This seasonal variety is a great way to get out of a cooking rut. Rather than steaming carrots for the umpteenth time, why not try some sauteed greens with canelli beans and garlic or artichokes braised with garlic and thyme? This week I have 2.5 pounds of Aspargus to cook and plan to make some roasted asparagus as well as Spring vegetable and quinoa pilaf.
Purchasing local, seasonal foods gives you a chance to experiment with new tastes, textures and colors. If you live with someone that is not so adventurous, get them involved in choosing, learning about, and even preparing the new foods.
Last year I got some root vegetables that I had never seen before but the farmer I purchased them from was able to suggest ways to cook them. I was pregnant then, and the pregnancy hormones have wiped out a majority of my memory so now I don't remember what they were or how I cooked them, but I remember being impressed with myself for being able to cook something I knew next to nothing about!
Epicurious.com has an interactive map that shows you what is in season and gives you ideas for each ingredient. It's not fool proof right now it says nothing is in season in Kentucky, but it might be a good place to start to get recipe ideas or even find out what a specific fruit or vegetable is.
I am also going to be planning next week's menu around whatever I pick up at the market on Saturday. This will be somewhat challenging for me as I like to know what I am making before I buy. However without knowing what will be available until I get to the market, I have to be willing to step out of the comfort zone a little!
Do you have any Spring recipes or tips for making the most of seasonal produce? Have you tried anything new recently because it was in season or not used something because it is out of season? I would love to hear from you about how you get creative with seasonal produce!
Epicurious.com has an interactive map that shows you what is in season and gives you ideas for each ingredient. It's not fool proof right now it says nothing is in season in Kentucky, but it might be a good place to start to get recipe ideas or even find out what a specific fruit or vegetable is.
I am also going to be planning next week's menu around whatever I pick up at the market on Saturday. This will be somewhat challenging for me as I like to know what I am making before I buy. However without knowing what will be available until I get to the market, I have to be willing to step out of the comfort zone a little!
Do you have any Spring recipes or tips for making the most of seasonal produce? Have you tried anything new recently because it was in season or not used something because it is out of season? I would love to hear from you about how you get creative with seasonal produce!
Updated: I fixed several formatting issues and added this week's Why Local? Wednesday blog to the Real Food Wednesday blog list...take a few minutes to see what others have posted over there!
2 comments:
The way I'm learning to be creative is by cooking all the recipes in Simply in Season on my blog, as the book focuses on local, seasonal ingredients. Some of the recipes have stretched my imagination; I read it and thought "now how is THAT going to work?' and then it turned out to be delicious :-)
I began my "in season eating" last year when we joined a CSA in winter. I had no idea how to cook greens, even though I'm from the South! I didn't think I liked them. Humph! Beets, cauliflower, greens, kale, turnips, daikon radishes, radishes, brussel sprouts, grapefruit, blood oranges, muscadine grapes, persimmons, pattypan squash, okra, dill, rocket lettuce, and crazy Asian varieties of cucuembers were all things I tried last year that I had never tried before and liked. Well, except the okra, yuck.
I used to try and plan my menus around what was on sale at the store. Now I buy meats in bulk (grass fed) and I plan my menu around what I buy at the farmer's market for veggies. I find it works a bit better than having a set in stone menu written down on the calendar. This way if something comes up, I can be a bit more flexible.
I actually am finding more joy in cooking this way than before. It's really fun to try new recipes w/veggies.
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