The Plan:
This meal plan was curated using local foods that are in season now or preserved during the peak growing season in the U.S. Midwest. The plan is an exact replica of what our family is eating this week unless we are out of town. Meal plans are developed using whole foods and my meal planning system (click here!) and are meant to be healthy and easy to prepare. Most recipes will take no more than 30 minutes of active cooking time. Occasionally meals may require all day slow cooking, advanced prep, or some oven time. Recipes are provided when available. I sincerely hope this will help with your own meal planning!
Day 1: Hamburgers, Baked sweet potato fries
Day 2: Succotash chowder (hold the bacon)
Day 3: Homemade pizza, Orange slices
Day 4: Butternut squash soup, Dark velvet beet cookies
Day 5: Homemade hummus plate with Daikon radish, kohlrabi, carrots, olives, and pita bread
Day 6: Poached salmon with lemon, garlic, and dill, Roasted ranch potatoes
Day 7: Unstuffed cabbage, Frozen fruit smoothie with cantaloupe, strawberries, and mint
Pantry Shuffle:
Out of Storage: (preserved when in season and coming out of my root cellar, freezer, canned, or dehydrated stash)
- Ground beef from Mastodon Valley Farm meat share
- Sweet potatoes
- Frozen corn
- Frozen green beans
- Frozen diced tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Frozen cubed butternut squash
- Beets
- Daikon radish
- Kohlrabi
- Carrots
- Apples
- Pumpkin puree
Into Storage:
- Vegetable broth (freeze quart-sized portions in zip top bags)
- Dark velvet beet cookies (freeze in zip top bags)
Notes: Food Preservation List
I have the perfect winter project to help get you through these last few weeks of cold, snow, and dreariness – start making a food preservation list for the upcoming growing season. This may seem like a big project, but really all it takes is a bit of dreaming of gardens and food and you are on your way. This activity is an instant antidepressant for me!
Why should you do this in February? Well, before you know it, the ground will thaw and it will be time to start planting your garden. By thinking ahead, you will know what to grow or buy so that you can preserve all the fresh, local food for next winter. Plus, it is easy to think of all the foods you miss when you are not able to have them! The ultimate goal here is make sure to have healthy, local ingredients at your fingertips year round for quick to assemble meals (a.k.a. your “fast food”) which will save so much in food transportation and package waste.
The first step I took in this project was to take inventory of what I have left in my pantry/freezer that was preserved from the last growing season and figure out how much I should save this year. All of the food I preserve is local from a CSA farm share, U-pick farm, farmer’s market, or my own garden.
Next, I let my mind run wild with everything I want to save and write it down. Here is what my list looks like:
Foods to cut up and freeze in zip top bags:
- Corn x 4 quarts
- Diced tomatoes x 10 quarts
- Pepper slices and onions (for quick fajita mix and sausage dish) x 4 gallons
- Jalapeno pepper (small dice for chili) x 1 quart
- Diced red peppers x 4 quarts
- Strawberries x 4 gallons
- Peaches x 2 gallons
- Blueberries x 3 gallons
- Raspberries x 2 gallons
- Broccoli x 4 quarts
- Green beans x 2 quarts
- Butternut squash chunks x 4 quarts
- Cauliflower x 2 quarts
- Cantaloupe cubes x 4 quarts
Foods to pickle/ferment:
- Cucumbers x 4 jars
- Carrots x 2 jars
- Green beans x 2 jars
- Cabbage x 4 jars
Foods to dehydrate:
- Shiso (for tea)
- Herbs (parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary, basil, dill)
- Greens to make green smoothie powder
Foods to process and freeze:
- Pesto x 5 cups
- Pasta sauce x 6 quarts
- Tomato soup x 4 gallons
- Eggplant parmesan x 2 aluminum pans
- Ratatouille x 4 gallons
- Pumpkin puree x 4 pints
- Extra batches of summer soups x 6 gallons
Canning:
- Strawberry jam x 4 pints
- Pizza sauce x 4 quarts
Root Cellar Storage:
- Daikon radish
- Beauty heart radish
- Acorn squash
- Butternut squash
- Assorted potato varieties
- Sweet potatoes
- Beets
- Carrots
- Apples
- Onions
- Celeriac root
Make your own list of what you want to preserve to eat local year round. It doesn’t have to be as long as mine. Even one to two things can be a goal! Then, you can use this list to plan your garden or sign up for a CSA. Print the list and keep it handy so you can refer to it throughout the year and check off the foods as you send them to storage. Time to go order seeds!
*Update to the Mexico avocado situation I discussed last week: The US and Mexico quickly came to an agreement and avocados are now on their way back to America. From a government standpoint, crisis has been averted. However, from an environmental and justice standpoint, everything is still very much the same. Please remember the impact of this popular fruit and consider reducing your consumption. Here is the link to my post from last week if you want to learn more.
