As my own garden has started into Summer Production Mode, I’ve got figs coming in, tomatoes starting to blush, beans maturing, corn standing tall, and melons just poking their heads from their bright yellow buds. The Challenge for next week will actually be the pantry essentials like flour, butter, milk and eggs. Thanks to Carolina Farm Stewardship and this amazing world wide web, the edibles of the Carolinas are more accessible than I’d ever realized.

Little by little I’m finding resources I had no idea existed! Thanks to Kurt’s list several posts back, I now have a source for rice that is within a 100 mile radius of my house. I’d never, in my wildest imagination, thought rice would be part of the fun of exploring the Carolinas. The variety is phenomenal, and I can easily claim the foods available will have more flavor packed per bite than a whole head of iceberg lettuce could ever provide.

Another interesting facet of this experience so far (and it hasn’t even officially started yet!) has been talking to friends about the purpose, the goals, and the resources. Already I’m learning; a casual suggestion here or there about a friend of a friend’s farm, sources of goats milk, and just how many people really are interested in fresh, local food.

While on my quest for North Carolina cow’s milk, I decided it was finally time to try Homeland Creamery. Their website doesn’t list a retailer near me that sells their products, so I emailed to find out where the closest place would be for me to pick some up. They quickly emailed back and let me know it is The Bradford Store in Huntersville.

Huntersville is a bit of a drive from Matthews, not too horrendous, but enough for me to consider maximizing gas use for the trip there and back. So I emailed friends and family and explained this challenge and also explained I would be making the drive to pick up some provisions (sounds a bit like Little House on the Prairie, doesn’t it?) and asked if anyone else was interested in me picking things up for them. The response was phenomenal, not only in the amount of groceries I’ll end up bringing back, but just the sheer “neighborliness” of the action. Seems nothing brings people together like the prospect of fresh butter.

This afternoon I’m making the short trek to Lancaster, SC to visit Mahaffey Farms. They’ve got a gallon of goat milk with my name on it. Tonight I’ll be elbow deep in a small, experimental batches of goats’ milk feta and yogurt. Then on Saturday I’ll purchase the professional version of chevre from Bosky Acres at the Matthews Farmer’s Market.

What will I do with all this cheese? Last night we had the first figs of the season, though we had no cheese on hand, I can’t help but dream and drool about this simple, flavorful, Mediterranean inspired dish: Figs brushed with butter, infused with rosemary, then grilled, drizzled with honey and topped with feta. In terms of locale, this translates to: backyard, farmer’s market, front yard, farmer’s market, and farmer’s market. Can you imagine such a flavorful wealth, all within arm’s reach?

Seems a waste to keep such enjoyable flavor potentials to ourselves, anyone else out there have a local recipe to share?