By eating what's in season you can get the most out of every season's potential and live a little bit more ecofriendly. I mean, doesn't summer feel more summery when you've waited all winter for strawberries? Please keep in mind this is based on a Dutch calender and the availability of fruits and vegetables can be different where you live.
August
And all of a sudden I realised that August had already eaten a week of my holiday. Please, let this month be warmer than the last. The other day, a friend of mine said 'coldest winter in my life was summer in Holland'. Well, it may be a bit exaggerated, but it's definetely automnesque over here. If you ever want to bond with a Dutchie, complain about the weather. It's a national hobby.
So. What are we going to eat?
Fruit
Strawberries, apricots, appels, blackberries, grapes, raspberries, cherries, mango, melons, necatrines, pears, peaches, prunes, black berries.
Vegetables
Potatoes, andives, artichok, eggplant, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, white cabbage, chinese cabbage, savoy cabbage, zucchini, green celery, celeriac, cucumber, kohlrabi, lettuce, corn, mushrooms, pepper, pumpkin (YAY!), leak, grean beens, radish, turnip tops, beetroot, string beans, spinach, tomatoes, onions, potherbs, carrots.
July
July. The summer holiday has begun! Last week I had my last test of the year. Not that I'm not studying, I have a lot of writing to do for my bachelor's thesis. But still, no classes for two months! Last year I had absolutely nothing to do all summer and I really long for that feeling of having absolutely no obligations whatsoever. That's really the best feeling in the world. But hey, I'm the one who wanted to do two studies. So I'll grin and bear it and comfort myself with a lot of good food. And working out to compensate, ha. I sound so grown up, don't you think? Proud of myself.
So, what am I eating this month? Well, definitely a lot of mango's... My mother lived at Curaçao until she was eleven and my grandparents still have a boat there, they live there in the colder months of the year. We went to visit a few times and it was always great. While in Holland it was cold and everyone was freezing their asses off we would lie on the beach and get a nice tan. When I eat mango I close my eyes and I hear the water splashing around the boat and feel the sun on my skin. I look around and I see the flowers and the blue water and white sand and all the brightly coloured fishes and my grandma comes out of the cabin and hands me a bowl of fresh mango and a cup of coffee. I'm there. Isn't it beautiful taste and memory are so closely related?
Fruit
Strawberries, apricots, appels, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, mango, nectarines, peaches, rhubarb, red berries, black berries.
Vegetables
potatoes, andive, artichok, eggplant, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, chinese cabbage, zucchini, peas, green celery, cucumber, kohlrabi, lettuce, peppers, leek, radish, beetroot, red cabbage, savoy cabbage, string beans, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, fennel, potherbs, white cabbage, carrots.
June
It's june 21st and summer has begun. Today will be the longest day of the year and from now on the days will shorten again. It's also the day I'm officially 22 and a half. I realise now I haven't really enjoyed spring or summer at all yet. I haven't been to the beach and I've laid in the park just once. I haven't even had a proper barbeque yet... Somehow I always wait half a year for the warmer months to arrive and than let them slip by almost unnoticed. However, maybe summer hasn't officially begun here because while writing this I look outside and see November. It's been raining for days now in Holland and I long for the sun to shine and touch my bare arms and legs and burn into my skin. I want to store up energy for the fall that will, eventually, inevitably, return. I can't control the weather even though I'd love to, so celebrating summer by soaking up sun will be difficult today. I do control what's in my fridge though, and isn't every season not also about food, as is everything? Winter in Holland doesn't just mean cold and snow and rain but it also means empty fruit stands. So let's enjoy those lovely summer fruits while we can, shall we? And don't forget about asparagus, melons, artichokes, peas...
Fruit
Strawberries, apricots, raspberries, cherries, nectarines, peaches, rhubarb, red berries, oranges, blackberries
Vegetables
Potatoes, andive, artichokes, asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, green celery, kohlrabi, lettuce, mushrooms, leek, green beans, turnip, radish, savoy cabbage, spinach, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, fennel, potherbs, carrots
