So I know to cook seasonally, but I don't know how to find what is actually in season. I know tomatoes aren't natural in winter, but there must be a resource out there to help us out.
Posted Feb 20, 2010, 4:40 AM UTC
Here's a pretty cool chart. It's from the UK so some things may be slightly different depending on where you are, but it should work as a general guide.
Farmers markets. If a local vendor does have tomatoes right now, it probably means its out of season.
If you scroll down to the bottom, this one gives you a list of what's local and seasonal in your area.
http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/eatseasonal/
you just put in your state and the season and you're golden. I also really like this seasonal eating chart:
http://www.ferryplazafarmersmarket.com/seasonality/charts/vegetable.php
Gives you an idea of what to shop for. If you can, try to also buy local when you're shopping seasonally. The point of shopping seasonally is to get the most nutritional bang for your buck, as well as do better for the environment. So, for example, if turnips are in season, why buy them if they're being shipped from Chile? They lose nutrition in the long-distance travel and the commute from Chile to your dinner table doesn't do the environment any good either.
They also have a great food wheel if you happen to live near SF or NYC: http://www.localfoodswheel.com/
All foods are in season about the same time. lucky for us that time varies around the globe and we have efficient transport.
Well I did mean to cook seasonally in order to avoid some of the impact of importing tomatoes from the southern hemisphere in winter. Not entirely of course, that's a bit unreasonable. But also if I do know what's in season or out I can specifically look for local ingredients when they are in season.
In the winter, nothing much grows. If you want to eat seasonally, store root vegetables, and make preserves.
Otherwise, go to a farmers market and talk to the farmers.
Yeah Winter is a bit tough but I figure that while things are in season during spring/summer/fall I can avoid buying things from thousands of miles away when that ingredient is actually in season and at a market down the road.
I don't think I'll be going for preserves at this point (just starting out really) but maybe a bit later.
Not the same. Many foods that are transported long distances aren't harvested when they're ripe but long before.
Try this, it's an awesome animated map from Epicurious. Only for the USA, but you select the month and state, and it shows what's available
This is awesome, hadn't stumbled upon this one yet. Thanks.