Food Sleuth: Eating Locally Helps Us Stay Connected to Earth

By Melinda Hemmelgarn

Columbia Daily Tribune

September 19, 2007

Available online at: http://www.columbiatribune.com/2007/Sep/20070919Food004.asp

My sautéed sweet potatoes received a mixed reception at our dinner table last week. "They taste great," my son said, "but they make me feel a little sad."

I knew exactly what he meant. We recently spent a long, hot afternoon canoeing on the Gasconade River, frolicking in the riffles and skipping stones. As I reluctantly suspected, I had taken my last outdoor swim of the season in the newly chilly rushing water. Days later, autumn announced its official arrival with rain bringing in the inevitable cool front.

Although I was happy to throw open my windows to fresh evening breezes and walk briskly in crisp morning air, our first taste of "bittersweet" potatoes marked summer’s end. They’re the gustatory signal for the shorter, colder days ahead. Alas, our favorite sultry swimsuit days have passed. It’s time to bring on simmering soups and stews, stoke the fire and snuggle under the weight of an extra blanket.

Our global food system allows us to eat just about anything we want, any time of year. But seasonal eating is "environmental eating," asserted David Bruce, an organic farmer and sustainable agriculture advocate from southwestern Wisconsin. "It’s Zen eating, requiring mindfulness," he said. When we eat locally produced foods in accordance with the seasons, foods take on the nature of their time on Earth, and we develop a sense of place and greater appreciation of home.

Bruce’s words of wisdom appeared in my favorite collection of garden-fresh recipes: "From Asparagus to Zucchini: A Guide to Cooking Farm Fresh Seasonal Produce" (Jones Books, 2004). Published by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition - MACSAC - this cookbook reaches beyond basic food preparation instructions. It’s more like a life-changing guide to eating ecologically.

For example, the book starts out by helping us think outside the "big-box" when it comes to grocery shopping. Never mind the 10,000-plus "new" food items introduced in supermarkets each year. Most are highly processed, heavily packaged convenience foods manufactured from corn and soy and laden with sugar, salt and fat.

Instead, the MACSAC authors recommended tasting the hundreds of varieties of vegetables, herbs and even edible flowers available at farmers markets, regional farms and community gardens that will never bask under the fluorescent glow of a supermarket’s produce aisle. The 420 personalized recipes, cooking, storage and preservation tips help us to easily and deliciously eat "well."

The idea of a "food book" belongs to Sara Tedeschi. She’s the outreach and education manager at Organic Valley Family of Farms and a mom concerned about the quality of children’s diets and their environment. Tedeschi spent an entire winter researching and writing the informative text that accompanies each vegetable section. For instance, I learned that the sweet potato is neither a potato nor a yam. It’s a rooted tuber and member of the morning glory family. It was also one of the few cultivated vegetable crops that originated in the Americas and was enjoyed by American Indian tribes. No wonder sweet potatoes grace our traditional Thanksgiving tables.

But don’t wait till November to bite into these tasty gems. I’m happy to report that freshly harvested sweet potatoes are available at farmers markets right now. "From Asparagus to Zucchini" offers 11 mouth-watering recipes for sweet potatoes alone - each promising a delicious opportunity to savor the true taste of autumn.

At the end of the book, you’ll find a 12-page collection of national resources for everything from seed catalogues to guides on composting - perfect winter reading for those of us looking ahead to spring.

Whether you’re hunting for a new recipe or need some help preparing a healthier seasonal diet, look no further. Learn more about the book and order from the MACSAC Web site at www.macsac.org/atoz.html or by phone at (608) 226-0300.