Claire
Master Chef
Ishbel, you know what I'm talking about. If we never ate anything that wasn't fresh and in season in much of the country (and I've lived in most of it), we'd suffer severe malnutrition (as people did when that was the only option). There's a reason Brits are called Limeys. You have to live on vegs and fruits grown elsewhere in much of the world. Even in Florida and Hawaii, we were quite dependent upon fruits & vegs from other parts of the world. Here, in Northern Illinios, we simply couldnt' live if we didn't have some food shipped in from southern climes. No matter what the chefs say in NYC, I have yet to find a fresh fruit or veg that grows in February this far north. They don't taste as great as they do fresh-in-season (why there is such a thing as harvest fests), obviously. But nothing, and I do mean nothing, grows in February in this climate. So I, personally, am happy to be able to have some selection in the grocery store at the end of winter.
That said, given a choice, of course we eat fresh, in season. I have a half dozen tomatoes sitting on my sideboard. It was too hot, so the cukes didn't fruit the way they should (just starting). My zuchs (courgettes) (from a friend's garden) are waiting to become a great curry. But in February, this just isn't going to happen, and we'd get pretty fat living on only potatoes and other vegs (roots, really) that can be stored through the winter. I've kept up a decent sized garden for two every where I've lived, and I tryto use thelocal market. But in Feb/March, trust me, there is nothing. Actuallyl, there is close to nothing right now, and I have friends who are farmers. In two or three weeks, we will have huge amounts of wonderful tomatoes and cukes. Corn is just getting in. But to say we should do without this except during the month they are in season is silly. But we love them when they are. Corn boils. salads to beat the band. Tomatoes in every form, so much that we get sores on our faces.
We try, we really do. But you can only fight ma nature so much.
That said, given a choice, of course we eat fresh, in season. I have a half dozen tomatoes sitting on my sideboard. It was too hot, so the cukes didn't fruit the way they should (just starting). My zuchs (courgettes) (from a friend's garden) are waiting to become a great curry. But in February, this just isn't going to happen, and we'd get pretty fat living on only potatoes and other vegs (roots, really) that can be stored through the winter. I've kept up a decent sized garden for two every where I've lived, and I tryto use thelocal market. But in Feb/March, trust me, there is nothing. Actuallyl, there is close to nothing right now, and I have friends who are farmers. In two or three weeks, we will have huge amounts of wonderful tomatoes and cukes. Corn is just getting in. But to say we should do without this except during the month they are in season is silly. But we love them when they are. Corn boils. salads to beat the band. Tomatoes in every form, so much that we get sores on our faces.
We try, we really do. But you can only fight ma nature so much.