Seasonal Spotlight: Pear Coffee Cake

There are some very good reasons for eating fruit that is locally grown and in season. They all hinge around the concept that if something is out of season where you live, then it had to travel (often a great distance) to get to you. For fruit to travel it must be picked prior to optimum ripeness, this helps the fruit not be damaged in transport or arrive rotten. And when fruit is picked before it is fully ripe you lose out on flavor and nutrients. Shipping fruit all over the country and world also consumes vast amounts of energy, this can raise the cost of these items and certainly has a negative impact on the environment. Seasonal fruit is healthier, cheaper, better for the environment and tastes way better!

The last few years there has been a surge in the desire to create home gardens. If you have the space, time, green thumbs and desire to grow your own, go for it! You will certainly discover what foods are seasonal! The path I prefer (if you’re busy or lazy like me) is to shop for produce at farmers markets. I find farmers markets to be the best place to get delicious seasonal fruits and vegetables. If you are not lucky enough to live near a farmers' market or it is closed for the season, then simply ask your grocer what is in season. Another tip to find in season fruit is to look for the items on sale; in season fruit often comes so abundantly that grocery stores need to put these items on sale to move them quickly.

Often when a certain fruit is in season we find it on sale and go a little crazy buying up every variety. This happens a lot for me with apples, citrus and pears. One tip to avoid food waste is to be proactive, before it goes bad add your seasonal fruit into baked goods or store in the freezer. Citrus can be peeled, segmented and then frozen for smoothies. Apples and pears can be cooked down and turned into apple or pear sauce which is easily frozen for later. Apples and pears are also excellent in baked goods, their natural pectin works well to bind baked goods together and their mild sweetness works great to sweeten recipes without relying on added sugar.