AWARENESS OF WHAT FOOD IS SEASONAL By Dominique Richard 2016

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1 AWARENESS OF WHAT FOOD IS SEASONAL By Dominique Richard 2016 After a day of consulting on June 21, 2016 and asking various people, what they were eating in any one given day and hearing that they were eating winter staple food, I went crazier than my usual norm! Are we so blinded by the asphalt and hi-rise buildings that we are unaware that summer is here and the amount of local produce bountifulness? Shopping at any health food store or supermarket (except for some staples) is rarely required from late spring to very late fall. Eating sweet potatoes, citrus fruits except for lemons or having apples in June is absolutely a lack of awareness and understanding as to what foods are in season and produce by local farmers. Bad enough we had to endure long winter months and obtaining foods from far distance why would you be choosing something that is NOT in season baffles my brain. Go to the farmer markets or farmer stands and get organic fresh vegetable and fruits that are in season. The cherries were first out, the strawberries were second out, and the rest of the local berries follow, not far behind. Why would you be eating apples until they are in season in the fall? Be aware of what is IN SEASON and EAT MAINLY those foods and you will taste their freshness and feel even better than eating something that comes from far away, grown on a manmade soil that was once a desert and over farmed in California irrigated with well water full of toxic metals.

2 It is better to eat food that is within 120 mile radius even if it is not always organic. They can be cleaned with Clorox ¼ tsp into an entire kitchen sink full of filtered water then soaked minutes. Rinse well and Voila. Foods that are in-season generally have more nutrients. This is because foods that are out of season usually come from around the world; they have to be picked green, before they are at their peak, to be shipped without rotting. Seasonal foods, however, are picked at their peak and in your hands quicker, meaning healthier food for you. Always food for thoughts! Wake up and smell the coffee - but do not drink it! I have made a table that is not 100% complete but close enough to give you sufficient information to get a great start. This table is for all seasonal foods but not necessarily endogenous to our environment, since I have clients all over the world and thought it was best to list all. SEASONAL FRUITS Spring Summer Fall Winter Apricots Cherimoya Cherries Honeydew Jackfruit Limes Lychee Mango (Tropic) Melon (Bitter) Oranges Pineapple (Tropic) Rhubarb Strawberries Apricots Asian Pear Barbados Cherries Black Crowberries Black Currants Blackberries Blueberries Boysenberries Breadfruit Cantaloupe Casaba Melon Champagne Grapes (late summer) Cherries Cherries, Sour Crenshaw Melon Durian Elderberries Figs Grapefruit Grapes Black Crowberries Cactus Pear Cherries, Barbados Apples (all types) Cranberries Feijoa Gooseberries, Cape Grapes Grapes, Muscadine Guava Huckleberries Jujube Key Limes Kumquats Passion Fruit Pear, All Persimmons Pineapple Pomegranate Quince Sapote Cactus Pear Cardoon Cherimoya Clementines Dates Grapefruit Kiwifruit Mandarins Oranges Passion Fruit Pear Persimmons Pummelo Red Banana Red Currants Sharon Fruit Tangerines

3 Artichokes Asparagus Asparagus, Purple Asparagus, White Beans, Fava Beans, Green Broccoli Cactus Dandelion greens, Endive, Belgian Fennel Fiddlehead Ferns Greens (ALL), Greens, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Spinach Lettuce, Butter Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuces (ALL), Mushrooms: Morel, Shiitake, Honeydew Melons Jackfruit Key Limes Limes Loganberries Loquat Lychee Mulberries Nectarines Olallieberries Passion Fruit Peaches Persian Melon Plums Raspberries (end of June and Fall) Sapodillas Sapote Strawberries Sugar Apple Tomatoes (August) Watermelon Sharon Fruit Sugar Apple SEASONAL VEGETABLES Spring Summer Fall Winter Beans, Chinese Beans, Chinese Lng Lng Beans, Green Black Salsify Beans, Lima Broccoli Beans, Winged Brussels Sprouts Beets Cabbages (ALL) Burdock roots (late Cardoon (artichoke summer), thistle), Cabbages (ALL) Carrots Carrots Cauliflower Corn (non GMO), Daikon Radish Crooknose Endive Cucumbers Endive, Belgian Edamame Garlic Eggplant Ginger Endive Jerusalem Garlic Artichoke Greens (ALL), Kohlrabi Kale Leeks Leeks Lettuce, Butter Lettuce, Butter Mushrooms (ALL), Lettuces (ALL), Onions Brussels Sprouts Carrots Chestnuts Collard Greens Endive, Belgian Kale Leeks Onions Squash, Buttercup Squash, Delicata Squash, Sweet Dumpling Sweet Potatoes Turnips

