Eat with the seasons!

Written by Twincitiesherbs.

A big theme for my blog is ‘Eating with the seasons’. I have been eating seasonal foods my entire life. I grew up in Hungary and the only foods we were able to eat were foods grown in Hungary. At the time, we were not able to get the exotic fruits from Mediterranean countries or Africa. One exception was the bananas around Christmas time. When I moved to the United States, I tried to stay with this concept and only ate locally grown foods as much as possible.

What are seasonal foods?

Foods like fruits, vegetables and other products grown and harvested in a specific region where you live. In other-words, these are foods that are naturally available in your area.

But why eat with the seasons?

Earlier, people ate with the seasons out of necessity, there were no foods available from faraway places. They ate what they got. However, ancient traditions were also aware of the benefits of local foods. The ancient Chinese believed that eating with the seasons supported the balance between the body’s internal environment and the external world. They believe that instead of counting calories and eating fad diets, we should be looking to our environment and see what we need to do to stay in balance. Let’s look at why local foods are important.

Elder flower drink in the spring

Taste and nutrition

One obvious benefit is that local foods taste better and have more nutrients than foods brought in from far away places. For instance, a cherry picked from a local tree is superior to any exotic fruits. When cherries are picked at peak of their ripeness, they are bursting with flavor and nutrients as opposed to bananas that were picked early so they could be sold at super markets after the long travel.

Sustainability

Another benefit is that eating with the seasons is more economical for sure. Our foods have minimal traveling if any so there is less carbon foot print. There is less traveling involved so food is cheaper. Also, another important consideration is that we can support our neighbors and local farmers. This further helps support our community.

Squashes from the farmers market are an excellent example for food sustainability. Squashes grown locally are bursting with flavor in the fall and are abundantly available … and we can support our local farmers as well.

Benefits our body

Also, foods grown in our area we live in support our body, our immune system. The energy of the food has the energy that surrounds us and helps us cope with the environmental challenges. They have the nutrients we need and can help the body ward off pathogens easier. As we move through the seasons, we face similar challenges; in other words, the plants have to deal with the same climate to make it through the year. Also, the plants get the native pollinators to pollinate their flowers.

Potatoes in the middle of the winter come to my mind for a good example. Potatoes grown locally and stored in a root cellar have everything we need in the winter. Seriously, we don’t need to get expensive vegetables in the winter from warmer places.

Summary

Eating with the seasons has been an important concept for a long time. For many, it is a way of life because there are no other foods available. However, eating seasonal foods has many benefits. The foods grown locally taste better, have the nutrients we need and can support our energies to cope with our environment, hence can support our body. Also, they are cheaper and can support our local community as well. Honestly with all these benefits, I can’t imagine not eating the foods that grow in my back yard or I can get at the farmers market.

Text and photos by Twincitiesherbs.