Good Morning fellow superheroes! I'm getting really excited about our ride--I'm already starting to look at Chico as a place I'm in transition through; I won't be here for long now! And am tracking down all the final details of supplies I want to bring to ensure a happy ride. I can't wait to be on the road with all of you, sharing the magical experience I'm sure this ride will prove to be!
I wanted to take a minute to outline for everyone the picnic plan I've been working on for the trip so we can all get an idea of what we're going to be eating along the way.
First of all, let me say I'm really excited about the food I've organized for our trip! Not only will we be eating fresh, organic, vitality-rich produce, but we'll be supporting local small scale farms, CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), like GRUB along our route. Eating local further promotes our focus on reducing our carbon emissions. By choosing to eat food that hasn't been transported thousands of miles (the average meal has traveled 1,500 miles to reach our plates) we greatly reduce the emissions associated with our diet.
We will be fed at some of the locations we'll be stopping at along the way, but we'll also be packing our own food and making our own dinners part of the time.
We'll be packing our own food for the first 2 days out of Chico, and have received several generous donations (bread from Tin Roof and Hearth and Stone Bakeries, cheese from Pedroso Dairy, rice from Massa Organics, and an array of hearty staples from Chico Natural Foods: dehydrated beans and soup mixes, granola, quinoa, oats and pasta). We'll also be packing some hearty vegetables to cook up a tasty zucchini stir-fry for the first night. We'll have the use of a kitchen on the second night and I've planned for us to make spaghetti together.
For the next four days, we'll have some pretty exciting food provided for us. At the Regenerative Design institute, we will be eating pizzas made in their very own wood fired pizza oven made with goat cheese and produce from their farm. At the Pie Ranch, we'll have the opportunity to berry pick and bake pies with their staff.
Then we'll be making our own food again for the next 3 days, buying from local farms along the way: Serendipity Farm in Monterey and Clark Valley Farm in Los Osos. We'll be getting eggs at Serendipity farm, and I've planned for us to make fritatta (an Italian sort of a crustless vegetable quiche dish), stir fry and, if all goes as planned, a feast of stuffed peppers and corn for our last night before we arrive in San Luis Obispo!
For breakfasts, I've planned for us to eat cereals (granola, quinoa, oatmeal) for a few days, we'll have pancakes on the third morning, and will be enjoying eggy breakfasts near the end of our trip.
So all in all, we'll be cooking for ourselves for 5 dinners and 7 breakfasts. I'll be getting some recipes together before the ride suggesting how to use the produce and staples we'll have available to us. But everyone is welcome to approach meal-making however he or she feels most comfortable: if you're used to eating meat with dinner, there will be opportunities for you to buy some (or whatever else you may want) at the store along the way to cook and enjoy with your meal.
While we will have the help of Myrtle (our beloved SAG vehicle) to transport our cheese, veggies and other perishables, we will each be responsible for carrying our own cooking supplies, utensil, non-perishables and whatever seasonings we may like to use in our cooking. You, or someone you know who will share with you, should plan to bring a cookstove.
Finally, the Picnic Plan does not cover lunches and snacks for the whole trip. I will be making pesto with basil from Pyramid Farm for the first leg of our trip which can be used on sandwiches (we'll have bread, tomatoes and cheese as well at that time) and I've planned a couple of snacks throughout the ride, but it's best to plan on being responsible for your own snacks and lunches. High-carbohydrate, high calorie, healthy snacks are great to bring: nuts, dried fruit, trail mix and, if you've got time before we take off, cookies are always a great treat after a long hill!
Please feel free to E-mail (lisa@wheeledmigration.org) or call me (530 965-0449) with any questions or concerns you may have about the Picnic Plan I've outlined. I'm doing my best to make sure everyone will be happy and well-fed on our trip.
Lisa Kieran
