Locavore?

I have beans soaking on the counter. Buttermilk biscuit batter soaking as well (with homemade raw buttermilk, I might add).

I have more veggies than will comfortably fit in the fridge waiting to be processed for freezing. I've decided to eat only local produce all winter. This decision was influenced by several factors. Reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle this summer I was inspired by Kingsolver's stories of growing her own. I also realized about a month or so ago, that I ate only fresh produce from the Farmer's Market all summer. This was not an intentional decision really. It just sort of happened that way. It just made more sense to give my business to local farmers than to large grocery store chains. I walked into my local Whole Foods one day, after reading Kingsolver's book, with the intent of buying apples. I picked up a shiny looking Fuji and read the sticker. It was from New Zealand. I decided then that I would forgo that apple in place of something that was a) actually in season , and b) at least grown in this country. I don't remember what fruit I decided to buy that day, but I do remember the determination and commitment I felt the moment I decided to leave the apple on the shelf.

As the height of summer has come and gone, and harvest season is nearing its end, I'm sitting with some questions about my commitment to local produce for the winter. One big question arose recently while attending a friend's birthday party. The party was catered by a local company with delicious looking and smelling food. However, as I was eating my salad made from grocery store lettuce and spinach, I noticed how different these leafy greens tasted to my usual Farmer's Market fare. Not only were they not as fresh, crisp, and sweet as I was used to, but they also did not feel alive. I'm not sure how to adequately describe this observation, but my body noticed. I felt it on a visceral level. My cells knew the difference. When offered a meal with produce not supplied by a local source, do I choose to accept it? Being an unemployed graduate student, this question feels like a bit of a no-brainer.

Yet when I so obviously notice the difference in taste, texture, and nutrients between an apple from a friend's orchard, and one a friend offered from the grocery store, it causes me to wonder... For now, I plan to accept non-local produce from those who offer it (who can resist having dinner made for them every now and again?) while starting conversations about my decision. Maybe a seed will be planted (pun intended!).

A more recent trip to Whole Foods, brought up another dilemma. What exactly do I consider produce? I'd been eating raisins in my cereal lately, and was out. Do I consider raisins produce? They are dried , so the fresh thing isn't much of an issue. It also means they weigh less which means they take less energy to ship across the country. However, they still are being shipped. Plus, another intent of eating local is to eat with the seasons. Rather than eat the New Zealand apple in May (which is definitely NOT apple season here), I've opted to find fruit that was in season. As winter approaches and the abundance of summer wains, I continue to sit with these questions.

While I'm choosing this eating adventure, I imagine that the time will come, sooner rather than later, where I won't have the choice to eat local - it will be all that is available. Knowing where the alley plum trees hide, or where the sweetest apple tree is, or how many frosts a pumpkin can tolerate will be a necessity, not just a fun experiment.

In the mean time, anyone know if Bok Choy freezes well?