Here’s a great guest post from James Kim about eating local foods. Enjoy!
Sometimes, you may get a bit tired of your food routine. If you already eat local, you may be receiving boxes from a local farmer through CSA and you probably shop at a farmers’ market. However, there are always ways to “jazz up” your local food eating. Here are some more ways that you can put local food into your meal planning.
Travel
Okay, maybe this doesn’t count as “travel,” per se, but you can take a little road trip to the outskirts of your town to expand the scope of your local eats. Pack the family into your car and take a mini-road trip to a nearby farm. This can be an educational yet fun experience for both the kids and yourself. Try to find a farm that also processes the food they grow. It is always exciting to view and play with farm machinery. If you are near somewhere that grows grapes, try going to a winery. You can find farms in your area by using the Eat Wild website.
You could also try a u-pick farm as another option for travel. Go to a peach farm and take the peaches straight from the tree. If you go to a u-pick, make sure you’re prepared for a day trip. Sunscreen, athletic shoes, contains for the food, and hats are all necessary. Try the Pick Your Own website to find a u-pick farm near you.
Know Your Seasons
Memorizing the seasonal timeline of your favorite fruits and veggies is an easy way to minimize food travel time. While it differs from region to region, there are some general rules of thumb. . .
March-April: AsparagusMay-June: StrawberriesJune-July: CherriesJune-August: Blueberries, blackberriesJuly-September: Peaches, figs, tomatoes, green beansJuly-October: RaspberriesAugust: Figs, Early ApplesSeptember-October: Apples and grapesOctober: PumpkinsDecember: Christmas trees
Picture Steph took at NYC Farmer's Market - Fresh Strawberries!
Smart Living provides a search engine which provides a list of seasonal food for each state.
Preserve
Make your local foods last through preservation. Try your hand at drying, preserving, canning, or even freezing. You could also make marinades or salad dressings with your left over farmers’ market finds. Check out these recipes for delicious jams like apple pie jam, carrot cake jam, or banana blueberry jam. You could buy a book on preserving to learn the best methods of preservation (try something like the Complete Guide to Food Preservation). If you’re more of an internet junkie, go to a website that specializes in food preservation, like the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Local Food Producers
Buy coffee beans from the local coffee house, wines from the local winery, or a loaf of bread from your local bakery. You can easily find food producers through the Eat Well Guide. Simply type in your zip code and check out the lists of local bakers, restaurants, or coffee shops.
Get creative when eating local by taking a trip, knowing your seasons, preserving, and making friends with local food producers. These are all great ways to stay engaged in the local community.
James Kim is a writer for foodonthetable.com. Food on the Table is a company that provides online budget meal planning services. Their goal is to help families eat better and save money.
