One Local Summer, week 1: Beer Brats and Beans

What if I had an alliteration title for my local meal every week? That would be awesome.

This week, I walked to and from the farmers market- about 25 minutes each way. It was a great way to start a Saturday morning. Among other things (that I will get to later), I bought two sunflowers at a flower stand at the market, and the two big yellow flowers poking their faces out of my tote bag made everyone I passed on the way home smile and say hello. How can you not smile when faced with a sunflower? Sigh. I'm such a sucker for sunflowers.

On a more practical level, I bought eggs and green beans and broccoli and locally-made pasta*. Later Saturday, in the midst of a rainstorm, we went to Joe's Butcher Shop and bought local meat- sausages and bratwurst and tenderloins. Last time we bought bratwursts there, they were delicious, but my husband really wanted to cook them right- and every recipe he has found says to boil the brats in beer before grilling them, to maintain their flavor better. We don't drink, so don't keep beer in the house, but we picked up a local beer to try to 'properly' cook these for dinner.

The brats were boiled in the Upland Brewing Company beer for a while- I didn't keep track, because my husband was taking pride in cooking us dinner. Contrary to the name, the Upland Brewing Company is not based in Upland, Indiana, but in Bloomington. Although there are colleges based in both towns, I suppose they have more customers in Bloomington :)

While the brats were cooking, I made the green beans as a side. there is something therapeutic about the repetitive motion of snapping snap beans. Perhaps it is the memories I have of huddling over a bowl with my mother and grandmother as a child, going through the same motion. I steamed the beans then tossed with dill from my balcony garden.

All in all, a delicious meal. And local!

* I asked the pasta chef if there was such thing as locally-produced flour, figuring he would know. He said no, there's not local flour, or "none produced in a usable quantity". What's a One Local Summer girl to do? Not worry about it, I suppose. I might make my own bread some this summer, or try to go low carb... we shall see.