You look at something from one angle and you think “hmm, nice, but not really what I was going for.” And there’s not a lot you can do to fix what you see. The light is what it is, the ingredients are what they are. Oh well, no matter how much I’d like to make it work, it’s not going to.
You move on, keep going with making dinner, and then you realize that when you look at the same set of ingredients from another direction, you see something completely different.
Deciding to eat locally, particularly in the dark days, can be the same way. If you set out to eat all local, all the time right off the bat, it’s easy to get discouraged. To feel like it’s an insurmountable task because you don’t have a big garden, or you don’t can, or you don’t have a freezer full of meat and produce, or, or, or. And it isn’t necessarily easy to find local foods during the winter if you don’t already have your sources discovered and confirmed.
But if you turn it around, look at it from the other direction, and begin by finding local sources for just a few things at first… Well, you get a completely different view.
If you’re just starting to look for local foods, start with the easy ones. Start with those things that grow well in your region. Start with the ones that keep well, that are preserved, that are frozen. Look for potatoes and onions, squash and garlic, carrots and apples. Look for milk and butter, yogurt and eggs. Look for jams and jellies, pickles and preserves. Look for frozen fruit and vegetables, fresh and frozen meat.
You’ll likely have to go outside the big box grocery on the corner. You’ll have to stretch your comfort zone by going to that artsy hippy natural foods store. Finding the farm stand that’s open all winter. Subscribing to a year-round CSA. You might even find yourself planting a garden and learning how to use a canner.
At first it will make shopping for ingredients harder. You’ll probably have to make your menu plans around what you can find instead of finding the ingredients for what you always have on Sunday night. You’ll be mixing local foods with those from farther away. You’ll mix sustainably grown and ethically raised with commercially produced.
Slowly, over time, you’ll find that you’ve got local sources of your favorite foods. That even though not EVERYTHING is local and sustainable, the biggest parts are. You’ll discover that it no longer takes extra effort, it’s just how you shop and how you cook.
And that jumble? It will suit you just fine. And you’ll look at it and think, why was I ever concerned about neatly segregating ingredients into tidy little categories?
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What a lovely post! And your photos are wonderful, too.
Yummy!
(the food and the words, well done!)
Well said! Start slow, that’s the key to get everyone on board.
I love this!
And you’re right — the shopping and cooking with local ingredients does just become second-hand after a while. I had to shop in another city this weekend, in a regular grocery store, and I was surprised how awkward it felt.
Great writing! It left me with a big smile on my face. Looking forward to the article on you and your blog tomorrow.
The Raven, Badgerpendous :: Thanks!
Jennifer :: Slow and steady is definitely the key.
Anita :: Every time I duck into the “regular” store that’s near our house I find myself lost and unsure. It takes just as long as driving all the way to Haggen’s or the farm stand/store would.
Brittney :: Thanks for the great quote in the article, so great to be getting to know you!