Back for Twenty-twelve.

2011 was a tough year for knowing our farmers. We started with a 20cf freezer of beef, pork and chicken and we're down to about 20 pounds of "beef for boiling" and "Soup Bones". Near the end of the month, I'll head up to Bippus and we'll be restocked with piggy but it doesn't solve the problem.

We need to find some local farmers.

It's really that simple and it's really that important. By finding local farms with which to feed our family, we ensure the health of a human ecosystem, consumer, farmer, animal, plant, soil, Earth. We also enrich the community by making a better case for other farmers to make a business case for offering the same. It's not entirely altruistic, however. Food grown responsibly, with an eye on the consumer and the other on the health of the farm and neither on the cash (at the time of labor), tastes better and I'm not driving 3 hours just to get food. I would but it isn't happening.

So this year we'll make relationships with farms, farmers, pigs, cows, chickens, broccoli and carrots. We'll get to know the dogs and cats, husbands, wives, sons, daughters and hangers-on. We have to. It's our responsibility. No excuses.

At the same time, I need to find suppliers for The Flatrock Flatbread Company. We'll start with local meats and vegetables. Finding the right cheese supplier shouldn't be too hard. But the flour could be tricky.
As bread people know, flour is everything. Dough turned crust is the most expressive part of the pizza art. It's the color, taste and aroma of the oven. It's the foundation for topping delivery. It, by itself, is pizza. To be "authentic" pizza pros around the globe import Italian 00 flour and Italian tomatoes and cheese. I don't buy into that. Indiana tomatoes and cheeses are delightful. Grain grows all around me. I'm going to use it. It just may take time finding the right wheat blend and learning how to mill it perfectly, money to buy all the extra equipment, and patience to try again and again to get it perfect. But I'm certainly willing to try.