There are real benefits to buying and cooking Fruit and Veg in the season that they are grown and harvested. Eating 'seasonally' is healthier in that you can be confident that the produce you're buying hasn't been sitting in refrigerated freight trains/trucks for several weeks before being dusted off and popped on the shelves with the 'fresh food' label attached to the display basket. The out of season (in your area) produce normally has to travel a long way to get to your local supplier - sometimes from overseas! This is usually picked earlier than its ultimate ripeness stage to give it time to ripen during it's travels. Unfortunately you don't get the same nutritional benefits and taste from produce picked early and refrigerated for a long period of time.
Even when you do by in season produce it is hard to guarantee that it has been picked at it's freshest stage before being distributed, but you can be sure that you're buying produce that has been grown closer to you. It is grown at it's peak season in ultimate weather conditions for growth which means it will be the most flavoursome, high quality, colourful and nutrient rich batch that can come from your region at that time.
Seasonal eating is good for your financial wellbeing also! I think most people would agree with me when I say you can quite easily spend a small fortune on groceries these days! What's great for the weekly groceries budget is the fact that fruit and veg that is in season is generally cheaper - it is at its peak of production meaning larger quantities are readily available, they aren't in high demand and it costs less for farmers to harvest and distributors to get to your region. You won't be emptying your pockets to sustain a healthy, substantial diet!
Being Rural, it can be harder to source fruit and vegetables that are at their freshest point - it does pay to head to the farmers market where it is all sourced close to home. Although you may end up paying a little extra, however you can happily support local farmers and be forced to experiment with foods you may not normally purchase from the supermarkets as they typically offer a wide variety of both in and out of season fruit and veg.
Eating fruit and veg that is grown in Victoria in the Autumn/Winter months isn't too hard either, we have a great variety at this time of the year - perfect for some hearty, warming household meals!
If you are interested in becoming a seasonal eater and do all of your grocery shopping at the supermarket but aren't sure how to tell what is and isn't fresh - take notice of what foods are plentiful and at a lower price per kg. Or, take a look at this Seasonal Food Guide.
Check out some of my favourite recipes to cook using some Autumn/Winter season fruit and veg and let me know in the comments below if you're using the recipes and what you think of them! Or, even better - take some snaps of your lovely meal and post them on your social feeds with the hashtag exploreyarrawongamulwala. I'd love to see who is utilising and recreating these recipes!
Stir Fried Buk Choy with Roasted Beets in Syrup and Hearty Lentils
INGREDIENTS
2x Whole Beetroot - roasted
1/4 Cup of Malt Vinager
1/2 Cup of Red Wine Vinager
1/2 Cup of Pitted Dates
1/2 Cup of Boiling Water
1x Can of Lentils (or you can buy raw ones and cook them yourself before hand)
3/4 Cup of Chicken Stock
1 Tsp of fresh Thyme
2x Bunches of Buk Choy
1 Tsp of Chopped Chilli
1 Tsp of Garlic Infused Olive Oil (Rich Glen Estate make a beautiful one!)
1 Tsp of Minced Ginger
1 Tbsp of Black Sesame Seeds
METHOD
1. Slice the beets in to small cubes and place in a saucepan with the malt vinagar, 1/4 of a cup of the red wine vinegar and boiling water.
2. Dice up the dates into small pieces and add to the beets, simmer on medium heat for roughly 20 minutes or until the dates have broken down and the sauce thick and syrup like - you may need to add more water depending on how much the syrup dries out (this can depend on the quality of the pot and how it withholds heat).
3. Poor the lentils into a fine strainer and give them a thorough rinse before adding them to a small saucepan with the chicken stock, remaining 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar and thyme. Simmer on low heat until the liquid starts to boil, turn off and pop a lid on to keep them warm until you're ready to dish up.
4. Heat a large non-stick pan or wok and toss the buk choy with chopped chilli until it has softened to your liking (I have mine quite crunchy to keep as many nutrients in as possible!). Once cooked, transfer to a bowl and add the sesame seeds and oil. You can cook it in the oil if you like, I prefer olive oil raw to ensure I get all of the health benefits.
*I serve this up with some beautiful roasted pork belly an roast the beets with the meat, but you can accompany it with whatever you like!
Serves 3
STEAMED BEANS AND BROCCOLINI IN A CHILLI SOY SAUCE
INGREDIENTS
1x Bunch of Broccolini
1x Generous handful of fresh Beans
1/4 Cup of Almond Flakes
1x Tbsp of Black or White Sesame Seeds
1x Tsp of Chilli Flakes
1x Tbsp of ABC Sweet Soy Sauce
1x Tbsp of traditional Soy Sauce
1/2 Tsp of Minced Garlic
1x Tsp of Boiling Water
METHOD
1. Steam the vegetables until they've softened to your liking.
2. While the veggies are cooking, add all of the liquid ingredients to a glass jug (Or any jug that can handle the boiling water), Stir until the ABC soy sauce has thinned out a little and it is evenly blended.
3. Transfer the veggies to a bowl, poor the liquid ingredients over the top and toss the almonds, seeds and chilli through until it is evenly blended.
*This is a great way to vamp up your side of nutritious greens!
