It's Too Late

by VI

May 1.  I begin the challenge with a pot of Colombian coffee (not even fair trade I sadly confess).  While I do lighten the coffee with milk that is roughly local, I realize the May Challenge is a failure. 

OK, it's not a failure, and it's hardly even started, but it's not the coffee I am worried about.  The problem is, to a large extent, that you cannot just jump into eating local.  Let's skip all the stuff about potsum vs. coffee or lard vs. olive oil or beer vs. wine--short term decisions on the challenge aspect of the challenge.  I'm talking about the need to be prepared, to plan, to look at the big(ger) picture.

As we have all noted, come May, we have various products available to us in our areas.  Some of us are flush others rather barren.  It is May.  Now, think about last year's challenge, in August.  A lot of us (like me), knew August as an overflowing time of local produce.  What if I lived in Florida though.  I would be as lean then as a northerner is now.  That's the thing, you cannot rely only on your fertile seasons to eat local.

The best contestants can face a challenge in ANY month because they are always ready to eat local.  They have preserved their harvests in cans, in the freezer, through drying, smoking and other methods.  They stock away roots and apples and other keepers.  They have found local farmers that extend their growths through greenhouses.  Be ready. 

For me, one of my successes for the May Challenge will be not to see how well I eat in May, but how well I know I am gonna eat next May.  I hope others do they same.

Vital Information has been where I've been tracking the Oak Park Illinois Farmer's Market for the last few years and describing my attempts to eat local.  You will also see writing about various places to eat in and around Chicago (with the occasional side trip).

Comments

[jlswedberg]

True, true. Last August, everyone else was like, "Woo hoo!" and I was like, "Um, my garden is dead as a doornail."

You are right that food preservation plays a large role. My ELC will be made much easier by the half pig we processed in January. We still have dried pears and plenty of preserves. And I think we have a few jars of pickled okra, and maybe even a couple of jars of salsa. If this was last May, I would have diddly squat. It gets better every year!

Have you looked to see what local canned goods are at the grocery? I scared up a can of local peaches the other day. (There were also some on the shelf from California, which around here is just stupid.) I've noticed it helps to look for the cheesiest, most antique-y label. It'll be the brand that's not a multinational corporation.

[Liz]

Great post. Each year I'm trying to get better about having enough to get us through the winter and the lean times of spring, but it's a challenge to know how much "enough" is. I still have a big bag of beets in the root cellar because I grew too many and feel badly about wasting them. I didn't dry as many apples as I would have liked and there are plenty of other areas I could improve. I figure as long as I'm always improving on my readiness, each year eating locally will become less and less of a challenge.

[Sarah (Mrs. Irani)]

Remember this is about taking steps to eating locally. Around here, the farmer's markets begin to open in May. Perhaps there is a place for you to find local eggs- they come all year round! There are artisan cheese shops around the country. Go fishing. Maybe your challenge can be "find a place to buy local eggs." It doesn't have to be huge. Every step away from factory farms is the right step.

[VI]

Liz, you are so correct about knowing about how to store and have. I too had to ditch a bunch of sprouting turnips and rhutabagas after we did not eat them.

There is a lot to think about, and frankly, in our modern, fresh is best, society, we just do not know any more how to deal with the year round issues. How much will we need after the season? How long will our things last in the cellar? As I have noted before, we do not have the starvation impetus to motivate us for the hungry months. We have to experience and plan.

I actually think it will take years (well at least a few years) to really be able to eat local.

[Kim U]

I think you've hit on one of the things that is most intimidating about wanting to eat locally. If you look at is as a black and white situation and don't think of it as a gradual process, it's easy to get scared away from the idea. This is our first year signed up for a CSA and our first delivery is next weekend -- I can't wait! Our farmer's market at this time of year is mostly dedicated to landscaping plants and produce from out of state, though.

[cookiecrumb]

Actually, VI, you give us all courage by failing out of the gate. (Of course it wasn't a failure. I had a cup of tea this morning.)
We may never be able to eat 100% locally, but it's a start.
BTW: Do you have a juicer? If it looks like you're not going to be able to get to those fading roots, juice them. Freeze the juice, or let it sit out and turn to vinegar. Um, I don't know if that'll work; it's just an idea. :)
Liz: Beet vinegar maybe? I'm going to try it myself.
And yeah, Jamie. Food preservation. Fer sher. xx
Kim U: Hope you got some herbs in the CSA!
cc

[plentyofmoxie]

word.

Here is NH I am looking into preserving rhubarb out of my neighbor's yard as a lemon replacement for my more concerted Eat Local Challenge effort in August. Canning books tell me it isn't worth it - any ideas? I've made rhubarb juice - and will try concentrating that down and freezing it.