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You Can Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
By Eating Seasonally!
" Hey Mom,
What are We Going to Have for Dinner? " An often asked question and more than often a hard answer as one soon get too tired to come up
with great ideas or are tired to prepare a nutritious meal.
Then someone suggested that I try to eat seasonally. Eat seasonally, I mused.
That would be a lot easier to do than try to come up with new ideas every day. All I had to do is
follow what was seasonally readily available and just buy and cook what the seasons provided.
Living in Eastern Ontario Canada is a far cry from living in California or Florida where fresh fruits and vegetables seem to be readily available all year round. But here what does
one do?
Did you know that you can
still enjoy locally grown produce during the off season?
Check out the Brockville
Farmers' Market Vendors Page and see who provides preserves
some will even deliver them in the off market season when you
order on-line. Check
Out the Brockville Farmers' Market Harvest Chart
Here are a few suggestions to get your started:
As
springtime approaches in the northern hemisphere, many of us turn our
thoughts to gardens. We pore over seed catalogs, organize pots, place
orders, and wait for the ground to thaw.
Fall brings
the opportunity to evaluate the year’s harvest and make plans for what
to grow next year. For some, myself included, the prospect of growing a
large portion of our food is very rewarding.
The
produce is eaten fresh throughout the growing season or may be canned or
frozen for winter consumption. For many, eating with the seasons is a way
of life. Eating seasonally benefits the individual, the family, the larger
community, and the environment. For those who are not gardeners,
farmers’ markets and other local vendors provide a bountiful array of
seasonal fruits and vegetables of which everyone can take advantage.
Fresh Produce found on the Brockville
Farmers' Market
When
produce is trucked across country for out of season distribution (tomatoes
in winter, for example), its nutritive value declines. Many vegetables
that are shipped long distances are picked early or sprayed to delay
ripening. Eating locally grown food can help limit exposure to chemicals
and lend support to small regional farms.
Nothing
that can compare to the freshness of a hand picked tomato from your garden
or peas from the farmers’ market. If you grow your own fruits and
vegetables without using chemical sprays, you don’t need to peel them.
Leaving the peels on fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, apples, and
potatoes, adds important minerals, vitamins, and fiber to our diets. Each
region has different fruits and vegetables that are in season throughout
the year.
Freshly
Harvested Carrots and Beets found
at the Brockville Farmers' Market
Eating
seasonally means not eating fresh tomatoes, peas, zucchini, and peppers in
winter. It means focusing on the outstanding selection of foods that are
available throughout each season. It is exciting to wait for asparagus,
rhubarb, beans and peas in the spring; cucumbers, berries, and corn in the
summer; winter squash and apples in the fall; and root vegetables in the
winter. Freezing
or canning can help provide your family with summer foods, like tomatoes
or string beans, in winter. Combine all of this with regional products
such as local meats, cheeses, maple syrup, and honey, and you have a
well-stocked regional and seasonal kitchen!
How
To - Canning & Preserving
Research
indicates that a diet high in fruits and vegetables plays a role in the
prevention of heart disease, certain cancers, obesity, and other diseases.
Incorporation of these beneficial foods can help reduce the incidence of
illness and assists the nursing and pregnant woman in achieving a diet
that is beneficial for both herself and her baby.
Throughout
the year, the seasonal eater is exposed to a whole variety of different
fruits and vegetables. A person who is not a seasonal eater may fall into
a cycle of consuming the same foods throughout the year, with little
diversity. Different plant parts are consumed when one eats
seasonally.
Fresh Raspberries as found at the Brockville
Farmers' Market  In
the spring, leaf or stalk parts are generally eaten. This may include
lettuce, spinach, rhubarb, or asparagus.
In
summer, fruit parts dominate and may include berries, tomatoes, peppers,
and melons. In
fall, look for leaves, fruits, and roots in items such as apples, leeks,
potatoes, and kale. Beets, onions, and carrots (root parts) may be the
focus of the menus during winter months. How does one get started with
seasonal eating? How can the transition be made to eating foods that have
fewer pesticides, spend less time in refrigeration, and are more
nutritious? 
A
potpourri of vegetables found at the Brockville Farmers' Market Know
What You are Eating - NutritionData.com
During the summer, buy produce from roadside stands, local farms, or
farmers’ markets. Look for foods labeled “local.” Ask your grocery
store to carry locally grown foods. Visit food cooperatives which often
carry locally grown produce, cheeses, grains, and meats.
