Obstacles

It was really only moments after we came up with the idea that we started to brainstorm what we could and couldn’t source locally.  There were two primary obstacles we thought of immediately.  The first, insurmountable, and the second, manageable.  The first was of course coffee.  As parents of an 11-month old, we need our coffee.  Sometimes the thought of morning coffee is very nearly the only reason I am able to drag myself out of bed after a wakeful night.  The steaming mug, the rich cream, the caffeine slowly sinking in - to me, it’s a package deal.  This was non-negotiable for everyone in the room so we agreed that this would be our “cheat,” our “luxury item,” our “if-I-were-stuck-on-an-island-and-could-only-have-one-thing” pick.  So that left beer.  Luckily for us, there is an orchard down the road that now makes hard cider and a variety of other fruit wines.  We have been known to sample these libations from time to time, and have not been disappointed, though I’m sure that if we enjoyed them to excess the hangover would be hell.  There is also a new vineyard that I pass when I drive our grommet, Sebastian, to playgroup.  They have a tasting room and I’ve been meaning to stop in and give them a try. 

So, done and dusted right?  We agreed on dates for the challenge that gave us about 3 weeks to plan and prepare.  We wanted to do it right - nothing aside from coffee that wasn’t local.  Though I’m sure I could have waited until the day before and just gone to the farmer’s market and made a series of stir-fries and salads, I wanted to see how well we could eat locally.  I wanted to make meals that felt normal, even better than normal, so that we would not resent the challenge, but embrace it.  I wanted to sample recipes and cooking techniques ahead of time, and I wanted to have a rough menu plan in place so that I could shop more purposefully.  I had a lot of work to do to prepare.     

Imagine my surprise when, two days before Challenge Day 1, dear hubby called me and asked very seriously, “What about beer?”  At the time of this call, I was driving with child and dog in tow to the local farm to buy some bacon and chicken.  

“What about beer?”  I echoed.  

“Well, are you really serious?  You expect me to not drink beer on my birthday?”  Oh . . . have I not mentioned yet that dear hubby’s birthday falls on day 4 of our challenge?  Right, well it does.

“Yes, that is what we talked about,” I told him.  

“Also, my parents invited us over for dinner for my birthday,” he ventured.  

Hm, now I was stuck.  We couldn’t decline because of “some silly challenge” so I conceded this one.  “Ok, we can just extend it for another day on the other end,” I agreed.  

“But the beer is out?”

At this point I proceeded in the tradition of wives for generations, and told my dear hubby that of course he could drink whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, but said it in the way that wives sometimes do where it’s clear that he’d better not dare.  

**Update:  Since the above conversation, dear hubby has sent me the following links to locally brewed beer made from locally grown hops.  You can bet he is breathing a sigh of relief.

http://www.capeannbrewing.com/fishermans-home-port-pale-ale/

http://throwbackbrewery.com/