Four Months In
I started my 250-Mile year four months ago. Summer and autumn in a city with over forty greenmarkets and as many CSAs make easy pickings for a locavore. But now we’ve had our first snow, the little local farmers market up the street has shut down till next year, the weekly CSA pick ups are done for the season, I used up the last of my rice, and, well, the next four months will be interesting.
I’m not worried that I’ll starve: I’ll can buy apples, root vegetables, cabbage and winter squash now through March. Local meat, eggs and dairy are available here year-round. No, the question is have I “put up” enough food to ensure variety, complete nutrition, and deliciousness until the first greens of spring? I think so, but I don’t know. My dehydrator and my pressure canner got used more this year than ever before, that’s for sure.
In this photo, the round white thing behind the sofa is my dehydrator, which I’ve named “R2”. In front of R2 is GT. GT is not on the 250-Mile Diet unless you count the mouse she proudly caught last week.
For now, there are still a few fresh ingredients coming in from the garden: parsley, kale, chervil and chives are cold-hardy enough to bounce back from a light snowfall, and I’m waiting for a slightly warmer day to thaw the soil so that I can dig up my Jerusalem artichokes.
On a different note, The Locavore’s Guide to NYC and Leda’s Urban Homestead were the topics of yesterday’s post at The 100 Mile Diet. And on Thursday, Dec. 6th I’ll be on French and German TV in a spot about the local food movement in the U.S.. If you live in either of those countries, you can get a glimpse of me foraging in Prospect Park, helping out at my CSA’s distribution, and serving up a 100% local chicken mushroom gumbo to friends in my garden. The program is called TRACKS and the channel is arte. It will be on at 11pm French/German time. (If you get to watch, let me know how it is. I won’t actually get to see it until they send me a DVD sometime after it airs on Thursday).
Stay warm,
Leda
Not sure what this is about? Read Getting Ready for the 250-Mile Diet and The Rules
Hi Leda, I saw the spot about your Locavore-group on tv. Arte is Europe’s most important culture channel and they are showing only very scientific, academic and ‘correct’ shows and reports … but not in ‘Tracks’!
‘Tracks’ is wild and freaky and they show the B-side of the world and cultures. And so your Locavore-Scene was embedded in reports about female Punksingers and a German techno-band called ‘Modeselktor’ - here is the Link:
But, like everywhere in the world: The good things are always unnoticed and that’s the reason why not so many people watch this show. But I do, and it was great to see people like you, that bring a new idea to Brooklyn and Manhatten and do something healty and prescious. So, when I will visit New York next year, with my girlfriend and our daughter, we will visit the markets and restaurants that supports the idea!
Now, I don’t want to steal too much time and comment-space, but I could say that Arte made a kind and friendly report about you and I hope you will have a good wintertime on the other side of the Atlantic!
There is another (german) article about Locavore with some links at the end:
http://www.utopia.de/wissen/menschen/locavore-new-york
Wish you the best - Karsten…
Karsten,
Thank you so much for posting and letting me know how the TV spot turned out! When you are in NYC, email me and maybe I can suggest some especially great local foods markets and restaurants.
Thanks again,
Leda
Hey Leda -
I’m just loving the 250-mile plan…and am attempting it here in ATL. You’ve inspired me to start dehydrating and canning again! I’ll be a regular reader of this blog. Hope all is well.
Lisa Torch