We fairly recently moved form NYC to Virginia, had our second child and bought our first house! As you can imagine, things have been very busy, and I have not been able to keep up to the standards of eating that I have set for my family since falling in love with holistic nutrition and all that is has to offer. Yes, I still was cooking a lot, and buying my greens and grains, but the little nuances that made food so much fun fell away to my "healthy standards
" and the newness of meals was lost in nursing, attending to an almost 3 year old (which is a full time job in itself) and the other various things that we all deal with day to day. One of the things I wanted to rediscover was "seasonal eating". This concept was so simple yet amazing when I first learned about it. The idea in a nutshell is to eat the way nature intended! So, you eat what grows that season. Period. When I was in New York, this meant a ton of squash in fall, no berries in winter, and an exciting new bounty when spring and summer arrived. This also meant other things, like less meat in the warmer months, more raw cooling foods in summer and many soups and stews in winter. Eating locally often goes hand in hand with seasonal eating. That is, eating what is grown in your area. That keeps your body eating what is in season where you live, keeping you in better tune with nature. Now, I am not an purist in any of my philosophies, and still eat avocados when I can get them, and will have the frozen berry or two in the winter, and yes, will buy a pineapple or mango when the urge comes over me! However, I try to make most of my food follow the "seasonal" guidelines, and most of that the "local".
That being said, it is not always easy to know what is in season in your area, or to stick to it with all that is offered in the many food stores around us. One great way to do this is to visit your farmers markets. Check the guidelines on the ones in your area, and be sure they are truly a local farmer's market. The true markets will feature wonderful local and seasonal food, and most likely showcase something you have not cooked before. I was put to a challenge last year when I saw "celery greens" and had to buy them an go home to figure out what to do with them. This is very fun to do with kids. You can make it a weekend outing. By making this an event, your children will begin to understand the importance of fresh food. Allow your children to pick something out, or taste the samples that are available across the market. Another great way to eat seasonally and locally is to join a CSA. This to me is the most economical and the easiest, once you change your idea of "menu planning". A CSA is community supported agriculture. You basically buy a share of a local farm and they deliver a box of food to a predetermined drop off location once a week. This is amazing, because you do not have to pick anything out, just jump out of the car, or walk to the location, and pick it up and you are on your way home. You need to see the food and then cook instead of planning and then shopping. This difference may be very worrisome for a few of you, however, once you get the hang of it, it could not be easier. Stir-Fry's and sautes are great for this. I had broccoli and turnips left from my last batch and just chopped them up, added the turnip greens to the mix, stir fried with olive oil and a little soy sauce and put over quinoa. (remember this "grain" from the last newsletter?) A perfect meal for the whole family. For new eaters, take some veggies to the side before adding soy sauce and puree with breast milk or formula. Even our youngest (or especially in some circumstances) can appreciate the taste of a fresh, locally grown fruit or vegetable.
To learn more about CSA's and locate a farmer's market near you visit http://www.localharvest.org/.
