Eating Local Through the Winter

An oldie but goodie from Gourmet talks about the challenge I and other locally-minded New Englanders face every winter, and states what I've come to believe, myself: eating local is more important than eating organic, if you have to make that choice at all.

A trip to Green Fields Market last night illustrated the problem. Their modest, yet immaculate produce section featured lots of beautiful, seasonally-appropriate, organic vegetables: winter greens like rainbow chard, winter squashes, root vegetables. But not one of these items came from New England -- rather, they've been shipped in from California and Mexico. It's a tough time of year, and our local farmers may have sold through much of their stock -- the Winter Fare was a great success -- or it may also be that the Co-op puts more importance upon organic foods, and there are just no small-farm organic winter vegetables to be had right now.

So next winter, I'm planning to rely upon a personal supply of local produce, purchased through the spring, summer, and fall. From where will I source that produce?

I'm still debating whether to risk committing to a CSA membership (looks like the closest available CSA that aligns with my schedule will require a drive to Sunderland each Saturday), or to try to support an innovative local delivery business once our growing season finally resumes, which would be more convenient, but perhaps a bit more expensive. I am planning a backyard vegetable garden, but also know I'll need to supplement that yield, particularly in the first year which will likely involve a lot of trial and considerable error. I like the "grab-bag" concept of a CSA; I'll have to cook, pickle, can, or freeze everything that I get each week that will arrive at its absolute peak of freshness. But it might be more practical to sign on with Valley Green Feast and supplement with trips to the Greenfield Farmer's Market each Saturday.

Regardless, I'm looking forward to this project, and I promise to be more diligent about documenting and posting my successes and failures!

Next up: planning a raised-bed vegetable garden.

Filling the Freezer

Better late than never, here's a great post by Ruhlman on the "Freezer Pantry." I was pleased to see from the comments that I'm not the only person who keeps chicken feet in her freezer. I've been making a concerted effort to freeze things before they spoil; particularly bread, which can always be turned into breadcrumbs. I haven't been freezing herbs, but I should give that a try.

Cooked dried beans can be frozen in their liquor -- better than canned, I say.

Also, in same post, note Ruhlman's/Bittman's take on a quick stock!

It's the Economy, Stupid...

Interesting US cooking trends from AllRecipes.com lookups, via Publishers Weekly:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6633418.html?nid=4599&rid=reg_visitor_id&source=title

Particularly of note, the interest in home preservation!