BATTLE OF THE ANTS

I didn't realize this until it was just time to send my submission to my regional coordinator for One Local Summer, Laura, but she said in her first email that "I'm really looking forward to seeing what we all come up with now that there is more in season than meat, kale and onions (just kidding)."

Um...ha ha. Look at the meat and the kale (and potatoes) in my meal! I know she was kidding. I also know that I just happen to like meat, kale, onions, and potatoes very much. Very much. Also, it's been pretty darn cold in these parts and at the farmer's market kale, onions, and potatoes are just about it right now. A few more weeks should see more stuff.

So what do we have in this meal of mine (which, being a single person, I had leftovers for a few days)?

YAK BURGER
- ground Yak, from Tamarak Yak of Santa, ID (56mi), via Moscow Food Co-op (8mi).

- breadcrumbs , made from bread from the Co-op. The Co-op uses flour from Shepherd's Grain in their bread. Shepherd's Grain uses wheat from 28 growers all over the Columbia Plateau, which means that the flour in the bread comes from wheat I've probably watched grow in the fields along the roads I drive all the time.

- one egg, from Troyer's in Potlatch, ID (25mi), vi the Co-op.

- topped with American Cheddar from the WSU Creamery here in Pullman, WA (2 mi). The cows themselves are a little further away: 4mi or so. :)

- bun, from the Co-op.

POTATOES AND KALE
- red potatoes, from a box at the Co-op stamped "local"—I don't know exactly where they're from, but Moscow is in Idaho after all (famous potatoes!), so I'm just going to trust that they are indeed local. Usually I get my potatoes from the farmer's market but these I already had in the cupboard.

- kale, from a farmer whose name I do not know, but whose farm is in Moscow (8mi) and I got the kale from the farmer's market. For anyone who goes to the Moscow Farmer's Market, these are the folks who always have the really long table that runs along the side of the building and is full of great stuff. I can't wait until later in the summer because these particular folks have the best freaking heirloom tomatoes ever.

- salt, pepper, oil: not local.

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So how was the Yak, you ask? Really, really good. It is very lean, rich, and flavorful. You'll note the lack of condiments on my burger. Typically I'm a ketchup/mustard/mayo person, but that is usually because I am trying to elicit some actual flavor from the burger. I purposefully didn't make any ketchup, mustard, or may to slather on this—first, because I didn't have all the ingredients handy to make "local" condiments, but mostly because I wanted to taste unadulterated yak. It was good. I might get more at some point and make traditional Tibetan momos—dumplings—which feature ground yak.

Labels: foody, one local summer 08