Nowadays you can get just about anything you want when you go food shopping ....

The convenience of being able to get tomatoes in January, peaches in March and oranges in July is nice, but there are definintely some drawbacks to all of that convenience (mainly taste and nutrition).

As recently as 25 years ago we were only eating foods that were grown in our area, and therefore seasonal. Now we can modify foods to last on the shelf longer and travel great distances.

So what is the importance of eating seasonally, and what foods are in season when?

For the purpose of this piece, let's just deal with the winter-spring season here in the Northeast (January-April).

You don't have to be a farmer to know that if you take a look out your window there isn't much green right now.

However, the true tastes of the season are abundant, delicious and nutritious if you know what to look for and where to find them.

As the days become shorter in the fall, and the temperatures drop, your wonderful summer annuals (such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers) start to dwindle and die off, leaving us with the hardy fruits and veggies that either grow well in a covered row/green house, or store well in a root cellar at the farm.

Some of the items that are grown specifically for storage on the farm in the winter in the Northeast are:

• Winter Squash (Butternut, Acorn, Buttercup, Spaghetti, Delicata, Kuri)
• Apples (Honey Crisp, Candy Crisp, Cameo, Fuji, Mutsu, Empire)
• Potatoes (Yukon Gold, Red Skin, Fingerling)
• Onions (Red and Yellow)
• Beets (Golden and Red)
• Turnips
• Rutubagas
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Parnsips

These are foods that are meant to be stored, retain their flavor, nutrients, and that our bodies crave in the winter time, foods that have starches, and simple sugars, and help us make it through the long, dark, winter months.

Conversely there is a fantastic balance between your winter roots and your winter greens, which are hearty, deep in color, packed with nutrients, and grow splendidly in covered rows or greenhouses with little or no heat or additional lighting.

Some of the greens that are in season this time of the year in the Northeast are:

• Arugula
• Spinach
• Kale
• Collards
• Swiss Chard
• Asian Greens (Mustards, Mizuna, Tat Soi, Bok Choy)
• Baby Lettuces
• Scallions
• Green Garlic
• Mache
• Herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme)

There are many people (including myself) that believe there are numerous benefits to eating foods that are in season and from your part of the country (let alone your part of the world).

Seasonal allergies are just one malady that have become incredibly widespread in the last 20 years or so. One contributory factor that has been discussed is our lack of eating what is in season. By eating foods from different time zones, different regions, different hemispheres, we stop getting the allergens we are accustomed to at the time of the year we're used to getting them (and therefore don't produce the antibodies we usually do).

As always these items are best when you get them right from the farm, but if you go to the supermarket at least now you know what to look for!

Stay tuned for more food info !!!

- Organic Mike

Mike's Tip of the Week

Did you know that raw, local honey can help you prevent seasonal allergies?

Bees that are raised within 50-100 miles of where you live collect pollen from many of the flowers and trees that you may be allergic to.

Having a spoon of raw, local honey every day is like a little immunological shot of antibodies for your system. In time, many people are even able to get off their allergy medication. It may take some time, even a year or two, but eventually you can significantly reduce or even eliminate some of your symptoms from seasonal allergies (I'm living proof).

In order for it to be worth your while though, the honey must be RAW (unpasteurized and unprocessed) and LOCAL (bees in California or Texas pollinate different flowers at different times of the year, therefore reducing the probability that it will help your allergies).

So maybe you can stop taking so much allegra this spring, and start putting some clean, lovely, delicious raw, local honey in your body ... doesn't that sound better??