Now that the weather is warmer, we're not using the woodstove regularly, and therefore I'm not baking nearly as often as I was throughout the winter, when the oven was hot all the time. So I've been seeking out local alternatives to the organic homemade bread that has served us so well since this project began. Thus far, I've located nothing that fully upholds the local, organic, sustainable spirit of the Locavore Nation.

My first thought was to buy locally produced bread. Although the grains are not local, at least I would be supporting local businesses and bakers. However, good-quality bakeries are about as common as hen's teeth in my area. There are several local Italian bakeries (the nearby town of Clarksburg has a large Italian population) that produce white Italian bread, rolls, and pepperoni rolls, but that's pretty much the only game in town for local bread.

My next tactic was to go for the clearance sales, known as "manager's specials," at the Kroger bakery. These breads, buns, and rolls are baked in the store, at least, and, after all, they're going to be thrown away if someone doesn't buy them right away. This technique serves me well when the bakery department needs to get rid of its almost-stale bread, but it's still a pretty long shot from actually being local.

Another concern of mine is that none of the aforementioned options are organic. As far as I can tell, there are no organic bread products being baked locally. And since I feel strongly about supporting organic farms, my third tactic is to buy organic Kroger-brand whole-grain bread. It's not local by any means, but it is organic, unlike those other breads that very well might include genetically modified ingredients. Yikes!

So, my fellow locavores, what is the best option here? Does the good of buying organic outweigh the good of buying local when the actual "local-ness" of the food is marginal at best? Is it better to support organic grain farmers or local bakers? And to readers in my neck of the woods, do you have a favorite local bakery? Am I missing any diamonds in the rough?