Last week we talked about some of the ways that we can begin to approach local eating. As was mentioned, it can be a bit daunting to navigate this journey, especially when we are constantly receiving conflicting information about how our food choices affect our health. That being said, it is important to have resources and farmers available who can walk you through ways that you can uphold your personal values in your purchasing decisions. It is important to remember that every small change you make in your shopping habits has the potential to make a difference in our food system and that asking questions is the best way to understand the local food movement. To continue assessing the ways we can rethink our approach to food, let’s look towards steps six through ten of Lauri McKean’s “10 Easy Steps to Incorporate More Local and Seasonal Food into Your Diet.”
nn
6. Plan for the winter–and do not despair when it arrives.
nn
With a little planning and some work in the summer, you can enjoy local foods all winter long. It is relatively easy to can your own tomatoes, pickles, and jams, and even easier to put some food away in a freezer or store squash and root crops in a basement. Some area stores and co-ops also carry locally grown crops, such as apples, beets celeriac, sprouts, potatoes, onions, garlic, squash, turnips, and rutabagas, throughout much of the winter.
nn
7. Learn how to substitute.
nn
This is a great way to incorporate unfamiliar foods into your diet while enjoying your favorite dishes. For example, substitute the long-storing celeriac root for celery in the winter. Try baking with local honey or maple syrup instead of cane sugar, which is grown in southern climates and uses large amounts of chemicals. Winter salads can have wonderful flavor and color with local sprouts and grated winter vegetables rather than lettuce shipped from California. Treat recipes as a starting point from which ideas can be generated, instead of something that must be followed exactly.
nn
8. Buy fewer convenience foods.
nn
Convenience foods, in general, are more expensive excessively packaged, and less fresh and nutritious than food you prepare at home. Additionally, the ingredients in these convenience foods are seldom locally grown or organic.
nn
9. Encourage your favorite restaurants to consider purchasing produce from local farmers.
nn
In West Michigan there are many restaurants working towards incorporating more local produce into their dishes. This is for the most part a consumer driven movement, thus it is important for consumers to continue to encourage our restaurants to take further steps to purchase locally sourced products and ensure that we hold them accountable for doing so by supporting restaurants that support our growers.
nn
10. Enjoy it all.
nn
Enjoy the tastes, the challenge, the relationships you develop with producers, and the knowledge that you are doing something good for yourself and the earth.
nn
Information adapted from From Asparagus to Zucchini
