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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] Eat Locally Grown Food All Year
  • Date: Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:27:14 -0600

Eat Locally Grown Food All Year
Mary Lou Shaw, Mother Earth News
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Eat-Locally-Grown-Food.aspx

It just makes sense to eat locally grown food as much as possible. Not only
is less petroleum used to transport it, but best of all, local produce is
picked ripe — when it’s at its peak of flavor and nutrition. Unfortunately,
though, believing in the merits of locally grown food won’t help many of us
in the cold months. Community supported agriculture (CSA) subscriptions end
and farmers markets close down as our own gardens die with the first frosts.

I know that people survived with only local produce all year before we
started buying food from all over the world. Rediscovering some of the
methods our ancestors used has been an annual challenge for my husband, Tom,
and me. We are gradually learning how to eat all year from our 13-acre
homestead in Ohio. To do this, we preserve the summer harvest and extend the
growing season.

Saving Summer Produce for the Cold Months
Canning is still basic. For years, I’ve used a water-bath canner to preserve
tomatoes, pickles and some orchard fruits. High-acid foods can be safely
preserved this way, but when in doubt, the Ball Blue Book of Preserving gives
guidance in all aspects of canning. This past year was our first growing
celery, and there was such a bumper crop that I dug the pressure cooker out
of the corner of the garage and put it to work. That allowed me to can a
concoction of the extra tomatoes, sweet onions, celery, bell peppers, basil
and parsley in quart jars labeled “veggies.” This highly nutritious potion is
finding its way into stews, spaghetti sauce, soups and chili. No one has yet
commented on the uniqueness of having celery in spaghetti sauce! Canning does
take time during the high-yield months of August and September, but lining
the jars up on the shelves gives me the same visual pleasure as piecing
together a quilt — and the same satisfaction that I imagine a squirrel
enjoys. (For more detailed information on canning, read Home Canning Basics.)
(10 Sept 2009)





  • [Livingontheland] Eat Locally Grown Food All Year, Tradingpost, 10/08/2009

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