How connected are we as humans to the change in seasons? I spent a year on a farm in the Caribbean, which was nice for many reasons, but I really missed the change in seasons.
I love Fall. Especially in Rhode Island. Most days are warm, but the nights are cool. The foliage is beautiful. The sunlight is distinctly different from Summer sunlight, and interacts with the Fall colors in the most amazing way. The smells are different.
Our family craves outdoor time, even after a Summer of being outdoors. Maybe it’s because daylight is getting more scarce, and we have some drearier months ahead, so it feels like the clock is ticking. We eat lunch in our backyard. We go camping. We go for lots of walks in the woods and at the beach.
And for some reason, our food cravings begin to change. After months of devouring salads, I find myself not that interested in salad anymore. But I crave roasted root vegetables. I’ve had my fill of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, but I could eat apples and delicata squash for every meal.
We eat lots of stews, roasts, and most of all….PIE. In our family, we have actually started referring to Fall as “Pie Season.” Milo and I made this pumpkin pie this week from a fresh pumpkin. It didn’t last long. But I don’t discriminate against any pie flavors. I’m happy with apple, sweet potato, pecan, berries…whatever.
And I’ve noticed in the last few years, that my cravings seem to follow foods at the time of year that they are harvested. I couldn’t care less about apples for 9 months of the year, but I love eating them during Pie Season, just as they are falling off the trees.
I also crave richer cuts of meat this time of year. I no longer want chicken breast, but I’d be happy eating braised beef short ribs or pork shoulder roast every day.
I’ve become very curious why this is. Is it cultural adaptation? Is it because I see these foods growing and at the farmer’s markets? Are we still genetically close enough to our pre-refrigeration ancestors that naturally evolved eating this way? Does seasonally-appropriate food just taste better? Does my body know that it actually needs different nutrients this time of year?
Does anyone else feel this way?
Maybe it doesn’t matter why this is the case. I feel good eating this way. I enjoy eating this way. I appreciate that eating this way means that nearly all of my diet can be grown locally (I have a hard time giving up avocados and bananas).
Enjoy this wonderful change in the seasons and the change in diet that comes along with it. -Farmer Ben