Buying local

One of the things I am really appreciating about island life is the ease at which I can buy locally produced goods.
Today my neighbor clued me into a guy who makes bread in a wood fired oven and sells it at the Thriftway. It is called Bill's Bread, and when I grabbed it off the shelf it was warm. Apparently he bakes it in a wood fired, French style, outdoor oven. I cut up the loaf for dinner and it was gone in 10 minutes. It had a beautiful chewy crust and a very soft, spongy interior. The flavors were complex and nutty. At the Thriftway you can also find local meat, local cheese, Vashon coffee and hand made soaps. At the moment the veggie starts lined up outside the front doors have been sprouted down the road.
My eldest son gets to eat locally whenever he has school lunch. The lunch program here is outstanding, a dollar more than you pay in the city, but the food is fantastic and much of it is grown on the island. It is always a far superior lunch to one I could scrounge up for him before the caffeine has kicked in.

The Farmer's Market has opened for the season and I see farm stands cropping up all over the place. Soon our chickens will be big enough to lay and then maybe I'll be putting an honor box beside my mail box. I look forward to being able to contribute to this local food life.
I guess I should try and find these foodie folk. They are all over the island and are a big reason life here is so rich and appealing. For now I'll chat over the fence with my neighbor and hope he gives me more delicious tips. Did I mention that he has a vineyard...and a while back he gave us a bottle of his wine.

10 things I love about Island life

1. Leaving my car doors unlocked.
2. Looking out my kitchen window, and seeing an orchard, a vineyard and the Puget Sound.
3. Getting plants delivered along with my mail from my friendly Postman.
4. Rubber boots becoming completely acceptable footwear...anywhere.
5. Buying fresh eggs from Ferdie's Preschool teacher...(thanks Andrea!)
6. Getting my handwritten water bill.
7. Walking on the beach in the rain.
8. The General Store in Burton, which is exactly how a general store on an island should be. It even has the friends of the old lady who runs it sitting on a couch behind the cash register.
9. Birds everywhere...I am going through a feeder full of seed a day.
10. The most awesome school lunch program in the USA (I'd be willing to bet money on it anyways)

Frosting a train

Another Birthday for a small boy and this time I decided to tackle the dreaded train. I vaguely remember my Mum telling me never to attempt the train...but a girl never listens to her mother. Mum was right. It was a frosting nightmare. I had to pull out my whole bag of tricks; a crumb coat, a chill in the freezer, the palette knife in hot water, disguising mess ups with candy, the list goes on. The end result was great, but it took me many hours. Never mind, the look on Raf's face was worth all the effort. I like to think my cakes are edible Birthday cards to my kids. I am sure when they are adults they will remember every mistake I made as a parent, but I also hope that they will remember those cakes and how much love I frosted onto them.