Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>]

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)