For most people, cooking and eating what is in season might seem like a normal thing. But let me start explaining that where I come from (Panama), is not exactly common. Yes, we have seasonal fruits and vegetables like everybody, but at the same time, we import a lot of food. We are used to see in the supermarket food that comes from all over the world, and we are used to eat very often food that doesn´t even grow in Panama, for example apples. Year round you have apples from Chile, apples from USA. Even food that grows locally like lettuce, you can choose from local lettuce or lettuce from USA or hydroponic lettuce, and there is not a big difference in the price, so basically we don´t pay attention to which food is in season and which one is not. Unless we talk about avocados.
Anyways, I learned in Italy to buy fruit and vegetables by season like everybody else does, and I am very grateful for that. You go in any supermarket, and depending on the season you will find mountains of produce of a certain kind, and then the next month, a totally different mountain of produce. I remember when I started seeing a lot a kale everywhere last year in winter, and kale here costs nothing compared to Panama so we bought it every week. Then suddenly, no kale. And so on.
Supermarkets here offer seasonal produce in big quantities from local farmers, or you can buy them directly from the farmer at the local weekly market; this way of consuming produce allows you to spend less money on food and, at the same time, acquire fruit and vegetables at their peak, because they are harvested when they are ripe and ready. If I buy a banana here (they come from Ecuador by the way) I know that banana was harvested green and then packed and shipped to Italy, getting ripe in a box, not on the plant; when you eat that banana, it tastes like nothing. But if I buy a tomato, I know that tomato was on the plant just a few days ago, and you can tell the difference in the flavor.
There you have two of the most important benefits of eating seasonal produce:
Costs less
Tastes better
I am sure there are a lot more, nutritionally speaking, andalso economic benefits for the local farmers, and benefits for the environment.
A few days ago, driving through the region of Pergine Valsugana, we saw every 2 kms somebody selling potatoes and apples.
Trucks full of potatoes and apples. We had already a lot of potatoes and apples at home but if not, I would have stopped. Now I am revisiting all the recipes I have made before with potatoes, wondering which one should I do now? We will see.
The possibilities of potatoes are endless: potato salad, gnocchi, stew, curry, fritters, soups, fries, baked, puree, etc. Just a little imagination and you can do everything. Personally, I will recommend to do gnocchi. Is not so difficult (really, it's not) and you can make a lot, then freeze them.
The basic gnocchi recipe calls for: 2 medium potatoes boiled and mashed, 2 cups of flour, 1 egg, and a little salt. Easy!
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