At the time of writing this article, Ontario’s produce is at its peak of abundance. In older times, this is when we gather food for home storage to last us through the months of snow. Before food was transported from warmer climates, the pioneers here had to rely on their summer crop to feed them throughout the winter.

We have to live with our success as much as we have to live with our mistakes. The winter is the time to evaluate how well we did with our crops so that when spring comes again we have a better understanding. This is the time for “going inward.” We reflect on the harvest - that it was good or bad. We plan the next year in our hearts and in our minds already envisioning ways to improve.

Our farming ancestors were listening to the subtle signs which nature had given, making changes as the years went on. This improved their understanding of how to survive on the farm and with the seasons. They ate all their own food or of their neighbors. The food was ripe, organic, locally grown. The farmers produced our medicine and great numbers of folk remedies which are still being used today.

Presently the main farming methods are mono-crop, meaning the farm produces one plant in mass quantity. Most big commercial farms rely on chemical fertilizers and sprays. These systematized ways of growing food takes the human intuition out of the picture. Instead of farmers who care about the food they produce we have businesses that care about maximum yield, marketing and cosmetic appeal. Where are the farmers who care?

Today it is normal to see kiwi, oranges, and mangoes in the market and fresh salad greens all year. There are those who practise macrobiotics that would only take locally grown foods which are in season. It is a belief that we are best suited to the foods which grow in our environment. Many people ask, "what is the value to buying locally sourced and organic foods and why do we care about the farmer's practises?". The person is only as good as the food taken in because one or more of the chemical elements missing means deficiency signs/disease. The minerals must come from the food and as much as it is important to source out mineral rich foods, we must also be aware of what happens when it is picked early and transported to ripen off the plant. For example, some nutrients in fruits are not present until the final stage of ripening on the tree and although they will ripen off the tree, those nutrients would not be present.

Macrobiotics also associates eating seasonal with energetic properties in food. At this time until winter ends we would basically be eating beans, grains, squash, apples, root vegetables and anything else that can store safely. These foods are warming energetically but salads and other types of summer crops are cooling. In today's markets we have a vast number of foods that are from another climate. Crops that do not normally grow locally are shipped from warmer climates. According to a macrobiotic philosophy, eating foods out of season makes it difficult to stay healthy.

I have said a mouthful! Don't believe my words at face value. Try to adopt a seasonal diet to see for yourself. You may find that when spring comes playfully with dandelion leaves there is a cleanse from a starchy winter. Summer keeps me cool with fresh fruits. The fall harvest leading to winter comes with stews, soups, and hardy root vegetables encourages a kind of hibernation. The result is the right energy for the right time of year.

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