What a pleasant surprise.
This book rolled me in like stuffing in a fajita, a food that was deprived the authors until they found a local wheat grower. It was wonderful, with its weaving in and out of relationships and landscapes and adventure stories, but the idea of always eating strictly locally? Like it says on the back cover, “I think they’re nuts.”
Smith and MacKinnon tell us about their experiment eating only locally for one full year and how it changed the way they eat now. Obviously, eating locally can work, if your kids are used to it, or if you don’t have kids, or if you are young and able to get around readily, or if you drive, or if you know the right people. Of course, all of these obstacles can be overcome if you’re rich.
Unlike these courageous authors, I’ve been eating locally my whole life, not strictly locally, but quite a bit. I’ve had lobster and potatoes in Shediac and oranges in Florida. I learned young the difference between fresh and grocery shelf, and it’s a huge difference. I grew up in the midst of farms and ate vegetables from our little plot that I despised weeding when I was a kid, along with the evening’s BBQ of local beef burgers. I’ve had homemade ketchup and relish made with produce from local stands, and canned peaches from trees growing out of the side of my house. I have milked a cow and drunk the milk an hour later, and hated it.
I will never recover from moving away from the organic farm across the street. There’s nothing in the world like free range organic eggs that were laid that very day, or waking up to find a pail of greens on the front porch, enjoying this simple fare while watching the sheep graze.
I can relate to the authors learning to appreciate local fare after eating the same thing day in and day out. Our own vintage apple tree dropped a wheelbarrow of apples every day for nearly two months. And I can appreciate fighting off other creatures for my share. In our case, it was five different kinds of bees and wasps, worms, and raccoons. I miss my apples now.
It was nice to be reminded of the times when I was close to my food. One year, our pear tree produced one pear, but it was the biggest pear I have ever seen. I’m not kidding, it was bigger than my hand, and I don’t have small hands.
If only I had taken my mother’s cue and raised my boys on local food. I did try, and we eat some local foods, but I admit, I was seduced by the chance to try something new and different. I’ve always been the type to try new things, so why would food be any different? Not to mention convenience. Who wants to drive around the countryside looking for local food when you have everything you need at one store?
I do.
I don’t see me becoming a strict locavore anytime soon, but I promise to do more countryside shopping in the future. I had forgotten how important that is.
