Seasonal Ontario Food

I know I alluded to this in my last post on the state of the world, but with nothing to do but sit home and read the internet and think, I've been reading the internet and thinking.

Guys, vegetables are going to be 1) in short supply this summer and 2) bloody expensive when you can get them, as an inevitable consequence of 1). This is going to apply to vegetables both domestic and imported. I think Canada's production of grains, legumes, and meat is both large enough and mechanized enough that while, like just about every industry they will take a hit, they should continue to function reasonably well.

Our local vegetable and fruit farms rely heavily - heavily - on foreign seasonal agricultural workers. Right now, they are not coming in. This is the time of year they arrive, with the blackbirds and the vultures. (Spring! I love it!) I think the government will find some way to get them in, but maybe they won't. They are going to have to assess and balance risks. We're off to a rocky start already; the best-case scenario is that they arrive somewhat late. Obviously, some crops will handle this better than others. The local apple industry, for instance, has a lot of work to be done right about, oh, now.

Imported produce is unlikely to replace local produce. Covid-19 is going to hit poor people particularly hard, and agricultural workers in the US and Mexico, where most of our imported produce comes from, are going to take it in the neck. I don't see how they won't: next to no healthcare access, living and working in crowded conditions, notoriously exposed to unsafe working conditions including pesticide and herbicide exposure which are bad for the lungs in particular along with the rest of the body in general.

Moreover, even if we are getting produce from other countries, the ethical concerns about them are going to be more severe than ever. Countries are going to decide to export produce for vitally-needed cash and leave their own populations short of food. Many do that already; it will only get much, much worse.

I honestly believe that just about everyone should consider growing a few things this year. Even if you live in an apartment and have only a balcony or windowsills. A supply of sprouts and micro-greens, while not supplying much in the way of calories, will really help to fill some gaps and keep meals interesting. Very perishable leafy things are probably going to be the worst hit, so there's that too. NOW is the time to be ordering seeds, pots, soil, etc, and getting set up. Fortunately, much of it can be ordered on-line for shipping. (Well not the pots and soil.)

There is, of course, a learning curve involved in doing anything new, and growing things is no exception. Don't invest large amounts of time and money into this until you both know what you are doing and want to do it. 

I also believe this is going to drag on, and on, and on. This is probably a good year to buy produce when it is a available in season, and can, dry, or freeze it. Again, though, be realistic about your situation.

I've given Covid-19 its own label, as I suspect this is going to be a preoccupation of life for the next several years. I'd also really like to hear other people's thoughts and suggestions.

So.

We were away for 2 weeks in Cuba recently, just getting back very late on Saturday evening. We spent our time mostly in blissful ignorance of developments outside of our sunny little bubble. Sometime around Thursday, though, we checked in, and spent most of the remaining evenings burning up our WiFi allowance and watching the shit hit the fan.

Saturday night was probably the last comfortable time to get home. Our pre-arranged taxi-driver picked us up without qualms. Don't know what she would think now. At any rate, we are now in isolation for the next, oh, 13 days. Along with pretty much everyone else, it seems.

There is a little coronavirus in Cuba, brought in with Italian tourists. I wonder a little uneasily to which resorts they dispersed, but frankly I am more worried about the hours passed at Pearson airport.

We were going to go to Britain in April, but first the person who was at least part of the reason for going (Dad's partner) died, and then Hurricane Coronavirus hit. I spent much of yesterday cancelling hotels. 

It looks like this will be a good spring to put particular emphasis on producing your own food, so I'm likely to start ramping up the gardening posts, as soon as something happens. I can't help but think that supply chains are going to take a hit. Not too late to order some seeds! I don't put it on the list but if you are in an apartment or otherwise can't or won't grow vegetables, you can always do sprouting and microgreens, and Mumm's is probably the best place to get the seeds.

Otherwise, is there anything that people would like to see me working on? We're going to be planting peas with in a week, I hope, as we usually do in early spring, and some barley, which will be a new crop for us.

Stay home and stay safe, everyone.