How to eat seasonally this winter

In Australia, we pride ourselves on our foodie culture, with some of our most popular restaurants and television programs centred on cooking and eating. Cooking is at the heart of many families and I love how everyday home chefs are taking over the kitchen and inventing beautifully made, tasty dishes that will go on to become heirloom recipes.

We are becoming increasingly more confident and daring in our cooking skills and abilities. We have also become more conscious of what we eat as the obesity epidemic sweeps the globe and many health issues that are exacerbated by diet increase.

One area often overlooked and placed on the back-burner is the importance of eating foods that are in season and locally produced. It’s so important to support your local community and its hard-working farmers where you can. For many of them, their livelihood depends on your support of their crops and produce.

By eating in-season foods you can be sure they will be flavour-packed and filled with the vital nutrients your body needs. Once fruits and vegetables are picked or harvested, nutrients begin to disappear and continue to do so until the product is consumed. It’s also more economical to eat in season when abundance is high: buy in bulk and freeze for coming months.

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When food is out of season but still on your supermarket shelves, it has been grown interstate, overseas or in an artificial environment such as a greenhouse and transported to your plate via road, sea or air. This food can spend weeks or months in transit and, to prevent it from rotting, is harvested before it has fully ripened, resulting in it not having fully developed to its nutrient or flavour potential. There’s also the problem of its carbon footprint.

One of the easiest places to shop for seasonal produce is your local farmers’ market, if you have one nearby. The intense, vibrant colours of local produce becomes the centrepoint of a farmers’ market, with stallholders coming from around the area to sell their freshly grown vegetables, ripened purely by the air and sun.

During the week, when you might not be able to find a market, try investigating a local produce co-op that delivers or getting weekly produce boxes delivered — many are springing up across Australia and it’s fun to discover new vegies you wouldn’t normally cook with.

Visiting your nearest wholefoods market or local greengrocer is favourable, too, as they’re more likely to have seasonal produce than your large local supermarket chain, allowing you to get an idea of what fruit and vegetables are in season and, ultimately, what you should be buying. Look for organic if your budget allows and speak to the sellers about where the produce has come from.

Enjoy three recipes from my book Eat Clean, Green and Vegetarian, which you can find at superchargedfood.com.

Muchos Nachos

Serves: 3—4
Cooking & prep time: 25 mins
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Eggplant & Green Bean Curry

Serves: 4
Cooking & prep time: 30 mins
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Chai Chia Breakfast Pudding

Serves: 4
Cooking & prep time: leave overnight in fridge
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