Locavore

Let's get this show on the road for a new season of local eating! Farmers Markets are now OPEN. Woohooo! I am starting the season by reading "Animal Vegetable, Miracle (A Year of Food Life)" by Barbara Kingsolver. It's about the author's family's journey eating foods as local as possible. It was an ambitious project which included moving and living/working on a farm. Currently I'm half way through but it's good.

One thing that the author introduced is the concept of a vegetannual to help us remember what kinds of fruits/vegetables are in season. Consider one plant as it grows from seed to maturity. The early parts like stems and leaves grow in the spring (baby greens, asparagus). Later come the flowers (broccoli). Then the soft fruits (like beans, peppers, tomatoes). Then the hard skinned fruits like melons (late summer) and squash (early fall). Finally, as this imaginary plant wraps up for the winter, it stores all of its sugars in the roots (potatoes). It's kind of an interesting concept but it makes sense as you track what is available at the farmers market during the seasons.

Now that you know what is in season (not imported from South America or across the country), it's important to know what to do with the goods. Check out the book's website for recipe ideas and more.