This post has been brewing for quite some time. While I was neglecting my canner in the bounty of August, while I was snatching up homemade preserves, while I was consuming pounds of my most beloved pink-hued potatoes from Arbor Hill, and eating juicy peaches and pears, when I bought nectarines and berries and strawberries by the pound, when I picked up my last CSA share last week: how do we keep a local focus in the winter in a place like Central Ohio, where it gets cold (sometimes) and snowy (sometimes)?
It's a tough question, one that not even the best among us has the answer to. Of course, if you are of the diligent old-school sort (my mother, even though she doesn't do much canning anymore, comes to mind) and spent your summer as I should have, canning and freezing the bounty, making giant batches of tomato sauce and pickled beets, your worries are few. But, if, like me, life got in the way of stocking away for the winter, you are now left prowling the aisles of your local grocery store, trying to wrap your head around sugar snap peas and strawberries in January.
So, here are a few of my suggestions. Nothing will replace summer's bounty, of course, but do we want it to? Although I get tired of Ohio winters somewhere around December 26th, I still like it because the anticipation for summer is fuel to keep me going. I love to look through my pictures of vegetables in the middle of January - I think of all the things I'm going to make in the coming year, all of the things I'm going to look for at the markets, all of the things I will ask farmers to grow, and all of the sweet corn I will eat. Some of these suggestions aren't immediate - placing your focus on eating locally is a process; it takes time and planning, but hopefully if we all start thinking about it now, we'll be better prepared when next summer rolls around.
- My farmer, Sandy Sterrett, will be at the North Market until December 16th, if the weather is decent. She has greens and cabbage as well as squash and potatoes - there is still time to stock up on these items, squash particularly lasts forever and is a great item to store in a cool, dark place. Potatoes don't last quite as long, but they are still good keeps and a good supply should last at least into January.
- There are still some local options for green things and especially mushrooms at local grocers. However much I might speak ill of Whole Foods on occasion, they are a good resource for some locally grown products. Lately, they have featured local produce and have a running count in their store of their local products. Sunflower Foods also stocks a good variety of local products from squash to eggs and mushrooms, and the staff has been well-educated in pointing customers to the local products.
- As far as eggs go, there is simply no reason to be eating a mass-produced egg, local or not (in fact, you would be hard-pressed to find an egg which wasn't produced near us, thanks to Ohio Egg, but that won't necessarily make it a good one), try some 2 Silos eggs, available at Whole Foods, Weiland's, and Sunflower Foods, and you'll see what I mean.
- The North Market is a great source for local products. Locally grown meat and eggs are especially easy to find, and Curds & Whey stocks some of your favorite products sold at the farm markets, such as Rohini's Chutneys. Try the hot mango, it's fantastic with pork.
- Stores such as Weiland's offer more value-oriented local products, such as excellent Amish chickens and Ohio beef. I find myself purchasing a lot of chicken from them at $1.70 a pound, versus upwards of $3 or $4 at some stores in the North Market. I'm not begrudging the stores in the market, mind you, but not everyone can afford a $20 chicken, no matter how responsibly it was raised. Although I love my roasted chicken, it's more of a desperation meal for me - if I'm going to splurge, we're having beef or lamb.
- Weiland's also sells trout from local (Urbana) trout farmers Freshwater Farms, who have an outstanding product. Before you get your tail feathers in a bunch over farm raised fish, please keep in mind trout are only really available farm-raised, and their small size and quick growth mean they are a perfect fish for being farmed responsibly. Freshwater Farms also raises shrimp and has an onsite market for their products and other local items.
- Wishwell farms, located in Bellefontaine, sells Christmas trees and other items at their farm, and they have hothouses, so they still have lots of products which, although out of season, are still local. We'll all be eating broccoli from somewhere this winter, won't we? Wishwell was at the Market this Saturday selling trees as well as veggies, and my guess is they'll be there until Christmas.
- Even if there's no fresh local produce available in the winter months, you can keep a lot of your spending power in the area by supporting your local independent grocer. I realize not everyone can afford to shop at independent retailers, what with the mega box stores offering organic produce under a dollar, but when possible, it's good to support the people who actually care about what they are selling. The thing I love about Weiland's is every time I've requested a product, they have brought it in. In some instances, it wasn't a big hit with their clientele (who couldn't support Brown Cow yogurt), but they have still made the effort which I love. You just put a suggestion in their pig-shaped suggestion box and you can actually see the result. Carfagna's, on the Northeast side, is another great independent grocer with an outstanding meat counter (their sausages are inexpensive and wonderful), and Hill's Market (Worthington) is another winner, with a vast wine selection and wonderful prepared foods.
- Patronize restaurants which use local products. Alana's, Northstar Cafe, G. Michael's, the Worthington Inn, and Latitude 41 all lead the pack in the using of local farmers - thank them for doing so.
- My last suggestion is to start planning for next year. Think about what you can preserve by freezing/canning/confitting, etc. About what you can keep in cold storage - if you have place for it. We have an old boiler room in our basement which stays the perfect cellar temperature, and I did manage to put away some potatoes and onions for the winter. Books such as Preserving the Harvest
and websites such as the National Center for Home Preservation offer excellent advice and step by step instructions, as well as recipes.
I will share more ideas and shopping suggestions throughout the winter, of course. Here's to happy local eating!
