Judging from brisk sales at the Co-op, Moscow definitely knows how delicious Amy E’s Bakery treats are. So it was no surprise when this was affirmed in New York City on June 28. Moscow’s own Amy Edward’s won a SOFI Award (Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation) for Outstanding Confection of 2010 for her awesome Almond Toffee.

The SOFI Awards honor the best of the best in NAFSFT, the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade. The SOFI has been given out since 1972 and is this industry’s most coveted award. The judges are top professionals within the specialty foods industry. This year over 2000 products were entered in 33 categories. Amy was one of the 140 Silver Finalists, an honor in itself. She accepted the adventure to travel to New York City to attend both the 56th Summer Fancy Food Show and the 38th SOFI awards banquet at which she was awarded the gold statue as the winner in the Confections category.

When I was growing up, I always thought that I was a deprived child. My mom was one of those people who practiced frugality to the degree of weirdness. She used to make homemade bread using some of her infamous “soup stock,” which was contrived of various garden vegetable juices. The stock took on a different color each time, based on what went into the pot. Accordingly, the bread always took on a different color.

One vivid memory from my childhood was going on a grade school field trip. Come lunchtime, when I pulled my massive, and slightly pink, whole wheat bread sandwich, along with my home-grown apple slices, and goat-milk yogurt, I thought, “Oh my gosh, my mom is so weird.” Why couldn’t I have had the just a plain old bologna sandwich on white bread with a bag of potato chips, a candy bar, and a can of soda like all the other kids?

There aren’t many places more beautiful than the Palouse in the springtime. Looking out across the lush green of the rolling landscape against a picturesque blue sky gives me a deep since of pleasure and appreciation for where I live. As a native plant enthusiast, I love to see all the blooms of color come on as I venture out on walks, and find myself constantly stopping to examine the delicate seed heads of native grasses, forbs, and shrubs.

Chance Chacon and Jen Elliott, owners of Palouse Prairie Farms, came to live in this region four years ago. After years of traveling the country making a living in a variety of occupations, they knew they wanted to settle down and find a place to call home. It is little wonder that following a fortuitous springtime visit to the Palouse to buy a tractor, they decided to buy land here.

Enjoying your fresh salad from your favorite local farmer? Love biting into a burger that you grilled from Country Natural Beef? Anticipating the ripening of your own homegrown tomatoes? Really, eating local on the Palouse is nothing less than decadent this time of year. How fortunate we are!

You can do your part to develop and support our local food system by signing up for the Eat Local Challenge, which goes through September at the Moscow Food Co-op.