Lunch showcases local businesses

Dan Kaffer, a coordinator for Western Nevada Resource Conservation and Development, called it a "a celebration of the bounty of Carson Valley and Nevada."

He was referring to a localvore lunch on Feb. 21 at Comstock Seed in Gardnerville. The seed company was celebrating the installation of a new solar panel system, and the localvore lunch was another way to salute environmental consciousness and sustainability.

According to Wikipedia, a localvore, also known as locavore, eats food produced locally, typically within 100 miles of their home, for nutritional and environmental reasons. Consumption of local foods means less energy used in transportation.

"It's pretty amazing," said Kaffer. "Nevada-grown healthy food produced with just sunlight and water."

Kaffer said although much of the food was donated, the lunch was a way to showcase and support local businesses.

"What can I do when thinking about helping the economy?" he said. "Well, it's a good thing to buy local food, to support the local agricultural industry and to keep the Valley green."

Kaffer said more than 120 people attended the event, and about 110 partook in the localvore feast.

The grass-fed beef burgers came from Genoa's Trimmer Outpost, which sells beef from cows raised on historic Ranch No. 1. The white and wheat buns came from Russell's Mercantile Bakery and Cafe. Salad greens and other veggies were provided by Minden-based Hungry Mother Organics. Tahoe Ridge Winery provided wine, while Dutch Oven apple and plum cobblers were made possible by apples from The Apple Basket in Washoe Valley and plums from Lucille and Tony Pitts of Gardnerville.

Snyder Onion of Yerington provided onions for fried onion strings, and Smith Valley potatoes were used for what Kaffer said were 3-foot-long French fries.

"They were being deep-fried right there while people were waiting in line," Kaffer said.

He said the only thing he couldn't find was local bottled water, so participants drank well water from Comstock Seed.

"All the bottled water comes from Southern California," he said. "There is a niche, if someone with a well or spring around here wanted to start bottling water."

Kaffer himself did everything from cutting the onions and potatoes to frying the burgers.

"Half the people there came up and commented how good the food was," he said. "It was one heck of a meal. Everyone who donated should be thanked. As a community, we should support our local businesses that can produce this bounty."

Kaffer said Full Circle Compost of Minden recycled and composted the waste produced from the event.

"They even composted the silverware; it was cornstarch silverware," Kaffer said.