Connecting to the land through the plate
By Callie Forsythe
The crisp snap of asparagus fresh from the ground, the sweet explosion of a cherry tomato just picked from the vine, a carrot – mild and sweet – pulled from the overwintered earth. While these veggies can now be found any time of the year at the supermarket, there is another level of joy and deliciousness found when they are harvested in season and enjoyed directly from the garden or a local farm.
While seasonal eating is not a new concept by any means – it was the only way to eat for centuries before our modern era made large-scale food processing and supply chains a possibility – it has been having a renaissance of sorts over the last few years as people become more connected to their local food systems and are aware of the difference between produce that is mass-produced and shipped across the country/world versus that which is grown in their own backyard and communities.
While I had been hearing these buzzwords about seasonal eating and loved to support local farmers when I could, it was not until I spent time WWOOFing that I truly understood the beauty of seasonal eating. Spending time on small-scale farms in the United States and Europe where the vegetables for your meals are harvested an hour before you eat, the meat is from the farm down the road, the eggs are from the neighbor’s chickens, and most of the food on the table is sourced from your farm or within a small nearby radius gave me a new appreciation for local food. I observed the beauty of local seasonal food, not only in the delicious taste of the meals but through the love and care that comes from small-scale producers.
WWOOFing allowed me to experience this in a way that living in a city and going to a farm-to-table restaurant never could. You see – the joy that came from the food was so much more than the taste. It was the pride of the grower, from the legacy of the 5th-generation farmer to the eager excitement of a new family homestead. The fresh energy and care are translated into the food in a way that the massive monoculture farms that produce much of the food in our groceries and restaurants are not capable of.
So whether you are growing your own produce, sourcing from nearby farms and grocery stores, or even WWOOFing this summer – take time to consider the seasonality of the produce you are using. How the flavors of foods that grow-together go-together, the taste of vegetables grown in their proper season versus out of season, and even the vibrancy of the colors of local fresh produce on your plate. When we slow down to consider and appreciate our food, we also often slow down to consider and appreciate our lives. Something that we can all use more of in this day and age.
Seasonal Eating Cookbook Recommendations
A few books to inspire seasonal eating at its best.
- Six Seasons of Vegetables by Joshua McFadden
- The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
- Local Dirt: Seasonal Recipes for Eating Close to Home by Andrea Bemis
- A Dish for All Seasons by Kathryn Pauline
