How to Eat Local Year-Round

In my last blog entry, I mentioned the benefits of eating locally grown produce. I failed to mention that eating locally grown foods in general is best – this includes dairy, meat, etc. The less distance food has to travel from the source to your plate, the better for you and the environment.

Anyway, back to the point of this entry: How can I eat locally grown foods year-round? My answer…Learn to love your freezer!

Now that our garden is in full swing, our freezer is growing crowded by the day.

Here are some things I’ve prepared and frozen:
- tray of roasted vegetable lasagna (veggie from the garden, tomatoes used to make sauce)
- pesto (basil from the garden, other herbs from CSA)
- eggplant, breaded and fried, for parmesan
- tomato sauce
- zucchini bread
- blueberries (picked in August)
- strawberries (picked in June)

I have to admit that I’ve spent many nights this summer prepping and cooking these veggies for consumption either now or this winter. In fact, I mentioned to Dan recently that in our next house, I want a great view out of the window over my kitchen sink because I feel like all I do anymore is clean dishes and stare out that window.

While the amount of veggies we sometimes have seems overwhelming, I’ve decided to freeze whatever can’t be used now. (I’ve also tried pickling, but I’ve failed miserably two years in a row. More to come on this topic…)

Like I said in the last blog entry – while you may not have a large garden or may not be a member of a CSA, take advantage of fresh, seasonal produce. Purchase extra seasonal fruit and veggies now, and freeze them for consumption during the winter months. I promise that while it might seem a pain to do double the prepping and cooking now, you’ll be happy you did it come winter.