Late Bloomers Farm is named both for the 48 square feet of full-sun-deprived, raised-bed gardens and the middle-aged gardener who tends them but forages for sustenance elsewhere. The “farm” is a both physical and metaphorical garden; a place to learn and grow, harvest ideas and information from nature and her stewards. The bulk of my food comes from actual farmers with real farms.
The Lower 48
I came to care about food and nutrition in middle age. I decided to attempt eating locally in September 2007 after reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. I wondered if eating locally could be done here.
I read a number of other books about the food system by Michael Pollan and others. The information resonated with my life experiences: that fresh from the garden is better than shipped to the supermarket.
Paraphrasing Henry David Thoreau:
I wished to eat more deliberately so that at the end of my days, I would not realize that I hadn’t eaten food at all.
I began this blog as a place for recording my journey as a local foodie, soliciting advice, and recording and sharing notes. I define my foodshed as a 100-mile radius from my home (just east of Danbury, CT).
Initially, I imagined I’d be able to buy local food year-round at retail establishments—imagine that! So, to support my year-round habit of eating, I’m embracing putting by foods (mostly into the freezer, sometimes by canning, and other times by dehydrating) so this blog also includes my adventures in food preservation.
Since I chose to be a locavore, as opposed to being prescribed by a doctor or proscribed by a religion, I am free to make my own rules regarding my diet. I do eat food from away but not much. If it doesn’t/won’t/can’t grow here, I’ll get it from where it grows. For example, coffee, chocolate, several grains, tropical fruits, nuts, spices, olive oil, Scotch, or Italian wines. If it grows here, I’ll expend the effort to find it when it’s in season, and preserve it, and/or wait for it to come in season again. I am often pleasantly surprised if not amazed at the quality and quantity of local fare that’s available.
In my locavore travels, I’ve discovered some really interesting food situations brought about by heath beliefs, distribution anomalies, our political system, contradicting regulations, and corporate dominance. My thoughts on these situations are also recorded here on this blog.
Buon appetito!
