Seasonal Foods
One of the most important things to learn with frugality is to look at what is available when planning a meal instead of 'what do I feel like eating.' When it comes to fresh produce, what I feel like eating is berries, in and out of season, but out of season they can be five dollars a pound, while apples are about a dollar a pound right now (and they keep better, too, although that doesn't come into the equation since we would eat any berries we bought on the same day we bought them). Sometimes frozen produce is a good buy, and it's definitely a better nutritional bang than canned. But by and large, planning your menu should be based on the season rather than what you have a hankering for (unless you're pregnant. I would never come between a pregnant woman and her cravings).
Trying to eat what's in season is healthy, and it's also good for the pocket book, as seasonal foods tend to be the better buys in the produce department. In North America in November, those foods would include:
Brussels sprouts, cranberries, parsnips, turnips, butternut squash, carrots, kale, onions, potatoes, apples, pears, and pumpkins. I will share an idea or two for preparing each of these below.
My favorite way to cook and eat Kale is here.
I like to combine cranberries and pears for an easy cobbler- slice the pears, mix with cranberries and sugar and a bit of cinnamon, top with a mixture of oats, brown sugar, butter, and pie spices, and bake.
I like parsnips diced and fried in butter (none of my family like them at all). Turnips are nice grated in a slaw or salad or diced in stews. The INgalls family munched on them raw, like apples.
Turnip Slaw
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper (we have used green, and we also buy bags of frozen chopped peppers in the winter and just use some of that)
1/4 cup green onions, thinly snipped with scissors
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups of grated turnips- peel them (remember to slice the tops to grow more turnip greens) and grate them (I use my food processor)
Mix all ingredients except the turnips, then pour the mixture over your grated turnips and mix well. This serves four.
Butternut squash is good in soup.
Carrots are easy to prepare. One main dish recipe I've enjoyed in the past is carrot-bean croquettes:
Serving Size : 35 (no that's not a typo)
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
10 medium onions -- grated
10 cups pinto beans, cooked -- mashed
15 cups raw carrots -- grated
5 cups bread crumbs
4 teaspoons sage
salt -- to taste
flour -- for breading
3 whole egg -- beaten
garlic powder -- to taste
onion powder -- to taste
Combine first four ingredients well. Form into patties- about 72. Coat in
flour; dip in egg roll in a mixture of 1/2 flour and 1/2 bread crumbs and garlic
and onion powder.
Bake at 375 degrees for ten minutes on a greased cookie sheet. Cool. Wrap in
waxed paper and freeze. Move to baggies or plastic containers or cover in foil.
To serve, thaw, and fry in oil.
NOTES : Serve with ketchup and mustard.
All those root vegetables are good in this roasted vegetable dish- which can be a main dish or a side dish, and is a very good fall meal.
Potatoes we've discussed before, and apples are pretty self-explanatory (although we also enjoy ours in an old pioneer dish of fried onions and apples with a bit of cheese).
Brussels Sprouts- I have an unfailing recipe for these. They are perfect every time. I scrape my steamed, buttered, and salted sprouts onto my husband's plate. He loves them, and I do not, and this makes us both happy.
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3 Responses to “Seasonal Foods”
November 14th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
One of the things I like about NZ is that tis’ definitely easier to eat seasonally — seeing as how we’re islands, the prices for non-seasonal foods are extremely more than I’m willing to pay, rather than moderately more than I’m willing to pay.
As to winter veg, pumpkin is a staple in kiwi homes, usually steamed or roasted or in soup. But it’s not used it in pies or sweet things very much. However because the carb count is very low I make “pumpkin custard” for one of my clients who is diabetic — basically pumpkin pie without crust. I boil some pumpkin until soft, then blend it with eggs (1-2), a little bit of oil, sugar substitute, and whatever spices we have on hand. Bake until set and refrigerate until cold. He loves it, and we love that he can have a treat which doesn’t knock his BSLs out of whack.
November 15th, 2008 at 1:45 am
I’ve made something like that in the microwave. I also add a bit of cream cheese to it sometimes for something like pumpkin cheesecake.
I also like pumpkin sliced and stirfried with onions and tomatoes, seasoned with peanuts. That’s an old African dish.
January 24th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
G’day
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