According to Taste of Home and their breakdown of state-by-state seasonal produce for the months from December through February, my native state, Montana, is listed simply as: Dormant. This is not surprising, as not much but snow grows and accumulates from November though April. This year, however, is my second winter spent away from Montana in the sunny state of California, and I’m embracing a growing season that lists no less than 60 seasonal produce options for December. 60! Zero to 60 in just a year and a half… not bad.

With all the goals, obligations and tasks we have to complete in our daily lives, keeping true to sustainable lifestyles can be hard. Whether you’ve been committed to living more sustainably for years, or you’re relatively new to the idea, there are always plenty of new tips and tricks to learn that can help make your goals much easier to attain.

Living a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t have to be hard! Sure, sometimes it requires doing more work, but in the end, the investment of time and money is well worth the outcome. Check out these tips for how to stretch your time and money without compromising your lifestyle!

With the autumn rapidly dwindling into short and cold winter days (sometimes inundated with snow), you may find yourself wondering how you’re going to get your farm-fresh produce. Happily, many areas have winter markets where you can find your favorite veggies and other produce into December and into the new year. As the first installment, here’s a list for New England.

Yesterday, I enjoyed a couple of sweet and tangy Lemon Boy tomatoes from my neighbor’s garden. A few days ago, I noticed that they had some large, green Big Boys, which looked perfect for frying, so I picked a few, and in anticipation of the Austin Food Blogger Alliance‘s pie baking contest, I also grabbed several of their ripe peaches. I take food from their backyard often.

Actually, we have created our own little CSA. Initially by default, and now with a more concerted effort, we have been growing various fruits and vegetables and sharing our harvest. We have been neighbors for nearly 10 years and have been steadily increasing the amount of space that we devote to gardening each year.

I’ve fallen in love with lacto-fermented chutneys, so much so that I’m considering turning all the vinegar-based chutneys I canned into ketchup (ketchup is basically just pureed chutney). The flavor of these fresh chutneys is so good that I could, and do, eat them straight out of the jar. Plus you get all sorts of health benefits that aren’t in the vinegar versions; lacto-fermented foods have good-for-you bacteria in them, like with yogurt.

The recipe below is a Northeastern locavore’s variation on one by Sally Fallon (I swap in just a little vinegar to replace non-local lemon juice, and local honey instead of Rapadura). This chutney is an especially good use up for the storage apples we’re still getting from local farms at this time of year. But it’s also good made with peaches, cherries, and other fruit.

I’ve been visiting Denver since I was a little kid and I always remember fondly the friendly people, the gorgeous weather and the beautiful mountains. However, until recently I did not equate Denver with great food.

Little did I know that my not quite annual trip to Denver to see dear friends would yield some of the most interesting food I’d had all year. Their food scene is happening and sustainable, local food is front and center.

Most people visit New York City and want to see the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building or other tourist points of interest. Not me. I wanted to see what New Yorkers eat when they eat local.

Saturdays are my market days and while it may seem odd, late winter is actually one of my favorite times of year at the farmer’s market. As you stroll past the tables week after week, more and more vendors setup shop as the spring approaches.

“What do you eat in winter?” is a question I frequently get asked when people learn that I eat a mostly local foods diet in the Northeastern U.S.

My reply starts with the fact that I eat just as well in winter as I do in summer. That fact really cheers me up right now. We are at the tail end of winter, but it will still be many weeks until the first spring crops are ready. If I only ate the storage and greenhouse crops available year-round here, well, I’d survive but my meals would be really boring.

Here’s how you can make your “off season” meals as interesting and nutritious for you as the ones you eat during the harvest months, all the while keeping a locavore’s lowered carbon footprint:

So here we are in the gut of winter, many snowed in, perhaps going stir crazy (as I often do under such conditions). The pundits say variety is the spice of life, but sometimes the harsh winter weather limits that range of ability… unless you’re in the kitchen.