Eating with the seasons
You have most likely heard the advice: “eat fruits and vegetables in season”.
This seems very logical, as the conditions for growing plants depend on the particular climate of the place of growing as well as on the nourishing soil.
In reality, the true edible plants in season are the wild plants that grow naturally in the ecosystem of a region.
Unfortunately, today we no longer live in intact, natural regions with a rich and untouched biodiversity.
The vast majority of us live in densely populated or highly developed agricultural areas, where there is so little natural and wild food available.
Vegan farming allows us to grow fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and seeds that are essential to our diet.
Cultivable land is therefore an irreplaceable value. Let’s be realistic, if we look at the numbers they are not good.
Out of all the cultivable lands on the planet, only 20% is dedicated to veggie farming and a few percent of that 20 % is actually organic veggie farming.
Therefore, farmers are encouraged to take as little risk of yield loss as possible by growing standardized fruits and vegetables, even in organic veg-culture.
This leads to a loss of diversity and variety of species. The consumer’s choice is greatly impoverished, hence the need to “import” what he lacks.
Always with the aim of taking the least possible risks, farmers try to grow better fruits and vegetables that can be picked over a longer period of time, exiting slowly the strict seasonality of fruits and vegetables.
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For example, carrots, turnips and cauliflower can be found almost all year round!
Moreover, organic growing in greenhouses in the open ground and without heating allows us to have fresh green salads all year round, as well as other vegetables that would obviously be affected by snow, heavy rain, cold wind or frost.
This is not a new approach, as for thousands of years, man has been selecting species that are more resistant to cold, heat, drought and any adverse climatic conditions.
As growing techniques have developed, we now have a better understanding of how to create microclimates that are more favorable to the growth of vegetable plants.
Today, it is undeniable that the line between in-season and out-of-season fruits and vegetables is becoming increasingly blurred for many plant species.
On ther other hand, there is a reason why tropical fruits do not grow in temperate to cold areas.
If fruits like strawberries don’t grow in winter, there’s a reason for that too.
Fruits and vegetables are connected to the natural cycles of seasons and climate and provide what we need at the right time.
For example, watermelon is extremely refreshing, so it is not advisable to eat it in winter, although you will surely consume smoothies with frozen berries (so out of season) because they are rich in antioxidants.
At the end, it is all a question of measurement, logic and knowing why we consume this or that food.
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