I woke up this morning hearing the surprisingly loud drum of rain against the windows. Not exactly weather that makes me want to leap out of bed and run to the market, but eventually I dragged myself out of bed for a much needed farmer’s market and grocery store run. I lucked out, and the rain held off for most of the time I was out, which always makes browsing more pleasant (and makes me buy more).
It is indeed spring: this is the second week there have been greens at the market, and this week we even got asparagus! There’s also a new vendor selling artisan goat cheese, so I splurged on a tangy cheese ripened in ash. Very classy, and very good. It made me aware of cheese as a singular entity; this was “a cheese” in a way that slices of american cheese, or even wedges of Jarlsberg off the wheel, are not. It was satisfying to have in my hand a little ball of cheese, rind intact, and know that it’s spent its entire life evolving towards this state.
I’m not such a locavore that I measure how much of my food is locally produced; I just try to buy locally when I can. But today, my lunch was 100% local: fresh baked rosemary Italian bread, artisan ash-ripened goat cheese, and asparagus that was probably picked yesterday. The asparagus was sauted in olive oil until tender (I know olive oil isn’t local, but it’s a small, essential piece of the meal). Good bread, cheese, and veggies makes a simple and delicious lunch, something that feels rustic and elegant at the same time. It’s a combination that is as old as civilization (which perhaps began with the invention of bread, cheese, and agriculture) and yet will never grow old. It was really tasty, and a great counterpoint to a rainy day.