During the winter months, include potatoes, winter squash, beets, kale,
apples, garlic, and other seasonal foods. Winter squash can be cut open
and baked with currants, a little butter, maple syrup, and nutmeg in the
center—delicious! Be open to trying new foods like parsnips, celeriac
(tastes like celery, but it is a root), or Jerusalem artichokes (taste
like water chestnuts).
Buy in bulk during summer and can or freeze the produce. Every year, I can
or freeze a variety of items for winter use. Some of those include:
tomatoes, berries, peaches, beets, and applesauce. What a treat to have
peaches in February when there is a foot of snow on the ground. Many farms
have a variety of berries you can pick yourself. It is quick and easy to
freeze berries for the winter. Just place them on a cookie sheet and pop
in the freezer. After they are frozen, store them in freezer bags. 
Sweet Corn
found at the Brockville Farmers' Market Eating
seasonally encourages creative cooking. What does one do with all those
beets? It is fun to utilize the foods from each season into new and
interesting dishes. I have a favorite dish I only make in the peak of
summer that uses many fresh summer vegetables. It just wouldn’t be the
same if I made this dish throughout the year with out-of-season produce.
Try the following for easy ways to start “seasoning” your
kitchen:
Eat local fruit salad—top it with yogurt for breakfast or with whipped
cream for dessert.
Too much zucchini? Peel the zucchini with a potato peeler. Then use the
peeler to peel the zucchini all the way down to the seeds. This will leave
you with a pile of thinly sliced strips that, when cooked, can take the
place of pasta. Toss the strips with sautéed onions, tomatoes, mushrooms,
garlic, and peppers; add Parmesan or Canadian Feta cheese to the top. You can use
five or six zucchini easily this way. Grill the many available
summertime vegetables (peppers are outstanding when grilled!). Just brush
the vegetables with olive oil and place on the grill, turning frequently.
Use local herbs to season foods throughout the growing season. Try
basil with tomatoes and balsamic vinegar or parsley with a cucumber and
grain salad. Many herbs are very easy to grow. 
Fresh
Herbs at the Brockville Farmers' Market
Sauté mustard, dandelion or other greens with garlic, onions, salt, and pepper.
Serve as a side dish or over pasta or rice.
Of course, don’t forget smoothies! What a great way to combine the many
fruits of summer with other healthy ingredients. Just throw whatever takes
your fancy in the blender, starting with fruit and adding items such as
milk/soymilk, nutmeg or cinnamon, tofu, seeds, vanilla, and/or cottage
cheese. You’ll end up with a cooling, refreshing, not to mention
nutritious, drink! Be creative! There are many options for utilizing
seasonal food selections in smoothies.
Forgo the lettuce in winter. Make a salad out of grated cabbage, carrots,
celery, and mushrooms and toss in other ingredients such as apples,
crumbly cheese, sunflower seeds, and/or toasted nuts. 
Zuchinni
both green and yellow found at the
Brockville Farmers' Market
Crank up the crock pot and make potato and leek soup in the fall.
Make chili with those canned tomatoes! Tomatoes are a great source of
vitamin C. Use ground turkey or tofu instead of beef to lower the fat.
Include a variety of beans. Try
a “root crop” soup with carrots, parsnips, and potatoes in winter. For
protein, add meat or tofu. Many herbs, such as parsley, sage, and oregano,
are accessible into winter or can be brought into the house in pots until
spring. Flavor the soup with different herbs.
A wonderful dish in winter is roasted root crop vegetables. Cut up beets,
parsnips, potatoes, onions, and carrots. Toss with olive oil or canola oil
and place in
a single layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and add bay
leaves on top. Bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees F and then for another
20-30 minutes at 350 degrees F. When they are tender, remove from the oven
and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Outstanding! 
Great
Cabbage is Grown and Sold at
the Brockville Farmers' Market Look
for cook books that have recipes categorized by the season—there are
many.
A local arboretum, horticultural society, or gardening club may also
provide such information,
and you may find friends with gardens. I
love seasonal eating because I know it benefits the health of my family,
my community, and the environment. Together
the choices we make in our life can create a world that is connected and
healthy.
e-Mail Us Your Considerations for Eating Seasonally and lowering your
Carbon Footprint
to be Published
on the Brockville Farmers' Market Web Site
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