It seemed like a good idea at the time. Then again, it usually does. The dawn of change is often filled with enthusiasm and hope. It’s typically followed by a period of deep disillusionment. Just think about those New Years’ resolutions.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. Then again, it usually does. The dawn of change is often filled with enthusiasm and hope. It’s typically followed by a period of deep disillusionment. Just think about those New Years’ resolutions.
We read the book Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and were filled with enthusiasm and hope at the prospect of reducing our carbon footprint through eating locally.
We envisioned leisurely Saturdays shopping the farmers markets followed by bountiful dinners with friends and family. A small herb garden and a few tomato plants at home rounded out our romantic view. While we painted this picturesque existence, we were reminded of childhood when our families had vegetable gardens, visited local orchards and canned food.
Subsequently, we began our lifestyle change in April 2008 because we believed it would be better for the environment, the economy and our health. We decided to pursue the following goals:
- Consume foods from within a 100-mile radius of our home.
- Purchase the few remaining staples (coffee, rice, olive oil, vitamins, cleaning supplies) from locally owned businesses.
- Preserve enough foods to live on through the winter without visiting the grocery store.
Our journey was more art than science. We did not have a guideline for how much to purchase, how much to preserve or how much variety would create an optimal year of dining. We knew our Community Supported Agriculture membership would provide a large variety of foods for the summer and the opportunity to purchase additional foods for winter preservation.
We enjoyed a delicious summer of dining in 2008. Each bite was a flavor explosion. We delighted in entertaining friends and having them ask us the “secret ingredient” in our sautéed broccoli with garlic. (It’s the locally grown broccoli.)
The joy of dining came to a screeching halt in August of 2008.
If you’ve lived in Indiana for any length of time, you know that August is peak produce season — corn, tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini and green beans. Every waking moment we were preserving something. We canned tomato juice, froze corn and green beans and prayed for the zucchini to stop reproducing at night while we slept. Every counter was covered with produce. Every apron was soaked with tomato juice, and — in moments of sheer exhaustion — we dreamed of what it would be like to indulge ourselves in a trip to “the real grocery store” to buy tidily pre-canned and packaged products.
We didn’t succumb to the pressure, we’re happy to report. By November, we looked proudly on our fully stocked deep freezer and our shelves lined with beautiful, home-canned tomato juice. It was like winning the Grand Prize Blue Ribbon at the state fair in multiple categories.
Opening a jar of home-canned tomato juice on a snowy winter day is like inhaling the scent of summer. Each sip takes you back to a hot August day when you hungrily pulled a ripe tomato from the vine and devoured it in the privacy of your own yard. That memory somehow gives you the hope to persevere through the dark January days to the warmer days of spring.
In fact, it was nearing spring when we began to suffer from an affliction we now term “green bean-itis,” a condition resulting from excessive green bean consumption.
In our excitement to preserve food for the winter, we overlooked variety in favor of quantity. If a bushel of green beans is good, our logic went, two bushels will be delicious. WRONG.
After oven roasting, drying, frying, grilling, steaming and saucing green beans, we hit our limit. It taught us an important lesson that has served us well in our second full year of living locally — variety truly is the spice of life.
When we finished this year’s preservation, we had 104 unique items ready to buoy us through the long winter. The August days were no less tiring, but the winter rewards were immense.
Recently, we shared our experiences with our mothers, who both responded, “This is nothing new.” Ah, a slice of humble pie. Is that made locally? 
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CSA Tips:
- Find a CSA – Indiana Living Green, Going Local blog
- Consider the variety of produce offered and the length of the season.
- Choose a convenient delivery time and location.
Get started with these local foods:
- Eggs
- Milk and cheese
- Fruit, especially apples, peaches, strawberries and blueberries {/xtypo_rounded2}
