By Doyle Irvin, American Forests
One of the most effective ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle is to eat foods grown locally, so that you cut out the energy expense involved in getting food into your crockpot. This is easy to do in summer, when farmers flood the markets with all sorts of tasty tomatoes, peppers, apricots, cucumbers, Boysenberries, Elderberries, blackberries, blue — you get it, the list goes on. But, eating locally is not so easy or enticing to do during winter, so American Forests is here to help you out.
The first step is to become aware of what local farmer’s markets, food co-ops, exchanges and CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture) are around you. A quick google search will help you, and you can also check out Local Harvest.
If you have the presence of mind, you can preserve your food during warmer months by either canning it or freezing it. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a bevy of resources on how to do this.
If you’re like me and often lack the foresight to preserve your own food, and find yourself idling at the grocery store on your way home from work, wondering whether cabbage is a seasonal vegetable or flown in from Chile, well, here is the research to help you choose seasonal vegetables.
Roots and sprouts are good!
Onions, potatoes, rutabagas, beets, parsnips, carrots, squash and, yes, cabbage — these are all seasonal during the wintertime. Brussels sprouts and broccoli are also winter-appropriate. For most of my life, I had no idea what to do with a rutabaga, but luckily the internet is always ready to weigh in.
Milk, cheese, eggs and meat can all be local.
While chickens do lay less eggs during the winter, they are still laying some eggs. You can find fresh and local dairy, eggs and meat all throughout the winter. If you are struggling to find local varieties, look in the frozen section.
Garnish your food with indoor vegetation.
You’re not going to grow a 10-courser in your windowsill, of course, but it is pretty easy to grow microgreens, sprouts and herbs inside your home.
Kale is king.
Other salad makings might not be winter-friendly, but ever-trendy kale happens to be the sweetest (least-bitter) when harvested during the winter. Check out this winter salad recipe!
Craving fruit?
Grapefruit ripens in January! Other winter-fresh sources of vitamin C are Clementines, Mandarins, tangerines and oranges.
