The Seasonal Eating Thread!!

[CedarMist]

Seasonal recipes are oddly hard to find online, especially because it will vary geographically...so I'm starting a thread for recipes that are in tune with the seasons!

For winter, the foods in season are:

Most meats, except some fish
Eggs
All dairy

Preserves
Dried beans and legumes
Flour/baked goods
Nuts

Honey
Syrup

Apples
Beets
Cabbage
Carrots
Garlic
Leeks
Onions
Parsnips
Potatoes
Rhubarb
utabaga
Sprouts
Squash
Sweet potatoes

...and anything else you find that was made locally!
This list applies to southern Canada in January-February, and similar locations.

I'll add recipes as I find them later!

[CedarMist]

This website looks fantastic. This recipe in particular made my mouth water:

http://simmerboston.com/2010/11/acorn-squash-bread/

For vegans you can use these substitutes for binding ingredients: soy milk, tofu, a banana, apple sauce, honey, margarine, vegan egg substitute.

Enjoy!

[DJ Droood]

When I get home, I will dig out a cookbook I have called "Pioneer Eating in Upper Canada" (or something to that effect)....it has traditional foods from the 18th and 19th Centuries, when buying a tube of hamburger from Walmart for $3.99 wasn't an option.

My impression is that seasonal eating, especially in the Great White North, is getting used to the fact that in winter, you will be eating a lot of stored root vegetables, and probably salted meat, if you are an omnivore...and apples....variety and kiwis, etc. are a luxiry of the oil age.

we have a family legend of my mother's grandmother trying to describe a strange fruit someone gave her...(they lived on a coast and were sea traders, so had more access to exotic things)...she said it was long, and yellow, and shaped like a man. I imagine our grandchildren might think bananas are equally exotic as she did.

[CedarMist]

A historic cookbook sounds fantastic!! I'm jealous!

And yes, I think it really does mean learning to love (or tolerate) root vegetables. But tasty, spiced bread is an option too. Winter is also quiche season for me. You can buy greenhouse mushrooms here year-round. Mmm...mushroom, feta and leek...

Also, settlers=lords of preserves.

Have you ever made cedar tea? You literally just throw the more tender branch ends into a simmering pot. It's delicious with a drop of honey or maple syrup. Very relaxing.

[Serpentia]

Hmm, believe it or not, a Charleston Receipts cookbook has found its way to Germany.. not that I can get half the ingredients here, but that is a cookbook from the war.. THAT war *lol* when the South was still the South... I'll get on it this weekend and see what I can add to this very interesting thread!

Serpentia

[DJ Droood]

Have you ever made cedar tea? You literally just throw the more tender branch ends into a simmering pot. It's delicious with a drop of honey or maple syrup. Very relaxing.

I've had it at sweatlodges...it is pretty good!

[Aurora]

Hi CedarMist thanks for starting this thread!

I love historical cookbooks there is a fabulous American collection that has been digitised by The Michigan State University Library Called Feeding America which has cookbooks from the 18th through to the 20th century:

http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/coo ... index.html

and here is an awesome resource for Medieval/Renaissance European cooking, which uses alot of original sources that you can see too:

http://www.godecookery.com/

I also have a few books at home but am not there right now but will post thee info later if people are interested

[CedarMist]

Ooooooooooooooooh man am I ever going to have fun with those links. Thanks Aurora!!!

[DJ Droood]

I made this tonight..not saying any of it was locally sourced...just stuff I picked up at the fresh produce store...but most of it *could* have been grown locally and stored, with the exception of the olive oil for the pesto (and a salty local cheese could probably be found.)

Spaghetti Squash for Two

One spaghetti squash
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
handful of pine nuts
3 teaspoons pesto

mic the squash for 12-15 minutes, scoop out the "spaghetti".

Sautee the garlic in the butter, mix that and everything else into the squash. Mic again for a minute, serve with bruchetta, etc.

[CedarMist]

Oooooooh, my mouth is watering. I LOVE pine nuts!
Thanks DJ Droood!

[Wolfdance]

Citrus is in season in my area, and lemon trees are known for producing bumper crops every other year, so I'm making lemonade, lemon bars, cleaning with lemon, lemon meringue pie, etc. I might even have a go at Moroccan pickled lemons!

[CedarMist]

Oh, lemon...I wish!!

Anyways, here's the seasonal foods for March and April in south-central Canada!!

Most meats, except some fish
Eggs
All dairy

Preserves
Dried beans and legumes
Flour/baked goods
Nuts

Honey
Syrup

Apples
Beets
Cabbage
Carrots
Onions
Parsnips
Potatoes
Rhubarb
Rutabaga
Sprouts
Squash
Sweet potatoes

The list is more or less exactly the same as above, minus leeks and garlic.
And greenhouse peppers and tomatoes are now in season, if you're only concerned about local food for it's environmental/social benefits.

Again, this applies to March and April in southern Ontario.
Happy eating!!

[DJ Droood]

Interesting list...where did you get it from? Is garlic a later addition to our NA diets? It certainly grows well, but maybe i wasn't used 100 years ago....

[CedarMist]

It's actually from a pamphlet our local farmer's market puts out. Presumably garlic and leeks can't keep throughout the entire winter?

[CedarMist]

Ooops! I'm rather slow to update, aren't I?

Depending on where you live, you may add asparagus, fiddleheads, strawberries, and maybe even lettuce, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, and blueberries! Life is getting good!

[lanvalle]

Sorry I'm a bit behind with a response to this thread.

I wanted to recommend the Bloodroot cookbooks. They are created by a restaurant in Connecticut, USA. I think they are absolutely fabulous, and they give a lot of great recipes for local, seasonal and vegetarian eating on the US East Coast. I would imagine a lot could apply to Eastern Canada as well... ?

Here is a link:

http://bloodroot.com/cookbooks.htm

And here are a few recipes:

http://www.bloodroot.com/recipes.htm

I believe that they haven't updated that recipes page since last fall (ah luddites) but it should give you an idea of the recipes.

[Aghaveagh]

I know this is a super old thread but I was hoping to revive it. My family and I try to eat "locavore" and seasonally as much as possible. This website has always helped me: http://www.fieldtoplate.com/guide.php (Sorry, it's a US-centric resource). It has links to sites specific to most states, and several larger regions of the US regarding what is in season.

My primary cookbook for my family is "The Little House Cookbook", based on the Little House on the Prairie books. It isn't specifically local/in-season, but it is a great resource for cooking with vegetables that grow well in the midwest USA, and using wild game.

One thing I am always wondering about is the ability to get certain staples locally. I don't know of anyone who produces their own sugar or flour or rice, or other staples like that, locally; as of now, I continue to buy things like this from the store, but it still irks me. Am I just not looking in the right place? If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears. I have tried going to the local Amish communities, but I found out that they purchase huge quantities of staples from other places in the country, have it shipped to them, and then sell it repackaged; so not as local as I was hoping.