And speaking of 100 Mile Diet ...

Yesterday I went to Dickey's and bought fresh green onions, fresh pesticide-free heirloom variety tomatoes, and some really high quality feta, which I added to this "corn bread salad" recipe from Smitten Kitchen. The guy delivering locally raised, hormone and antibiotic free meats was at Dickey's while we were there, so I got his card. But the fresh pies they make at Dickey's were all sold out, so I did not get one of those. (And behold, there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.)

I used Uncle Dan's powdered ranch dressing mix for the dressing and a pre-washed package of butter lettuce for the base (not 100-mile foods). I made the cornbread with yogurt and a bit of half and half (which is what I had on hand) instead of buttermilk. This was also the first time I've made cornbread with stone ground cornmeal (pretty sure this was a Bob's Red Mill cornmeal, but it was in an unlabeled container in my cupboard) and no flour at all, and it was really really good. "Local," but in the Washington/Oregon sense - not in the 100-mile sense.

All in all, what we ate tasted like taco salad without the icky taco taste. Very refreshing - the slightly nutty taste of the toasted cornbread that fell apart in the salad was a perfect blend with the creaminess of the cheese and dressing and the sharp sweetness of the tomatoes. I could easily add some of the Trader Joe's marinated chicken meat into this. Or rinsed, canned beans. It was quite satisfying and yummy on its own, though.

And then for dessert, we had root beer floats made with root beer brewed locally at a quirky brew pub in Hood River. The place is called The Big Horse. We ate lunch there - in a booth near the sacks of brewing grains and we saw a sign on the wall advertising for the group called SNOB - "Supporters of Native Oregon Beer."

During this foray, which started out being "let's go get some lunch," I realized (again!) just how much abundance is right here. I haven't even bothered to look into the Gorge Grown Food Network's various listings for a long time. I do not even have to garden so much as radish in order to eat in a sustainable, flavorful, gorgeous way - all I have to do is wake up to the possibilities. Again. Somehow (forehead slap!) I have slipped into thinking that there was a lot I'd have to do myself if I wanted all these options - all this possibility. I've been succumbing (again) to Supermarket Syndrome. I shop the outer edges and stay out of the aisles all right, but seriously. I don't have to go in there much at all if I'd just pay attention!