The Seasons, They Go Round and Round

 Mushroom sweet potato ragout goes on the new chicken dish.

Personally, I am a big fan of the changing of the seasons.  I like the hot and steamy summer months, even the ones we've all just endured.  Fall always follows, and generally we get a nice gradual entry into November chill.  Winter is typically wet and cold, so maybe not as popular around here as other seasons, but last year's multi-snow storms made things a little more interesting at least! And then of course there is the relief when spring finally arrives.

The changing seasons bring about changing eating habits, perhaps more so here in the mid-Atlantic than elsewhere, with the seasonality of produce and seafood harvested locally rotating so dramatically as the months move along.  Already Redman's tomatoes are over for the year, and the butternut squash and sweet potatoes are crowded on the walk-in shelves.  Crab gives way to oysters,  peaches make room for pears.  Somehow, we are ready for it.  We crave those bright oranges and dark greens. Suddenly we wonder when we will have a pumpkin pie for dessert, or sit down to a cider braised pork roast with roast apples.  And why isn't that oyster fritter back on the menu yet?!?

Allowing the seasons to control the menu assures variety on the dining table.  The cook doesn't get bored, prepping the same produce month after month; the diner goes from asparagus to peas, spinach to kale, string beans to Brussels sprouts.  (Okay, we can skip the Brussels sprouts if you want.)  Beets are now on the plates, and soon we'll see squash puree, the burgundy and gold of fall naturally ornamenting the table top.

Kevin has been working up some changes to the menu for the past few days, reflecting some of these seasonal shifts. A few of the changes are slightly overdue - we've been verbalizing the pork preparation for weeks now - but most are just a reflection of what is going on around us.  The geese are back, and so are the apples and the pumpkins.