Eating Local During a Snowstorm

Full disclosure, I live in Wisconsin.  Look at photos of the recent blizzard in New York, drop the temperature about 20 degrees and you will get a feel for what it is like in Wisconsin right now.

Another fact, I’m a locavore. If you are wondering how these two facts could both possibly be true you aren’t alone. A recent NYT article (found in the business section, why?) claimed that it simply isn’t possible to eat local in the wintertime.  What?  Did he attend US history classes?

I would love to throw stones but, hey, I was in his shoes once myself.  It was three years ago when I decided to join the only 100 Mile Eat Local Challenge, which just happened to be going on in California during the first week of March.  Can you guess what is growing in Wisconsin during March?  My lawn.  And even that isn’t growing much.

That week taught some valuable lessons about how to eat local.  They were learned the hard way, through a lot of desperation and a little hunger. Hopefully the five tips below will help you avoid the same weight loss and caffeine withdrawal headaches.

Eating Local 101

1. When in Rome…

Find out what is local to your area. Look at state food & beverage reports, go to a farmers’ market, and look at cookbooks from 60+ years ago.

The NYT article pointed out that wine is a common break in philosophy for locavores, who will ship wine from overseas to eat with their local salad.  Through research I realized that 100 years ago every small town in Wisconsin had its own creamery (for cheese) and its own brewery.  Prohibition shut down all the breweries but the past 20 years have seen a comeback in microbrews.  Just like wine, there are so many varieties of beer it is hard not to find one that appeals.

2. See past the produce section

Go beyond fresh produce.  Beef, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, wheat, beans, nuts, and many other items can be found year round.  That said, many farmers around here have storage facilities able to keep products such as potatoes and squash fresh all the way into February.

3. Preserve the summer

A hard lesson for myself and the first pioneers to learn was “think ahead”.  Freezing, canning, drying, and processing are all ways to preserve local food.  Some of these can be found at farmers’ markets and grocery stores.

Planning is a rule not just for the year but for the week.  If meals are planned and thawed, ready to cook, there is less temptation to order out or pop in a sodium-licious microwave meal.

4. It’s not all or nothing

Start small.  So, maybe your morning coffee isn’t local.  That doesn’t mean you can’t still have a big impact on the environment and local economy by substituting a few items in your meals, or asking your favorite restaurant to make a few changes.

Just being aware of where your food comes from is a big step in the right direction.  Someday all food will have to identify its farm of origin, eliminating dangerous national food recalls.  Ah, yes, there I go dreaming again…

5. Adjust expectations

Find recipes for the local foods you have instead of the other way around.

Recently we tried to source local food for a Wisconsin school cafeteria.  When asked for a short list of products to search for, the cook listed kiwi, oranges and bananas. No joke.