Serves 3.
mexican style spiced cauliflower bake
INGREDIENTS
1x Whole Cauliflower
1x 400g Tin of Diced Tomatoes
1x Tsp of ground Cumin
1x Tsp of ground Coriander
1x Tsp of Turmeric
1x Tsp of Mexican Chilli Powder
1x Tsp of Dried Oregano
1/2 Cup of Shaved Parmesan Cheese
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180 (Fan forced). Rinse the Cauli and break apart all of the florets. Line a large baking dish with baking paper and spread the florets out evenly.
2. Sprinkle the spices evenly over the cauli (leave the chilli powder out for a non-spicy version). Pour the tomatoes evenly over the cauli and give the dish a bit of a shake from side to side to get the tomato sauce to sink in between the florets.
3. Sprinkle the cheese over the top, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for roughly 30 minutes - until it has started to brown on top and the cauli is soft.
*This is a great Winter warmer to serve with a delicious steak and some greens!
Serves 4.
Roasted and spiced carrots
INGREDIENTS:
Carrots I measure by how many you're wanting to feed. I normally assume one person will eat one whole carrot (Sliced into 4 pieces), or you can use baby carrots (I usually serve 2 or 3 per person). For this recipe I used 6 large carrots.
1/2 Tsp of Dried Mixed Herbs
1/2 Tsp of Ground Cumin
1/4 Tsp of Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp of Ground Coriander
1/2 Tsp of Smoked Paprika
1/2 Tsp of Mexican Chilli Powder or Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Tsp of Murray River Salt Flakes
1/4 Tsp of Cloves
1 Tbsp of Macadamia Oil
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 (Fan Forced)
2. Rinse the carrots and quarter them long ways - Cut the stalks off the top and leave them whole if you're using baby carrots.
3. Add the carrots to a bowl, drizzle the oil over them and stir them around so that the oil coats all sides of the carrots.
4. Add the rest of the dry ingredients by sprinkling them evenly over the top and then give them another good stir to ensure the spices are evenly spread.
5. Place them on a baking paper lined oven tray and roast for roughly 15-20 minutes or until they are softened and slightly browned on top, take them out to turn them over and pop them back in for another 15 minutes or so to brown the other sides.
Who doesn't love delicious browned roasted carrots?! I cook these as a side dish all the time!
vanilla bean Grilled bananas
INGREDIENTS:
1x Whole Lady Finger Banana (Bananas are not locally sourced as all Australian Banana varieties are grown in QLD, NSW, NT and WA. However there isn't a particular 'season' for them, they grown all year round meaning they are always quite fresh.
1 Tbsp of Rice Malt Syrup
1/2 Tsp of Vanilla Bean Extract
1/4 Tsp of Cinnamon
METHOD:
1. Take the griller tray out and turn the grill on to 160, allow a few minutes for it to heat up.
2. Slice the banana down the middle and separate then place the two halves skin side down on to the griller tray lined with baking paper.
3. Poor the vanilla bean extract on top and use a butter knife to spend it out evenly, drizzle the rice malt syrup over the top in zig zags followed by a sprinkle of the cinnamon evenly across the length of the bananas.
4. Grill for roughly 10 minutes or until the bananas soften and start to bubble and crisp on top.
*I love having these as a breakfast treat on top of baked oats with a side of coconut yoghurt. They're also delicious as a desert with pancakes and ice-cream!
Citrus and coconut yummy balls
INGREDIENTS:
1 Cup of LSA
1/2 Cup of Almond Meal
3/4 cup of Shaved Coconut
1 Cup of Pitted Medjool Dates
1/4 Cup of white or black Chia Seeds
2 Tbsp of Rice Malt Syrup
1/4 Tsp of Vanilla Bean Extract
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/4 Cup of raw Coconut Oil
METHOD:
1. Add the almond meal, LSA, dates and syrup to a food processor and blend thoroughly until the dates are minced up and the mixture becomes thick and sticky.
2.Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, mix thoroughly using your hands to rub the oil through the mixture. It should become quite thick and sticky.
3. Roll them up in your palm like you do Rum Balls and place them on a tray in the fridge to set. *These will melt if they get too hot because of the syrup and oil so it's best to keep them in the fridge or beside an ice block in a lunch box.
*Turn these into protein balls by adding half a cup of raw vanilla protein powder. (Amazonia Raw Protein is my favourite as all the ingredients are identifiable and it's not filled with artificial sweeteners or sugar).
*This makes Roughly 20-25 Yummy Balls depending on how big you roll them.
Sweet and Tangy APPLE SAUCE
INGREDIENTS:
2x Large Royal Gala Apples
1 Tbsp of Boiling Water
1 Tbsp of Rice Malt Syrup
1 Tsp of Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 Tsp of All Spice
1/2 Tsp of Cinnamon
1 Pinch of Ground Ginger
METHOD:
1. Rinse the apples, leave the skin on and grate them.
2. Heat a small non-stick saucepan on low and add the apples, ginger, water and spices. Continually stir the mixture until it thickens slightly and the apples are starting to caramelise.
3. Squeeze the juice from a small lemon wedge in and add the rice malt syrup, stir until it is well blended and has started to thicken.
I personally love having this one on my morning oats.
*This sauce is quite versatile also in that you can make a slightly more savoury option by adding some dried oregano or thyme for extra flavour and serve it with your roast pork. Or, you can add a small handful of sultanas and make it quite a lot sweeter to have as a home made apple pie filling!
Makes roughly a heaped cup worth of sauce
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