Localvore

I recently had a conversation with one of my Aunts about being more concerned with things being local and not organic. Of course, local food around here also tends to be organic, so I win out either way. Actually, I have recently discovered I am a bit of a local snob: I drink local beverages, get my vegetables from a farm down the road, our milk from the dairy of a family in our church, and the list goes on. For those of you who have never tried this mode of thinking, I dare you to give it a try for just a month. I guarantee you will be hooked and never go back. Trust me, just one month of eating locally and you too will be a localvore and will tend to frequent restaurants that serve local food. Even the coolest food network states embrace this mode of thinking. A majority of the restaurants in Vermont tend to also. Let me give you a taste of the amazing places I have eaten at this past month (so much better than fast food).

For starters we have this amazing place the next town over where I joined three of my mom friends (no kids or husbands) for dinner. The Belted Cow. I have to start by admitting this is not a place I get to eat at often because it is not a kid friendly place and it is not cheap, but the food is amazing! We ordered two entrees and a few appetizers and shared everything. It was amazing! The only thing I did not love was the fact that it was a bit spicier than I would typically eat, not due to the fact that it did not taste amazing. Most of the food comes from local sources and the menu changes with the seasons and all of it is fresh and amazing. The bread that we ate was baked that morning at one of the local bakeries. Everything had amazing flavor and I would recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for a kid free night out.

The second place that I have visited twice this past month is Archie's Grill. It is a new Burger joint in Shelburne that serves local meats and is pretty good. (I should also mention that it is owned by the father of one of my cross-country runners which makes it extra special. When you can go in, order a burger, and know that you're supporting someone you actually know and have a connection to, that's a neat feeling.) The restaurant also has pictures of athletes from the high school I work at on the wall; it makes enjoying my burger even better when my two year old can point out people on the wall that he knows and has watched . As a side note, I think my two year old has a crush on most of the girls on my cross-country team.

The most recent location we visited is a place I have been meaning to stop at for a few months now. My aunt, who knows that I love local places, suggested I check out Red Hen Baking Company for lunch some day. My son and I finally stopped in on the way back from Grandma's for lunch the other day and it was pretty good. My son loved the fact that he could sit at the window and watch the guys making bread. I occasionally had to remind him that he needed to eat his lunch.

All three of these embody why eating local is so much better: you are supporting people you know - not some corporation who care less about your family. You know the food is fresh and quite frankly tastes better because it does not have all the preservatives (because it does not need to), it came straight from the source and onto your plate in some cases that same day, and you actually know and in some cases see what went into making it. I love the fact that my son knows that his milk comes from a cow and not the store and that he can actually watch the bread he is eating being made.

I'll end my soap box by suggesting you give it a try, for just one month. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. You can even do it when traveling, just ask my poor husband who had to go cherry picking on a road trip to Michigan, I'm totally obsessed.