The Doldrums of Winter
February 7th, 2008I have been thinking a lot recently about local and seasonal eating and what I am and am not willing to give up. I just read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, where she and her family spend a year growing most of their own food on their farm in Virginia, and buy what they don’t grow from other local farmers.
I love to eat locally as much as possible. Besides supporting local economies and local farmers who treat the land sustainably, the food just tastes so darn good. And then there’s the global warming/carbon emissions aspect. Our wonderful CSA, Avalon Acres, has delicious produce for six months out of the year, but right about now, deep into winter, I’m really jonesing for some good tomatoes, squash, or lettuce. I’m a little tired of winter squash and potatoes. And there are other non-local staples I’m just not willing to sacrifice, like peanut butter, pasta, flour, sugar, rice, milk, and so many others. To a certain extent, I think it’s important to cut yourself some slack so you don’t get too tired of the same foods. But I’m also looking forward to learning to stay more local and seasonal during the winter, when it’s the hardest. This winter Zach and I have enjoyed making butternut squash soup, potato soup, sweet potato fries, apple carrot salad, and pumpkin bread.
Maybe winter is the somewhat boring time of the food year so that we really appreciate that first strawberry of spring, the first tomato of summer, and all the bounty the land has to offer!
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