Nature. Who doesn’t love or need nature? Who doesn’t enjoy the glory of the seasons – year after year! Well, we all do, and we all need it.
While some love nature ‘wild’, the way it comes with bugs and smells, others prefer it ‘civilized’ in forms of sophisticated flower bouquets and delicious smoothies. Some spend their vacation hiking through forests and mountains, while others like to sit on a terrace and contemplate the beauty of a landscape or a sunset.
When we are out and about in the elements, we re-connect through our mind and our bodies to the earth, the universe and to others. Nature, our common good allows us to re-charge our human batteries, nature grounds us, heals us, and leads us back to our common sense and most important, nature feeds us.
In short, we all need nature for our well-being and as our one and only food provider.
Seasonal produce. Eat seasonally ! Yes, we all have heard this a thousand times and we still may buy some blueberries in the winter, if they are available and look good. But there are a couple of good reasons to leave these blueberries on the shelf and pick up seasonal fruit instead.
- They have a better taste and more flavor, and they are therefore more pleasurable.
- Their nutritional value is higher, therefore they are healthier.
- They are definetely better for the environment as they are grown without the help of greenhouses and long-distance transportation.
- They are cheaper, because they are available in abancdance at that moment of the year.
- In short: Combine local and seasonal produce and you have done another great ‘foodstep’ for yourself and the planet!
What is in season? Every two months, I will propose a seasonal shopping list of fruit and vegetables. This list is obviously related to my geographical shopping zone, which is the center of France. So, please check my blog on a regular basis to get the updates.
Early autumn: The summertime in our vegetable gardens is not over yet! We can still enjoy the rich variety of summer fruit and vegetables. Here are some of my favorite fruit and vegetables which you can put on your seasonal shopping list.
Green vegetables: artichokes, broccoli, chard, celery, cabbage, zucchini, watercress, spinach, fennel, green beans, salads, leaks, rocket and more….
Colorful vegetables: beetroot, carrots, red cabbage, pumpkin, butternut, spaghetti zucchini, chanterelle – and more…..
White-ish vegetables: all kind of mushrooms (now is the best moment of the year!), cauliflower, turnips, white beans, corn, shallots, onions, garlic, potatoes, parsnip.
Seasonal vegetables but not in the center of France…Capers, salsify, sweet potatoes, purslane, olives and kohlrabi cabbage. A lot of pulses are ready to be harvested: lentils, red and mung beans, split and chickpeas. (this information is actually not so relevant because they can be easily stored for a long time).
Fruits: The best known seasonal fruits are apples, pears, plums and prunes, together with raspberry and blueberries; and yes the nut season has finally started and we can enjoy fresh hazel and -walnuts.
Seasonal fruit, but not in the center of France: lemon, grapefruit, raisin quince, figue, kaki, grenade, chestnuts, almonds, dates.
Flowers in the month of September and October. We can still find some flowers in our gardens before the beginning of the cold and wet months: the last roses and sunflowers are still blooming and asters, chrysanthemum and dahlia appear in all kind of colors. Enjoy them before we have to buy our bouquets at the florists until next spring.
