So far, here in the far northern reaches of Wisconsin..this challenge has been easy-ish...for us at least.
I have a garden center where I teach folks to "feed ourselves"...we have had plenty of produce from our gardens. I've been drying various foods like crazy for the long winter ahead. I do some canning also, but drying is so much easier and less risky.
We have 7 apple trees, so there's loads of dried apple rings and applesauce and apple leather for the months ahead.
Berries and grapes, both native and cultivated, find their way into jams and leathers. I'm drying 15 herbs for future use.
A few years ago I built my green growing area on the south side of my house, there are plenty of veggies that will continue to grow through the winter to feed us: broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, onions, beans...all will continue to produce for us until I give them their "fake winter break" from mid December through "wake up" in February when the sun gets high enough to get them all growing again.
The Hodag Farmer's market in Rhinelander, WI was a treasure trove of all the food products I don't grow or produce...honey, corn, certain squashes. For the past 4 years, our meat has come from an organic potato farmer about 45 miles south. He's grown us field grazed beef and pork and chickens.
We've been trying to eat locally for the past 5 years and doing a fairly good job of it. I'm trying to find a variety of banana tree that will grow, potted in our greenroom and I'd like a fig tree and MUST learn how to grow peanuts in containers...because my husband will not live without his daily PB and jelly sandwich!!!! I've tried to get him to eat local nut butter...but to no avail.....Any help with these issues would be greatly appreciated.
One of my on going projects up here is to find a local mom and pop restaurant willing to add local selections to their menu. So far...no luck...but I can feel it happening soon!!!
