What are your favourite seasonal foods and recipes?

[Stephanie]

Hi everyone, 

When the days get shorter and the weather colder, there isn't much that can lift up one’s spirits as much as a heartwarming seasonal treat!

Soup, stews, roasts, root vegetables or all-spice baked goods, food is an essential part of the winter survival guide. A lot of tasty and versatile veggies are in season from December to February, giving amateur cooks and food lovers endless possibilities to mix things up.

What is your favourite food or dish to prepare and/or eat during winter time? 

We’d love to hear your ideas and tips! 

Stephanie

[Rowena29]

Hi @Stephanie 

To be honest, I can't even THINK about winter foods at the moment.

Australia is sweltering.  We have just broken the record for The hottest day on record for the whole of Australia 2  days in a row - on Tuesday the collective temperature was 40.9, then on Wednesday -it went up to 41.9.  Bushfires are raging all over the place.  https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/19/419c-australia-records-hottest-ever-day-one-d....

I do like to cook a bit in December however - my first and only decent break in the year.  I like to preserve using my Grandma's bottling bits and pieces. ( If it gets so hot that we can't grow things anymore, I have heaps of stewed tomatoes to keep us going).  

I usually leave out something for our guests.  My next reservation is for 11 days covering Christmas and New year.  I'm thinking I'll give them some Ginger syrup cordial, mango jelly and for a festive note a bottled steamed Xmas pudding ( as pictured -  photographically artistic I'm not, but you"ll get the idea) .   

My cousin lives in London, so I'm well aware how cold it is over there. Have a wonderful Xmas and revel in the cold. 

I'd love to be over there and out of the heat for a few weeks!

Cheers

[Clara116]

@Stephanie I'm NOW a slow cooker and feeling much more ZEN................ In our part of the country USA in Florida we spend many months  with warm, very warm weather and I love it.....but there are about 4-5 months that we do have cool temps. For me it might as well be 20 degrees/ freezing or below.............I prefer warm/ hot weather so I feel like I need to be warmed up and the newest discovery I've found is using the crock pot - slow cooker or pressure cooker for a fabulous variety of meals, stews, soups, dishes. And to help it out you need the right recipes and spices - well, just the past months I've discovered The Zen of Slow Cooking - 2 women  put together these packages of all the spice blends with recipes and they have made life really easy for those of us that don't love spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Now don't get me wrong I like to have a  hot meal every evening with my sweet husband but I can find many things to do outside the kitchen so using this Zen of Slow Cooking is perfect for me.  Plus I really like the name ZEN - my favorite so far is their Indian dish - that's a Lentils, coconut milk, Thai curry dish served over rice - In each dish the prep time is about 5-8 mins. and then let it cook - I cook it on high and so usually 2-3 hours. But there are options for very slow cooking for 6-8 hrs. Also, most recently I prepared  a Tuscan Bean Soup with Sausages - really tasty. 

You know we go on vacation or a trip and often wish to slow down and gather with family and friends and this is a great way to share a home-cooked meal. 

One idea that I think is fantastic for hosts  (offering places for families ) is a slow cooker and such spice blends -They don't have to be worrying what to make,  cause they have the spice blends and recipes all in one and can with a little prep put it on,  go out for the afternoon or day and return to a meal all ready. Also, they  probably don't mess up every pot in the house. And there's not much clean up and prep is so easy. Might be a great thing to offer guests in 2020. Let me know what you think of this idea!

Happy Hosting, Happy Cooking.............  PEACE

[Helen427]

Hiya @Stephanie @Clara116 @Rowena29 

Avocado season here in New Zealand, 2 bags of 5 avocados for $5.00 -- yummmy in our tummies.

Strawberries are 2 punnets for $4.50.

Cherries are still on the expensive side at around $20 for 800grms - I'll waith til after Christmas for them.

Blueberries, apricots, nectarines and peaches etc are all under $7.00 kg.

Loving the summer fruit & veg

Do you recall this topic??

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/Avocados/m-p/821736#M198230

Maybe we can all share what our locations are notable for growing in the Northern Winter and the Southern Summer with a mix in between