Seasonal Tomatoes
We live in a world where seasons are something outside of us. We heat our house to keep warm or we cool it in the summer. We dress in warmer clothing or lighter depending on the weather, we do more outdoor activities in the summer and more indoor ones in the winter. But that is about it. We adjust our environment to our comfort. We have forgotten that seasons used to drive our entire life. It was not only the weather that changed, but also the foods we had access to.
As we humans got ready for winter, back before we could just heat the house, late summer was the time to fatten up on fruit so we could actually get through the winter. Fruit is fructose and that is how we gained the weight we needed to have warming padding for winter. The long evenings with more light helped that too because that was the message to our bodies; winter would be around the corner. The longer days means in body language; store more fat. It is part of our survival mechanism. Today we live in artificial light and therefore have the long evenings of later summer all year around. According to your body’s understanding of what is going on, that is.
During the fall we would gather the roots and winter squashes that the earth produced during this time, that would last us through the winter. The foods for the fall and winter would be more starch based so we could hold on to heat and feel warmer.
In today’s world we do have seasonal vegetables if you go to the farmer’s market, but in the supermarket you find the same foods all year around. You can get tropical fruit in the middle of winter. We are not really meant to eat fruit outside of the season, but since we have been believe it is healthy to eat a lot of fruit, we do so unrelated to the seasonal changes.That is unnatural. Not just to our bodies but also to the vegetables. We have to force them to grow out of season or import from other climates.
If we want to live in true balance with our own nature and that around us we need to eat with the seasons. Look at the farmers’ markets for what is in season. Right now it is the heirloom tomatoes, dark leafy greens, and wonderful sweet small tomatoes. They are so sweet they could pass for fruit if you ask me.
As we approach the fall it is cooked foods, grains, root vegetables, legumes. Salads are not a fall or winter food, but we eat salads all year around, freeze in the winter from it, but still eat it because we subscribe to health. At least that is what we think. We end up feeling depleted, empty, and out of balance and with that we go for the empty carbs, which means cookies and cakes. We need the complete rich and nutrient dense carbs also known as complex carbs. The whole grains such as cooked barley, brown rice, and oats. As mentioned the vegetables are the gourds and the roots, which live in and on the ground rather than hanging off of plants like they do during the summer. This is for example the well know Italian grilled vegetables also known as nightshades. Peppers, eggplant, tomatoes. Most people eat these all year long. They are really summer foods.
Right now – the sweet tomatoes and the heirloom tomatoes are fantastic and a great transitional food from summer into late summer. Chop them into bean salads, or eat them whole, you can also give them a slight sauté on the pan with some dark leafy greens. They are even more sweet with a slight cooking.
In Chinese medicine we talk about healing foods, and with that warming and cooling foods as well. So basically, if we eat what is in season, nature takes care of us.
Enjoy and if you would like to listen to the Karol Ward Radio show where I am the guest speaking about the season and how to eat: Jeanette Bronée with Karol Ward
