About

A family of three, living on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, we value eating well and feeling connected to our food. When we began this blog, we were just beginning to learn how to set up a local food system. Over the years, this has become such an important and delightful part of our lives. We’ve formed strong friendships, had interesting adventures, and made steps towards general well-being. We’ve learned how to preserve and maintain local eating through even the darkest months. We’ve experimented and adopted ‘from scratch’ practices. Somewhere in there, we even learned how to feed a small, growing person. What’s next for us? We are in pursuit of our envisioned homestead. We hope to move away from purchasing from other farmers (though beloved) and to growing our own everything. Perhaps this blog will grow with us – from eaters to homesteaders. Be on the lookout for the transition.

We hope that our recipes, explorations in the home made, and occasional rants will entice you to find new ways to incorporate local foods in your meal choices. No matter how small your first step, you will be starting to take control of  your relationship with food. As we record what we learn, we hope that you will too.

What does it mean to eat locally?

To us, it means that we are sourcing as much of our food as possible from as close to our home as possible.  But it also means that we are consciously choosing to make it possible – we have sought out local sources of food, discovered more traditional foods, and learned how to save the bounty of summer for the dark of winter.  This often means finding new recipes and shifting our habits – substituting butters for oils, reducing our meat consumption, eating kale, and more.  The best part is, we eat a better and more consistent diet because of it!

We are grateful to live in a community that provides opportunities to belong to CSA’s, to frequent great farmer’s markets and connect with small farms.  We are truly thankful for the people who grow our food, whether they live on our street or in a nearby town, we couldn’t do it without them.  Our efforts are far from over – we are still learning how to store food in new ways, (re)discovering great recipes and learning to grow some of our own food (from locally sourced seed).

Why do it?

Eating is a major part of our lives – and everyone’s.  What we eat impacts our overall health, energy level and mood.  Taking control of the food we eat simply makes sense.  Additionally, we feel eating close to home is a socially and environmentally responsible thing to do. Monolithic food production systems are inherently fragile and distributed systems of production are the only way to provide wide reliability in the presence of failure. In a world that has traded quality and trust for low prices, it is a small act of rebellion.

Even better, eating locally builds community. Not only does it make economic sense to support the growers who live near you, but it is also one of the joys of being human to be nourished directly by people who know you and who you care about.

What else will you find here at our blog?

In addition to rustling up good food, we try to be as ‘homemade’ as possible. This means learning new skills. You’ll find tips on preserving, baking, and other skills necessary to help you connect with your food system (and steer away from prepackaged and processed options).  You’ll find articles about adventures that we’ve been on (seeking food, of course.)  You might also find tips about finding community resources, websites, and books.

We know that this journey is really .. ..small potatoes.. .. compared to how people traditionally lived and ate. We’re trying to make a difference in our personal decisions and embrace the very necessary relationship that all people used to have with food.

Won’t you join us in our journey?

We’ll all grow together. Email us at us@eatingsmallpotatoes.com.