Sourcing SCA Feasts Locally

A few months ago, my friend Liadan Liathain asked me if I’d want to work on her crew for A Simple Day in the Country, which is this upcoming weekend. While I’m not able to because of work commitments and co-workers’ time off, I am able to head down in the morning after work for my weekend to help with prep.

“Why is this relevant?” I’m sure you’re wondering.

Well…

Liadan is doing something amazing (to me) in that she’s sourcing most of her feast from local partners. Fresh blackberries from a local farm where she got to pick them herself. Fresh ducks that will be slaughtered and processed this morning.

It’s that last bit, plus a bit more, that I’ll be assisting with over the next couple of days. I’m excited about it. Have been since I made plans to come down and assist, in fact.

And, then, I started watching Episode 4 of Season 2 of Parts Unknown, which focuses on Rene Redzepi‘s Noma Restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark. Redzepi sources all of his ingredients from local-to-him sources, including going out and foraging for things to include on his menu. It’s a simple, yet complex way of staying in touch with where your ingredients come from. So many times, when we eat, we don’t consider where our food comes from.

I’ve long considered opening a restaurant where I could source from local farmers for my meats, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. Running SCA feasts allows me to do that as much as my budget allows. I’m, in fact, looking forward to going to a local orchard and picking apples for the honey glazed roasted apples I’m making as part of Fox Hunt dessert. So, yeah. Sourcing local ingredients gives me great joy, especially when I have a hand in procuring them.