Eating sustainable, local food in a cold climate

[NYCVeg]

We live in the Northern part of the US (not NYC, despite my screen name). We have some nice summer months, but a LONG, cold winter.

Since moving from parts further south, I'm having a lot more trouble finding good, local produce, even in the summer. The farmer's market in our town has only a few stalls--you can get some greens, strawberries in June, and that's about it. I've looked into CSAs, but everything requires looooong drives into the country (not possible for us, with a toddler and two parents working) and the growing season is pretty short. Growing our own is out of the question, due to black thumbs, time constraints, and lack of (literally any) land in which to plant stuff.

When you get to animal products, the situation is even worse. We used to buy local eggs, cheese, and meat (for dd and dh) from the farmer's market; I haven't seen anything at my local market.

Am I fated to a life of buying Argentinian asparagus, Chilean grapes, and organic cheese from Whole Foods? We do try to buy what's in season, and to buy the "local" options at Whole Foods, but I'm dismayed by how difficult it seems to eat TRULY locally in colder climates (particularly since I'm in the middle of reading The Omnivore's Dilemma!).

[Ruthla]

I imagine in pre-industrial times, native tribes living in the area either migrated south in the winter, or ate a primarily meat-based diet in the winter (there must have been local herds at some point in the past!), supplemented with bits of dried vegetables, and tubers and "winter squashes" that can keep for months.

I'd suggest looking for "regional foods" if "local foods" don't really exist. Why buy the Chilean grapes from 2,000 miles away when there are Long Island or New Jersey grapes that only have to travel 200 miles? (I'm guessing/estimating these numbers, as I'm not sure exactly where you live.) Something similar should be available with farm animal stuff- poultry, eggs, and meat from farms. See if you can find local game (hunted meat). Is it possible to buy a whole deer in the fall and freeze it in meal-sized portions for the rest of the winter?

[laohaire]

Personally I read your situation as being more an issue of not having a lot of local farms, not so much the cold climate. Unless you are in northern Canada or Alaska I would imagine the growing season for anywhere in the United States to be quite long enough to enjoy. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont sure have an abundance of food.

I don't know what to suggest, though, if you live in a place where there are no local farms (or rather that they are too long to reasonably incorporate into your routine).

Is it possible to join a mail-order farm? I don't know anything about them really but I know my friends in Brooklyn used to get a box, and I think it was mailed to them but not totally sure. That way the farm can be, say, 100 miles from you but you're still getting relatively fresh, sustainable food without the long drives.

Or, like Ruthla says, concentrate on the region at least.

Of course you can also consider growing as much of your own as possible, but I'm sure you've already thought of that.

I have to admit, if DH and I move from our current location, I would have to scout local farms in the new location before choosing a new place. I just couldn't stand it if I moved somewhere too far to shop locally. I've been converted!!

[EKSmith]

I can relate to this - I am in Northern Canada (Northern Alberta - almost the middle of nowhere). I've had to do my share of research, but I've managed to scout out local sources for lots of items. I get my eggs from a local farm, deer/moose/elk meat from my dad/brother in hunting season, chickens from local Hutterite farmers, and the odd bit of Heritage pork from our local food buying Coop. I often have to choose organic or local - for example, we've got a local strawberry u pick that isn't organic, but I figure very much still worth my while. They are "natural" but not certified organic. I've also just had to come to terms with the fact that certain food items just aren't gonna be found around here. I can find local beans, lettuce, peas, corn, carrots, potatos, tomatoes, pumpkin, etc....Pineapples and mangos? Forget it. All in all, don't be afraid to ask people in your community for ideas - I never knew half the farms we had around here existed, and I've been here 13+ years. It may also be worth it to talk to some like minded friends in your area and share the scouting/shopping together....sometimes farms will only sell in wholesale amounts - which isn't an issue if you can split!

I understand how frustrating it can be to find nutritious food you feel comfortable with...Good luck in your hunt!

[Alyantavid]

I'd expand your definition of local a bit. If I can't find something truly local (like under 50 miles), I get the one that's produced closest.

We have long winters here as well, but we're able to preserve alot in the summer (from our garden, friends' gardens and the farmer's market) to get us mostly through the winter. Craigslist has tons of ads for eggs and meat.

