Lately I've been eating Minnesota garlic with Wisconsin mushrooms in Illinois. Doesn't sound local, but if you look beyond the obvious, and adapt the definition of "local," you can increase your local eating circle.
Now, Wisconsin mushrooms in this part of Illinois isn't a surprise; local farmers markets feature along with vegetables from Indiana and fruit from Michigan. But where does the Minnesota garlic fit into the mix?
Well, the "local" part of the Minnesota garlic deserves an asterisk. I went to Minneapolis for what was a 41-hour jaunt to Minnesota's largest city. I could have brought back a magnet from the Mall of America (no, not really), but felt like a better souvenir was the eating kind.
I visited the Mill City Museum farmers market within sight of the Mississippi River. And I ran across a lot of really good looking garlic. No offense to the markets in Chicago, but finding good garlic is rather difficult. The Minneapolis market was almost flaunting its wonderful garlic.
Practicality may enter into the equation when bringing back produce from a vacation. Tomatoes are more difficult; garlic is pretty easy. In fact, I have brought back California garlic in late November.
Bringing back your own produce reduces the footprint. No extra petroleum is required. You shouldn't travel to California just to get garlic, but as long as you are there, why not pick up an extra treat.
Editor's note: Some elements of this story ran last week on TheLocalBeet.com.
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