One issue of trying to adopt a more seasonal approach to the food you eat is sourcing the raw materials. This is certainly step one and once you make it It is all down hill. A movement towards "slow food" rather than the existing industrial processed food you find in your local mega-mart is a bit of a commitment but if you are reading this then you are hopefully thinking of making a start down that path.
So this post is about Vegetables, and although some might describe veggies as the stuff that food eats!, you are spoiled for choice living in the bay area as compared to other parts of the US. There are an astonishing number of tasty veggies which grow local but never even make it to your supermarkets and as you dig into where and what you are eating you will be surprised just what you have been missing.
So on to Veggies and how to find them in season and from local producers. There are three main ways of accomplishing this depending on how much time and control you want to exert. For myself I have reached a point in my journey where I use all three but just choosing one of the following methods will get you started on your slow feed adventure.
The Veggie Box.
This option is the one requiring the least commitment but there is some up front work to set it up. Basically having someone pack up a bunch of local in-season veggies into a box or bag and dropping them on your doorstep, or to a local drop point for you to pick up. No fuss, no mess, no queuing. These schemes are called CSA's or more formally community supported agriculture. There are a number of such schemes out there and they typically require an upfront fee in order to secure the goods. These schemes vary from single farms to cooperatives working with many local producers. Many offer dairy and meat products along with the veggie boxes. The good news is that in the bay there are quite a few CSA's available for you to choose from, the trick is finding them. Well the best way I have found is to use the excellent resources of Local Harvest (http://www.localharvest.org/). The Local Harvest website provides a simple web form where you can click to find CSA's operating in your area and get a decent overview of the kind of service they. Note that some schemes do not allow for cancellation for vacation periods, and they often don't operate year round.
My particular Food Hero in this category is Eat with the Seasons a CSA/Coopertive working in the Bay Area. I have been using this particular service for the last three years and can recommend them. They have nice features which are not found in all CSA schemes. Each week they send you by email a list of seasonal produce from which you can select what you would like. They also include local dairy products and also meat through the excellent Pacines Ranch. The other nice feature they have is that you can cancel or donate your order (should you be out of town) and finally they provide weekly recipes for the produce they are providing.
Which ever one you choose now is a good time to sign up for a CSA as they are starting out assembling their customer base for 2010
The Farmers Market
This is a step up in commitment from a CSA in that you actually have to get in your favorite means of transport and travel (on a weekly basis), then browse and shop for what you want or more accurately what is available. You have a lot more control but you have to make time to go and choose. There are a number of farmers markets in the Cupertino area and they are all fairly similar, in fact many of the same vendors go to all the local venues. To find one near you and the times of operations the previously mentioned Local Harvest comes to the rescue again, although it is best to check the local city website to double check the information as times and locations do change. A few things to consider when going to a farmers market, well it is pointless making a list! Part of the fun is discovery. Take a bag to put your produce in, and take cash rather than plastic to pay. Finally if you see something you don't recognize, ask the producer who will be only too happy to tell you what it is, give you a taste and even whip out a family recipe for you to take with you. The other fun thing about farmers markets are the samplers, I swear you eat your 5 a day there.
My favorite in the Cupertino area (is sadly not the one in Cupertino sorry guys!) is the one in Campbell. I like it because it is on the weekend and positioned right in the middle of town with good free parking. Being in town means the local shops and restaurants are also open should you need additional refreshment or retail therapy.
Grow Your Own
Obviously this is quite a commitment and realistically unless you live on a farm or have access to a significant amount of land (unlikely if you live in Cupertino) then this option is only going to enhance rather than sustain your veggie stocks though-out the year. Having said that, growing your own is excellent for those special hard to get fruits and vegetables or where having them available to hand it not only convenient but just the best way to eat them. Freshly cut/picked fruits and vegetables maintain the maximum amount of taste and nutrition value. You don't need a lot of space to set up a modest vegetable garden and for those of you in apartments it is feasible to grow quite a lot in containers and pots, both indoors and outdoors, and/or on balconies and windowsills (also as my daughters will attest under fluorescent lamps in a darkened student studio). I planted my garden in a side yard and was surprise how much produce I could grow on such a small piece of land. The great thing about having a garden is how much control you have on what you grow and the varieties, not to mention the cost effectiveness.
I will cover in future posts the setting up a vegetable garden and what to grow as this is a massive subject. But there are a number of great resources you can utilize if you are interested in setting up a garden. First thing would be to check out your local community colleges to if there a courses available. I found that the Master Gardeners of Santa Clara did a number of really good courses which can introduce you to all aspects of sustainable gardening in California. The Bay Area in particular is one of 5 areas in the world where it is possible to grow all year around. Secondly if you don't have land of your own then check to see if your city supports a community gardening program. They are to come by but many cities to have such program.
I hope what is written above is useful and will help you make choices that are right for you at this time. The most important thing is as you journey on your own personal adventure is to talk about it with your friends and help them understand the values and commitments to such a lifestyle.
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