What exactly is seasonal food and why is it so important to the health of us and our planet? Nicky Jones from Grafted Organic will be answering these questions and more in today’s ‘Spotlight On’ section. I am super thrilled about this too, as Nicky supplies me and my family with our weekly organic fruit and vegetable box and is a wealth of knowledge!
1) What is seasonal food?
Seasonal food is food that is grown in it’s specific time when all the elements are in sync (water and sun) that are needed to bring about food naturally that are nutritionally loaded and bursting in flavour, without human manipulation.
2) Why is seasonal food important?
I believe it is vital to eat food in season as our bodies are adapted to our living Environment/Climate. Nature provides what we need for specific seasons. Also, with each season, comes some ailments and the food in that season has natural vitamins and minerals that could aid our bodies to push through or fight those ailments. It is also important because food in season is more cost-effective as it is in readily available and in abundance.
3) How does seasonal food compare to organic food?
The comparison between seasonal food and organic food is interesting because organic food is mostly seasonal (hence there are continuous changes in availability) but not all seasonal food is organic. ‘Seasonal’ points to a time of growing and or harvesting whilst organic points to a process of farming.
5) Are there any food crops available all year round?
Yes, with the human element we have some crops that are all year round. But with that said there are high peaks and low peaks which affects availability and costing. I.e. Bananas, avocados, spinach, carrots – to name a few.
6) If not, how does this work when people are able to buy foods out of season – where are these foods coming from and how are they grown?
When we eat out of season, we are not directly supporting our local economy. Most of the foods eaten out of season are either coming out of a cold room or imported from other regions or countries. The growing process may vary; some are grown in season from the exporting country or region others are treated with petroleum or synthetic chemicals to ripen and preserve the foods during the transportation period.
7) Is seasonal food more nutritious than food available out of season?
It is definitely better, as some foods lose their nutrients from the time they are harvested to time of consumption, thus the shorter the delivery time the better. Also, bearing in mind that out of season foods that have to be imported are harvested prematurely and by then the nutrients have not fully developed.
8) Is choosing seasonal food better for the planet than food that is grown out of season?
When we choose food that is in season, we encourage farmers to farm naturally. This will eliminate the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pest control methods of which both are not good for the planet.
Thank you so much Nicky for taking the time to answer these questions and for being a special guest in this months newsletter!
