Tomatoes and The Joy of the Season

The sun is bright, bees are buzzing, the trees are full of green, children are running free, and fresh food is plentiful. The abundance of summer brings about a cherished joy, and a bustling harmony we often miss in the modern world. Our modern life asks that we notice not the seasons and what they each bring, but instead focus on the worldly materialism that drives our endless impetus. We've forgotten the origins of our food, and in the process, even ourselves. We run to the store, set on a specific list of ingredients, or even more, not ingredients, but prepacked, premade foods, without the slightest concern for its origin or story. What are the implications of this ideology? How far out does our attitude and practices about food ripple?

Contrast the above with a society in which fresh, local food is prized. One in which local producers and farmers are acknowledged directly, where many people eat with ingredients they've grown with their own hands and adjust their dishes accordingly. What effect might that have on the health of the population, the environment? What about community and the attitudes of grace and gratitude? I'd venture to say the latter society would be much happier.

I believe our food system to be the foundation of society. If you want to check the status of a civilization, I would first check the food system. Food is more than simply nourishment for our bodies, it is how we build community with one another, with our world, and build lasting, ethical, institutions.

The West has been working steadily toward the deadened and numb outlook on our food for decades, so I wouldn't expect anything to change overnight. However, the ebb is receding, the flow is returning. A resurgence in regenerative farming (formerly known simply as farming), supporting the local farmer, and victory gardens are happening.

If reconnecting with your food is new to you, a wonderful place to start is to be more mindful of the seasons. Eating food when it is in season is when it is at peak nutrition, even more so if it is found locally.

Tomatoes were the starting point for me to begin being mindful of my food's origins. If you've ever contrasted store-bought tomatoes with homegrown ones, you know just how far off course our standards of quality have gone. After buying several different varieties of store-bought tomatoes on a cold January day in hopes of making my favorite marinara sauce, I realized nothing I could buy in the present would produce what I had once tasted the season prior with my mother's homegrown heirloom German Pinks. I decided then (in 2019) that I would not waste another dime on a store-bought tomato.

As I delved further into this practice, expanded my own gardening skills, and explored the local homegrown options from other farmers and gardeners, I realized one, that I had created a wonderfully unique network of food sources and knowledge on all things growing, and two, that the key to great tasting culinary creations was first and foremost fresh ingredients.

Fastforward to the present, it is now a simple act of muscle memory to live this way for 90 plus percent of our food. In the beginning, it was tough not to run to the store for every craving or desired recipe. It took some appreciation on our part to consciously enjoy the produce as it came for each season. We eat as much as we can gather for each fruit or vegetable in its peak season, create new and old recipes, and preserve a little for the winter months when the diversity available is limited. We still grab the occasional banana bunch or avocados, lemons, limes, and the like from time to time, but for the large part of our food, we eat local and seasonally. It has created a serenity for the flow of life, unlike anything I would have experienced otherwise. I am welcoming of each and every month, week, and day and what it has to offer, rather than living for yesterday or tomorrow. I'll talk a lot more in a later blog post about the specifics of nutritional implications resulting from eating locally and seasonally.

Is this possible for the larger population? As our food system currently stands? No. But we can all take baby steps to visit a local farmers market or farm to buy items here and there to drive up production from small farmers. I think the small farmer is key in making a sustainable, ethical, and healthy food system. It is impossible to mass produce quality food without sacrificing at least one of the qualities previously mentioned in the process. I desire to see a small farmer(s) in every neighborhood producing the bulk of the local population's food, or better yet, entire communities in which everyone has a hand in producing a piece of their own food. I believe that would set us up for a better society that reaches far beyond our food system. Certainly, we would all begin to see the joy of the seasons.

The joy of the seasons to me, is that each brings with it something new and different than the last, something to cherish, enjoy, and appreciate. Leaving one behind does not negate the present or future goodness of a season. An endless summer would mean no summer at all.

A quick "recipe" for summer tomatoes:

Slice one tomato (variety does not matter, though I'm a sucker for the German Lunchbox variety for this particular use) and gather slices in a small bowl. Drizzle 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil or balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes. Add garlic powder, fresh parsley, basil, and sprinkle sea salt flakes on top. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes. Add these to your favorite pasta or simply enjoy alongside some fresh parmesan. Then enjoy the presently delectable treat in the same sun it was grown in!