Grapes, yes, and orange groves are seasonal to some extent. But things like lettuce, beans, etc? Year-round. Much of the produce in the US comes from the eternal-summer fields of California, and most crop production is heavy into chemical fertilizers that goose the growing season. I think maybe Europe still has a closer connection to seasonal food.
Here in Canada, much of our local winter produce comes from greenhouses (and, of course, long-storage foodstuff that the German and Eastern European settlers brought with them -- cabbage, turnips, potatoes, onions. We aren't totally local or organic, but we try. This year I think we've only bought one box of strawberries from a local grower - the rest are from the patch in our back yard - and I've just put in asparagus and brussels sprouts, and I've now got 3 different heritage tomatoes in the ground. It's great having the Mennonite farmers around because I think that's all they grow, and they sell their extra seedlings at market.
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Here in Canada, much of our local winter produce comes from greenhouses (and, of course, long-storage foodstuff that the German and Eastern European settlers brought with them -- cabbage, turnips, potatoes, onions. We aren't totally local or organic, but we try. This year I think we've only bought one box of strawberries from a local grower - the rest are from the patch in our back yard - and I've just put in asparagus and brussels sprouts, and I've now got 3 different heritage tomatoes in the ground. It's great having the Mennonite farmers around because I think that's all they grow, and they sell their extra seedlings at market.