Sunday, September 20, 2015
Eating Local and In-Season all Year
8:48 PM | 
Posted by
Kaplan Center for Health and Wellness
So I admit that this time of year, I start to panic. As fall begins and winter approaches I feel
as though this is my last attempt to save the flavors of summer and fall
gardens. There is so much preparation to
be done if a seasonal vegetarian wants to ensure the freezer is stocked with
local produce. Once the snow begins to
fly, there are many vegetables that no longer will be offered. For example, in season fruits and vegetables
right now consist of tomatoes, peppers, peaches, apples, broccoli, cauliflower,
zucchini, yellow squash, watermelon, grapes, etc.
Other vegetables are easily stored and offered despite the
colder temperatures. Squash, cabbage,
potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic, for example are heartier and last longer
without preserving. Unfortunately, the human diet requires balance and
variety. What can be done to ensure that
unique benefits from most fruits and vegetables are obtainable despite lacking
fresh availability?
The good news is that they can be canned or frozen during their
peak and preserved until a later date.
Tomatoes can be juiced and cooked down for canning. Other vegetables can be washed and steamed,
trimmed and cut for canning or freezer storage.
Although this type of preparation can be time consuming, the benefits
are amazing and well worth the effort when inches of snow blanket the ground
where a lush green garden once provided colorful produce.
It’s wonderful to walk into a grocery store and have the
option of purchasing delicate fruits such as strawberries in the middle of
winter. However, one has to ask themselves if the flavor and nutrient content are
the same as those grown locally, picked during peak season and enjoyed within
hours of harvest. Could there be some
back home in the freezer ready for a smoothie? How much better will a fresh
berry taste when the season arrives again next year?
Eating local is slowly gaining awareness. There are many farmers markets that are
offered year-round as well. Combining what the farmer can harvest and store, with
what was canned or frozen at home during peak season, can make sustainable meals/snacks
from nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables for long winter months.
Joyce Rode, MA
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