“I Eat Local Because…”
One handwritten card said, “because it’s good.” Another contributor sketched out an island sunset, no words. Another, “because I love my community!”

I agree. It feels great to eat real food made by real people. Take, for example, the sliders that were the most popular dish of the event. Right next to the serving line, whole lambs from Hite Farm turned on spits over a labor-intensive pile of charcoal. Absolutely no doubt about where the meat came from. That is as local as local gets.

They warmed the buns before serving, an example of the fine attention to detail that every vendor exercised. When the buns ran out, they started piling meat onto plates and serving with grilled zucchini, pickled onions, and a homemade sauce.

The sides and desserts at Farm-to-Street were light and refreshing, like the gazpacho from Teaism. When I approached the booth, Leila hooked me up with a crispy sesame cracker and then floated some wasabi cream on top of the gazpacho. The onions lent a perfect amount of bite, and the vinegar a slight tang that wasn’t overpowering. The wasabi packed quite the punch, even with the creamy base.

On to dairy. Two neighboring booths were battling for my affections. I loved the richness of the chocolate ice cream by U-Scream, and they were also serving mango sorbetto. The yogurt at Yola came in more flavors – plain, maple, raspberry, chocolate, and lemon – all of which were just as rich as the ice cream and had the characteristic tartness of yogurt as a bonus. The folks from Yola were also making parfaits topped with granola and fresh berries.

I needed something cold to drink with all the good food. Eatonville Restaurant, right around the corner from the party, offered free fresh lemonade in blueberry and honey-ginger. This wasn’t just any lemonade. I found myself swirling the cup around so that I could catch and nibble on a bit of freshly minced ginger. Mike told me he’d woken up at 4AM to pick blueberries. The lack of excess sugar successfully highlighted the unique characteristics of the other ingredients. To my delight, the cups came in bigger sizes as the day progressed.

Representatives from The Diner sponsored a couple rounds of pie-eating contests. After the first destructive showdown, passersby sampled the half-devoured pies with as much gusto as one might show for untouched pies (see the results above). Next to the pies, the booth held a basket of their famous baked treats for those who had brought dogs.

Community outreach was strong at the venue. After I picked up a free copy of the Washington City Paper, I stopped by DC Water’s booth for a list of cafes and restaurants that will fill your reusable water bottle for free. They were also running a misting tent, a boon to those who were sweating buckets. Next to the water tent, I learned something new: there is a farm right in the middle of D.C., located a few blocks down V Street. Common Good City Farm teaches community members to combat poverty and obesity by growing their own food, meshing well with the principles of the Eat Local First campaign.

Everyone in attendance was genuinely excited to be taking part in the Eat Local First movement, and the enthusiasm was contagious. I witnessed a little girl critiquing the gazpacho with wasabi cream sauce and offering some to her younger brother. I heard an occasional, “Where’d you get that? That looks good!” … and the person being asked would eagerly walk the asker to the right food source. The quaint neighborhood setting, live music, and misting tent kept everyone’s spirits up despite the scorching heat. The food was delicious, but the Farm-to-Street Party stood out for its unique personality.

-Guest Writer Nina Garcia (NFG)

Disclaimer:  I know something to this effect is stated in our “About” section, but (as sometimes happens), we received freebies.  That said, our words are our own.

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