Buy Fresh Buy Local

       Buy local is the New slogan   proclaimed  around the globe lately. Actually, we are simply going back to the way it was a few years ago; way back when times were more mellow.

    When I grew up in Northern Ontario, we had no large supermarkets with all the fresh produce year round. During the summers, every Saturdays we went to the local market where the farmers rented a stall to sell their vegetables, fruits, eggs, thick cream etc etc. At the same time you visited the local butcher and the fishmonger; usually all in the same area.

     The housewife bought what she needed for the week. There were no freezers where you could store your produce for winter, In those days,  the only option was to buy locally grown fresh products.  

   You were always sure that it was very fresh and grown locally. The consumers had to find ways to store these fine products so we could enjoy them during our long winters. This meant most housewives canned tomatoes, green beans, peas, corn etc. They also make preserves, pickles, ketchup, relishes, jams, jellies and conserves.

    It was a labor intense project that was part of life. There were some canned vegetables  you could buy at the  General Store but not everyone could afford these.  In the winter you never saw lettuce, celery,  green onions or any vegetables and fruits that came from the south,which meant a salad at mealtime was never part of the menu. For special occasion. you would serve a glass of tomato juice or maybe an aspic. And I seem to remember oranges appeared as by magic around Christmas time.; I often wonder about that.

    Most houses had a basement that was not heated so this was the ideal spot for a cold or root cellar where all those    jars were stored. Here, you kept some of your produce; potatoes, onions, turnips, beets and carrots, apples in separate bins.  It kept everything cool but not cold enough to freeze.  This was before the advent of the freezer; that lovely commodity that every home has these days.

     Finally after the second World War, the Supermarket made it?s way to our corner of the world. What a marvelous event that was. For the first time there was fresh produce year round; even some that didn?t grow in our area. It was like Christmas everyday. The home makers were discovering a brand new world of shopping and cooking.

   This actually transformed our lives. You could find all kinds of meat, fish, vegetables, fruits in these wonderful stores.

   A few years later, brought us the home freezer; where you could preserve products so much easier than the long process our mothers had to go through.  But guess what? Some us still make our own pickles and jams etc because we can and because it is tastier; very often it was our mother?s recipes. Take a look at your local Farmer?s market; they are back; and there is someone selling their precious homemade products.

   Now we are discovering that the old way was maybe a better way. Everything tastes better, fresher and is more nutritious if it has been grown and harvested in your area instead of being on the road for a week before you buy it.

      All this to say when it is possible buy from your local producers. I am not here to tell you to quit eating salads  in the winter.  We are in a new world from where I grew up, but sometimes it is a good to look around at our little corner of the globe and try to make it better.  I have been noticing our large supermarkets are getting on the bandwagon and selling locally grown foods. You might notice I haven?t touch Organic or Recycle, Green and Blue boxes yet maybe that will another of my little personal observations.

Think Global, Eat Local?.Everything Old is New Again.

Happy Cooking!

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