100-mile diet-memories

Just been watching an episode of food network canada show, 100-Mile Diet Challenge...which is based on the book for eating meals made of ingredients raised within 100 miles (ok, let's expand this beyond 100kms. :o for more choices???).

http://100mile.foodtv.ca/webisode/slow-food-cycle

I suddenly realized that my mother DID prepare many meals often 100 mile based diet, when I was a child.

After all, Asian ingredients and tropical fruits (mango, papaya, pineapple, longans/dragon eyes, rambutans, etc. ) were far more rare in any grocery store in small Ontario city in 1960's, outside of Toronto. Ok, we had soy sauce, which lasted ages, because she MADE this rare bottle at that time, last long.. 2 tablespoons to flavour 1 dish for 8 people.

Other than that ..rice and oranges, we had alot of meals, some strange concoctions that my mother just wasn't familiar with certain ingredients locally. Now I do have proof, you can have children eat locally and decently..they just have to tolerate some strange experiments. :p:rolleyes:

I do remember being bored..with potatoes, the local starch which she served only 2-3 times per month...until she invented a tastier way which involved a marinade of ketchup, soy sauce, green onions, (ok, there still is a ketchup-making plant in tomato-growing country ...a little over 150 miles away from childhood city) thrown with sliced local pork and all roasted.

I remember when oranges and other citrus fruit were seasonal items, that's why getting them in your Xmas stocking (out of season for the US) was so exciting.

We had a garden and cooked and canned out of that, so I was used to the idea that some things you only got for a brief, particular period during the year.

Mangoes? That's what people called green peppers when I was a kid. Real mangoes didn't show up in groceries in my area until the 90s. And they're not the good mangoes I used to get in Puerto Rico, they're these tough fibrous things with giant pits. Green as grass and hard as rocks, it takes a couple of weeks for them to get ripe enough to eat.

The oranges we get now last longer than the ones we got when I was a kid, but they don't have near the flavor. The rinds are so thick, they don't even remotely resemble really good oranges. Well like modern tomatoes, they're bred for shipping and holding in storage more than anything else.

I should add, though my mother had alot of 100 mile diet dishes, many of the dishes were Asian in taste.

Seriously, it is often the technique-- how you execute and combine certain ingredients. ie. I think alot Europeans are not familiar with steamed meat dishes or steamed savoury egg dishes which like a steamed savoury custard with meat and onion inside. That clearly is Asian in technique, and not something you can even order today in alot of Asians restaurants in North America.

I do remember oranges alot in childhood. Perhaps it was the indulgence my parents allowed/spent money on. I don't remember it being too rare at home. I think they had to get used to apples...apples are not common in southern China, where they came from. But we usually bought a bushel each time.

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Originally Posted by ZenSojourner

I remember when oranges and other citrus fruit were seasonal items, that's why getting them in your Xmas stocking (out of season for the US) was so exciting.

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actually Christmas IS the beginning of citrus season in the US - that's how the tradition began. Early varieties ripen starting in early to mid December.

My mom immigrated when she was in her early teens, so a lot of what we had was make-do ingredients. Dry sherry for shaoxing wine, etc. We made tofu for years and years, but I never knew anyone make soy sauce, wow. (Is that more hassle than making papad? :p)

I think most of us on this board do remember when produce was seasonal... of course we have a few youngsters. ;) I try. Bananas have been one of my indulgences, but now that I'm reading about them in Dan Koeppel's book I don't think I'll be able to eat them any more. :( I knew conventional bananas were super toxic, and I try to only buy fair trade ones, but I didn't realize that the only way bananas are grown organically is by clearing more and more land that hasn't been infected with the various diseases. :(:(:(

Clarification: My mother made do with 1 bottle of soy sauce. It lasted for many months for a big family. She didn't make sauce.

Am impressed Oak, that your mom made tofu. Well, at least ours was still local..made 120 kms. away in Toronto's Chinatown. :) The stuff was shipped out to the smaller cities/towns to Chinese restaurants. My father got our share via wholesale prices where he worked. A good friend of mine, her family had a little home business of tofu-making in their basement in Calgary back in those decades. Plus a fortune-cookie making biz also. (A national film doc. was made by her brother.)

Have no idea what cooking wine my mother used instead of shaoxing wine.. she didn't use it much in any dish..but I did notice it in her steamed pork liver with ginger..

