Seasons Best Chef
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One of the best ways to make sure your family is eating healthily and in a sustainable fashion is to make sure they are eating seasonal produce. That way you can be sure that they are produced in an organic and an eco-friendly fashion, since that’s actually the time, those produce should be available.
The problem however, comes up with large families and especially with kids that always have some sort pet peeve or preference problem with some seasonal food. Luckily, there are no seasonal foods that can’t be put in a good recipe it’s just up to you to find one.
Farmers Market
This is where Texas Farmers Market comes into play. They are one of the largest and best organized farmers markets in Texas, but they do so much more than just provide the healthy produce. One of the programs offered by the Market is called “seasonal chef”.
The premise is simple; one of the local chefs teaches you how to make delicious recipes but only using local food and only using seasonal produce. This will help you make the most out of the seasons and upgrade your cooking skills a bit, which is something everyone needs.
Maggie Perkins
Since this is an annual event, a different chef is chosen every year to bring variety to the idea. This year the resident chef will be Maggie Perkins, local chef and homemaker that also runs a blog on the subject of cooking and healthy diets.
Her approach to cooking lessons is very hands on and you’ll be able to taste and even help out during the presentation, which is the best way to learn how to cook and to make sure you’ll be able to duplicate the recipe at home.
The Benefits of Eating Seasonal Produce
There are many reasons to eat seasonal produce that account for both your needs and the needs of your community.
-Eating seasonal foods means you’re bringing more variety to your diet.
-You’re supporting your local farmers since you’re buying produce from them year round.
-It’s also less expensive way to shop for food since you’re only paying for the produce that’s in season and thus less expensive.
-You know that this food is healthy since there’s nothing that goes into making it, that’s not natural.
-It prevents your food pallet from becoming boring and stale.
What’s In Season Right Now?
Again this is where Texas Farmers market has been rather helpful since they provide a list of the produce they plan to bring out for each month and that are seasonable. We’re just approaching autumn which means there will be new autumn produce for you to enjoy and spice up your diet a bit.
August Produce
Peaches, Persimmons, Figs, Pears, Melons, Watermelon, Summer Squash, Cucumbers (how long do cucumbers last?), Turnips, Sweet Peppers, Hot Peppers, Eggplant, (What wine goes well with eggplant?) Carrots, Onions, Baby Arugula (how long does arugula last?), Sweet Corn, Green Beans, Fresh Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Culinary Herbs, Tomatoes.
September Produce
Persimmons, Figs, Pears, Melons, Watermelon, Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Sweet Peppers, Hot Peppers, Eggplant, Carrots, Onions, Baby Arugula, Sweet Corn, Green Beans, Fresh Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Culinary Herbs, Tomatoes.
A Summer Fruit Salad
Here’s an interesting seasonal recipe you could try right now in the last few weeks of summer, and all made with the produce you could find at a local community market.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°. In a small pie plate, toast the almonds (how long do almonds last?) for 8 minutes, until fragrant. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon of the almond oil and sprinkle with salt.
Step 2
In a mini processor, puree the chopped nectarine. Transfer the puree to a small bowl and add the shallot, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Let stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in the olive oil and the remaining 1 tablespoon of almond oil. Season it with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Put the sliced nectarines and the blackberries in a medium bowl. Drizzle on one-third of the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. In a large shallow bowl, season the arugula with salt and pepper and toss gently with the remaining vinaigrette. Gently toss in the dressed fruit. Garnish with the almonds and serve immediately.
Conclusion
One of the simplest ways to improve your diet and help the local farmers market is to eat seasonal food when it’s the time to do so. That way you get more variety to your diet and help the farmers sell produce all year round.
Texas farmers market offers a course from a local chef teaching you how to cook using seasonal produce only. This is a yearly event and this year we have our own Maggie Perkins giving out lessons and recipes with her hands-on approach to cooking and teaching. Come by and upgrade your cooking and your diet.
