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Eating Locally & Seasonally

November 9th, 2008

Mr Chiots and really try to eat locally and seasonally. Which means, no raspberries in winter, no tomatoes in January, etc. We do this for health & environmental reasons. This summer I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (I loved it – very eye-opening) and I came across this quote I thought I’d share.

Concentrating on local foods means thinking of fruit invariably as the product of an orchard, and a winter squash as the fruit of an early-winter farm. It’s a strategy that will keep grocery money in the neighborhood, where it gets recycled into your own school system and local businesses. The green spaces surrounding your town stay green, and farmers who live nearby get to grow more food next year, for you. But before any of that, it’s a win-win strategy for anyone with taste buds. It begins with rethinking a position that is only superficially about deprivation. Citizens of frosty worlds unite, and think about marching past the off-season fruits: you have nothing to lose but mealy, juiceless, rock-hard and refusing to ripen produce.

-Barbara Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life)

6 Comments to “Eating Locally & Seasonally”
  1. MeghanO on November 9, 2008 at 10:34 am

    I just put that on my request list from the library!

    I’d love to learn more about planting a garden that lasts almost year-round. Does this book cover that as well, or is it just about the benefits of eating seasonally? Either way, I’ll listen to it, but if you have a good recommendation for gardening, I’d love that as well.

    Reply to MeghanO's comment

  2. Susy on November 9, 2008 at 10:44 am

    The best book I’ve found so far for winter gardening is called “Four Season Harvest” by Elliot Coleman. This is a fantastic read about raising greens for winter veggie eating. He also lists specific kinds of greens & veggies that grow better in the cold. He lives in Maine so they’re even colder than us in Ohio. I bought some lettuce recommended by him and it’s still doing well in the garden (and I haven’t even covered it). One morning it was frozen but it thawed out and didn’t get slimy (like when your lettuce freezes in the fridge).

    I’m going to try to write a few posts this winter about winter gardening.

    Reply to Susy's comment

  3. MeghanO on November 9, 2008 at 1:44 pm

    I just put it on my order list from the library!

    Reply to MeghanO's comment

  4. Carolyn on November 10, 2008 at 8:28 am

    I love that book! It changed the way I thought about food.

    Reply to Carolyn's comment

  5. farm mom on November 10, 2008 at 11:52 am

    Loved that book! It, along with Omnivores Dilemma changed my life, really.

    Reply to farm mom's comment

  6. Susy on November 10, 2008 at 12:01 pm

    I loved both of those books as well, along with In Defense of Food.

    Reply to Susy's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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