Eating & Drinking Liturgically: How to Begin Eating Food Seasonally

Lifestyle

Sep 23

By Sarah White,

We, living in a first world country, have the unique and wonderful privilege of having most produce available to us in local grocery stores regardless of if it is in season or not. This is something not to overlook or belittle, it is a gift many others do not have.

However I think there also lies a great gift in choosing to eat foods according to when they are in season. There is a beauty in only being able to eat blackberries, or watermelon, or acorn squash or avocados during a limited time in the year. As a result of choosing not to have certain foods at our fingertips 365 days a year, we are invited to treat it differently in our kitchens. To use it, perhaps, more often than if we were going to consume it all year long

Dare I say, I think that eating seasonally can actually lend itself to loving food more. I know that it seems backwards: how could I love it more if I have less time during the year to eat it? It is precisely because it is not available to you year-round that it becomes more special to have.

My favorite example is mangoes. I mentioned in my last piece that it wasn’t until we started paying attention to the season in which mangoes are at their prime that my husband and I started consuming so much mango when it’s in season! And boy, do I miss it once it's out. Our local grocery stores sometimes carry it beyond the in-season time, but you know what? It doesn’t taste as good, certainly nothing like it did in the preceding weeks. Because we are in tune to how it tastes in season, it doesn’t add as much flavor as we want and doesn’t fit the dish as well when it’s not. That is really how it all started: we (painfully) let it go and said “see you next season”, out of a desire to eat really, really good mango only.

No matter what state you live in, you can go here and choose your state and time of year, and dive into what food is in season for you. It can change from state to state, sometimes just as much as from one season to another.

Recipes

Taken from the cookbooks Drinking with the Saints and Cooking with the Saints

September 27, Saint Vincent de Paul

Saint Vincent de Paul is a memorable saint, having societies, charities, schools, thrift shops and churches named after him! He led his life helping the poor spiritually and materially, earning the nickname “Apostle of Charity.” His incorrupt heart is held to this day at the Convent of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, France. To celebrate his holy life and legacy, you can make some Galettes de Pommes de Terre, or, more simply put, potato cakes.

Potato Cakes

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

4 oz goat cheese

3 tbsp minced chives

2 tbsp chopped rosemary

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp water, for glazing

Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes until fork tender. Mash until smooth, and set aside.
Blend the butter with the cheese, chives, rosemary and garlic, and shape into a flat block. Chill for 15 minutes.
Mix 1 ½ cups of flour into the potatoes to form a soft dough. Roll the dough out into a ¼-inch thick rectangle. Place the cheese block in the center, and fold the dough along the long sides of the cheese block to cover the cheese. Fold over the bottom and top, and crimp the edges with a fork.
Cover and chill the pastry for another 15 minutes. Then repeat the rolling and folding twice more, chilling in between each folding.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough one last time, cut it into 12 to 15 pieces and shape them into patties. Place them on the baking sheet and brush with the egg wash.
Bake for 15 minutes and brush with egg wash again. Bake for another 15 minutes until the bottom of the patties are golden brown. Remove from the oven, turn the patties over, do one last brush of egg wash and bake for a remaining 5 minutes. Serve warm!

September 22, Saint Mauritius and Companions

Saint Mauritius fought as an Egyptian military leader in war during the late 200s. He and his fellow soldiers were killed because they refused to sacrifice to false gods before battle. He is the best known of the group of martyrs, and has become the patron of many professions, places and countries, including the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which used his sword and spurs in the coronation of their emperors until 1916. Drinking With The Saints calls for this drink to celebrate his sainthood: