What a week! …and it’s already half way over!  Ray and I have enjoyed many different Dubuque County area food and drink the past four days, with three more days to go!

Check out our meals below:

Saturday

Brittany’s Breakfast– blueberry muffin, Barb’s Garden & Pantry, Eldridge, IA

Brittany’s Dinner-pizza

Local Items: tomatoes from Alan Becker farm near Dyersville, IA

cheese from Forgotten Valley Cheese, South Wayne, WI

Brittany’s Snacks– pina colada creamed honey- Johnson Honey Farm, Guttenberg, IA

bread from East Mill Bakery, Dubuque, IA

apple from Stierman’s Orchard, Dubuque, IA

Sunday

Ray’s Breakfast– french toast, fruit, coffee

Local Items: bread from Dan & Sarah Borntreger, Edgewood, IA

eggs from Alan Becker farm near Dyersville, IA

maple syrup from Big Timber Maple in Bankston, IA

coffee- Verona Street Coffee, Dubuque, IA

Brittany’s Lunch– pork chops, sweet corn, and green beans

Local Items: meat from Westlinden Locker, Dyersville, IA

sweet corn from Annie’s Acres Bellevue, IA

green beans from Saha Produce, Dubuque, IA

Brittany’s Dinner-grilled cheese sandwich and ice cream

Local Items: bread from East Mill Bakery, Dubuque, IA

cheese from Forgotten Valley Cheese, South Wayne, WI

Thelma’s ice cream sandwich from Des Moines, IA

Ray’s Snacks– apples from Stierman’s Orchard, Dubuque, IA

Monday

Brittany’s Breakfast- homemade cranberry, white chip scones and yogurt from AE Dairy, Des Moines, IA

Brittany’s Lunch– pork chop, sweet corn, and toast

Local Items:    meat from Westlinden Locker, Dyersville, IA

sweet corn from Annie’s Acres, Bellevue, IA

bread from East Mill Bakery, Dubuque, IA

Ray’s Dinner– steak, stir fry vegetables, and wine

Local Items:    meat from Westlinden Locker, Dyersville, IA

leeks & sweet pepper stir fry from home garden

wine from Park Farm Winery, Bankston, IA

Ray’s Snacks- honeycomb from Johnson’s Honey Farm, Guttenberg, IA

Tuesday

Brittany’s Breakfast– bagel from Big Apple Bagels, Dubuque, IA

Brittany’s Lunch– meat sauce, potatoes, and green beans

Local Items: meat from Westlinden Locker Dyersville, IA

tomatoes from Alan Becker farm near Dyersville, IA

potatoes from Kristi’s Perfect Produce, Cuba City, WI

green beans from Saha Produce, Dubuque, IA

onions from Dyersville Farmers Market

Brittany’s Dinner-local foods soup and bread

Local Items: pasta from Barilla Pasta in Ames, IA

eggs from Baal poultry farm, Sherrill, IA

vegetables from Dyersville Farmers Market

bread from East Mill Bakery in Dubuque, IA

homemade stock

cupcake from Candle Ready Cakes, Dubuque, IA

Brittany’s Snacks– apples and caramel from Czipar’s Orchard, Dubuque, IA

I’ve had a lot of tasty meals and learned a lot on our adventure so far!  The Eat Dubuque County! week has been like a staycation for our family.  We have able to experience and appreciate the best of the area’s local foods without going away, and have found some hidden food gems in our own backyard.  Using local ingredients really has changed the flavor of even the most generic foods.  A simple grilled cheese sandwich made with local ingredients cooks up differently and tastes better than any I have made before.  I will definitely do it again!

Eating local has also helped keep our food dollars close to home, supporting local commerce and benefiting our community.  So far, we have remained in budget for our grocery spending this week (see our previous blog post “Take a Penny, Leave a Penny: Eating Local on a Budget”).  Ray was even able to make a romantic steak dinner for $5 a plate!

This week has certainly taken more planning and time than our typical grocery runs.  The farmers market only happens certain days a week, so it takes advance planning to know what and how much to buy.  It has taken a conscious effort to use all local ingredients and we have had to plan out our meals in advance, but the quality and taste have been unrivaled.

We hope you are enjoying your Eat Dubuque County! adventure too!  Be sure to share your local meals with us on social media with #eatdubuque! Until next time…

Happy eating!