In some parts of the country, we're still in the throes of winter, so planning now for summer fare may seem far-fetched. But if you want to enjoy the full bounty of summertime, this is the time to start thinking about where your food will be coming from. (As an added bonus, you have an excuse to start dreaming about peaches, strawberries, basil and corn.)
Research and find a CSA
If you're not familiar with this increasingly popular concept, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Participants buy shares in the yield from a local farm. All summer long, as crops are harvested, shareholders receive weekly deliveries of a wide variety of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Having fresh produce delivered weekly is a definite inspiration to eat locally and healthfully. This is the time to sign up for a CSA, as the number of shares is limited, and some CSAs sell out quickly.
Plant a garden
Even if you don't have a lot of outdoor space, you'd be amazed at how much you can grow in just a few square feet, or even some pots. We've found that you get the most bang for your gardening buck by planting high-yield crops like mixed leafy greens, tomatoes, zucchini and herbs. Get a seed catalogue and start planning now, and you'll be ready to hit the ground running by springtime.
Get a community garden plot
If you don't have any outdoor space, find out if there are any community gardens in your area. Like CSAs, community garden plots are in high demand in some areas, so again, this is the time to do your research.
Consider yardsharing
If there aren't any community gardens in your neighbourhood, or if they're already full up, consider yardsharing. The organization Sharing Backyards links people with unused yard space with those looking for a place to grow food. The program has chapters around the world. Having done this ourselves, we can tell you that this is a fun way to meet new people and learn alongside each other.
Start a community garden
If you're up to a project that will more than pay off the hard work involved, consider starting up a community garden yourself. This article provides a step-by-step tutorial in how to make at happen.
Plan some foraging expeditions
And if you're feeling really adventurous, start researching what you can forage in your area. You might be amazed at what you can find just by donning boots and work gloves and doing some bushwhacking. Fiddleheads and morels in the spring. Wild greens and berries in the summer. Mushrooms in the fall. Even dandelions! If you're unsure of yourself, team up with an experienced forager for your inaugural expeditions.
If you're a gardener, you may be finding yourself suddenly overwhelmed with more produce than you can eat or gift to friends. If that's the case, perhaps you might want to consider donating a portion of your bumper crop to those in need.
Plant a Row, Grow a Row is a grassroots movement that has taken root and spread throughout Canada and the US. The idea is simple: gardeners take their extra produce to participating local food banks, who then distribute the food as quickly as possible to ensure that it is still fresh and at peak nutritional value.
As with any food bank donation, no donation is too small. Consider the joy you take in a flavourful ripe tomato, a cup of juicy berries, a half dozen baby potatoes, or a handful of fresh salad greens. Why not pass along that delight to someone else?
Many of you have signed up to try the 100 Mile Challenge on your own. We want to hear about your experiences so far!
Whether you signed up to do the Challenge for a day, a week, a month, or a year, let us know about your trials and tribulations, successes and challenges. We'll share them with other 100-milers here on the blog. Email your stories, tips and photos to us at contact@100milechallenge.ca.
If you're looking for more tips, inspiration and local-eating camaraderie, join our Facebook group. You'll meet other locavores - both new and experienced - and learn from their hard-won wisdom.
Most locavores know, or quickly learn, that one way to make local eating easier and cheaper is to grow some of your food yourself. If you're constrained by having little space - or no space at all - we've compiled this list of inspiring links to get you plotting:
If you're still hankering after a larger garden, don't despair. Instead, consider the sharing backyards option.
Have you ever wondered what makes local cheesemaking such a unique experience? Find out at this artisanal cheese tasting hosted by cheese boutique Les Amis du Fromage. Meet some local cheese producers and the chefs who love them.
When Alex Weremchuk sampled a cricket, it was a "Yuck!" moment for her daughter Hailey. Perhaps Hailey might have been less disgusted if she knew that insects are actually an important food source in many parts of the world. (Note: We suspect this wouldn't have changed her mind.)
History
The practice of eating insects - known as "entomophagy" - goes back many thousands of years. Locusts were a staple food for ancient Algerians, who prepared them by first boiling them in salt water then drying them in the sun. Romans enjoyed cicadas and stag beetle larvae at their decadent feasts. The Greek scientist and philosopher Aristotle wrote about harvesting cicadas (and we all know how smart he was).
Australian Aborigines painstakingly prepared moths by cooking them in the sand, which burned off the wings and legs, then sifting them through a sieve-like device to remove the head, leaving just the savoury moth meat.
Keep reading to find out more about the widespread practice of entomophagy today, as well as the environmental and nutritional advantages of eating insects...
With two days of (hopefully) glorious spring weather ahead, why not try your hand at foraging some edibles for your dinner?
You don't have to go so far as to dive for crabs, like the folks in our Adventures in Foraging webisode did. Just head to a local greenspace and see what turns up. You might be surprised.
A few wildfoods to look out for:
Ramps (pictured above) are also known as spring onions, ramson, and wild leek. Whatever you call it, this member of the onion family is plentiful in many parts of North America. Tasting like a cross between garlic and leeks, they're a flavourful substitute for onions in any dish. They can be costly in stores, so savour them if you find them!
Fiddleheads, which we've written about before, are the curled sprouts of the ostrich fern. These leaves become inedible once they unfurl, making fiddleheads, like ramps, a limited-time-offer seasonal delicacy.
Stinging nettles don't sound like appealing fare, but their characteristically "green" taste is sought after for teas, soups, purees, or even pasta. To combat the nettles' sting, wear gloves when picking (good advice in general for foragers). Blanch or steam them before eating.
If you've just had a heavy rainfall, then your area might be enjoying a bounty of morels. We've written about this enigmatic wild mushroom, which is highly prized by gourmands for its deep earthy flavour. If you've never hunted for morels, be sure to have an experienced mushroom aficionado identify your treasure before you eat it.
If all this talk of gloves and hunting is too much, and you want to start your foraging career with an easy win, the humble dandelion offers a two-fold treat: use the tender young leaves as a salad green, then lightly batter and fry the flowers. (Everything tastes good when it's fried, right?)
Yardsharing isn't new, but with urban gardening already touted as a major trend for 2009 (and, with hope, continuing beyond this year), it's an idea that is getting a lot of new attention.
The concept is simple: people with yard space are connecting with people without, and together they're sharing the labour - along with the harvest - of backyard gardening. It's an inspiring way to combine hard work with getting to know some of your neighbours.
There's even a website, Sharing Backyards, where people can sign up, pinpoint their location on a city map, indicate whether they have a yard to share or are looking for a yard, and hook up with compatible co-gardeners. The website also provides a list of tips and considerations that you should take into account and agree upon when entering a yardsharing agreement.
You can learn more by watching our web-exclusive video, Sharing Backyards.
We've been touting onions, beets, and cabbage as great local fare for this time of year, but did you know that these same foods can be used to produce gorgeous results when dyeing Easter eggs? Keep reading for details...
If you think local eating means nothing but greens and spuds, think again. Chef Ben Niemann created these mouthwatering morsels to tempt the citizens of Mission to commit to the 100 Mile Challenge. You'll be surprised at how few ingredients are required, and at how do-able this recipe is, from curing your own gravlax to making your own crackers using little more than potatoes, flour, and local seasonings.
Go to the recipe: Salmon Gravlax Canapés
network. A Paperny Films production.