Year Round Local Veg!

[itsflantastic]

In and around the Bangor, Maine area there are plenty of farmers markets to choose from, and each has very high quality produce. I have a good relationship going with a few of the farmers from last fall, and they produce the best tasting veg. I have ever had.

one of my favorite things to do is ride my bike to the farmers market, and load up the panniers with big leafy green goodness. On days when I'm feeling strong; watermelons :)

Coming out of the long, cold, winter we just had, I'm already thinking about next winter. A lot of my posts lately have pertained to diet, lifestyle, and leaving as little a negative footprint on the world as possible. In that effort, I'm thinking forward to next winter and wondering how one sustains a locally produced food supply, while preferably remaining a vegetarian, for so many months?

I'd rather not buy tofu from thousands of miles away if I can get deer meat in my back yard, but i'm not going to take up hunting just yet...

Basically, I'm looking for some good ideas, books, resources, etc, for local winter time vegetable options when the farmers market is not around. Does anyone else on the board have similar priorities and climate issues?

i almost wish I still lived in jersey, I think they only had 2 inches of snow at my parents house this past winter, whereas I had 7 feet!


thanks,
Dan

[Karin Kirk]

Great topic, and I am interested in this same question.
My approach for now is to do as much canning/freezing as I can, plus growing some storage veggies like carrots, onions and potatoes.

In the past 2 years I have bought 50 lbs of local potatoes at the last farmer's market of the season. These last well into winter.

However neither of these tactics would truly get us all the way through the winter, but it's a start.

[R2D2]

I have fairly large garden.
We grow and can a lot.
The winter stable is to make Brunswick stew and can it.
Been around cenuries in the South.
Basically stew corn/tomatoes/limas and some game.
We also make a ton of BBQ. I've got 50+ lbs smoking now.
We pull it/ vacumm seal and freeze.
The one down side to gardening is the time.
I should be training this time or year but my weekends are consumed with planting. But that'll be over soon.

I guess it's in my blood.
I'm of Dutch heritage and Dad always reminds me "Don't be afraid of playing in the dirt."

Off to plant potatoes............. Yukon Golds.

[capybaras]

learn to love root vegetables

[Birddog]

learn to love root vegetables

This is the ticket. You need a root cellar or equivalent too. Beets, carrots, taters, onions, rutabagas, turnips, and I think the squashes last a long time in cellars too. Most everything else needs to be canned or frozen.

Birddog

[itsflantastic]

Ok, I'm down.. .I love all of the above mentioned foods.
I live in an apartment building, and I have a storage spot in the basement. . .
Does any old basement count as a root cellar? What are the specifics of storing veg in a root cellar to increase longevity? I remember hearing something about carrots going in big bigs of sand or something....

details!

[capybaras]

See if any of the farms in your area have "winter shares". They can grow some things at the edges of winter and they can also grow in greenhouses during the winter.

[false_Aest]

A good friend of mine lives in Vermont and grows stuff on 2 acres. Obviously you dont have access to this land BUT . . . .

He took a lot of the surplus produce they had and turned it into kim-chi (http://www.jasonunbound.com/kimchi.html).

He was also able to grow leafy greens throughout the winter by constructing a small greenhouse out of 2x4s and clear plastic sheeting. I wonder if one could do this temporarily in a public or rooftop garden.

The coolest thing about the greenhouse was going from 20 degrees outside to 85 degrees inside.

[Birddog]

I live in an apartment building, and I have a storage spot in the basement. . .
This would probably be marginal at best. Too much ambient heat from above in most cases. Google "basement root cellar" and you'll get plenty of ideas. Mother Earth News used to be a good source for this kind of stuff, not sure how it stacks up these days. Oh, and add cabbage to your list, it stores well too.

Birddog