Seasonal eating is a delightfully romantic thought in a prosaic world, but is seasonal food worth it? It turns out that seasonal food not only tastes better than non-seasonal food, it is better for you and the environment too. Before we look at the benefits, we should be clear what we are talking about.
Seasonal and local
There are two concepts out there when it comes to seasonal food: “Global seasonality” and “local seasonality”. Global seasonality refers to food that is produced according to the normal production season but which then may be consumed anywhere in the world. This might mean someone in Australia eating a navel orange in December from Florida. That orange would technically be “in season”, but the distance it has travelled would negate the environmental advantages and possibly the nutritional benefits of seasonal food as well. It would certainly undermine any community-building benefits.
Local seasonality is more likely what you think of when you think of seasonal food and refers to food consumed in the natural production season and within the same climatic zone. In this scenario, you eat navel oranges in Australia when they grow in Australia (from March to August). Even within Australia though, food produced in season may travel many miles to get to you, so for the environmental advantages of seasonal food to apply you really need to eat local and seasonal.
Built for seasonal eating
This story is from the Issue #34, 2020 edition of Eat Well.
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This story is from the Issue #34, 2020 edition of Eat Well.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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ARE YOU TO FU enough?
Love it or hate it, everyone has an opinion about tofu. Tofu is a very popular plant-based protein for vegans and vegetarians, but now this humble bean curd is starting to shine for meat lovers too as an alternative source of protein.
Sweet TRAYBAKES
Whether you want to feed a group of people or make a batch of treats for the week, traybaking is a no-fuss way to cook up something sweet and easy that will please everyone. Your family and friends will love you when you offer them some of our: cinnamon scrolls; fruity chocolate; espresso brownies; lemon & coconut slice; or ginger cake with brown butter frosting.
ROLL UP
When you roll food, whether in Lebanese bread, a thin pancake or whatever you choose, you can create a parcel of nutrition that is perfectly suited to your own tastes and needs. Here are some roll-up recipes that will suit every occasion including: mango, snow pea, & sprout rice paper rolls; oat crepes with coconut yoghurt & mixed berries; or beef meatball & tzatziki flatbreads.
RICE BOWL Lunches
If you are working from home, or even enjoying your weekend, and lunchtime rolls around but you have no plans for lunch, then a rice bowl is an ideal saviour.
PLANT-BASED PIES
Pies are a piece of gastronomic brilliance: a filling with a case and lid you can eat is food genius. The first pies date back to Egyptian times and there is a recipe for chicken pie that was carved into stone more than 4000 years ago. For millennia, however, the pie casing was mostly used to cook the filling, but for around 500 years or more we have been eating the pie crust too.
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Decipher the deeper causes of your cravings and discover tricks to curtail them.
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Eggplant is a wonderful option for vegans and vegetarians, extremely nutritious and highly versatile in the kitchen.
5 PANTRY SAVIOURS
Whether you're cooking a simple breakfast or something more exotic, here are five pantry food staples you should have on hand to cook plenty of delicious meals in the comfort of your own home.
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
Cucumbers are delicious fresh but they also offer plenty more options in the kitchen.
Our Chefs
Meet the chefs who bring this issue's recipes to you: Lisa Guy, Georgia Harding, Lee Holmes, Sammy Jones, Raquel Neofit, Naomi Sherman and Ames Starr.
