"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit,
and resign yourself to the influences of each."
Henry David Thoreau
What does it mean to eat seasonally?
To eat what is in season is to subscribe to a "localvore" mentality, where organically raised foods produced within a reasonably close radius of your home are the best choices for your family's nutrition and herbal medicines. The benefits of such a simple philosophy are numerous to say the least.
When local plants are grown in their local environments, they deal with the same environmental stresses we do, and so make more appropriate constitutional medicine. When plants are grown in different climates, they grow to be a natural solution to that area's climate challenges. For example, a coconut grows in a hot, tropical climate; providing a cooling, electrolyte rich endosperm (coconut water) to feed the embryo of its seed, or to our benefit, soothe those being faced with the challenges of heat in the climate it grows. The plant itself contains its own innate intelligence, and has developed to be an antidote to the extremes of its climate. We happen to live in the Northwest, a far more temperate, and at times, tremendously cold climate.
What happens when we enjoy coconut water, or a banana, a papaya, a pineapple in the middle of winter in the northwest? A couple of things. First, the plant has traveled many miles, being harvested before the peak of its development, and stored for many days. With each passing moon, this plant becomes less and less nutrient dense, less full of life force. Inevitably, it becomes a waste of energy to eat. An apple this time of year, for example, has been in cold storage since last fall, or was shipped from the other end of the world. It completely lacks the flavor and complexity of an apple harvested in the season it grows.
What I believe to be even more detrimental, is the fact that these cooling plants when ingested, are telling your body that though it is cold and wintery, your body needs to cool down. The consumer then, should not be surprised to wake up the next day with more mucus, if not a cold or flu over time and repeated consumption.
There's more.
Each season brings plants which are the antidote to the previous season...like it's spring now, so cleansing, anti allergy and tonic herbs are up: yellowdock, burdock, red clover, nettle, then antioxidant rich cherries, berries, etc. to cleanse accumulation of ama (toxins/undigested food) from the previous season. Another simple example, at the end of the summer, elderberries are in season, and they happen to be an incredible combatant for the flu season approaching. I always harvest them, and run out by spring...when I no longer need them. This is ayurvedic use of herbs, and they do it in India, with their local plants. Eating what's in season and using the herbs that are growing around us, when they are growing around us, we become in sync spiritually and immunologically with the earth. Ayurvedic principles when applied to the west should be looked at like this. An example I like is that just because we may be vata and need grounding foods doesn't mean we should eat yams in July. We should eat/use what's in season. For us to exclusively use Indian herbs is applying their herbal knowledge without embracing the macrocosm of what ayurveda truly teaches...be close to the earth! I have been living this way for years and I've never been healthier. Sure, there are spices and some ayurvedic herbs that just dont grow well here, so I order them.
What about herbs/spices that were brought here from other areas? Do you think if they survived they must be good medicine for their terrain?
These we would not call local, but "cultivated" or "naturalized" (a lot of them are european and mediterranean)
Sometimes, some plants don't grow well when you try to naturalize them, and it's better to order them from places they do grow well (if they grow well, they make good medicine). But so many plants do establish themselves well when you grow them. Even if they aren't "native" they still grow very well in the same environment as us! ;) Examples are your culinary herbs; basil, oregano, thyme, lavender, etc. So, though they may not be native, the fact that they are produced locally is just fine.
How can we eat locally year round?
The easiest way to eat locally is to stay away from the grocery store as much as possible. Enjoy the local farmer's markets in spring, summer, and fall seasons. Subscribe to an organic produce co-op, like Full Circle Farm, or PEACH, who will send a box of fresh, mostly local produce to your door once a week. Be okay with eating differently at each season, emphasizing nuts, dried fruits, grains, soups, stews, and meats (if you are omnivorous) in the winter. Enjoy harvesting and preserving foods when produce is at it's peak. Enjoy greens, nettles, burdock, antioxidant rich cherries, and berries in the spring. They will cleanse and purgate your system, removing accumulation from the prior season. In summer, enjoy all of the greens, and cooling fruits, broccoli, raw salads, cucumbers, and summer squash! This will keep your body from accumulating excess heat, which results in compromised liver function, skin disorders, and other inflammatory imbalances. Finally, the fruits of fall! Apples, apples, apples to cool your blood and digestive tract from the summer's heat so not to accumulate dryness from the prior season. Then grounding, mineral rich root vegetables and squash; immune boosting onions, garlic, and mushrooms!; preserving as much abundance as possible to enjoy through the winter seasons.
In my new Eastern Washington Home, my family is starting this abundant spring with a new challenge...
The localvore challenge! 80% local...a big step, but we'll see how we do!
