By Rebekah Froggatt
As the Earth takes its trip around the Sun, we are witness to the beautiful seasons that come and go each time. Nearly all of us have our favorite season, mine being Autumn, and we divulge ourselves with things that represent it. Spring has its magic, as mother nature begins to wake up after a long winter’s rest; Summer has its warm temperatures and blooming flowers; Autumn has its cozy spiced atmosphere, and Winter lays its white and fluffy blanket of snow over us all. The seasons are truly magical. But there’s more to know about the seasons, and what they can offer us, especially in terms of food. This is what is known as Seasonal Eating.
What is seasonal eating? It’s not something that most people are aware of or know a lot about but it can have a real positive effect on you. Seasonal eating is where you allow mother nature to decide on what fruit and vegetables you eat, depending on what grows during a certain season.
Why should you do this? Eating foods that are within season means that you are consuming tastier, fresher and more nutritious foods. Now, there are foods that are being grown all over the world, and it would be very easy to head over to your local supermarket and buy the foods that you wish. However, many foods that are not in season tend to have extra pesticides and preservatives on them to keep them fresher for longer, and this is not very healthy. Eating seasonally also focuses on locally sourced food, so this means you will be supporting your local community.
The moment a piece of fruit or veg is dug up or taken from a tree, it begins to lose its goodness. So if you’re getting your preservations from Spain, that won’t have many nutrients to offer compared to those locally sourced. And why would you want to spend your money on food that isn’t giving you the most? Eating seasonally will save you money, this is because when foods are not in season, they tend to cost more money due to shipping and getting them from other countries.
This lifestyle is also kinder to the planet. Our world goes through so much on a daily basis, and when mother nature comes to us with fresh, tasty sourced food that she has created for us, it would be rude to not take it. It’s exciting! And to help you out, I’ve made a list of Winter Soups that are made from vegetables that are in season right now, click on the links to find the recipes.
Winter Soups