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.