Yea, no kiddin'-- probably another Chinese peasant home dish. I dunno. Other Asian cuisine-raised folks probably have other memories on local food inventions/fusion. My parents wanted to try to grow some Chinese green veggies, ie. bok choy but they just weren't too green thumb oriented at all. But we did grow water spinach since it managed to survive with green onions and kohl rabi.

Noawadays if you lived in the right part of British Columbia, you could get local fresh ginger root and gingseng root. (area where kelownagirl lives).

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

actually Christmas IS the beginning of citrus season in the US - that's how the tradition began. Early varieties ripen starting in early to mid December.

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You're right, I mispoke. I've been struggling for several months now explaining to my father why he can't have Clementines. They're out of season. The season is November through February. He sees other oranges, tangelos, and tangerines in the grocery and doesn't remember why he can't have the Clementines too.

I am blessed to live within 5 miles of several small and medium sized farms. From May-October, I ride my bike to whichever ones I want to visit and buy my fruits and veggies. However, I do admit that I now enjoy eating blueberries and strawberries all year round. I don't buy tropical fruits too often (agree that most mangoes are hard and awful compared to the ones I picked off the tree in Miami), but there are some things I buy, because well, they are part of my diet and they are healthy. I don't mind paying a bit of a higher price in the winter, because I always think that I am buying healthy food instead of junk. Please don't yell, guys, but I am not sure I can break my fruit habit!

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Originally Posted by Crankin

I am blessed to live within 5 miles of several small and medium sized farms. From May-October, I ride my bike to whichever ones I want to visit and buy my fruits and veggies. However, I do admit that I now enjoy eating blueberries and strawberries all year round. I don't buy tropical fruits too often (agree that most mangoes are hard and awful compared to the ones I picked off the tree in Miami), but there are some things I buy, because well, they are part of my diet and they are healthy. I don't mind paying a bit of a higher price in the winter, because I always think that I am buying healthy food instead of junk. Please don't yell, guys, but I am not sure I can break my fruit habit!

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Similar situation here--half the year it's no problem to get local fruits/veggies here in MA and I try to do so as much as possible, but the rest of the time I do buy non-local produce along with eating things frozen/canned from the summer and fall (my roommate and I have a garden, pear trees in the yard and sometimes go blueberry and strawberry picking). For those of us living in northern areas, it's hard to avoid (and there are some things that just don't grow here that I happen to enjoy once in a while, like pineapple, kiwi etc.). I think the key is to have a happy medium--buy local when possible but don't feel too bad about buying some non-local produce in the off season or as a treat. Of course, if you live in some parts of the country, it's less of an issue because there's always something in season.

Crankin, I was just reminiscing about past 100-mile diets from long ago. Like you, I need my mix of local and tropical fruits.

Nowadays there's such a big deal about eating local. But it was not too long ago that some of us did eat this way most of the time. Just several decades ago.

My mother and I used to get up at the crack of dawn on Labor day weekend, and go to the farmer's market for a bushel of local tomatoes, which we would can over the weekend. I remember by the end of the 3 days hating all things tomato. The smell that permeated everything. The seeds that stuck to everything. I'd lose my enthusiasm for canning about half way through. There would be a lot of laughing, and inevitably be an argument, usually stemming from my lost enthusiasm for the project, which was often my idea!

It was always worth the effort! We'd have tomato sauce all winter. She used it in lots of recipes-- pasta, pizza, stuffed cabbage and peppers, in soups. We never got tired of the finished product. There's nothing more beautiful than a Ball jar of tomatoes.

I don't dare attempt to do it myself. She was the key to getting it done. I miss her and her cooking. She also gardened, so there were lots of good things to eat. She could make a half sour pickle, too!

We used to spend our summers going to all the local farms and picking whatever was in season--strawberries, cherries, peaches, blueberries, apples--and then my parents would spend the next week furiously canning, freezing, or making applesauce and preserves/jellies from all that we had collected, then these fruits kept us in fruit all winter long. My father's garden also took up about half of the backyard in our suburban development, and he'd can or freeze the produce from there too.

I wish I could continue this practice as an adult, but I think the only thing that made it possible for them was that my father was a teacher and my mother a SAHM and they had the free labor of six kids to harvest the fruits and vegetables. Now with two parents with two FT jobs, the best I've managed to do is freeze some of the produce from my own tiny garden.

