"locavore" news and stories

• Want fresh, local produce, but can't quite commit to a CSA? Join the club.
• This family buys local just for the taste of it.
• Luke Palladino Seasonal Italian Cooking proves that the Jersey Shore is home to far more than Snooki.
• What did Eagles players number 87 and 79 name their new restaurant? 879. Of course.

If the locavore movement is trying to shed its elitist image as an exclusive province for those who can afford $5 for a handful of locally grown strawberries, then it's not getting much help from the Wall Street Journal.

A recent article on WSJ.com focused on the two-month-old Foodshed Project in San Francisco. The project's goals are laudable: each year, farms within 100 miles of San Francisco produce $10 billion worth of food; the Foodshed Project is trying to get more of that food to local tables rather than having it shipped all across the country.

But it seems that the movement that's all about cutting out the middleman and connecting eaters with the source of what they eat is discovering the importance of, well, middlemen.

As the Journal puts it: "In the Foodshed program, a few dozen farms sell their produce via Ben and Annie Ratto, a husband-and-wife team who act as middlemen between farms and food distributors. Those distributors...pick up produce from small farms at the Rattos' warehouse in Oakland and deliver it to customers. Mr. Ratto and the distributors each charge a markup -- typically 10% to 15% for Mr. Ratto, while the distributors add a charge, currently $5 per case of produce."

If all those markups seem destined to put the label of "locally grown" on par with "luxury," then take a look at Foodshed's nascent client list, which includes high-end Bay Area catering company, Living Room Events, and the epitome of luxury itself, the Ritz-Carlton, where locally grown strawberries "typically end up in guests' continental breakfasts."

As Marie Antoinette might have put it today: "Let them eat Chilean blueberries!"

No matter how low the mercury dips, Boston locavores still hope for a year-round farmer's market, like Seattle's dreamy Pike Place Market or Cleveland's treasured Westside Market. But the fact is, groups like the Boston Public Market (founded in 2001 to achieve that goal) have yet to make that vision a reality, despite years of fund-raising and public ribbon-cutting celebrations.

But there's been no dithering for Boston's vibrant neighbor to the south. Farm Fresh Rhode Island, a not-for-profit whose mission is to promote locally grown food, is in its third season of its Wintertime Farmer's Market at Hope Artist Village in Pawtucket on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through May.

Austin's unofficial motto, "Keep Austin Weird," should be changed to "Keep Austin Eating Local." It's a locavorism hot spot surrounded by the verdant Texas Hill Country. Restaurants like Olivia and Cipollina have made a name for themselves by supporting area farms and offering seasonal fare. Is it a stretch that there is an annual celebration of local foods? Surely not!

The festival, Eat Local Week, is a series of functions spearheaded by Edible Austin magazine, which aims to raise awareness of the abundant Central Texas victuals. For seven days (Dec. 5-12), folks sample eats from participating restaurants, can tour farms on bicycles and raise funds for Urban Roots, a youth charity. Herein, a recap of events.

Already event-goers have munched on grass-fed, beef-stuffed chard rolls at Eastside Cafe, duck eggs from Learning Pear and Loncito's lamb tacos at Tacodeli. "We are actively trying to expand eaters' palates to try things they might not have ever eaten before (like bacon-wrapped lamb heart at Olivia)," says Marla Camp, publisher of Edible Austin.

Chard. Photo: La Grande Farmers' Market, Flickr

• Delighting in chard with history, love and recipes.
• Texas State prof James E. McWilliams discusses the flaws of locavore living in his new book, "Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly."
• New York chef Tom Valenti, diabetes and his new book, "You Don't Have to Be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook."
• One more tome to ponder: Martha Stewart's new book, "Cupcakes."
• Food Matters in Austin: the Hot Sauce Festival, new restaurants on the horizon, Hudson's Sausage Co., outdoor movies, wine and food fests, free kids' meals at IHOP, 24-7 food at Twenty Four, June-Ann Rodil's title as Texas's Top Sommelier and Chisholm Trail Longhorn Beef co-op.