Seasonal Eating – The best foods to eat for Autumn

There are so many good reasons to eat seasonally.  Aside from being that seasonal food is fresher and tends to be tastier and more nutritious without pesticides and other nasties coating their permeable skins.

 Eating seasonally can mean you eat more locally grown produce so you contribute to:

•  reducing the energy – and associated CO2 emissions – needed to grow and transport the food we eat around the world.

•  avoiding paying a premium for food that is scarcer or has travelled a long way.

•  re-connect with nature’s cycles and the passing of time.

It is very important to remember that in Coles and Woolworths the food produce is imported from around the world – to ensure that shelves look the same week in week out – providing comfort and familiarity during the shopping experience.

If you think about it, when you are living in Australia it is a bit silly to buy tomatoes and asparagus flown in from South America, when for many weeks or months of the year some awesome, superior tasting, local grown foods are here to enjoy very fresh, and often at a lower cost financially as well as environmentally.  Bear in mind that whenever a home grown food goes out of season, you can guarantee that another delicious food has come back into season to tempt us all, just don’t be afraid to incorporate it into your kitchen.
 So here’s a guide to seasonal eating for Autumn.

Below is a list of the foods that are right and ready to eat and sure to be locally grown:
Fruit:
 

•  Apples

•  Bananas

•  Figs

•  Grapes

•  Kiwi Fruit

•  Lemons

•  Watermelon

•  Peaches

•  Pears

•  Nashi Pear

•  Persimmons

•  Plums

•  Quinces

Vegetables:
 

•  Asparagus

•  Beans

•  Bean shoots

•  Beetroot

•  Broccoli

•  Cabbage

•  Carrots

•  Cauliflower

•  Cucumbers

•  Eggplant

•  Lettuces

•  Mushrooms

•  Potatoes

•  Pumpkins

•  Snow Peas

•  Spring Onion

•  Sweet Corn

•  Tomatoes

•  Turnips

•  Zucchini

My Favourite Pumpkin Soup

As the days get shorter and the cold begins to creep in, I love to make this warming Pumpkin Soup.

1 medium pumpkin – chopped and de seeded
1 tub of yoghurt (CoYo, full fat, greek or natural – whatever floats your boat)
1 Red Chilli – chopped (deseeded if you don’t want too much spice)
1 tsp grated Nutmeg

Roast the pumpkin in coconut oil with the chilli. Once cooked, stir in the yoghurt and grated nutmeg and use a hand blender to whizz it all together to a thick, tasty soup. Garnish with a drizzle of Basil oil and black pepper.
Serves 4

Poached Pears Dipped in Dark Chocolate

I like this sweet desert to have occasionally, great for entertaining, or to enjoy all on your own.

4 ripe pears, peeled, cored and halved
100g dark chocolate 75% or more (I prefer Green’s Organic 80% as its dairy free)
50g almonds, crushed

Place the pears in a pan, cover with water and poach very gently for 8-10 minutes until tender, then drain.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Place the crushed almonds ready in a bowl, and have 4 serving bowls.
Dip each pear in the chocolate until lightly coated, then in the almonds so that the almonds stick to the chocolate.
Serve immediately.
Serves 4

One way you can have a nutritious and varied diet is to eat seasonally this will help you stay happy and healthy in the long run.
Nic
xx

x