Sarah

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Originally Posted by sfa

We used to spend our summers going to all the local farms and picking whatever was in season--strawberries, cherries, peaches, blueberries, apples--and then my parents would spend the next week furiously canning, freezing, or making applesauce and preserves/jellies from all that we had collected, then these fruits kept us in fruit all winter long. My father's garden also took up about half of the backyard in our suburban development, and he'd can or freeze the produce from there too.

I wish I could continue this practice as an adult, but I think the only thing that made it possible for them was that my father was a teacher and my mother a SAHM and they had the free labor of six kids to harvest the fruits and vegetables. Now with two parents with two FT jobs, the best I've managed to do is freeze some of the produce from my own tiny garden.

Sarah

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This is why I don't bike much, anymore. :( My husband and I both work FT and we have no kids for 'cheap labor'! :p

We do can, dry and freeze as much of our own produce as possible in the summer and fall to last the winter and spring. We also start many things in early January (indoors) to extend our season. We actually have some green tomatoes in our greenhouse, already! Today, I have home canned pears from last fall to eat with my lunch.

I agree that eating local and in season is hugely important. In the past, people did it because it was possible and it was cheaper. Now, thanks to agribusiness, it's often more expensive to eat local! That's just plain wrong, but there just aren't enough small farms left these days (though, they are increasing in numbers again).

We too try to buy local for all things we don't produce ourselves. Off season, we do get the occasional tropical fruit, and I do buy oranges every once in awhile. Honestly, it's tough to make the choice between organic and local. Ultimately, I'd like both, but when that's not available I tend to choose local over organic (or I opt out altogether). It's not easy when we've spent our adult lives having whatever we wanted when ever we wanted it. Some things are so much better in season that buying them out of season is just stupid (like blackberries), but when the only way I'll ever have a banana or an orange is to get one that has travelled long distances, it's hard to justify always abstaining, you know?

I buy local as much as possible. I have excellent farmer's markets and have used them for years. I got baby kale this weekend -- I've never tried it before.

I have not one single friend who understands my focus on local food. I started going to the farmer's market because I was surprised and delighted that I have better access to local food in NYC than anywhere else I've lived.

Maybe I need some new friends.

Pam

We should organize a TE bike trip and tour..GLC'S little garden farm, smilingcat's edible garden jungle, Bleeckergirl's artisan breadmaking bar, :D etc.

I didn't think of doing alot more grocery produce shopping at local markets until I met my partner. Initially I was abit puzzled by his determination to check out local market each weekend and wherever we vacationed. He was a part-time farmer on weekends for a decade before I met him. Mostly animals and hay-growing, with small garden of beets and a couple of veggies.

And gradually over the years, I've just unintentionally reduced shopping at big grocery chains. Probably right now, we only buy 25% or less of our groceries from large store chains. Rest is from a potpurri of places at the market, independent stores or whatever we see when we bike along. None of this is really consciously planned. Just a long, slow evolution of change over the last 15 years.

Ive just found a organic local veggie shop in riding distance!!!
Its hard to do sometimes.luckily, our markets stock only Oz produce or has stickers of it isnt. Hard to get local as much is grown in Queensland( the fruit).

None of my close friends pay any attention to the eating local stuff, although they do frequent farm stores sometimes.
I have thought about canning, but I don't know if I'm up to the work. My husband is more knowledgeable about this kind of stuff. It will be strawberry season here very shortly and the season is pretty short. There are plenty of pick it yourself places around. But, I have a vivid memory of blueberry picking with my younger son when he was in 8th grade... we decided we wouldn't be very good farm workers, as we both came out of there with tons of scratches from the bushes, as our technique wasn't very good!
I love going to the farms on my Jamis. I have gotten to know the farm owners pretty well; they always ask me about my bike, how much I ride, etc. One time I decided to stop when I was on my road bike, but I had my backpack. They actually came out and inspected my bike!

There's a farm and farmstand about two miles from my house. They grow and sell their own produce, and it's on the way to the post office. This is my first spring in this house, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they have. They opened on May 1st but I haven't been there yet.

I grow all my own salad greens in my backyard. Next winter I plan to have a greenhouse and perhaps I will be able to grow salad fixings for most of the winter. Other winter veggies I've grown are collards and kale. I detest cabbage so I see no point in growing it! Leeks are also a good winter veggie that I plan on growing next winter. I won't have enough produce to can from my own garden; I eat it all fresh. This year I plan on growing winter squash and stocking up on that for the winter. We'll see how that goes.

Otherwise, I shop at Kroger and do the best I can.