a part of our country’s import allotment. Sugar and flour, too, are unlikely to come from anywhere local (unless someone in the central valley is manufacturing sugar from sugar beets, as they did in my youth). So they all probably have to be procured from outside of northern CA.

But then there are the imported products I have come to rely on that are being produced locally, such as olive oil, vinegar, and jam, which are much more expensive than their local counterparts. I can buy pretty good extra virgin olive oil at Costco or Trader Joe’s for less than $10 a liter, but it’s all from Italy, Spain or Greece (or some combination). And then there’s the California-produced, organic extra-virgin olive oil at about $12 for 25 ounces from Napa Valley Naturals—why are some of its olives from Argentina’s Cordoba Valley? Williams-Sonoma makes an excellent California “House Olive Oil” for about $26 (25 oz.), too expensive for everyday use, given the quantities we consume. The really local stuff, produced on the UC Davis campus is even pricier, at $20 for half a liter.

Vinegar poses a similar problem. I love Sherry wine vinegar, available only from Spain for as low as $8 for 25 ounces, and all of the reasonably-priced Vilux vinegars from France, at about $7, are terrific. Although Williams-Sonoma once sold excellent red wine vinegar for about $12, I haven’t seen it in awhile, and most of the local stuff comes in very small bottles, for high prices. Same problem with jam; the good, reasonably-priced stuff without high fructose corn syrup is from France or the UK (marmalade). At least here, I can make my own! More to follow on local eating options…