The dilemma is real.

Did you grow up eating apples, oranges and bananas all year round? Yeah, me too.

It struck me as crazy the first time I learned that apples aren’t available all year round from within the borders of my own country. It surprised me even more to know that during the summer months, our “fresh” apples were being flown in from New Zealand. I did learn that if it was labeled as home grown, but happened to be July, than the quality would surely be less than stellar. Apples stored for long periods of time to keep fresh apples on the market are kept in oxygen, temperature and humidity controlled environments and I find that the texture, taste and ultimately, nutritional value suffers.

Eating seasonal can be difficult, depending on where you reside. What you may be used to, having grown up in a very different mindset, is no longer “allowed” by your own exacting standards. Fruits are from far away lands, meats from distant countries, packaged foods from unrecognizable states…it sometimes can feel like too much effort. I assure you that once you put a little time into planning, it is not so difficult to buy close to home. You don’t need to punish yourself if you buy from somewhere else (vanilla beans** don’t exactly grow in the Northern hemisphere very well, though there are some places that do manage to cultivate it up North), or if you don’t manage to even buy mostly local most of the time.
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