Green Options

It’s easy enough to eat local in spring and summer. Your garden is booming, CSA’s are in full effect, and farmers markets abound! So how can you make that bounty last into the winter, when fresh produce is a little more scarce? Here are some DIY solutions!

Sitting across the breakfast table, and the world’s biggest pancakes ever, from Jeff at Sustainablog, we both nod our heads in an observation — green is only going to work if it goes mainstream, becomes normal. An every day thing. Does that mean my tenure is done as a local food activist and writer?

Well, according to AlterNet, it is. In fact, all I have to do now is “Sit Down and Eat.” Well, maybe after I finish planting and pulling weeds, cleaning and prepping the vegetables, cooking, canning, preserving. That’s all. But if it wasn’t a struggle for ALL of us to get local food, to find healthy, sustainable ingredients to feed the world, hey, bring it on, I’d like that as daily life. I could use less time ranting on policy and more time to garden.

Resources and insight after the jump.

Florida’s new “Buy Local Orlando” initiative, set to launch May 1, conjures up pleasing images of farmer’s market produce and goods hand-crafted by local artisans.  With the words “buy local” in the program’s title, it makes sense to assume that the participating merchants are locally-based. The widespread locavore movement, after all, is just that: local.

But Orlando’s local program is anything but. The first tip-off? It’s launched in conjunction with the Disney Entrepreneur Center. Not exactly the name that comes to mind when you think of supporting local businesses. But then again, neither is McDonald’s — but according to “Buy Local Orlando” program guidelines, the fast food chain qualifies as a local merchant.

Have you noticed that you crave different foods in different seasons? Your body knows best what it needs and when it needs it. Foods that are in season provide us the most flavor, freshness and most nutritional value at the most affordable price. Modern food producing and distribution makes food available on your grocery shelves all year long, however, eating seasonally and locally not only benefits our bodies, but benefits the environment as well.  By purchasing local foods that are in season, you eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods thousands of miles and your family will reap the benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables.

In different parts of the country, seasonal menus will vary, but here are some general guidelines to help you start shopping seasonally.

Whether you’ve got a big back yard, some room on a windowsill or patio, or no inclination towards gardening at all, it’s easy to get in on the Springtime bounty!

[Creative Commons photo by Carl Tashian]

Spring is getting close! The bulbs from last year are peeking out of the ground, and I’ve even spied a few things starting to bloom out back! This week’s Vegetable Husband newsletter mentioned that farms nearby are starting to plant for Spring, and it reminded me that it’s time to get my own Spring garden going, too! Here are some great resources to get you started.

The local food movement is gathering steam. To keep locavores informed about best farming practices, one organization spreads the word about what sustainable farmers are achieving under the radar.

Formed as a coalition of schools, Mid-Atlantic-based nonprofit organizations, and the USDA, the Small Farm Success Project is “dedicated to helping small and emerging farmers improve their financial success.” Project researchers keep raising that million-dollar question:  How does a small farmer committed to sustainability find success?

[photo by Becky Striepe]

Eating food that is locally grown can really help you cut down your carbon footprint. Most food travels hundreds or even thousands of miles from farm to table. All of the processing, packaging, and travel accounts for almost 80% of the energy use in the U.S. food system. Eating more local, unprocessed, organic produce is a great (and tasty) way to cut back on those food miles! Services like Atlanta’s Vegetable Husband make eating local that much easier.

The ninth annual Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Fair features a new focus on local independent farms, food businesses, cooking and backyard gardening, thanks to local food advocates.

In partnership with fellow non-profit, the Northern Colorado Local Living Economy Project, over forty booths and a dozen interactive workshops dedicated to food will be featured at the Sustainable Living Fair on September 20 and 21, 2008 in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Meet local farmers, beekeepers, cheese artisans, gardening experts and chefs in the Eat Local - Grow Local area. Learn how to preserve and cook seasonal food, make cheese, garden, compost, get involved in farm-to-school projects and local food security issues, raise chickens, make fermented vegetables, and more with hands-on workshops.

[photo via _e.t.]

September is Local Food Month, and what better way to celebrate than checking out farmers markets around town? Three Atlanta markets have teamed up to help locals do just that, and to do so using sustainable transportation! On September 27th, this bike rally is gathering in Piedmont Park at the Green Market and touring several markets around town.

[photo by Danny Boyster]

Eating food that is locally grown can put a huge dent in your carbon footprint. Most food travels hundreds or even thousands of miles from farm to table, guzzling tons of fuel. All of that travel doesn’t help the food’s freshness, either!

Yesterday, I wrote about growing your own fall vegetables. For some folks, though, that sort of thing is just not an option. Another great way to eat local is to hit up a farmers market or join a CSA! Local Harvest has a great list of CSAs and farmers markets by region. In the Atlanta area, there are several really great markets around town! Here are just a few.

[photo by Wanko]

Fall is getting close. The official first day is September 22nd, but right now is the perfect time to get your fall food garden going! This is a wonderful time for gardening, with pleasant weather and fewer bugs around than the summertime. There are all sorts of great, hearty veggies that thrive in cooler weather!

Fall Veggies
Good vegetables for a Fall garden are ones that can withstand cooler weather. Cruciferous vegetables do well. So do root veggies and certain greens. There are even edible flowers you can plant this time of year! Here is a quick list of veggies that love the Fall as much as I do.