Aug 15, 2011

Buy Local

Guest Writer: The Cheap Sr. Citizen


With summer in full swing, it's great to be able to buy local produce.Do I sound like a salesman? Or, worse, a politician?
We have a local politician who came up with a catchy slogan: BUY FROM THE BACKYARD. They even have this zippy website to help you locate farmer's markets and produce stands in your area.

These blueberries are fresh off the bushes at Miller's farm......
 just about a mile down the road from us toward Port Crane, NY. Jim and I picked them this afternoon.
The corn is from North Windsor Berry Farm, which is located north of [duh] Windsor, NY . Bill Titus has the best sweet corn around. This corn was picked this morning. We've tried a few other vendors in the last couple of weeks, but Jim and I agree Bill's corn is the sweetest and most tender. It's been a hard year for farmers in NYS, what with a soggy, wet, drenched, boggy spring followed by a beastly hot and dry, dry, dry couple of summer months. The weather's a bit more normal so far in August. Today was a perfect day to pick berries. Sunny, 70s, breezy, no humidity. PERFECT!
So I got the berries home and started hunting in the cupboards to find containers for them.
NOTICE THE SHAPE OF THE BERRY CONTAINER!! ESPECIALLY NOTICE THE SQUARE CORNERS.
Guess what I read this week? Square [or rectangular] containers are the most efficient. Huh? What difference does that make to round berries? They roll into any old thing. No, turns out that square and rectangular shape are best for storage inside cupboards, inside the fridge, inside the freezer. Well, duh to me!! I guess so! Yup, those thingies snuggle right up to next each other with barely any wiggle room between.
Huh!
How  come Tupperware* didn't figure this out 50 years ago? How many millions and billions of round Tupperware bowls and round freezer containers and round cupboard organizers are kicking around the globe? Some of that stuff won't wear out no way, no how.
So, 2 lessons for today:
  1. BUY LOCAL. Is it always cheaper than the produce in the store? No, but you know where it came from. It is fresh, not picked green and forced to ripen in some truck as it is carried a gazillion miles from where it grew.
  2. USE square containers to maximize cupboard, refrigerator and freezer space. TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT!
There, don't you feel so much better? Ya learned something today!
* I'm so old I know what it means to "burp" a round Tupperware bowl! I don't think you can do that with a square container. If you don't know what burping Tupperware means, ask someone who qualifies for free senior coffee at McDonalds.
*********Why is there a wooden pig cutting board in the picture with the corn and blueberries?Were we going to pig out at supper? Was it trying to hog the shot?

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...and one more thing......
uh, I'll get back to you when I remember it.
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The Cheap Senior Citizen is a Guest Writer who occasionally shares helpful hints she has learned through her experience.
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree with "cheapo" the square containers are much better for storing. I, also, am old enough to remember the "burpers" and still have many of them and I even try to "burp" the new non-Tupperware ones 'cause I forget, yup I'm REALLY old. I always enjoy "cheapo's" helpful hints.

Poof said...

Is the Bill Titus farm the same as the Bob Titus farm where I used to pick corn? Also, Ruth, do you have the website for where to find local produce?

Ruth said...

Yup, Val, that is the same place. Bill is a cousin to your mom and to Jim. His parents were Bob and Helen and that's where you picked corn and maybe even strawberries.

Buy From the Backyard is on Facebook and also has a website http://www.BuyFromTheBackyard.com

Yum!