1000 Flowers for the Planet - #190 Have a Seasonal Diet

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #190 Have a Seasonal Diet

This beautiful earth produces everything we need in a timely fashion. This is called the ‘seasons’ and they exist for very good reason. The food we eat grows according to the seasons and provides the right types of foods for each time of the year. Autumn provides foods to warm us a little, such as carrot, sweet potato, onions and garlic. In winter we really want warming so the earth provides us with potato, carrot, onions, nuts, and eggs. With the arrival of spring we can look forward to new growth in the form of lettuce, spinach and parsley. In summer we can focus on cooling foods like strawberries, apple, broccoli, squash and plums.

With today’s modern transportation methods and freezing abilities we are able to access most foods all year round, but only because they have been frozen and stored. These foods do not come to us fresh from the vegie patch, the bush or the vine. That is the price we pay. But if we look at this more closely, we could be paying other prices for our modern convenience and self-spoiling habits. We have robbed ourselves of the joy of eating food in season, fresh from the source, and for a limited time. When we limit our access to something, we make that thing more precious, a genuine treat to be anticipated. Food can become a thing to be looked forward to, something that marks the passing of time like a birthday celebration, something that is savoured in the moment.

Along with all the personal joy a seasonal diet could provide us, the benefits to the planet would include the reduction of food miles, less in transport expenses, less fuel usage, reduced carbon emissions – a healthier planet. Healthy people too.