The downtown Eau Claire Farmer's Market should certainly be the first stop for anyone entering into the Eat Local Challenge. Here's a list of the things I bought there this morning for the restaurant:
Heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, nasturtium flowers, sweet corn, melons, meadow mushrooms, wild grapes, wild plums, Freedom Ranger chickens, organic eggs, leeks, scallions, red/orange/purple bell peppers, red potatoes, garlic, shallots, buffalo tenderloin, maple syrup, honey, raspberries, crabapples, fennel, fingerling potatoes, cucumbers, and Fameuse apples (maybe -- Dan and Helga aren't entirely sure if that's the variety). Tack on the ingredients that are also available there that I get through other means (like organic milk, cream, cheeses, grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, pumpkinseed oil, broccoli, fresh herbs, cauliflower, beets and much more) and you've got a virtual grocery store at your disposal (and fresher than the average grocery store too).
Honestly, with the number of high-quality vendors at this market and the breadth of incredible foods that they offer from right in our own backyard, you'll be able to easily overlook the "challenge" part of the Eat Local Challenge.
I'll leave you with a quote from Barbara Kingsolver's newest book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. (This is a highly recommended book to read over the course of September, about one family's journey into eating exclusively local for an entire year.)
"Food is one of those rare moral arenas where the ethical choice is generally the one most likely to make you groan with pleasure."
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