My appreciation for farm-to-table food began with a salt shaker and a tomato.
I can remember the day clearly – my grandfather putting on his old cowboy hat, picking up that Tupperware shaker, and taking my five-year-old hand. As we walked over the grassy yard towards the tilled acres that served as a shared field between my grandmother and her sister, we talked about planting, growing, cooking and how important it was to pick your produce at just the right time.
I can still feel the damp earth that squished between my shoeless toes and see the white shaker swinging from my grandfather’s hand as he led me carefully between rows overflowing with green growing things. When we came to the tomatoes, Pawpaw plucked a couple of fat heirlooms, dusted them off on the front of his shirt, and we sat there for almost an hour eating those salted treasures right off the vine – until my Grannie discovered what we were doing and ran us out of her garden. That evening, after a meal of fresh tomatoes, corn, and zipper cream peas, Grannie taught me how to preserve what had instantly become my favorite food.
Nearly forty years later people throughout the world are discovering the delights of farm-to-table. You can find farmers’ markets in nearly every city. Blogs, television, and websites dedicated to the production, cooking, and storage of fresh produce are everywhere. However, just as my Pawpaw taught me all those years ago, it is important to harvest your produce at the peak of flavor and that means knowing where to source your product and what is in season.
East Texas has relatively mild winters and hot, humid summers making it pretty easy to find a variety of seasonal foods year-round. In winter months beets, broccoli, brussels, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery (part of the southern “holy trinity”), and cilantro are abundant. During the hot months of summer, you will often find children and adults picking blackberries that grow along the back roads. Varieties of peas, corn, chives, cucumbers, garlic, figs, peppers and onions (the other two members of the trinity), and beans of all kinds overflow stalls and produce aisles. Spring brings the beginning harvest of things like potatoes, field peas, and peaches while autumn provides southern delicacies such as greens and pecans.
So how do you know what is available? As any old timer can tell you, a trip to your local grocer can get you a Farmer’s Almanac which has an abundance of information on what is in season. Some of these veterans live and grow by the information in those pages. For those of us who prefer a more modern approach, sites such as http://www.seasonalfoodguide.org/ and cooking groups like Go Texan (http://www.gotexan.org/Portals/1/PDF/produce%20availability%20brochure%202015-nocropmarks.pdf) provide helpful charts dedicated to educating others about the availability of seasonal crops.
The USDA also provides resources and information aimed at healthy eating and supporting local economy. Even your local chamber of commerce can be used as a good source. You can find contact information to local growers’ groups, farmers’ markets, and other food-based organizations on their Facebook pages, websites, or directory.
Don’t forget to use one of the most abundant resources around too – the locals! Most people will be happy to tell you where they get their produce and you can find many roadside stands selling things like watermelon, bushels of peas, fruits, etc. You can also visit local farms where you can pay to harvest various fruits and vegetables yourself. These not only provide a wonderful experience and a good deal of exercise, but you can easily procure enough product to eat fresh and still have plenty left over for preserving.
The farm-to-table world is an exciting family of growers, cooks, businesses, and individuals making sure that locally sourced, fresh, seasonal produce and foods are available for all to enjoy. Go out and explore your community and see what seasonal treasures you can find today!
