One of the best things about coming home is sorting through things that family members have put aside for you while you’ve been away. (Or at least, that’s one the action items that I most look forward to on trips out West.) Luckily, my parents know me well enough to have pieces that deal with all things good-food-related on that pile. To my pleasant surprise, within half an hour of my having gotten in, my dad brought out The Rocky Mountain Growers Directory: Eat Local, Buy Local 2009 and copies of edible Magazine: Aspen for my perusal.
The former outlines a great number of farms and working ranches. Divided by city and then tagged with icons showing what they produce, the listing is like heaven for anyone seeking out growers in their region. If you’re native to the state but don’t know where to pick up a booklet yourself, don’t fret. An online publication is available at http://www.localsustainability.net/.
Edible Aspen is a member of the edible Magazines community. In it are the same types of articles and advertisements that are found in most other members’ editions, though Aspen’s are of course tailored to the elite ski town’s area. Highlights? Out of the little town of Paonia, Jay Canode and Lynn Gillespie have directed and produced “Locavore: Local Diet, Healthy Planet” that even features one of edible Aspen’s own columnists. Author Kate Heyhoe has also outlined how families can lower their ‘cookprints’ in this season’s editions. One tip that I’ll be putting into place ASAP? Running the dishwasher at night— it saves energy when done after 8:00pm. Looks like my dad knew what he was doing by having me read these local mags right at dinner time…
-Serena
In Aspen this Winter, read about baking bread without spending all your dough.
Tags: buy local, colorado, eat local, local foods, locavore