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IN SEASON
Posted by
ZOMT
last updated 29th September
Spring in Sydney brings us beautiful fresh fruit, perfect for the sweet tooth or lighter dessert for hot, sultry nights. Lots of crispy vegetables for salads and sides; I like to keep lots of raw vegies in the fridge for easy healthy snacks.
So check out the Sydney Market Spring 2011 Seasonal Produce Guide for some more info and delicious, seasonal recipes!
FRUIT
Apples: Lady Williams, Berries: Strawberries, Grapefruit, Lemons, Mandarins: Honey Murcot, Rockmelon, Oranges: Blood, Seville, Papaya, Papaw, Pineapples, Pomelo, Tangelos
VEGGIES
Artichokes: Globe, Asian Greens, Asparagus, Beans: Broad, Green, Beetroot, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chillies, Garlic, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Onions: Spring, Shallots, Peas, Potatoes, Silverbeet, Spinach
So Why Eat Seasonally?
One of the most popular recent topics of conversation relating to our eating habits has been the idea of eating seasonally. What this basically means is that, as far as possible, we should only eat foods which are naturally available at the time of year we're eating them. But why should we care whether a food is in season? What exactly are the benefits of eating seasonally?
The first major benefit is an important one in our environmentally conscious times. When we eat a food which isn't in season, it would normally have to be transported to us from a part of the world where it is. This brings up the subject of so-called 'food miles', which measure how far a food has to travel from where it's produced to where it's consumed. For a variety of reasons - pollution, energy consumption etc - it's better to minimise food miles whenever we can. Seasonal food will generally be produced much nearer to the point of consumption, and so will have a lower impact on the environment than well traveled foods.A related point is freshness: if food doesn't have to travel as far, it will be fresher when you come to eat it, and it's generally the case that the fresher a food, the better it tastes and the more health benefits it has. This is especially the case with fruits and vegetables, which are often picked well before they are ripe so that they can withstand the long journeys they have to make without going past their best. Unfortunately, this will normally reduce the eating qualities of the food.
With seasonal food usually being more locally produced, concentrating your spending power on buying it will help to keep your local economy ticking over, keeping money circulating within your community, which can only help make the place you live a more pleasant area to be in.
The final reason for eating seasonally that we'll cover is at first glance a little paradoxical: by limiting the range of foods we eat to those in season, we stand less chance of getting bored with what we eat. When everything is available all year round, we'll tend to buy the same things over and over again, getting stuck in a culinary rut. Seasonal foods avoid this problem - by only using what's available at the time, we're forced to come up with new ways of eating rather than just sticking to what we know. There's also the sense of anticipation that we get from knowing that a certain favorite food will shortly be coming into season, and the pleasure of eating it increases when we know that it's a seasonal treat that we should appreciate before it's gone for another year!
Of course, few people advocate that you should deprive yourself by only eating local and seasonal produce - or how would people in cooler climates enjoy, for example, citrus fruits? However, by paying attention to what's good and local at the moment, you provide an extra dimension to your food shopping and eating that just loading up your trolley with imported foods at the supermarket really can't match.
Another reason is that seasonal produce is going to have a higher nutrional value. That means more vitamins, flavonoids and antioxidants to keep you healthy and well. Why miss out on this?!
So in summary, these would be my top 5 reason why to eat seasonally. Do you have any more?
- Price - seasonal fruit & vegetables are in abundance and therefore the cost is going to be lower.
- Freshness - it hasn't been transported half way around the world to your plate.
- Environmental - again, not travelling as far lowers the 'food miles'.
- Variety - eat what is in season and you are will eat a larger variety of produce which is better for you and stops you getting bored!
- Nutrient Value - seasonal produce, picked at its peak ripeness has the highest nutritional value.
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