Local Okra

http://localokra.blogspot.com

Here's a shout-out to a blog that I've watched since its inception a little over a year ago, here in Athens. Tore and Kelli Olsson, more than any couple I've known, share both the responsibilities and the payoffs from slower food and complex homecooking. In other words, when they make bread I think they're both covered in flour by the end of it. They've embraced tenets from the broader organic food movement as well as stay active with Athens's local co-ops and eco-farms. Much that is served on their table is local and insanely fresh.

The thing is, culturally and scientifically we are seeing a bit of a backlash against the "local-vore" (I lifted that phrase from its use on Slate Magazine) and organic movements. YES, both of these trends have a high metaphorical threshold for pretension. Whole Foods is not for everyone, nor can everyone afford to shop at Whole Foods. Some of us scrape to get by. BUT there are people making the local and the organic a thoughtful and fun process--one that embraces friends, group eating, neighborhood solidarity, and affordable home gardening. Tore and Kelli have had the corner on that here in Athens for awhile, which is why they decided to share some recipes and musings on a blog.

If you peruse Kelli's photographs on the site, nothing less than food porn !, you'll get a sneak peek in their adorable, colorful home. And I doubt you'll sense any pretension. I think you'll just get really, really hungry.

To note, to a literary end, one of the inspirations for the blog was Wendell Berry, a southern man of letters who wrote of agriculture's sustainability, healthy food, connections to place, and the basic interconnectedness of lives and ecosystems. His essays are prolific. Google him, find one; he's a good southern wordsmith to know.