[ursusarctos]

:
I live in Finland so face similar challenges. Luckily for me during the summer there is a great farmer's market close by - mostly not organic, but local and very fresh. So from May through October I get fresh seasonal produce, but the rest of the year "local" food (grown in Finland) is pretty much limited to root veggies, cabbage, and expensive greenhouse tomatoes. By March or so there's pretty much nothing good in the produce aisle at all.
I would think that there must be some fresh produce around where you live, if I can get it even in Finland - or how far north do you actually live? But if I understood your post correctly it was more an issue of having time to access the produce rather than it not existing at all? I agree with a PP that maybe there's a farm that will send you a box of veggies/fruit once a week or so. And/or buy a quarter of an organic cow and freeze it for example?
I think that in the past there were a couple of "hungry months" at the beginning of spring as winter stores had been used up and nothing was growing yet. Probably hunting and fishing supplemented the diet considerably at that time as animals started to migrate north. I just can't imagine subsisting only on last fall's root veggies and grain all the way through April.
What I attempt to do with my good access to local produce during the growing season is eat as much as I can of delicious things in season (like berries!) and just wait for them the rest of the year. I am also trying my hand at making sauerkraut and jam and maybe drying some things if I get around to it. I try to incorporate root veggies (rutabaga, parsnip, carrots, potatoes, turnip) into my diet in the fall and winter as they are what is available local and cheap. I also rely more on canned/frozen veggies and dried fruit during the winter/early spring as they are cheaper and often superior in quality to the "fresh" veggies they import from further south, though I do "expand" my definition of local in the cold season. Tropical fruit I've given up on altogether As for organic meat, it's quite expensive here so we eat limited meat... and beans/lentils are food that I don't mind buying imported since they are often shipped or transported in trains instead of being driven so they have smaller carbon footprints.
Also, it may take a while to figure out the sources of local/organic foods. For example I lived here for several years before I figured out where to get organic butter. Often one thing leads to another and as you start to investigate and ask around you will find out more and more.

[kjbrown92]

My mother lives in upstate NY and the growing season isn't very long. But from her garden, she dehydrates fruit (to put in granola over the winter), cans tomatoes and beets, she puts potatoes, onions and winter squash in the cellar and they keep just fine. And she freezes a lot of her veggies. When there is something in season, like green peppers, can you buy a lot, and then freeze in halves (for stuffed peppers) and diced (for chilis and soups)? Can you find local berries and peaches, for instance, and freeze them for use in smoothies in the winter? We certainly have ways to preserve food now that we haven't in the past (like freezers). So that might help.

[NYCVeg]

Originally Posted by Ruthla

(I'm guessing/estimating these numbers, as I'm not sure exactly where you live.) Something similar should be available with farm animal stuff- poultry, eggs, and meat from farms. See if you can find local game (hunted meat). Is it possible to buy a whole deer in the fall and freeze it in meal-sized portions for the rest of the winter?

We actually eat only minimal meat--and only dh and dd eat it. I've been a vegetarian since I was a pre-teen. The thought of having a whole deer--a dead one, that is--anywhere near my house makes me shudder! (To say nothing of the freezer space I would need--we live in a postage-stamp-sized house).

But thank you all for the suggestions. There IS a decent growing season (May-Sept/October), and there are CSAs, but I haven't been able to find a mail-order one and the drives are truly too long to be feasible, especially on a weekly basis. We could drive to the city on the weekends--if we carve out a big chunk of time--and go to the farmers' market there in the warm months.

I guess I'm just frustrated, because I'm used to having all this stuff at my back door. It seems like it shouldn't be this time-consuming to eat locally! Dh and I both work very long hours, and weekends are our only time for family stuff, errands, serious cleaning, etc. (and we both work some over the weekends). In our old locale, we used to shop on an almost daily basis and get much of our produce, etc. fresh for that day (farmer's market twice a week and fill-in from Whole Foods). And when I lived in NYC, the farmer's market was up and running 4 days a week.

We make the time to cook healthy, produce-rich meals, but it's a strain--it's hard to imagine where we would find time for things like canning and preserving. On the other hand, we expect to move again in another two years, so maybe we'll end up someplace warm and bountiful!

[mamadelbosque]

I'll bet there are resources out there, even if they are hard to find. Have you checked with your local extension agency (the folks who run 4-H, usually through a major university)? Ours recently started putting out a list of local farms with what they have to offer & how to contact them (its actually how I found my source of raw milk - they advertised 'dairy herd shares' and I just happend to know what that meant.

Otherwise, try talking to the few folks who ARE at the farmers market. They likely know other farmers in the area or can tell you about the one random store that sells farm-fresh eggs (a feed store in my town!) or whatever.