Knowing which foods are in season throughout the year is something my grandmother could recite off the top of her head. In her day, it wasn't possible to have tomatoes or pineapple in winter, or pumpkins in the spring. (Unless of course it was canned.)
But in our modern day and age, foods are in season all year round at the grocery store. We get our tomatoes from Mexico, our bananas from the tropics—anything we have a craving for, it's there waiting for us. We just have to hop in the car. With that kind of convenience, we've seen a huge decline in the tradition of eating harvest foods here in America, especially in fall and winter months.
When was the last time you prepared a recipe with leeks or brussel sprouts? Have you ever tasted celery root or endive?
Some food for thought:
Not only are fall harvest foods delicious and flavorful (no really, they are!), but they're some of the most nutritious foods in Mother Earth's arsenal. They're packed with tons of vitamins most children are lacking nowadays. They're usually much cheaper than out-of-season foods, since we can get them from local farms here in the USA—they don't have to be shipped all the way across the world. Which also reduces our carbon footprint!
The moment I decided to start getting my nutrients and vitamins from real FOOD rather than a pill or a breakfast bar, I began doing research on cooking homemade meals around the foods that were in season in fall and winter. I found a treasure trove of vegetables and fruits I'd never tried before. Some I hadn't even heard of!
Each week I picked a fall harvest food, like turnips or arugula or cabbage or beets, then I'd search online for recipes that centered around those ingredients. Once I found a recipe that fit with my family's tastes, I'd make a meal plan around it. 9 times out of 10, my family loved the new recipes. Slowly but surely, we became accustomed to eating fall and winter foods in the fall and winter, and spring and summer foods in the—gasp!—spring and summer.
Eating what is in season has completely changed how I view my grocery shopping and meal planning. Now we aren't missing out on the vitamins and nutrients we used to when we would eat the same things all year round. Our diets are more well-rounded and diverse, and we feel healthier and happier as a whole.
For those of you who would like to start eating what's in season, I've made a chart of all the fruits and vegetables that are harvested in the fall. Next month I will make a chart for winter foods.
My challenge to you is this:
Try just ONE recipe with a different fall food each week until Christmas. Try something you've never tried before. Don't be afraid to try beets or brussel sprouts or ginger or tomatillos. Just dive in! Then let us know some of your favorite Autumn Harvest recipes. We'd love to hear about them!
Educational value:
Don't forget to teach your kids about the new fall foods you're introducing to the table. Let them know which vitamins each food is famous for. Getting kids involved with cooking almost always gets them more excited about eating, especially if you have a picky eater in the family!
To find out what's fresh and local near you, visit Sustainable Table for more info.
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