OUT-OF-SEASON vegetables is the issue: Asparagus is a case in point; it’s expensive, and in February (when you buy it) it doesn’t taste nearly as good than what you see in store, a lot of good-looking asparagus that just tastes like wet grass. We pay so much for something that taste like damp grass.
Vegetables have their own rhythms, things awaken, then flourish, then hibernate. Eat along those lines and both your wallet and taste will be rewarded: You’ll pay less, and get better-tasting stuff. Food is more nutritious since it hasn’t been boxed up and shipped around for weeks inside a refrigerator that strip away its vitality.
Why You Should Eat Seasonal Vegetables
You don’t have to guess where to find it in the marketplace; there’s a chart that tells you precisely when each of these things reaches its peak. Tender shoots. Peas and asparagus, for instance, and such early berries as strawberries is spring favorites. They are sweet and grow quickly, so they deserve minimal treatment (think simple preparations, not heavy stewing). Spring produce is delicate: A pat of butter and a sprinkling of black pepper are best. The season reward gentle handling in the kitchen.
The strong vegetables of summer fill the shops: courgette (zucchini), tomatoes and peppers, etc. They all taste different based off bright sunshine. A tomato from the vine in July has more sugar then any greenhouse-grown version can manages to match. Cherries and blueberries is in their prime here, too, according to chart. They’re sweeter if allowed full exposure to daylight, and they also gets more antioxidants. That’s why a locally picked-in-dawn, summer strawberry may be better than a wintertime variety trucked across the country (or world).
Frozen berries aren’t necessarily second-rate compared to fresh ones, though. As fall arrives, flavors change once more, transitioning from crispness to earthiness. Trees laden with apples, pears and plums hang heavily, having stored up their energy throughout the year. Butternut squash and pumpkin comes into season, tasting nutty sweet, perfect for roasting rather than boiling. Slow down this time of year, cook slower; let things simmer longer so the natural sugars can caramelize. Produce from these months has been grown to last, holding up to heat of the flame while maintaining its form.
If all you’re seeking are salad leaves, winter can feel like there is no nutrition available. However, root vegetables sweeten up during cool weather. After a frost, harsh greens like kale and brussels sprouts turns even more flavorful. This happens because of a sugar-producing mechanism the plant use as its antifreeze. It’s a biological trick that makes those hard-to-chew greens mild and tender on our plates.
The rest of the season is dominated by citrus fruits: Think grapefruit, clementine, and other vitamin-C-rich items that helps replace what the winter air take from us. The table also breaks things down by whether an ingredient will be hanging around all year or is strictly a seasonal thing. For example, spring is peak spinach season, but it can also appear again in late fall. Clearly, this is one tough customer.
Then there are staples like garlic, onions, potatoes and carrots, which will see you through from month to month and year round. These are the storage crops, the ones that won’t go bad; use them to form the foundation of your kitchen. Then you’ll have room to play around with whatever seasonal star is in season at any given time.
The secret to smart shopping is not just about buying less but buying right. For example, local farmers markets are a blessing, since the grower pull the veggies that morning; there’s an immediate flavor difference. You should of used them to save money. When produce is bountyful and bargain-priced, freeze some for later. Chopping up fresh herbs then putting them into bags, or blanching peas first, keeps maximum nutrition for the off-season months to come. It’s a simple strategy, but it transforms how much you waste.
To eat seasonally is as much a matter of the senses as it is economics. When you match your meal plan to the calendar, you begin to notice the small changes in flavor that mark each new day and time of year. Craving the first tender pea of spring or the last sweet plum of fall. The year begins to turn, and the food tell you so if only you’re willing to listen.