Today I want to introduce a concept to you that you’ve probably read about, but don’t consciously think too much about – and you really should.

Seasonal eating.

What is seasonal eating?  Well, it’s creating and eating meals based around the fruits and vegetables that are “in season” where you live.  To put it even more simply, you eat things that you would grow or find in your garden or at your local farmer’s market at specific times of the year.

Think about it.  When do tomatoes taste the best?  At the height of summer, when they have rested through long hot days on the vine, turning a beautiful crimson.  They are flavorful and juicy – just as they should be.  Now think of those tomatoes you may buy at the grocery store in February.  They are bland, pale, flavorless – and expensive.  Do you know why?

Because they aren’t in season.

The tomato you buy in February is grown in far-away locations like South America or Southeast Asia, then shipped thousands of miles to get to your grocery store.  It has also spent several weeks in a shipping container, on a truck, or in a railcar, so it was picked green – way before it was really ripe – so it could still be considered “fresh” when you pick it out at the market.  So that tomato may look red and ready, but the first bite will tell you it is completely different from that tomato you picked from your garden in late July.

The convenience of the modern grocery store has literally destroyed seasonal eating.  Let’s take oranges as an example.  You can go to the grocery store right now and get one (or a whole bag).  Now think about your grandparents.  Do you know when they got to eat them?  They got a single orange in their stocking every year at Christmas time when they were kids.  It was considered an exotic luxury.  Do you know why?  Because that’s the only time of year they could get them relatively cheap (even though they came from Florida – back then it was still expensive to get them shipped to Maryland).

That brings us to the second reason to eat seasonally.  Not only is the flavor of the specific item better, but it’s also noticeably cheaper to eat those fruits and vegetables when they are abundant and local.  Transportation costs are lower to get them to market, the produce is fresher (due to the shorter distance traveled in shipping), and they taste better (because they were allowed to mature to their peak flavor before being picked).

Listed below are some charts that list when fruits and vegetables are in season for the state of Maryland:

 

Next time you’re at the grocery store, add some seasonal produce to your cart and utilize the fruits and vegetables that are at their peak for your fall menu planning.  You’ll notice a taste difference (as well as price difference).  Before you know it, you too will be a convert to the joys of seasonal eating!