My daughter’s 2 year birthday cake.
Raspberries in January.
January of last year, raspberries adorned my daughter’s 2nd birthday cake. She is a berry fiend, with raspberries being her favorite.
I knew the chocolate layer cake bordered with raspberries would be a smashing success for her special day, and I was right.
We all enjoyed the birthday celebrations, so what’s wrong with raspberries in January? They were organic, after all.
Well, nothing really is wrong with it. It’s not useful or helpful to moralize food choices. But there are consequences to consistently choosing foods grown out of season and far away.
Raspberries don’t grow in January, at least not here in Idaho. Those raspberries were picked, likely before fully ripened, and shipped from Chile or Mexico. We also know that most produce loses 30% of nutrients 3 days after harvest.That’s a long trip that requires a lot of resources to deliver a sub-par product.
The raspberries are a symptom of something that’s been lost: seasonality.
“The first supermarket supposedly appeared on the American landscape in 1946. That is not very long ago. Until then, where was all the food? Dear folks, the food was in homes, gardens, local fields, and forests. It was near kitchens, near tables, near bedsides. It was in the pantry, the cellar, the backyard.”
The majority of shoppers don’t consider seasonality when shopping at grocery stores, because it’s incredibly convenient that we can eat what we want when we want it.
However, reclaiming seasonality in our lives by leaning into the current season has many benefits for our health and wellbeing.
Fall on the farm, 2021.
Benefits of Embracing Seasonal Eating
Less exposure to plant toxins like lectins, oxalates, phytic acid. Sally Norton has an excellent lecture from the Ancestry Foundation about how the loss of seasonality is affecting our oxalate exposure
Less exposure to harmful agricultural chemicals, since food grown out of season is often treated with chemicals to help the plant adjust to growing in an unnatural season
Improved digestion in colder months, when body needs additional support (as body is using more energy to stay warm and keep immune system functioning)
More nutrition, it doesn’t get better than fresh-picked and local
Autumn hallmarks cozy, nurturing, warming, happy memory foods.
Autumn is the time to celebrate the end of harvest and readying for winter ahead.
Nourishing our bodies with rich broths and hearty root vegetables and squashes deeply nurtures our spirits and gives us sustained energy in the colder months. Our bodies can lean into the rhythm of autumn, the slowing down of life, when we support ourselves with autumnal foods.
The foods of autumn have the vitamins and minerals we need to live well during the autumn season.
Embracing the fall season with these foods allows our bodies to live in harmony with nature and feel at peace and to experience the joys of fall.
Penny and Luna, Saint John’s cows.
Autumn Foods in Idaho
Roots: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets
Winter squash, pumpkins
Alliums: onions, garlic, leeks
Celery, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower
Mushrooms
Apples, pears, quince
Learn more about what’s in season for you from this interactive Seasonal Food Guide.