Eat Seasonally – and Local!

These days, you’re reading more and more about “seasonal” eating and “buying local”, but just what does that mean?

Well, both ideas are quite simple.

Eating “seasonally” means that one eats and cooks with ingredients that are “in season”.  For example, vegetables like cabbage and broccoli are considered “in season” in the fall and winter months, whereas tomatoes are a summer crop.  Sure, you can get tomatoes anytime at your local supermarket, but eating fruits and vegetables “in season” ensures the freshest ingredients - picked at the peak of flavor (and generally, items that are “in season” are much cheaper due to their abundance).  Seriously, which tomato tastes better – the one bought in February or the one bought (or even grown) in late July?  Why are strawberries so lusciously red and sweet in the late spring and early summer?  It’s because they are “in season”.

For a list of fruits and vegetables grown locally in Maryland, check out the “harvest calendar” at http://www.pickyourown.org/MDharvestcalendar.htm.  Check the web for other harvest calendars in the four-state area as well.  This way you’ll have some idea what to look for on your next trip to the market. 

 

“Buying local” mean just what it says – buying as close to “home” as you can.  Check your labels at the supermarket.  Going back to our tomato example, most tomatoes found at the grocery store in the winter are shipped in from Mexico or South America.  It costs money (and time) to transport foods from these locations, and as such, the increased cost is passed on to the consumer (you).  In addition, many of these fruits and vegetables have been treated with chemicals to slow down or speed up the ripening process, and the flavor of many of these products is just sub-par. 

 

Money spent locally (at farmer’s markets, etc.) supports local producers.  You also have the added benefit of knowing where your food comes from.  Ask questions at your local farmer’s market.  Talk to the produce manager at your supermarket.  Vendors can tell you when the fruits and vegetables were picked (usually that very morning in the case of a farmer’s market) and where they got it from.  It’s probably closer than you think (or at the supermarket - may surprise you at how far it’s traveled).

The Four State Food Critic recommends that you visit your local farmer’s market or check your labels at the local supermarket and work on your “seasonal” (and local) eating.  You may find something new and completely different to try, plus you’ll be amazed at the price differences of fresh, local ingredients.