Eating with the Seasons

I used to live not far from the Dekalb Farmer's Market near Atlanta, which isn't a true farmer's market at all but rather an enormous supermarket that sells almost any sort of food imaginable. Chinese winter melons, cheeses from around the world, spices from any cooking tradition imaginable, wheat- and egg-free pasta, beautiful breads and pastries from their own bakery, an enormous variety of mangoes, chile peppers, and mushrooms --- you name it, they sold it. I didn't go there all the time, but it's the sort of place that I always enjoyed walking around and exploring when I did.

Then, a few years ago, we moved north to a city where one company had a virtual grocery monopoly in town, a little further away from the coast. Everyone warned me that I'd have to get used to the snow the first winter I lived here, but that wasn't the biggest adjustment. The biggest adjustment was learning to really, really love sweet potatoes, winter squash, fennel, and greens --- the only vegetables that were abundant and decent-looking from November until the first asparagus showed up around the end of March.

There's good sense in eating what's seasonal, though: whatever's in season is likely to be not only the best value, but also the best-tasting food available. And a lot of the fruits and vegetables that are in season now are among the better bets nutritionally to boot. Here are some recipes that use fruits and vegetables that are in season (in this neck of the woods and hopefully yours) in ways that are safe for a wide variety of allergy needs.

• Pumpkin and Apple Soup
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• Cinnamon Applesauce
• Carrots with Cinnamon
• Basic Microwave Spaghetti Squash