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As I've been putting together menus for our household for the week, my mind has been wandering back through history and thinking about how many of our eating habits have changed. Look in your fridge and freezer. What do you see? How many foods were grown in a distant location from your home? How many foods do you eat each day that simply can't be harvested in the week you consume them?
I have a ripe avocado sitting on my kitchen counter right now. Two weekends ago we enjoyed wild blueberries harvested on the opposite coast of our country. And tonight I made a Mexican bean soup that contained corn. All of these foods had to travel from some far away location to my kitchen
Around the Centennial of our country, meal planning was vastly different from today. There were no 24-hour supermarkets or pinterest boards for inspiration and recipe links. In summer, you likely walked out to the garden to see what could be used in the coming few days. On the Fourth of July in 1876, a celebration may have included a picnic in the town square or on the grass in front of the church. Depending where in the US you lived, you might have brought cold chicken, new potatoes in their jackets, and pie made with ingredients from your own garden. The community may have put together something for entertainment, a recitation of the Declaration of Independence, and a barrel of lemonade. Alternatively, if you lived in a city, there may have been a parade along with patriotic readings and recitations. If you were celebrating in your home, your meal may have included garden-fresh green peas, lettuce leaves, and if you lived where the soil warms quickly in spring, your corn may have been ready to harvest for eating green.
Even at the highest government levels of the time, seasonal eating held true. I recently came across the menu from the White House in 1887 for the Fourth of July. Under President Hayes, the White House residents and their honored guests dined perhaps more luxuriantly than common citizens, but the local and seasonal emphasis remained. Here's what was served for the main meal at the White House that year for the Fourth:
The produce on the menu, the new potatoes, the green peas, the cucumbers, and the strawberries, would have all been ready to harvest by the Fourth of July in that year. [The White House Cookbook .ⓒ 1887 on Internet Archive]
When I survey my own vegetable and fruit garden in early July, I feel a deep connection to the farmers and gardeners of years' past. I, too, head out to the garden to see what can be used in our meals. And when I decided on my Fourth of July menu plan, what was ready in my garden significantly influenced the final plan.
When we plan our meals around what is seasonal, not only do we save money, but we also practice a timeless form of stewardship, with an emphasis on sustainability, health, and responsible resource management. Eating locally and seasonally reduces transportation emissions, minimizes preservative use (with fewer wax coatings or artificial ripening agents), and delivers a higher nutritional value and flavor. It's a win, win, win all around.
Wishing you all a lovely Fourth of July. Enjoy the good food and good company!
Lili, I totally agree with your sentiment on eating locally and seasonally. If you have not read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver I highly recommend it. She and her family spent a year eating locally and in season and it’s a wonderful insight into how our food is produced, the effect on the environment of mass transportation of food, and coming together as a family to enjoy the pleasure of growing, cooking, and eating. Plus recipes! Have a Happy Fourth. Annie
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting menu for the 4th of July from long ago. But as you point out, many local and seasonal food items, out of necessity!
ReplyDeleteI have frequently told my children how different food availability is now, compared to a few decades ago. I remember when a good college friend traveled to see family in Hawaii in 1977. She RAVED about fresh pineapple, as that was unheard of (at least here in NC). I ate my first mango while visiting family in El Paso TX, again in the late 70s. They had gotten the mangos from across the border in Mexico. And again, while doing an internship, a suite mate from NJ gave me a baked good. I bit into it, expecting it to be sweet. It was my first bagel!! So I had my culinary tastes expanded back in the late 70s! Now, ALL of these items are common place, though not all locally produced, except for bagels.
When I pick food from our garden, I just smile. It takes me back to summers spent on my grandparents’ farm and picking and “ putting up” produce from their garden. Sweet memories. :)
If we were using local resourses for our menu it would include strawberries from a stand down the road, radishes (altough I am fighting blot) beet greens and new potatoes. Unfortunately my peas are done and green beans have not produced yet. How different it is.
ReplyDeleteIf we can keep our grill working, I will try to grill chicken leg quarters. Maybe some roasted potatoes and not sure what else. We'll just see what sounds good. Perhaps I'll skip the potatoes and pull out 2 kinds of lasagna I have in the freezer (vegetable and regular) to go with chicken. I know that sounds like a terrible combination but it's what I have.
ReplyDeleteIf you follow The Prudent Homemaker blog, you'll be amazed with what she is able to grow in the dry Las Vegas desert. I have been able to grow artichokes, which surprised me. That plant keeps coming back every year. We are able to harvest about 8 from the one plant - although I like to let a couple bloom. They are a beautiful neon purple flower that dries quite well.
ReplyDeleteFor our 4th celebration, we get KFC (with coupons). My husband has fond memories with his grandmother always treating him to KFC, so we think of her as we do this once a year.
The Prudent Homemaker is amazing in what she can grow in the dessert on a normal sized lot.
DeleteWhat Brandy (the Prudent Homemaker) grows in the desert in Las Vegas is absolutely remarkable.
DeleteOne of the best memories I have from childhood is the company picnics we had with my father's work. We'd go to a community park in the country and the local ladies would cook lunch using foods from their farms. So delicious!
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