Findling local foods in Sweden

In a casual sort of way I mentioned earlier that I'm for now located in Stockholm Sweden. So now I'm slowly trying to get a taste of local artisan/ small-scale foods made here. Sweden being so far up north, with a short season, can't compete with places like California, but still there is a thriving agricultural industry.

I think I've found a Swedish organization that promotes and speaks for local artisan food makers: Eldrimner. Amongst many of their services they also offer a book, an Atlas of sorts, that lists all known producers and where they're located in the country. I'll be sure to order it. It seems to be similar in what Sonoma County Farm Trails aims to do, create public awareness.

The top picture shows the store front of "Källan" (eng: "the source"), a small and discrete retail store in a western suburb of Stockholm, specializing in organic and natural products. The scruffy looking place is very small so unfortunately there's not much space.

I'll simply mention a few noteworthy local products that I found in the shop.

Swedish fresh Goatmilk SEK 39/ liter from Dalsspira Dairy, Dalsland County. Suprisingly similar to cows milk, just a teeny hint of goat. It's actually really good. The dairy also offer some eleven or so goat based cheeses that I haven't tried yet. I'm not sure the shop carried theirs.- A goat yogurt is also planned for 2008. On the goat milk package I can see read: 2.9% fat, low temperature pasteurized, not homogenized. Can be frozen.

The store offered a nice assortement of natural breads, I always have my mind set on hearty pure sourdough rye bread, and I found one that was fantastic, Nibbles rågbröd from Nibbles Bakery, in the town of Järna. That town I think, is basically the Swedish center for all Anthroposophy activities. With regards to agriculture they take it a steps beyond "commerical organic", with biodynamic farming, creating a self-nourishing system and so on. "Being one with planet earth", something like that. But to get back to the bread, it's fantastic, I'm surprised that it's not dry and not the typical solid brick which is often the the case with this type of bread, the short ingredience list: rye flower, starter and sea salt, that's it.

Sweden, being so far north is naturally a huge importer of fresh foods. If I want still want any local fruits this close to winter, then I'll have to stick to simply apples and pears. (Which I'll admit I won't doing) Interesting note is a variety of apples I had never heard of, Ingrid Marie, which I'll guess is a variety created in Denmark.

I did see two local artisan cheeses from two dairies before I left the store, Strömmens Gårdsmejeri, (Strömmens Dairy) , they use sheep milk and the other was, Jämtspira Goat Dairy, Jämtspira also seem to produce, surprise- cheese from moose milk. Definately something I have try, (at least once.) Unfortunately I was not in a buying mood just yet, there's still too many cheeses in the fridge.