Grow Your Own


The best terroir of all is our own garden. A fresh-picked tomato will convert even the most dedicated supermarket shopper every time. A state agricultural extension agent or local master gardener will know what grows best in area gardens. Consider growing heirloom


varieties of fruits and vegetables for greater flavor and color. A good resource is Seed Savers Exchange (SeedSavers.org), a northern Iowa farm that acts as a collective for members who use and save thousands of variet- ies of seeds. Its yearbook lists member gardeners and their comments on their success with various types of plants.


extension associate at Cornell University, and his colleagues in up- state New York found that regional agriculture contributes to the local economy, provides fresh food and a secure food supply, and plays a role in preserving our rural heritage. In Goût de Terroir: Explor- ing the Boundaries of Specialty Agricultural Landscapes, he con- cludes that “Agricul- tural landscapes, and the regional cuisine and foodways [culinary practices] to which they contribute, offer powerful expressions of place.” As Greenstein


sums it up, “Regional food is better, however you look at it.”


Judith Fertig is a


freelance food writer in Overland Park, KS; for


38 Collier/Lee Counties swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com


“Were it not for Lake Mich- igan, you couldn’t grow fruit this far north on a commercial scale. The weather fronts come in from the west over the deep lake. The lake becomes a climate modifier, giving the fruit its character.”


~ Justin Rashid, of American Spoon Foods, a grower of sour cherries, apricots and peaches in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula


more information visit AlfrescoFoodAndLife style.blogspot.com.


Primary sources: Tony Schwager at AnthonysBeehive. com; Lenore Green- stein at LenoreSue@ Comcast.net; Rachelle H. Saltzman at Riki. Saltzman@Iowa.gov; Duncan Hilchey at Duncan@NewLeaf- Net.com; Justin Rashid at SpoonFoods.com; Amy Trubek at Amy. Trubek@uvm.edu; and Jeni Britton Bauer at JenisIceCreams.com


Also, Culinaria: The United States, A Culi- nary Discovery, edited by Randi Danforth, Peter Feierabend and Gary Chassman; and Early American Gardens: For Meate or Medicine by Ann Leighton


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