New West Feature
10 Ways to Get Your Winter Locavore Fix
From the pleasures of parsnips to the joys of an indoor herb garden, here are easy steps to continue eating local food while you wait for warmer weather to return to the Rockies.By Kate Whittle, 1-10-11
A winter herb garden requires only five hours of daylight to grow during the winter. Photo by Flickr user mmadden.
During the warm seasons, being a locavore is easy in the Rocky Mountain region. Farmers’ markets and Community Supported Agriculture shares abound even in states with short growing seasons. But what to do during the middle of winter, when the markets are done and green won’t poke through the snow for months? Here are a few suggestions.
1. Meat, dairy and eggs are available year-round. See if your grocery store offers selections from local suppliers, or find farms that sell their products directly.
2. Have a room that gets at least five hours of sun every day? Grow herbs on your windowsill. Growers recommend plants like basil, thyme, parsley and mint.
3. Learn to love root vegetables: squash, parsnips, carrots, beets and onions are some tasty winter veggies. Here’s a recipe for roasted sweet-and-sour beets, parsnips and carrots.
4. Use local flour and honey for your baked goods.
5. It’s okay to buy non-local food, especially to increase your fruit-and-veg intake. But try to buy produce that traveled the least. Pick the apples from Washington, instead of the ones from New Zealand.
6. Prepare your food really locally: in your own kitchen. Winter’s a great time to learn some new tricks, like how to make homemade caramels or the perfect recipe for brussels sprouts.
7. Pair dinner with a favorite local brew. For starters, we can think of Idaho’s Portneuf Valley Brewing, Colorado’s Avery Brewing, Utah’s Wasatch Beers, Snake River Brewing in Wyoming, Santa Fe Brewing Company in New Mexico, and Montana’s Big Sky Brewing.
8. Remember that you can be a economic locavore, too. You can shop at locally owned businesses and support local arts and culture the whole year.
9. Plan ahead to get yourself in a Community Supported Agriculture program. The shares often go fast.
10. Remember, spring is just around the corner. Bust out the seed catalog and start planning your garden.
Kate Whittle writes about food, agriculture and other Western issues for New West. She lives in Missoula, Montana.
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