Down here in Lower Alabama, we know that the seasons are changing because the cotton crops are starting to pop. Temperatures are still pretty warm, but the sense of Fall is ever-present.
Eating with the seasons is a hot topic in food. Back in the days before refrigeration and mega-farming, seasonal was the only way that people ate. I was never a foodie, and as you all know, I am a self-taught chef. I very much appreciate the Farm to Table movement for a million reasons, but I came to it by necessity rather than novelty. When I moved “across the bay” from Mobile to Daphne, AL in 1979, there was only one grocery store in the area. And it was pretty sparse. We relied heavily on roadside farmer’s markets for the bulk of our fresh produce.
At that time I was already in the early days of my gumbo making endeavors and new-found fascination with cooking. I absolutely relished in perusing the markets for hours and then experimenting with whatever was pretty and smelled good. That was more of an education on ingredients and pairings than I could get anywhere!
In Gumbo Love, I write about Winter Gumbo, and how it came about as a progression of the seasons from hot weather to cold.
“Since tomatoes and okra are grown in the Summer months along the sub-tropical zone of the Gulf Coast, gumbo cooks had to come up with an alternative in the winter months. Tomatoes were eliminated, and to add thickness and taste, filé powder was used…Winter gumbos also use more fowl, game, meats, sausages, and oysters, which are at their best when harvested from colder waters…I use almost any tasty ingredient available.”
In this Amazon Prime-era of ‘everything available at any time’ we could eat Summer Gumbo or Winter Gumbo all year long. And, while I whole heartedly LOVE my Amazon Prime, I believe that our bodies go through the seasons with the rest of nature. Besides the importance of eating local as much as possible, and being aware of the origins of what we’re eating, I believe that eating with the seasons nourishes our natural state of being and balance.
There is Wisdom and Spirit in a thoughtful pot of Gumbo! I’m curious, what is one of your seasonal specialties? Please share in the comments.
Find the Winter Gumbo recipe and more seasonal specialties in Gumbo Love.
Wishing you all lots of Pumpkin Spice Galore on the glorious shift into Fall!
Love, LuLu
