I love Michigan’s farmer’s markets in August. It’s the perfect time to get the perfect heirloom tomato, local sweet corn, blueberries, peaches, and on and on.
But in February that same location won’t have much of anything at all – maybe a couple of cheesemakers or some greenhouse cucumbers.
Eating according to what’s actually growing, or seasonality, is appealing, and nourishing in a truly deep way. To eat the food that ripens where and when you are in the world is gratifying on a magnificent level. (You’ll never go back to eating winter grocery store tomatoes…)
I think there’s a lot to be said for eating this way, and I think there’s a lot to be said for planning your year that way. Identify the naturally occurring “seasons” of your calendar, and honor each season as you come to it. Not Autumn/Winter/Spring, of course. But “Meeting” and “Winter Holiday” and “Festival.” Is your pops music where it is because that’s the right season for it, or because that’s where it’s convenient to program it? Does the “Meeting” season suggest any particular approaches to rehearsal and repertoire?
Sometime you just want a tomato sauce – even in winter! There’s nothing wrong with that, or with using canned tomatoes to deliver it. But how much can you adjust your eating – and your music-making – to your season? And what rewards await you if you do?