Cooking and eating foods from the bounty of each season
is a concept to
be savored and adapted into our lifestyles. With each new season search
out fruits and vegetables, fish and meats, that are grown caught and
raised as close to where you live as possible so you can cook with each
of your seasons’ freshest bounty.
Spring…in
the Northeast the first signs of growth are the ramps, fiddleheads
and rhubarb, followed by asparagus, peas and the beginnings of lush
new growth of all herbs and vegetables. The sprouting buds
on fruit trees which will turn into peaches or cherries is magical.
Summer…seek
out farmers’ markets or take a drive to find roadside farm stands to buy
just picked locally grown corn, heirloom tomatoes, peaches and other
fruits and vegetables of every variety, conventional and organic, some
of which are found at your favorite food stores. Find a local farm that
allows you to pick your own fruits and savor the flavor of real food.
Autumn…an
abundance of the remaining crops of summer extend into this season as
well, depending on which region of the U.S. you live in. This season
also has its own bounty of foods that thrive in cooler weather such as
broccoli and cauliflower, squashes, and root vegetables, apples and
pears of many varieties, fresh figs and grapes.
Winter…the
size and diversity of climates in each region of the USA allows for areas
that continue to grow a bounty of fruits and vegetables while in the
bitter cold Midwest and Northeast of the country where the growing season has
ended, the winter months abound with onions, cabbages, potatoes, root
vegetables, apples, pears and more which have been grown in the summer
and autumn and then stored for use in the winter months.