Eating locally and seasonally is a hot topic these days, and while I like it in theory and the intentions behind it, it's much hard to practice than it seems on the surface. I mean, Illinois has a relatively limited growing season, and there are just some things that will never grow here, even in our sweltering summers. Bananas, pineapples, pretty much any citrus...if I strictly ate locally, these would be off limits. Then there's the tricky issue of seasonality. I try to store, freeze, and preserve as much fruit as we can hold, but there's some times when nothing will do except for some fresh blueberries, or a real strawberry.
But I do try to make the most of seasonal foods while they're here. I'm just on the start of my canning journey. I've been canning a couple of years, and while no one's gotten botulism yet, I still am not super comfortable with my canning skills. Following a recipe, possibly making small alterations to the flavoring? Cool. Making my own up out of the blue? No way, Jose. Enter
Preserving by the Pint, by Marisa McClellan, a great cookbook that my family gave me for Christmas.
