The more I grow my own food the more I realize the truth of the old biblical saying, "everything is beautiful in its own time", that is, it's complete and lacks nothing good.
The obvious impact of the change in season for us is temperature and one either hates or loves this change (ehm... a summer baby here).
For plants, the change of seasons also determines the availability of nutrients in the soil and level of microbial activity and abundance necessary to make those nutrients available in a form that plants can use for healthy growth. So tomatoes grown in summer taste better and are healthier for us because they were grown at the optimal time for them to receive their optimum nutrition.
We are now well in to autumn which means colder days ahead. Just as open-toe stilettos and lace dresses are making way for fur coats and winter boots, so in the garden our tomatoes, eggplants and summer squashes are fading out to make way for kales, cabbages and fava beans.
Now of course you can still find fresh tomatoes in the winter, but it eating these will be a lot like wearing open-toe stilettos when its at 5 °C outside. It might look good, but frozen feet are very uncomfortable and you might catch a cold.
So here are some ideas of what is good to eat this season.
Beetroot
Golden beetroot. Photography: Aline Ponce
These range in colour from white, deep burgundy, candy striped and gold as pictured above. Beets are perfect roasted with carrots, garlic, and some rosemary. Serve as a side dish with your choice of protein for a comforting meal on a cold winter's day.