Making Local Food last

If you have been harvesting your own food from the garden, getting inundated with your CSA box, or shopping for locally grown food at your nearest market, the thought of preserving food has likely crossed your mind. I am aspiring to can and otherwise preserve my own food as a way to eat more locally in the winter. I read a great article about the resurgence of making jams, complete with recipes and jamming tips. If videos are more your speed, you can also watch a video about easy food preservation tips on the Ball jar website. On the same topic, you can also read about Chef Tory Miller of L'Etoile's methods of putting food by for the winter. He has to manage food for a whole restaurant...we can at least learn to preserve some of the bounty for our own families.

Here's an easy way to get started: berries. All you have to do is go berry picking or buy a whole mess of berries at their height of flavor and then freeze them on cookie trays. After they freeze separately you can put them in a ziplock and enjoy smoothies for months to come! Yum!!!

Slow Food Boston farm visit and food preservation classes

Willow, Peggy, and Alex of Slow Food Boston wanted to let all of Massachusetts Conscious Consumers know about an event on August 16th at Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton: 'Land to Sea: A Celebration of Local Foods.' Starting at 5:00pm, there will be farm tours and hayrides, live music, and amazing amazing local foodstuffs like a lobsterbake, cheeses, breads wine & beer. None of which is to be outdone by the freshly picked veggies from the farm, of course! Call them at 978-468-3720 for more information or to reserve. Cost is $79 for adults and $12 for kids.

The Slow Food Boston food preserving classes at Haley House have been selling out quickly - pickling with Rick Field is this Friday. Next one up is tomato sauces, salsas & dehydrating Sunday, August 24th. Coming up on the evening of Wednesday, August 27th, we'll be hosting a talk and tasting of Slow Food ARK of Taste summer fruits at the NonProfit Center downtown. September brings a fermenting foods class at Haley House, grass-fed dairy workshop, and a celebration of fall with beer. Visit Slow Food Boston for more information!

Day 4 of National Downshifting Week: Eat Local

Day 4 of our Downshifting Manifesto asks people to make a meal from scratch using fresh, local ingredients. And 'tis the season for reaping fresh fruits and vegetables, all over the U.S. Farmer's markets, community gardens, and CSAs are growing all over the country, thanks to the burgeoning interest in locally produced foods. If you haven't yet checked out Local Harvest and Eat Wild, today's the day to type in your zip code and find out about the local producers near you. So, celebrate the fantastic revival of simple, wholesome dishes. Consider organic, home-grown, and fair trade too. Cooking fresh food is cheaper and can often be quicker than the processed options, with taste and health benefits beyond anything in a box. Enjoy putting your meal together, and enlist the help of the eaters!

If you already eat locally, next time you're out at your favorite supermarket or restaurant be sure to ask what's local on the menu. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and we want those buyers to know that supporting local farmers is important to their customers.

For those of you who are ready to take on the next eating local challenge, try learning to preserve your local produce into the winter, by canning, fermenting, freezing, or dehydrating. You can find some food preservation resources on line, you can order the book Putting Food By, or you can try your local community resources to see if there are food preservation classes offered near you. In my area, Boulder County Going Local sponsored a class with Sandy Cruz, of High Altitude Permaculture, where I learned to dehydrate fruits and vegetables using nothing more than flat baskets and the sun. I also learned to make bread, meusli, saurkraut, kefir, and goat cheese, and now can make these locally all year long. Yum!