Cooking "In Season"

Foods that are “in season” can be a lot better tasting and a lot cheaper than foods that are out of season. This is because foods that are grown locally and at the peak of production are shipped over a shorter distance, making them more fresh and less expensive. Here is a map of the United States which shows the produce that is in season for each month: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap

The produce that is in season right now is very easy to use in foods that kids will enjoy. Lettuce and spinach can be used in salads paired with dressings that kids like (Ranch, for example) and fun toppings like cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, or another vegetable that kids like. Salad bars can be a lot of fun if kids are given interesting toppings! Strawberries are also in season this month. You can use them in fruit salads or eat them as an after-school snack with a sweet dip (store-bought or homemade: vanilla yogurt with honey and fruit preserves stirred in). Or for a dessert that kids will have fun making, you can melt chocolate chips and dip strawberries into them, then cool them on wax paper. Adding nonpareil sprinkles or drizzling melted white chocolate over the top can be a lot of fun too. Here is my recipe using strawberries for a tropical fruit salad from the summer class I taught last year:

Ingredients:

3 oranges

1 can cubed pineapple

1 large can mandarin oranges

1 box fresh strawberries

A few drops of lemon juice

Maraschino cherries

Sweetened flaked coconut

Directions:

Cut each of the oranges in half horizontally. Scoop out the insides and put them in a blender or food processor. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple cubes and mandarin oranges. Slice the strawberries and stir them in. Pulse the orange insides in the blender and strain them into a bowl. Mix the juice with the lemon juice, and Pour it over the fruit salad in the bowl. Serve the fruit salad into the orange halves and garnish them with cherries and coconut.