4 Pea Pods Peas Peas, Snow Radicchio Ramps Rhubarb Sorrel Spring Baby Greens, Spring Garlic Spring Onions, Spring Scallions, Squash, Chayote Swiss Chard, Vidalia Onions, Watercress Onions Okra Peas Peas, Sugar Snap Peppers, Bell Peppers, Jalapeno Potatoes, Yukon Radishes Scallions Shallots (late) Squash, Squash, Chayote Squash, Summer Squash, Zucchini Tomatillo Peppers, Jalapeno Pumpkin Radicchio Shallots Scallions Squash, Acorn Squash, Buttercup Squash, Butternut Squash, Chayote Squash, Delicata Squash, Sweet Dumpling Sweet Potatoes Swiss Chard Turnips CULINARY HERBS These can be grown year-round in your home pot on window sill. The best is when they are in season as they are even more potent. Spring Sorrel (late) Spring Garlic Sweet cicely (late) Summer Early-Mid-Late Basil (mid) Bay leaves (mid) Borage (early) Capers (late) Chervil (early) Cilantro (mid) Dill (early) Fennel (mid-late) Ginger (June- September), Lavender (earlylate), Lemon Balm (mid) Marjoram (mid) Mints (all) Oregano (mid-late) Parsley (mid-late) Rosemary (early) Sage (early-late) Spearmint (earlymid), Summer Savory (early), Tarragon (late) Fall Cilantro (early) Horseradish (late) Lemon Balm (early) Lovage (early-late) Winter Savory (early) Winter

5 MUSHROOMS Thyme (early-mid) There is no need to stay in the dark about growing mushrooms. These tasty chameleons of the food kingdom are extremely healthy, they are fat-free, and filled with tons of vitamins, antioxidants, and other nutrients. Especially the best source of Vitamin D3 when exposed to sunlight for one single minute. How Mushrooms Grow Mushrooms grow from spores and not seeds that are so tiny you cannot even see individual spores with the naked eye. Due to the fact that spores do not contain chlorophyll to begin germinating (as seeds do), they rely on substances such as sawdust, grain, wooden plugs, straw, wood chips, or liquid for nourishment. A blend of the spores and these nutrients is called spawn. Spawn performs a bit like the starter you would need to make sourdough bread. The spawn supports the growth of mushrooms' tiny, white, threadlike roots, called mycelium. The mycelium grows first, before anything that resembles a mushroom push through the growing medium. The spawn itself could grow mushrooms, but you'll get a lot better mushroom harvest when the spawn is applied to a substrate, or growing medium. Depending on the mushroom type, the substrate might be straw, logs, wood chips, or compost with a blend of materials such as straw, corncobs, cotton and cocoa seed hulls, gypsum, and nitrogen supplements. You need to be conscious about everything you used in today s world. Do not use treated wood chips with toxic chemicals, everything should be from natural source do not even use cardboard, everything should be from organic source pesticides and insecticides free etc. Where to Grow Mushrooms in your home They definitely prefer dark, cool, moist, and humid growing environments. In a house, a basement is often ideal, but a spot under the sink may be all you need. A wine cellar is ideal if you have one. Test the proposed location by checking the temperature. Most mushrooms grow best in temperatures between 55 and 60 degrees F, away from drying, direct heat and drafts. Enoki mushrooms prefer cooler temperatures, about 45 degrees F. Many basements are too warm in the summer to grow mushrooms, so you might want to consider growing mushrooms in the winter. Mushrooms can tolerate some light, but the spot you choose should stay relatively dark with low light. Some mushroom types grow outdoors in prepared ground or logs, a process that takes much longer (six months to three years) than in controlled environments inside. Types of mushrooms that are commonly grown at home include: Crimini aka Cremini Enoki Maitake

6 Oyster Portobello Reishi Shiitake White button Each type has specific growing needs. For example, white button mushrooms needs to be grown on composted manure, shiitakes on wood or hardwood sawdust, and oyster mushrooms on straw. Growing Mushrooms Process If you are growing mushrooms in your home, there are a couple of options for materials that you can use to assist in planting. You can buy mushroom kits already packed with a growing medium that's inoculated with mushroom spawn. Buying a kit is a good way to begin your knowledge of mushroom growing. If you start without a kit, the type of mushroom you choose to grow determines the substrate you grow the mushrooms on. It is important to research each mushroom's needs. Button mushrooms are among the easiest types to grow. Follow Kansas State University's directions for growing button mushrooms. Use 14x16-inch trays about 6 inches deep that resemble seed flats. Fill the trays with the mushroom compost material and inoculate with spawn. Use a heating pad to raise the soil temperature to around 70 degrees F for about three weeks or until you see the mycelium -- the tiny, threadlike roots. At this point, drop the temperature to 55 to 60 degrees F. Cover the spawn with an inch or so of potting soil. Keep the soil moist by spritzing it with quality filtered water and covering it up with a damp 100% cotton cloth, making sure that you keep spritzing the cloth as it dries. Button mushrooms should appear within three to four weeks. Harvest them when the caps open and the stalk can be cut with a sharp knife from the stem. Avoid pulling up the mushrooms, or you risk damage to surrounding fungi that are still developing. Harvesting every day should result in a continuous crop for about six months. SPROUTING is another good thing to do in your home. Research studies have shown that Broccoli Sprouts contain 50 times more sulforaphane than fresh broccoli. What's more, sprouting broccoli seeds contain glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, substances that protect cells from becoming malignant, at times greater levels than in fresh broccoli. Growing your own mushrooms and sprouting will save you lots of money in the long run and more importantly so much better tasting fresh foods full of life with greater health benefits. What a great project for the entire family kids and grandkids to be involved in growing some of your own food and reap its harvest. What best than to keep on learning

7 expanding our brain knowledge necessary for reasoning. Enjoy this life the only one we know of and remember to be a conscious breather, which is more relaxing than a chocking victim, which is rather unnerving. Food for thoughts! Warm regards always, Dominique