Cooking Seasonal Foods

[lizzief79]

People once only cooked foods that they could get locally and that were in season. As a result of advances in science, transport and technology, people can get pretty much any ingredient at any time of the year. While this has broadened our cooking horizons, many of these ingredients are more expensive. It could also be argued that they are of poorer quality. What do you think? Do you cook only with seasonal ingredients or are you happy to use ingredients from across the globe that are not necessarily in season in your location? Do you think the quality is different and do you end up paying more?

 

[Caribbean girl]

When certain ingredients that I want to use are not in season in my country, I am okay with using ingredients from across the globe. It is true that I end up paying more for these products and the quality is not always the same as what I may get locally. There are times, however, when I may be able to get ingredients from across the globe that are of very good quality, sometimes surpassing what I may get locally, so I do not mind buying these ingredients. However, I do like to support our local market, so that when I need certain products which are available locally at the same time as those that are imported, I would choose the locally produced products over the imported ones.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I refuse to buy foods that have been shipped half way around the world when I know I can get them locally, but I will add that 'only' applies most of the time. I do however purchase items that can't be grown in the UK but I watch their growing seasons carefully and make sure that I only buy them 'in season' for them so when they are at their best. But buying carrots that have been grown in Spain at this time of year, no, that is just daft to me.

 

[Berties]

We hit the farmers market every couple of weeks and there is always a pleasant selection of local vegetables and herbs and selection of poly tunnel goodies,this time of the year we are spoilt with a abundance of fresh produce,with the garden and freezing produce you can eat good local produce all year,we have even picked late strawberries up to the end of October

 

[Diane Lane]

The stores I shop at stock locally grown produce, and we have a long growing season here in Texas, as well as in some other states like California and Florida, but I still see imports year round. I do try to stick to local foods as much as possible, but if I want to eat things I love, such as bananas and avocados, I pretty much have to eat foreign foods. I don't mind out of season produce occasionally, but I don't have the budget to afford those very often.

 

[Bakemehappy]

It is quite sad for me not being able to cook some dish that require an ingredient that is not in season or that could only be found outside of the country. This had made me choose to cook what is in season as opposed to crying over ingredients that are hard to come by. I think it is more practical and healthy if I cook using the ingredients I grew in my garden or those that are grown locally.

 

[L_B]

I prefer to cook things when they are in season. They always taste so much better when they are fresh but for the rest of the year I will use items from around the world that are readily available at the local market or grocery store. Though they still taste good, they are definitely not as flavorful as the in season ones. The growing season is so short here on the east coast so we have to enjoy it while we can. We are just starting to get local produce now and I am so excited about that. This is my favorite time of year. Going to the market is so much fun and I always stock up!

 

[Corzhens]

The seasonal food that we have here are those dishes with ingredients that are seasonal. One such dish is the Sinigang which has tamarind as the main ingredient which only appears in the market during summer. Another seasonal food are dishes with corn because corn usually can be bought only during summer also. However, farmers have new technology now and can plant corn off season so we practically have corn all year round. But with the tamarind, there are flavorings in the packet or sachet... which is not natural.

 

[Bakemehappy]

I got inspired by a Danish chef I saw on TV few years ago. He runs a small restaurant and he prepares his menu on a daily basis and I think that is the unique selling point of his restaurant business. There is a market for it and I am considering maybe to venture in the same direction which is to cook food in season. Whatever is available in the farmers market for example is what I will cook and prepare for my customers.

 

[cupcakechef]

I always try to cook seasonally for a couple of reasons. One - it tastes better. Stuff in season is always better at the time of year that it should be ready (in my opinion, anyway!)

Secondly, it's a ton cheaper to do it that way. If I was buying all out of season produce, it would cost me an arm and a leg because it's usually imported from elsewhere - and that expense adds up!