PHOTOS BY TRASK BEDORTHA
IN THE NAME OF LOCAL
Don’t Pour Some Sugar On Me
BY SHANNON FINNELL
L
of sugar, sub the equivalent volume of honey. As the
amount of sugar in the recipe increases, slowly decrease
the ratio of honey used. One part honey to two parts sugar
is the most decreased-from-the-original ratio recommended.
Yeast can be another problem for locavore purists, but by
maintaining a sourdough starter that can be swapped for
yeast in bread recipes, your food source is right there in your
kitchen. Generally, a cup of starter is subbed for an ounce of
yeast called for in a recipe. To account for the additional
flour and water added from the starter, mom says to reduce
the amounts of flour and liquid in the rest of the recipe by a
little less than a cup. Sourdough starters usually rise too
slowly for bread machines, so the oven route is best.
Flour made from local crops can be found in grocery
stores, but it’s harder to locate than other fresh produce. I
ocal meat, local eggs and local berries are
neighborhood celebrities at farmers' markets and
grocery stores. Some restaurants and bakeries
make their products with as many local ingredients
as they can. But what about Eugeneans who want to bake
at home for themselves? Must they resort to setting up
greenhouses in their back yards to produce homegrown
sugar cane?
Nope. I checked with my favorite source on baking
with local ingredients — my mom — and learned that
sugar can be removed from many recipes and replaced
with honey. Local beekeepers distribute their gooey
deliciousness at most grocery stores and farmers' markets;
reading the label provides a nice small-town Oregon
geography test. With recipes calling for less than one cup
found Kiva carries stone-ground hard red wheat flour from
Junction City. Market of Choice stocks flour from Eugene’s
Glorybee Foods. Sundance Natural Market reports that
they will receive a first batch of locally sourced flour just
as this Chow goes to press. Local flour can sometimes be
found at the Saturday Market.
In the end, even hardcore locavores make exceptions.
Salt could be processed from the sea at the Oregon coast,
but producing it in this cool, moist climate consumes a lot
of energy, defeating the ecological benefits of short transport.
The same exception is often made for baking powder.
Have more ideas for substitutions or know where to
find great local products? Want to see a few locally
adapted recipes? Join us at blogs.eugeneweekly.com to
share ideas and suggestions. ■
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