Eating Locally & a Winner!

I have always been interested in the idea of eating locally grown and sourced foods. It can be difficult at times to find everything you need locally, especially when your local growing season is only 6 months long. When I lived in Newfoundland, I found that the people were very good at harvesting locally available fruits, vegetables and meat and preserving them for the winter. Two years ago I was finally able to grow my own vegetables in a small garden in our yard, as well as pick local berries and freeze/jam them for winter use. I am happy with the idea of these fruits and veggies grown close to home, but I was interested to learn more about local growers and producers. 

I am lucky to live in an area that is surrounded by farmland. I knew there had to be an easier way to find out which farms grow which products. After doing a little bit of searching, I found the Farm Fresh Website which lists most of the farms in this area along with what they produce. If you read my blog regularly you know that Reggie is an avid hunter and fisherman; therefore most of the meat we eat he harvests himself. But occasionally we like to eat chicken or beef and felt that the meat available in the grocery store wasn’t the healthiest or most ethical option; so one of my goals when searching through the local farms was to find one that had some good, free-range options for meat. And… success! I’ve talked to one of the farmers and I just have to arrange when to pick up our meat. The nice thing is we can order any quantity so there is no committing to a large amount. We can try it out first, and then order more later on!

I think that knowing and understanding where your food comes from is an important part of eating, especially eating sustainably. This doesn’t mean that I will refuse to eat something that isn’t grown locally, but that I am making more informed choices about the food I purchase and consume. I am going to be talking a little more about our search for local food options, along with local recipes, here on Newfoundlander at Heart. Something that is important to note is the seasonal availability of fruits and vegetables. In my area this chart is very helpful for figuring out which fruits and veggies are available when. It might be different depending on where you are located, but it is a good general guide to determine seasonal availability.

Also, the winner of the Big Giveaway is Ada! Congratulations, please e-mail me to claim your prizes :)

xox