Aggravating...

Over the past few years I have worked hard at moving our family into a seasonal approach to our food. This is actually harder than it would seem given conventional food system's approach to always having available a few crops, never mind the time of year. But, we've managed it, through our own gardening, CSA and local farmer's markets. Part of this journey has been collecting seasonal cookbooks. There aren't many out there, honestly. And the ones that are available tend to be put out by localvores, food activists and other fringe foodies. So, one would assume, given the tendency of these groups to be all or nothing, that they would in fact be consistent in their recipes. But... they aren't. And it aggravates me. It makes me a little crazy to find a lovely recipe for Quinoa salad with arugula, beans, and... tomatoes (which do not grow well in cold spring air). Or find Eggplant listed under "spring." Really, it seems like most recipes call for something that isn't really available concurrent with the main ingredients. It's like the unspoken rule is, "If it's not the main ingredient, then we'll wink it in anyway."

Now, I am a competent cook. This inconsistency isn't really a problem as far as eating from what's available. It's just aggravating. Sometimes, I don't want to have to think about substitutions. Sometimes, I just want to flip through a cookbook, see a good recipe and go. That is, in fact, why I collect cookbooks. Inspiration (not aggravation).

OK, done with the little rant and off to figure out what to feed my family that is actually seasonally available.

OK, funny little side note, but after I hit publish, there was a list of google ads to the side. They included recipes and growing advice for tomatoes as well as links for free Kraft Food samples!