Cooking and Eating with the Seasons--why's, whuh's, when's and how's

Food is the most direct way we connect with the natural world: we ingest some of our environment a few times a day and make it into us. Eating what’s in season is the best way to stay in tune with external cycles and promote good health. It’s also the most sustainable way to eat, since locally-grown foods don’t require long-distance shipping. All this has become familiar green-movement mantra by now, but I want to contribute another perspective on why it matters what we eat when. I know it’s fall now, but I just wrote this for another purpose and the most natural starting place is in the spring, so work with me!
In the spring, our systems are as ready for a good cleaning as our closets tend to be after a long, dark, heavy winter and its typical dearth of fresh food. Nature supplies the antidote for wintry stagnation in the form of fresh, bitter greens that are among the first things to grow, often as early as late March. Dandelions, nettles, cleavers and dock leaves are some of the classic spring greens, and their lively bitterness will probably taste wonderful with minimal dressing up. Just saute or steam them briefly, adding a sprinkle of salt or some garlic. They’re great en masse on their own, or as part of soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, whatever.
Later in the spring asparagus makes its appearance, and praise the lord. This is one of the most delicious foods there is if it’s fresh and well-prepared, and it’s both highly nourishing and detoxifying. It’s perfectly suited for everybody, all the time: tridoshic, in Ayurvedic terms. One of my favorite ways to prepare it is to broil it: Snap each spear where it breaks naturally and discard the fat ends. Lightly coat the spears with oil, place on a tray, sprinkle with salt and perhaps some garlic and broil them for a few minutes. The same basic technique can be done in a large skillet. You’ll want at least half a pound per person.
Besides bitter green things, the other flavor that does us right this time of year is pungent: anything with some spice or heat to it. Another classic “spring tonic” food that falls into this category is ramps, the wild leeks that pop up in damp, rich woodlands in late spring. They help expel any lingering dampness in the system while replenishing us with their abundant vitamins and minerals. Some other classic springtime rejuvenators: sassafras, dock, nettles, and chicory.
As the weather warms up in June, the focus turns from our springtime preoccupation with ridding ourselves of wintry sludge and loading up on fresh bitter things to simply keeping cool. This of course is the season for cold food (or, at least, room temperature food), cucumbers, watermelon, and lemonade. It’s a good time to avoid heavy, greasy or fried things, too much salt and much alcohol and instead focus on all the wonderful produce that’s out there in the garden or at the farmers market. In addition to light, fresh vegetables, either cooked or in salads, seasonal fruit and berries are ideal food at this time of year. So are all the multitudes of wild edibles waiting in the fields and forests: milkweed buds, chanterelles, _____.
With the first hint of a chill in the air, it’s time to think about nourishing ourselves for the upcoming fall. Along with cold, autumn brings dryness. It’s a time of motion--think of wind and swirling leaves--and contraction. Our bodies tend to tighten up--we ourselves contract to maintain our warmth. The key to transitioning happily into fall is then to nourish, ground, and warm ourselves. Late season vegetables like cauliflowers and potatoes are appropriate, cooked now instead of in salads, and more lavishly furnished with oils and cheeses. Nuts are a great food for the fall, as we build up our bodily stores for winter, and whole grains are a must. But the kings of autumn edibles are the true root vegetables: beets, turnips, rutabaga, onions and leeks, celeriac, parsnips, sweet potatoes and carrots. They provide nourishing starches and building protein along with rich stores of vitamins, and they are all warming. They’re also infinitely versatile: roasted, stewed, sauteed, or mashed. Winter squash is almost like a root veggie in its qualities and can be treated similarly--like them it needs some butter to balance out its roughness and bring out its full nourishing nature. This is a good time to cut back on stimulants like coffee or tea, which tend to counter the slowing, building, grounding process we need to cultivate at this time.
Now is the most appropriate season for heavier, fattier meats like pork, beef and duck. There’s a fine line between nourishing ourselves generously and clogging ourselves up with too much fat, however, so keep portion sizes reasonable and cook everything well. Meat is easier to digest when stewed slowly with herbs and spices (think crock pot). The same holds true for vegetable and grain-based dishes: it’s all less burdensome on our digestive systems if we do some pre-digesting by means of cooking. This helps us reserve energy and blood circulation for other things, like keeping us free of the colds and flus that start to circulate this time of year. A great technique to keep in mind during flu season is kichari, an Indian-style one-pot meal of grains, legumes, and vegetables. The original version uses rice and split mung beans (mung dal), but local versions made with barley, beans, etc. can be equally delicious and more appropriate for Northern bodies.
Even though apples and pears ripen at this time of year, they’re more balancing for most people when cooked. As winter comes on, however, the fresh crispness of a cold-stored apple can be just what the doctor ordered (or didn’t have to).
Winter is in many ways the hardest season to think about eating locally during, at least until one remembers the variety of vegetables that keep for months in a cellar or even outside, under the snow. Besides root crops and squashes, there are hardy greens like collards and kale, and even fresh things like belgian endive to provide that missing crunch. (Belgian endive can be grown in a dark room, in a box of sand, and will keep producing its blanched young leaves for salads all winter). The summer’s garlic crop is as welcome now is it was during the fall, for improving digestion and immunity and adding some life to bland starchy foods.
Once the days start to lengthen again, the natural imperative shifts from staying warm and nourished to lightening up a bit. Before those first spring greens appear, you can start the lightening process by making sprouts out of alfalfa, fenugreek, mustard and other sprouting seeds. Adding pungent herbs and spices--most anything aromatic, from mustard and horseradish to black pepper and cinnamon and oregano and rosemary helps with digestion, which can be sluggish after months of eating heavily. Soon enough you’ll be blessed with the sight of those first spring greens again.