What is “eating in season”? Simply put, it’s actively choosing foods that are grown and harvested during the current season. Think tomatoes in the peak of summer or fresh winter greens. For most of history, seasonal eating has just been eating, a cycle of growth, harvest and consumption based around what can be grown locally. While most produce is now available at grocery stores year-round, seasonal vegetables and fruits are fresher and more flavorful when consumed during their normal seasonal cycle.
Winter may feel intimidating for seasonal eating: what do you even grow in December? The answer is a wonderful selection of roots, greens, brassicas, and winter squashes! Here at Willowsford Farm, we offer kale, collards, braising greens, spinach, broccoli and broccolini, radishes, beets, carrots, turnips and more…all grown right here in your neighborhood. The cold temperatures do wonders for a crop like spinach, which develops a delicious sweetness in the stems and who could forget our famously frost-kissed carrots?
With January right around the corner, there’s no better time to give seasonal eating a try (a New Years Resolution perhaps?) and we’ve included some fun and easy recipes to get you started. Featured from SimplyEating, a website focused on the simple integration of more nutrient dense foods comes the following two recipes: Kale Pesto Linguine and Beet Hummus. Both are easy to follow recipes with intense color and flavor, you’ll keep both in your recipe box for sure!
Tried one of these recipes? We’d love to see! You can share your seasonal eating journey with us via email (farm@willowsfordfarm.com) or on social media, using the hashtags #willowsfordfarm and #eatinseason.