How eating with in the seasons could be impactful ?
Short Note:
It has never been a secret that vegetables and fruits have their season to be harvested. However, I am not quite sure if people tend to forget, don’t know, or just pretend they care but in reality, they don’t. Whatever the case might be, let’s get started and try to create a new and better tomorrow, because it's never too late.
Firstly, let’s understand what season is. Weather
patterns and daylight hours, are a resulted from the earth's changing position with regard to the sun. (I know too much scientific explanation) But essentially that is how seasons are created every year. Furthermore, is important to know one little detail, and that is, equatorial countries have seasons as well. How do we know this? Well, if you ever visited or lived in one of the countries in this latitude, you would notice that avocados were not always available, as well as mangoes and others. Following this analogy, season in this context is when vegetables and fruits thrive in the correct environment during a specific time along wit an appropriate climate conditions.
Why seasons are so important?
- In a country that has four seasons winter is imperative. Why.? It obligates us to let the soil and field rest. Also, due to weather changes, as we saw above, vegetables and fruit require specific time and temperature throughout the year.
- In countries that have only two seasons, it is a bit tricky. The massive advantage is that they have all year to plant, but an issue that makes it challenging is temperature and water. Furthermore, you could do plantations of anything you like but always have the risk of fatiguing or killing the soil with over crop plantation, lack of irrigation, and over heating if it is not watched carefully.
In North America (USA & Canada). People often if not always have the ability of buying the majority of ingredients they need in the quantity they desire. However, we always hear domestics or international residents complaining about the taste of food.
Although, 99%, of them do not cook for a living, we have the ability to perceive what is tasteful, what is bitter what is sour, etc. Yet, it looks like we still do not want to acknowledge the seasonality of the ingredients while we are shopping. (for real, how do you expect a strawberry to taste good in December).
Following a list that you will find at the end of the paragraphs, it will help you to do groceries and looking at them on another way. While, winter could be hard in cold countries even for professional cooks, many vegetables are still available and there are many ways of cooking them as well, thank you internet (in this case).
After all, this topic it is more complex than this short paragraph. For instances, buy local does not mean everything is close to you. Which is important to dig a bit deeper on knowing what is good in your area and what is not, know that depending on the recipe some products are better in canned, pickle, fermented etc. Even on animals (if you eat animal products) butter, eggs, milk and meat change on regards of the season. Good quality products will always be key. but first we should try to know an inch more.
In conclusion, I don’t expect you to be a hunter, farmer or a food researcher. Nonetheless, I do hope that you go and check the season list where you currently reside at. If you live in Ontario, well, there are 2 lists that you can benefit from it at the end of the text , if you are not, a little research will not kill you. (just joking) At the end, it is up to us to you to make a worth while change.