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Local food in the winter?

Posted at 9:13 PM on January 13, 2008 by Sareen Dunleavy Keenan (1 Comments)

Eating local food. It sounds like this should be a simple proposition, no? Eat food grown within a set distance of you. Fine, no problem. We never shop at the “big box” grocery store. We bought 1/2 a cow last year, and maintain a strong connection with the farmers in our area. Our milk is in glass bottles with cream on top. I mean, we must be doing our part right? Wrong! This is Minnesota. This is January. Sure, protein is easy but unless I am going to throw caution to the wind, and treat my cholesterol with reckless abandon, I must do something about fruit and vegetables.

Normally, this would not be a major issue. You see, my household is one that is not afraid to can our foods. We are well versed in preserving summer in quart-sized mason jars. However, last summer brought lots of rain, and lots of sun. Unfortunately, it all arrived at the wrong times. It all looked promising at first. Huge leafy tomato plants (about 30 in all). They grew tall, and exceeded the capacity of the small cages holding them upright. And then it came time for the fruit. We waited and waited. In the past, we were swimming in tomatoes by July. This is when the rain set in. The first run of tomatoes took forever to ripen. And by the time the second run was ready to ripen, mother nature had another surprise, an early frost. Hooray.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Minnesota weather. I don’t know what I would do without four seasons. I was out there wading through the snow on Thanksgiving day to pick Kale, sage and brussels sprouts, all of which had survived the relatively mild cold.

However, as winter grows long, and the apple sauce runs out in the cellar, I am beginning to worry about what February has in store for us Minnesotans who want to eat locally. A quick sample of the produce store today revealed three local items: carrots, radishes and tomatoes. I am a brave girl, but none of those sounded like an appetizing addition to my yogurt.

Comments (1)

Sareen, We're in the same boat. I live in St. Paul. Produce choices run pretty slim right now, but your of mention radish, carrot and yogurt set off some ideas.

How about making yogurt cheese , a.k.a. labna? Line a seive with a thin kitchen towel, set over a bowl, turn yogurt into it and refrigerate overnight. Then you could top it with an old Middle Eastern concept -- diced radish that you've briefly marinated in vinegar with some garlic or onion.
The carrots could be shredded, tossed with a local honey and perhaps cinnamon, or even some paprika to taste, then they, too, could be eaten with the yogurt or yogurt cheese. And you could give the trio heft by eating it with some locally produced pita, ingeeta, or naan bread. Granted, the bread might not be organic, yet the rest of the meal comes close to a 100 percent.

Just some thoughts, Lynne

Posted by lynne rossetto kasper | January 18, 2008 6:09 PM