Eating Locally and Seasonally

Growing up, things were pretty predictable in our house around the holidays. There were certain things you expected each year at each holiday, and that's just the way it was. 4th of July meant cantaloupes, Labor Day meant a BBQ with sweet corn and watermelons, Thanksgiving meant turkey and cranberry sauce, Christmas meant ham, root vegetables and homemade candy topped with black walnuts. And that's the way it was. Each year, that's what we expected. I didn't understand why at the time, but now that I'm eating more locally and seasonally, it's all starting to make sense.

It never occurred to me til recently that our modern day traditions are based on the necessity of eating locally and seasonally. Our Pilgrim ancestors ate turkey, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie because those were some of the few foods available in November in Colonial America. It wasn't a quaint, old-fashioned tradition....it was eating what you grew and what would keep in a root cellar during the long dark days of winter. Somehow, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce is less romantic when you consider that, very likely, those were the only fresh vegetables available for months on end.

So think about that when you sit down to feast next week. Consider how thankful the Pilgrims were for their stores of winter vegetables and the availability of wild game. Think about how their need to eat seasonally and locally developed into an national holiday. How different things would be if there had been a 24/7 Walmart in Plymouth LOL.