I remember reading ‘Animal, Vegetable, Miracle’ years ago and being inspired by how her family ate so locally for an entire year. She did make me double think about buying bananas, having them shipped all this way, and since I wasn’t a huge banana fan anyways, I didn’t buy them for years. One thing I couldn’t imagine, though, was not having fresh fruit throughout the winter!! And that’s something I’ve never wanted to try out. Even when we have frozen berries in the freezer and canned fruit on the shelves in the pantry, there’s nothing like fresh fruit in the middle of winter. You know what I mean? It’s a time I seem to especially crave it.

This past winter I craved citrus more than I ever have in my life. We’d buy a bag of organic oranges and make them last until our next grocery store visit, but there were times that I probably could have easily eaten the whole bag in one sitting. Historically, I’d never been a huge citrus fan either. (Though I loved fresh lemon juice in water and on food.) But I’ve changed my ways. A juicy orange in the middle of winter is a very wonderful thing. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that. (Oh, and as a sidenote, I was inspired by Nicole’s recipe for All Purpose Citrus Vinegar Cleaner, and our family saved some of our orange peels to soak in vinegar. A great use for them, since we were just throwing them in the compost. The spray cleaner is wonderful and I plan on making more.)

I also started buying bananas again. A friend shared homemade popsicles with us awhile ago and they were so good. I usually don’t think to make popsicles until summer rolls around. I don’t know why this is the case since Jeff is a huge fan of frozen fruit and will happily eat popsicles year round. I was inspired by her to start making them again and have been getting into a regular popsicle making rhythm each week. Banana popsicles are a favorite of Jeff’s. So I’ve been buying them for that reason and also for the fact that when I make a smoothie, I can add a banana to it and it masks the flavors of all the healthy add-ons I like to put in there. I started buying plantains for baking and figured I might as well start buying bananas also. Basically, there are other foods we eat from far away too and I decided to embrace bananas again. The organic bananas at the store are a really afforable way to make popsicles in the winter when there’s no fresh local fruit available.

Our fresh winter fruit usually consists of oranges, apples, and bananas. (We eat frozen berries and other fruit too, but I’m just talking about the fresh fruit from the store.) I can’t bring myself to buy the berries out of season at the grocery store. I think that is because I’ve been so spoiled by the berries in our garden and from surrounding farms that I just know they don’t come close to comparing. As you can imagine, though, the same fresh fruit for a handful of months can start getting a little old after awhile. A friend said how happy she was to have the fresh, local strawberries again. Something different than the same fruit she had been getting from the store. I could so relate to that!

We’ve been loving fresh strawberries! What a treat they are. One week we traded our farmer’s market friends for a flat of them (with a greenhouse, they get them much earlier than we do), and besides enjoying eating them just as they were, I also made some strawberry popsicles. I made banana and strawberry popsicles. And some with just strawberry. Delicious.

I’ve made popsicles with just banana and water blended, which is a super thrifty way to make them. When I found some raw coconut water on an incredible sale, I made some popicles with that. They were so good, but something I consider a treat since they cost more. I’ve also made popsicles in the past with coconut milk which made them creamy delicious. It’s hard to find popsicles at the store with all healthy ingredients, plus making your own is so much more afforable. Our popsicle molds have been a great investment!

Our family does love to eat locally. I understand how much more sustainable it is, when food doesn’t have to travel so far, and of course it tastes so much fresher and more flavorful. There’s nothing that compares to the nutrition and taste of farm fresh food. We grow a garden and support local farms, but there is food from farther away that I really appreciate. Especially in the winter and when it’s not available around here. (Or some things that don’t grow around here at all.) You all know I’m crazy about my coconut oil. And goodness, I love avocados! I’m very grateful for apples, oranges, and bananas in the winter, but I must say I am happy to be buying less of them as we say hello to delicious, Oregon grown berries!