devin! this was so great to read… and definitely has enraged me and motivated me this morning, too! i think the only time i’ve ever come across an actual seasonal big supermarket was in winnipeg, and that was only because the weather was too bad in winter to deliver any produce from outside manitoba ahah. but the visual of a near empty, local only supermarket always stuck with me from that.
The conditions were so extreme that the machine was stopped! That’s wild. In az since the most extreme weather issue (most of the time) is heat, I think there’s this idea that we can just pump more AC to cool our produce (in trucks, in store) to keep the system going no matter the conditions 😵💫
Your woes are my woes! While I’m grateful that farmer’s markets and mobile produce markets exist, I wish it were the standard for actual seasonal, local produce to be offered in all or most supermarkets. After moving down here and settling in after a couple years, I started my first ever CSA subscription and learned quickly what locally in season meant for my region. Plus I’ve gotten to learn to cook some produce I hadn’t been well acquainted with previously (I’d always had an aversion to beets, but they’re good roasted!).
Our woes are shared! Thanks so much for your comment Marlaina, CSAs are great ways to get in touch with what’s actually seasonal. I just started looking into csa options around me too, I used to do one but it’s been a while. Which CSA were you on?
I actually just restarted our subscription again. I’m with Blue Sky Farms! They’ve been fantastic. I hugely recommend it. You can add on other produce and goods to your order, as well. When they have strawberries in season, I eat them right over the sink. They’re like candy.
Well-captured oft-shared sentiment for reluctant supermarket goers. Gaslit's double use is fun in your one-liner. Of all of your writing, I perhaps enjoy reading your diatribes most. Or maybe I was just really ready to shake my fist at the bananas on a day when so many problems are competing for the attention of a fist-shaking. Thank you.
Fantastic article. It made me think about the world "local" refered to something withing the borders of a country as big as a continent. Very well put!
This was terrific! Glad to have stumbled upon it. If you're interested, I wrote a guide to eating seasonally and locally a few years ago. It's geared toward a New England summer -- which is, admittedly the easiest time of year to find local and seasonal produce -- but it can be adapted to any season and any region. https://cowwedoin.substack.com/p/on-taking-a-seasonal-seven
I see someone in the comments mentioned a CSA -- that's a tremendous way to do it, but you may also be able to find smaller, regional farmer's markets or farm stores that can help as well. I wish I new more about Arizona's growing environment to help!
devin! this was so great to read… and definitely has enraged me and motivated me this morning, too! i think the only time i’ve ever come across an actual seasonal big supermarket was in winnipeg, and that was only because the weather was too bad in winter to deliver any produce from outside manitoba ahah. but the visual of a near empty, local only supermarket always stuck with me from that.
The conditions were so extreme that the machine was stopped! That’s wild. In az since the most extreme weather issue (most of the time) is heat, I think there’s this idea that we can just pump more AC to cool our produce (in trucks, in store) to keep the system going no matter the conditions 😵💫
Your woes are my woes! While I’m grateful that farmer’s markets and mobile produce markets exist, I wish it were the standard for actual seasonal, local produce to be offered in all or most supermarkets. After moving down here and settling in after a couple years, I started my first ever CSA subscription and learned quickly what locally in season meant for my region. Plus I’ve gotten to learn to cook some produce I hadn’t been well acquainted with previously (I’d always had an aversion to beets, but they’re good roasted!).
Our woes are shared! Thanks so much for your comment Marlaina, CSAs are great ways to get in touch with what’s actually seasonal. I just started looking into csa options around me too, I used to do one but it’s been a while. Which CSA were you on?
I actually just restarted our subscription again. I’m with Blue Sky Farms! They’ve been fantastic. I hugely recommend it. You can add on other produce and goods to your order, as well. When they have strawberries in season, I eat them right over the sink. They’re like candy.
Well-captured oft-shared sentiment for reluctant supermarket goers. Gaslit's double use is fun in your one-liner. Of all of your writing, I perhaps enjoy reading your diatribes most. Or maybe I was just really ready to shake my fist at the bananas on a day when so many problems are competing for the attention of a fist-shaking. Thank you.
Thank you Andrew, for sharing your fist at the bananas with me!! It really is maddening. And I’m glad you liked the gaslit double use, I had fun haha
Fantastic article. It made me think about the world "local" refered to something withing the borders of a country as big as a continent. Very well put!
This was terrific! Glad to have stumbled upon it. If you're interested, I wrote a guide to eating seasonally and locally a few years ago. It's geared toward a New England summer -- which is, admittedly the easiest time of year to find local and seasonal produce -- but it can be adapted to any season and any region. https://cowwedoin.substack.com/p/on-taking-a-seasonal-seven
I see someone in the comments mentioned a CSA -- that's a tremendous way to do it, but you may also be able to find smaller, regional farmer's markets or farm stores that can help as well. I wish I new more about Arizona's growing environment to help!
Tremendous essay (expose?). And that lone and unknown parsnip…