Healthy Eating with the Seasons

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've been inspired by Barbara Kingsolver to begin focusing much more on eating foods that are raised locally and are in season. We've dabbled with this principle from time to time over the last few years, but we are beginning 2011 with a renewed commitment to find the vast majority of our ingredients close to home.

We've been purchasing locally raised, grass fed beef for several years, always amazed at the terrific taste and quality of the meat. We also know how delicious our home-grown vegetables are compared to those from the grocery store that traveled thousands of miles just to get here. There are a number of other reasons to make the change as well, and we'll be exploring those over the next few weeks.

So, what does eating seasonally really mean? According to World's Healthiest Foods, here are a few of the basic princples to get us started:

•  In the spring, focus on tender, leafy vegetables that represent the fresh new growth of the season. The greening that occurs in springtime should be represented by greens on your plate, including Swiss chard, spinach, Romaine lettuce, fresh parsley, and basil.

•  In summer, stick with light, cooling foods,including fruits like strawberries, apple, pear, and plum; vegetables like summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and corn; and spices and seasonings like peppermint and cilantro (ooooh, how I love cilantro!).

•  In fall, turn toward the more warming, autumn harvest foods, including carrot, sweet potato, onions, and garlic. Also emphasize the more warming spices and seasonings including ginger, peppercorns, and mustard seeds.

•  In winter, turn even more exclusively toward warming foods. Remember the principle that foods taking longer to grown are generally more warming than foods that grow quickly. All of the animal foods fall into the warming category, including fish, chicken, beef, lamb, and venison. So do most of the root vegetables, including carrots, potatoes, onions, and garlic. Eggs also fit in here, as do corn and nuts.