Localvore.
I try really hard to only buy what’s in season. I try really hard to only buy local. But I can only eat so much kale, squash and beets all winter…
I buy the occasional zucchini and cucumber from California…bananas from Mexico…I’m only human.
But to my complete shock and surprise, I walked into the co-op yesterday and saw these
in front of my eyes, with a sign stating:
“Local & Organic”
WHAT?!
Local tomatoes in the middle of March?! Omfg. Thank my lucky stars.
I so needed this. I’ve been craving a good tomato gazpacho but found no worthy tomatoes. As much as I would love to eat these like an apple with some maldon salt & pepper…I’m going to hold out.
My gazpacho is really simple. It’s something my nana used to make in the summertime when I was a kid. Always at the peak of summer when there was an abundance of ripe tomatoes. All I do is grate tomatoes on the large hole of a grater until I have 1 cup, usually 3 or 4 medium tomatoes. You’ll be left with the tomato skin in your hand. I usually toss it in the garbage…anybody have an idea of how to use them? Then I grate a clove of garlic (or two) on a smaller hole and mix it well. You could blend with an emulsion blender if you wish. Salt & pepper and drizzle some good olive oil on top. That’s it. Easy! This is a dish that you must salt properly, otherwise the flavors will not pop like they should. Taste, season and taste again.
My nana always served this with Italian bread for dipping. As good as it is like that, I think I’ll opt for some cucumber spaghetti and mango. Yes, a bit odd with the mango but I thought it would be a nice counterpart to the garlic and cucumber.
I swear I can smell the fresh veggies just by looking at this picture. This picture was sometime in August last year. Tomatoes on the left, sweet corn on the right, basil up front. I tried a lot of things last year to see what would do best in my soil. I’m going to do a lot of beets, carrots and potatoes this year.
I cannot WAIT to start planting! I changed my mind a few times about what permanent crops I’m going to plant and I’m still undecided about what kind of trees, apricot or cherry…but it’s coming together slowly. The only thing I’m a little aggravated at myself for is why did I not put winter veg in my greenhouse?!!! I could have had a bunch of goodies in there. I guess I was just too busy in the fall to think about it. I’m going to stick a big post-it on my head next winter to make sure I do that. Would have loved to have some kale and winter lettuces in there!
Eat More Plants. 
5 Responses to “Localvore.”
Love your garden. I hope to “rent” a plot at one of 2 community gardens in my area in a coming summer. Can you recommend easy veggies to start with? My climate would be slightly warmer than Vermont, but not too much different (Ohio). I was thinking of tomatoes and squashes first…
Hi Julie! Glad to hear you’ve taken an interest in growing your own food. 🙂
There’s no greater feeling than eating something fresh that you worked hard for! It’s rewarding.
So, cucumbers and zucchini are an easy veggie to grow and they are BIG producers. Cucumbers need something to grab onto so their vines can spread out. I usually put 5 foot wooden stakes in the ground and make a ladder with garden twine between the stakes. Zucchini on the other hand doesn’t need anything. You need about a 3 square foot space for 2 plants to produce well.
Herbs like basil and parsley do really well by themselves also!
Root veggies like beets and carrots need rich soil that’s not compacted, light and fluffy, and they’ll do well on their own. The beet greens are delish too!
Let me know if you have other questions. Happy gardening!
Love gazpacho!
Heya! I understand this is somewhat off-topic however I
had to ask. Does running a well-established website such as yours
take a massive amount work? I’m completely new to running a blog but I do write in my diary every day. I’d like to start a blog
so I can share my experience and feelings online.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for new
aspiring blog owners. Appreciate it!
It’s very dependent on the post, honestly. Sometimes I just jot down a quick recipe and a picture but some are more intricate. I really enjoy it though and I think that makes a difference. If I was doing it as a profession and had to fill a certain number of posts each week it might seem overwhelming. As a hobby it’s wonderful and a great way to keep track of my recipes! It helps me to be organized and I enjoy sharing recipes with people when I find something that’s amazing. . I say go for it and see how you like it. No harm in trying.