Babinski Farm Stand, Water Mill, New York
It is not New Age-y to live in harmony with nature. Eating within the cycles of nature has been done for years, but in today’s convenience driven world, seasonality seems obsolete. Mangoes available in December? Seems like the norm.
But eating in season, connects you deeply to the earth and fosters respect to the food we are offered each new cycle. I would dare to compare this to our clothes and what we wear each season. We rarely think about how long our food traveled for it to reach our plates, creating a heavy environmental footprint on the way. Same thing happens with our clothes. They go through many laborious chains and travel around the world until they reach our closet. Therefore, it is so important to wear what we already have.
Rediscovering those linen garments, you put away during fall season, is like buying something new the following Summer. Dressing in season, just like eating in season, has a purpose: To help us keep cool -and well dressed- during those hot and humid summer days. Fabrics like linen, tencel, organic cotton, cupro are derived from the earth and wick moisture to keep us looking fresh.
Another reason to live within the seasons is less exposure to pesticides and preservatives. In order to keep out of season fruits and veggies fresh while jet-setting around the world, they must be sprayed with preservatives. Choosing local, in season, and organic when possible will reduce your exposure to pesticides. Same goes for organic linen, tencel, and organic cotton all grown without pesticides that can harm the soil or irritate the skin.
It may seem “out there” but living in touch with nature keeps us aligned to the earth, and teach us to appreciate what we have in the now.