I can't wait for strawberry season!
Eating seasonally is something Americans are largely unaware of. You go to the grocery store and find rows and rows of fresh produce from all over the world. Strawberries, asparagus, and tomatoes are available year ’round, instead of only in the spring. While this seems normal, in the larger history of humans, this is actually abnormal. For centuries, people ate locally-grown foods in season and preserved as much as they could for the cold months.
In the past few years, my family has made an effort to eat more seasonally. We’re not perfect, but we do try. We don’t buy strawberries in November or tomatoes in January. And, no matter how tempted I might be, I have not succumbed to the lure of asparagus flown in from Mexico in early March. I’ll just wait until the appropriate season, when the veggies and fruits will be available from local sources (including my kitchen garden) and will taste amazing, as opposed to the flavorless crap that’s in the grocery stores right now.
Like I said, we’re not perfect. This time of year, I do buy oranges, bananas, and kiwi so that we don’t all get scurvy. (Think I’m kidding? I actually know someone who got scurvy in college, due to a diet that was heavy on Cool Ranch Doritos and completely devoid of fruits and veggies.) Still, I am picky. With the exception of kiwi, bananas, pineapple, and the occasional other exotic fruit, I will not buy any fruit or vegetable that needs a passport. That means no grapes from Chile or cucumbers from Mexico.
Mason jars look so colorful in a pantry.
Believe it or not, my family’s diet is not boring this time of year. I have plenty of stuff in the freezer and my pantry that I froze or canned last year and which my family eats during the cold months. I also supplement with the occasional purchases of broccoli and carrots — again, to make sure we’re getting a well-rounded diet.
It might sound as though I spent hundreds of hours slaving away in my kitchen last summer, but it really wasn’t that much time or very much effort. Like many of you, I have a job and a family that keep me busy, so I just got things done in short bursts of time and multi-tasked whenever possible. In the coming weeks and months, I will be posting about my efforts to can and freeze more than ever, all while juggling the usual demands of life.
In the meantime, while it would be nice to have strawberries in March, everyone will have to be patient a little longer. Yes, you could go to the store and buy berries, however they would be flavorless and not worth the money spent. Avoid the crappy berries. Be patient and wait for the good stuff in another month or so.
As for what is available now, you might just be surprised. Feast reported on their Facebook page this week that they already have Rainbow Chard and escarole from Roundabout Farm, tomatoes from Planet Earth Diversified Farm, and Swiss chard and Red Russian kale from another local farm.
Something else to look forward to: The Charlottesville farmers’ market opens in just four weeks!
Note: The author is not employed by or in any way connected to the businesses mentioned in this post. Photo credits, top to bottom:Yahoo images, Epicurious.com.
