The 100 Mile Thanksgiving, Part II

Following is the continuation of Jennifer Kaplan’s post about celebrating a “100 Mile” Thanksgiving. You can read the first part here.

First, we spent Sunday morning at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market. We found all sorts of fabulous greens, yams, “Dr. Seuss” cauliflower, herbs and chicken for stock. Of course, once the kids warmed up with hot cocoa and croissants it was a terrific morning all around.

About the rest of the guests, at first I heard nothing back from my email describing the 100-mile Thanksgiving. Then a few requests to resend the email. Finally….

– My sister-in-law from Brooklyn is bringing an apple-pear chutney to replace cranberry sauce. She also asked if chocolate from Jacques Torres in Brooklyn qualified. We decided, since one cannot pass up Jacques Torres Chocolate and we’re making a similar exception for coffee, that products with raw materials that cannot be found within a 100 miles (cocoa nibs, coffee beans) can be brought if they are processed locally. So, Jacques Torres is in as is Gimme Coffee! roasted in Ithaca, NY.

– My mother-in-law from Tampa wants to bring key-limes for pie. But, she then emailed asking if I could buy Carnation condensed milk “locally”! I asked my husband to call her and explain that condensed milk was not in the spirit of the 100 mile meal, but he refused. Emails flew back and forth. Homemade condensed milk wouldn’t do the trick. Our friend Steve, who so embraced the 100 mile meal that he’s making his own potato starch, emailed an incredible Alice Waters recipe for a tangerine tart that he has made with key limes before and that does not call for condensed milk. Finally Steve wrote my husband an email to try and keep the peace:

But maybe Jennifer should consider a sort of cap and trade program. I make 1/4 cup of my own potato starch and sell your mom a credit with which your mom can buy an offset to cover 8 ounces of condensed milk. I find local flour — BINGO — and mom can buy enough offsets to fly a mail order key lime pie in from Kansas City.

Good idea…we should all be so diplomatic!

Filed under Uncategorized | Wordpress Comment (1) |