Seasonal food

Jack posted recently about eating seasonally, in reference to an OUTSTANDING Tomato Lime soup from the Moosewood. We have come across certain recipes, over the years, that we really enjoy during “season”.

Egypt is all about season. Eat the mangoes/figs/apricots when they are in season, then you don’t have them for another 3 or 4 months. The fruits are incredible, but the seasons are short. Luckily for us, here most of them have more than one crop per year (mangoes have 2, tomatoes have 3).

Right now is prime watermelon season! They are as big as a basketball and so juicy that you can’t eat them (modestly) in public! Before we left to come to Egypt, a good friend, LindaF, made dinner for us including the most exquisite watermelon salad.

This evening, I made the salad for us and AnneJ, to great raves. It seems an odd combination – watermelon, cucumbers, blue cheese, vinegar, honey and tea. The end product is a sweet/savory tastebud sensation.

In the States, we frequently forget what is “in season” because we can get things year-round. I have to admit, I enjoy varying my diet to match the best fruits and veggies available. We eat fresher, and the food tastes better! Go figure.