SEASONAL EATING | CONTINUAL WELL-BEING
Look at any Napa Valley menu and you’ll see chefs embrace seasonal eating by creating and offering the most delectable dishes - all centered around what’s in season. Cathy Schroeder, part of our Rion team, shares her story of how her family embraces seasonal eating.
Living in California means we’re fortunate to be able to have a garden year round and in turn eat seasonally. But what exactly does seasonal eating mean? It’s a sustainable way of changing your diet to eat fruits and vegetables that are in season. It’s fresher, tastier and more nutritious than when consumed out of season,
HEALTHY EATS
Here’s just a few reasons to eat seasonally:
Health | Studies show that when we consume fruits and veggies at the time nature gives them to us our bodies absorb their nutrients better. The benefit? We become stronger, healthier and happier.
Environment | Purchasing in-season, locally grown foods decrease transportation and fuel costs - as well as supporting our local farmers.
Economy | When fruits and veggies are in abundance they’re usually available at a lower price.
H E A L T H Y B Y P R O D U C T S
For me, gardening and trying to eat seasonally is just plain good for the mind, body and soul. For my family, it’s had generational impacts. One of my favorite memories is walking in my Grandpa’s small, manicured garden in Burbank, CA with the crunch of the gravel path under my feet and him encouraging me to pluck a sun-warmed, plump, purple fig off his tree and eat it right then. My grandpa propagated a cutting from that fig tree and gave it to my Dad, who in turn gave cuttings to my siblings and me and now he’s sharing cuttings with his grandchildren.
Each season I get to watch my husband with his dad (who also has a love of gardening) and my dad plan with excitement and anticipation what they’re going to plant, what needs to be added to the soil, which seedlings they’re starting and in turn will share with each other.
Being in the yard, with my husband, Tim, working shoulder to shoulder in the sunshine and dirt planting, weeding, harvesting and then cooking together has been good for us - for our bodies and souls.
It’s more than a hobby. It’s a lifestyle.
BUMPER CROP
My dad always recites this poem when we’re planting.
One for the blackbird
One for the crow
One for the cutworm
And one to grow.
Translation: we always plant way more than we need. On the plus side it motivates me to try new recipes, we’ve met some amazing neighbors and our friends love when we share the fruits of our labor - literally. Some have even said we’ve inspired them to start gardens of their own or to make an old family marinara sauce recipe using our fresh tomatoes.
Tip | Having an organic garden can be challenging. I like using Neem Oil when bugs appear and it won’t harm the environment or your plants.
BEYOND THE SEASON
Yes, ideally we would consume all we grow in the parameters of the season but we also like to enjoy it throughout the year. Based on what nature provides in abundance we’ve also developed a love of canning. Tim has a background in food processing and is obsessed with safety - so that’s a plus. We’ve canned everything from pickles to apricots . Hot sauce to jams. Tomato sauces to relishes. And Tim even took home a Blue Ribbon at the County Fair for his sweet and spicy pickles!
Tip | The freezer is your friend, too. I make pesto and freeze in ice cube trays. Take out a few cubes, thaw and it makes for a great, easy weekday dinner when added to pasta, fish, chicken or veggies.
Pesto
2 cups basil
2 Tblsp pine nuts
1-2 garlic cloves
½ tsp salt
¼ cup olive oil
Parmesan cheese to taste
Combine basil, pine nuts, garlic and salt in food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Drizzle in olive oil. Add cheese to taste.
Cathy has her hands in a little bit of everything at Rion Designs including assisting Lindsey, staff and clients, working on visuals, proposals, inventory and marketing just to name a few. The best part? Knowing she’s had some small part in making an event special and memorable. Her favorite place to be is outdoors and you can find her hiking with her pup, Truly, every morning - rain or shine. Her other loves? Her hubby, Tim, her two amazing sons, gardening, cooking and baking.