How much local should we aim for?

Barbara Kingsolver describes in her captivating book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle how her family went nearly 100% local for a year. Here in North Carolina, there's a movement to get everyone to go just 10% local. The shift helps community farms thrive, making fresh, healthy food more available and affordable. It keeps your family safer, too, by supporting a more diverse food system, which helps minimize the damage that can be caused by accidents, greed, and terrorist attacks. Your food uses less oil to get to you, reducing pollution and your carbon footprint.

My Taster and I are taking the Cook for Good plan local in July to see what percentage of our food dollars are spent locally, without having a farm like Kingsolver. Half-way through July, we've spent 75% on local ingredients, including costs of eating at two local restaurants. Taking out the restaurants puts us at a whopping 84% local. And that's with treats like the chocolate-covered cherries from who-knows-where at my local gourmet store. It's easy and oh so delicious if you just cook seasonal food from scratch.

Tomorrow, find out how to improve your recipes to meet your goals, whether that's going more local, being easier, or just tasting better.

Today, let's talk about how you are cooking up your local summer bounty. Share a recipe or tip in the comments section below.

Recipe: Summer Black Beans with Tomatoes, Corn, and Basil

Ripe tomatoes, corn, green onions, and basil put summer on your plate with this delicious bean dish. The exact proportions aren't important as long as you get the mix of flavors. Serve hot over rice or quinoa as a main dish or on its own as a salad. Great choice for a locavore or vegan.

Active time: 10 minutes, starting with cooked beans. Total time: 10 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked, drained black beans (see Basic Bean or Cuban Black Beans recipes)

2 teaspoons olive oil
3 green or spring onions, about 1 cup chopped
2 large ripe tomatoes, about 2 cups chopped
2 ears fresh corn
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, about 1/4 cup, sliced into ribbons

Method

1. Heat olive oil in medium skillet. Add chopped spring onion and cook until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in beans and tomatoes. Cut corn kernels off cobs and add to skillet. Cook just until all ingredients are warm. Taste, adding salt if needed.
2. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, topped with basil ribbons.

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