The other day a mycologist friend took me out mushroom picking. In a few hours we found a bag full of boleets and chantrels and cooked them up that same day and had a fresh, delicious feast. (note- don't pick wild mushrooms unless you are an expert or your harvest has been supervised and approved by someone who knows what they are doing!).
This brings up a great point that I would like to share with you. The value of seasonal eating. As the year goes through its cycles, and the seasons rise and fall, we the living creatures of Earth also go through cycles. Our needs shift with the seasons, and it is healthy for us to be mindful of these changes and to adjust our behavior accordingly.
Generally speaking, the food that will give us the most nutritional value and the type of nutrients we need most at any given time, is what is in season locally. Nature knows how to provide for us, we just need to learn to listen.
In the summer, fruits are abundant. The vital energy is on the surface, in the fruits. Fruits generally speaking have a yin, cooling cleansing property. In the heat this is beneficial, but in winter we shouldn't eat so much fruit.
In the fall, we need to start gathering in our vitality so it can be preserved through the winter. Just like the plants that shed their leaves and retreat into the depths of their roots, so for us it is a time to move inside and to consolidate and refine ourselves. Fall is a great time to eat squash and other vegetables that are in season, and in particular root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, beets, radishes. As the plants shift their vital energy into their roots in the fall, it is the roots that will provide the most nourishing sustenance. Of course the fall fruits such as apples and pears are great right now as well. (And I can't forget the fresh mushrooms popping up all over the nw).
Fall/ late summer is also traditionally when the big salmon runs happen in the nw, as well as hunts to prepare for the winter. For those of us who eat fish or meat, the fall and winter are times when this diet is more appropriate. We don't need to eat meat for every meal or every day, but a small portion a few times a week can be beneficial. For those of us who are vegetarian and don't eat meat or fish, nuts and legumes (ex. almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, lentils, split peas, beans etc) and whole grains can provide us with that heartier sustenance that will help us build our reserves for the cold season.
In winter, life is still, resting. We should also rest, allowing ourselves to sleep more in order to recharge ourselves so we can be full of energy when the growing seasons return. Winter is a time when nature lives off of its stores. We can benefit from the yang warming and building type of hearty sustenance- whole grains, nuts, legumes, root vegetables, fish, meat, etc. Soups are great to keep us warm, as are stews. We can benefit from our evolution today because we can find fresh vegetables in our markets that in the past were not available. A guiding principle is to eat the more yang, warming and building foods, and not too much of the yin cooling dispersing foods such as fruits.
In spring the shoots come out. The vital energy is bursting forth from the depths. We can come out of our hibernation refreshed and hungry to take on the new growing season, ready for our new growth. Following what is in season, we can eat leafy greens, sprouts etc. It is a good time to lighten up our diet and clean out the residue built up from winter. We should be more active, and get outside.
more on this as the seasons progress,
live well,
Keith
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