[djnaraps]

Sure! My mother is preparing a book detailing recipes, ingredients, foraging, how to eat, when to eat and so on which will be released this year. Basically, we follow the seasons and there are 4-5 "dishes" each season with some overlap.

The "dishes" are templates filled in with whatever is available at the time. For instance, when chestnuts are in season they enter soups, casseroles, roasts, salads and on their own drizzled with olive oil and salt. When they finish, something else is in season and the dishes change again.

There's a very brief period of overlap where the staple summer vegetables (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, zucchini) and chestnuts are available at the same time. These vegetables stuffed with a mix of brown rice and chestnuts and baked in the oven is heavenly.

Instead of thinking about recipes and then obtaining ingredients to make them, start with the ingredients and make it up as you go. Things that are in season together typically go together. We base everything on olive oil, alliums, some sort of legume or grain and seasonal greens, nuts, fruits and vegetables.

My great grandparents didn't follow recipes per se. When they made a soup they used what they had and due to lack of refrigeration and ultra-processing everything they ate was local, seasonal and fresh.

[cole-k]

Cool stuff! I'm not as lucky to be surrounded by (affordable) fresh, seasonal produce, but I'll keep your seasonality tip in mind. We do have farmers' markets where I am, although their prices are unfortunately at a bit of a premium. Maybe I'll just buy some quantity of whatever's freshest one of these days and try to improvise as you do.

LMK if there's a mailing list or something I can get on for your mom's book!