For some reason, in the winter, I crave oranges. And that’s not just because I like OJ in my occasional tequila sunrise.
We had a bunch of Florida oranges at Christmas thanks to a Santa who delivered a partial crate to The Farm.
And I just bought a bag of some of the sweetest Naval oranges I’ve ever tasted. I can easily forgo the leftover holiday chocolates for a few slices of these beauties.
Oranges are also a major reason I think it would be especially difficult to restrict myself, as many others have done, to local only food.
Face it…there are no orange groves in the otherwise bountiful Great Lakes region. That didn’t stop my grandfather from trying.
He brought back to his Kokomo, Ind., subdivision a tiny orange seedling from a visit to my mom in California. He nurtured that little tree. Each year, he’d plant it near his grapes in the garden, then did it up and bring it inside for the winter. This, obviously, became an increasingly difficult task as his efforts paid off with a beautiful little tree.
It never produced fruit. But it was a source of pure joy for him, a true labor of love.
It’s doubtful, except for my pre-teething years, that I’ve ever gone more than a couple weeks without citrus…either oranges, limes, grapefruit or lemon.
That’s why I watched Vital Information’s local only experiment with awe. I had the same experience following along with the Kingsolver family’s experience, as chronicled in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
But…for the oranges alone, I don’t think I could operate under such formal restrictions.
That doesn’t mean we won’t try some version of a buy local experiment. I’ve been mulling over various scenarios. And I’m thinking we may be able to try something for a shorter period of time. It’s a huge commitment to go a full year…especially in the Midwest, where winters are harsh. It’s more doable if greenhouse produce is OK (though they are arguably just as tough on the environment because they have to be heated and consume large quantities of fresh water).
In any event, it takes significant planning and food storage success to get a Midwest family through the winter while most area farmers markets are closed. That’s one of the reasons I’ve enjoy the young moms blogging at Food Storage Made Easy. I definitely plan to do more canning and saving from the summer and fall harvests this year. That’s one of my New Year’s resolutions anyway.
Right now, I’m trying for a percentage of our meals…several meals a week that contain large amounts of locally produced meats, cheeses and vegetables.
Oh…and it helps that, at least for the time being, I’m counting local beer and wine.
Virtual Farmgirl 