Wellbeing Benefits
The good sense of eating seasonally aligned (local) food is a well-developed tenet of preventative medical traditions (such as Traditional Chinese Medicine). Even without applying hard science, intuition and tradition tell us to eat root veggies in winter, sprouting veggies in Spring and cooling veggies in Summer.
Environmental Benefit
Local and seasonal produce results in less energy and water being "embedded" in our foods (through growing, transport and refrigeration), with a corresponding lightening of the contribution to climate change. Seasonally appropriate crops are more likely to work with, rather than against, local biological and environmental systems and species, minimising the requirement for pesticides, glass houses, etc…
Eating local and seasonal foods supports local farmers and the production of crops that are appropriate to our local environment. This alleviates the modern reliance on the long-distance transport and refrigeration of foods that are grown thousands of kilometres away. In addition, foods grown in sync with the seasons are more in tune with our intuitive nutritional needs: after all, who wants a cucumber sandwich in the middle of winter? And Wyndham, after all, is Melbourne’s food bowl - so let’s make the most of what we have on our doorsteps!
Simple actions you can try today!
Buy & eat local and seasonal food!
Farmers markets are a great place to buy locally produced food. Whilst Wyndham doesn't currently have a farmers market, check out the Australian Farmers' Markets Association website for those in nearby municipalities.
Foods in season throughout the year
| Summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring |
| Apricots | Avocado (Fuerte) | Beetroots | Asparagus |
| Beans | Cabbage (& Brussels Sprouts) | Broccoli | Avocado (Hass) |
| Berries & Currants | Cauliflower | Cabbage (& Brussels Sprouts) | Beetroots |
| Celery | Celery | Cauliflowers | Berries & currants |
| Cherries | Chestnuts | Celery | Broccoli |
| Corn | Cumquats | Cumquats | Cabbage (& Brussels Sprouts) |
| Cucumber | Figs | Fennel | Corn |
| Eggplants | Ginger | Ginger | Cucumbers |
| Figs | Leeks | Jerusalem Artichokes | Fennel |
| Green pea | Melons | Lemons & Limes | Green, Snap & Snow pea, |
| Leeks | Olives | Olives | Leeks |
| Melon | Parsnips | Parsnips | Lemon & Lime |
| Pears | Pears | Rhubarb | Peppers & chillies |
| Peppers (& Chillies) | Quinces | Sweet Potatoes | Rhubarb |
| Tomatoes | Sweet Potatoes | Turnips & swedes | Zucchini & Squash |
| Zucchini & Squash | Tomatoes |
(Southern Australian emphasis)
Grow your own food - The best way to get local and seasonal is to use your own backyard! You can have a veggie garden all year round with seasonal vegetables (See 'Grow your own Food' in 'Related Actions').
Purchasing canned goods and condements, packaged starch foods such as pasta, wine etc... made in Australia made in Australia (including produced and packaged) means less transport costs and helps aussie businesses.
Why is this action important?
Reconfiguring our eating habits so as to have the lightest impact on the environment is a simple way to address climate change (via reduced transport and industrial energy) and support local communities and farmers. You'll also get an interesting and diverse diet all year round! In addition, organisations like the Australian Farmers' Markets Association advocate for low-impact farming and produce diversity.