Sunday, April 26

Seasonal cooking

We're all pretty aware that we 'should' be eating seasonally but if youre anything like me you're not getting seasonal chow at a loca vore restaurant every day. You're doing it at home, pretty much everyday, working out how to make another piece of pumpkin or those greens interesting. Seasonal consumption assumes purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables and nuts and therefore implicates doing something with the stuff. It also assumes you know what is seasonal; an art of discernment which i think is probably lost on everyone who doesnt grow their own food; most are pretty out of touch with what produce in the shops is actually in season. I think the farmers market phenomenon helps incredibly with seasonal eating- if its not in the market it aint being grown! but if you're stuck in the supermarkets...

Good food, interesting food and healthy food as well as using seasonal stuff is my general kitchen aim but when faced with a glut of a few staple foods it gets pretty tricky to do new and interesting things that are also easy. Not another baked veg!!So my challenge to myself this next week or two is to do a few new meals using seasonal vegetables -ones that home growers and farmers market goers will probably have too much of (or can easily get) and are in serious need of some new ideas on how to use them, and post them.

They will be vegetarian which means healthier due to lower fat content, higher in fibre and much much lower in energy expenditure as they will be based around a local seasonal veg. as the main ingredient. Aim: to use up your glut!

I have however been fantasising about a warming beef ragu served on homemade fettucine *sigh*, roast chicken stuffed with lemon and herbs (sheesh-possibly i will do something with a free range organic bird).

Stay tuned.

6 comments:

Minni Mum said...

Ooh, ooh, let me know how chicken turns out - I just bought a whole organic chook this morning and am contemplating flavours, and my lemons are just coming in.

Veggie Gnome said...

Julie, you can't go wrong with lemon and herbs! You can also get some zest and chopped herbs, mix with softened butter, salt & pepper and push that mixture underneath the skin. Plus the lemon halves and whole herbs in the cavity. Plus lots of veg around to roast along with the chook.

Kel, risotto with seasonal veg is always special. So is pasta. But you know that. :) Do you like couscous? With roasted veg?
It'll be interesting to see what you come up with.

Pip said...

Now I'm hungry, even though I have just eaten. Couscous with roasted veges, yum, we have that a bit and I also scatter some feta and lots of chopped parsley on top. I'm sometimes quite lazy and just make soup from whatever veges are around, this weekend: fennel, leek and potato soup and fresh bread.
Pip

Anonymous said...

Yes please ! Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I don't suppose you have any ideas re luttuce? We eat lots of salad but have such a glut of lettuce at the moment I just fed 5 to the chooks.

You are so right re how hard it is to work out what is in season when shopping at the supermaarket. Thats one of the reasons I love farmers markets!

Cheers,
Tricia

Katrine said...

I'm really looking forward to reading what you come up with!
I live in an apartment on north tce and am not keen on eating plants that have soaked up bus exhaust fumes, so my balcony is exculsivley for succulents, geraniums and plastic pink flamingos, and i remain a step out of touch with what's in season.
I love the farmers market, but often look at my goodies after a sunday morning shop and don't know quite what to cook so some more seasonal suggestions would be wonderful!
thank you!

Kelly said...

julie- ohh yes, veggies suggestion to stuff the herbs under the breast skin is my fave way of doing chook -ala jamie oliver.

veggie - *s8gh* as always food is an ongoing problem here. one kids like risotto the other gags on it, one loves soup, the other hates it ( one is brunette one is red head) soo different. Both however love couscous and polenta! refreshed some ideas, thanks.

pip- aha- couscous with herbs and feta added- that would go down very well here! thank you!

tricia- ahhh, a lettuce glut- other than salad id be feeding to the chooks too!! you can cook lettuce but iceberg mainly, havent heard of cooking with other types. will scout around, im intrigued.

katrine- great location but yup, you cant grow food. you could do some window sill herbs? Hopefully you will find some useful ideas here.

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