Locally grown food is picked ripe at its best in flavor and nutrition. It also requires less fuel to transport.
Whether you are a gardener or just someone who loves to buy products at the local farmer’s market, there are ways to extend the season that you can eat locally produced food.
One important step to achieve the goal is to preserve summer produce for winter.
1. Canning. It is good for many veggies and fruits, such as tomatoes, pickles, green beans, beets, etc. Canned veggies are excellent in stew, soup, spaghetti sauce and chili.
2. Fermaenting and Pickling. Cucumbers are great for pickling and cabbages can be made into sauerkraut. They add variety to your winter diet.
3. Freezing. Compared to canning, freezing is usually faster and preserves veggie texture better, although it does require a big enough freezer and power to keep food frozen. Many veggies are good freezing: tomatoes, green beans, squashes, carrots, berries, etc.
4. Dehydrating. Dried foods have a concentrated flavor. They also require less storage space. Tomatoes, fruits, beans, etc, are all good drying.
5. Storing in basement or root cellar. Many produces keep good for a long time if stored in a cool basement, such as potatoes, beets, winter squashes, onions, etc.
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