By Julianna Klassen, Student Writer
Nothing compares to a fresh tomato in summer. Those sweet acidic juices on a hot day, and a shower of salt to tie it all together (always salt your tomatoes)! What else can be said about summer produce? Watermelon, cucumbers, peaches; they are hydrating and bright. A fortunate coincidence that these fruits are in season during a time that brings more movement, more sweat, more of a need for water. Sugars in summer berries are easily digestible: our energy comes quickly and lightly. We are enabled to be active during long, sunlit days. Antioxidants in vibrant fruits are helpful during months of increased sun exposure, protecting skin cells from damage.
Autumn: a slowing down. Less hours in a day, a bite in the air. A shift from fresh to robust produce. Squashes, which must be cooked down before eating, offer warmth, as well as immunity-boosting vitamins that the body needs during this transition. The change in the air can take a toll on our skin, but the harvest of sweet potatoes and carrots combats this damage with skin-boosting vitamins.
Winter comes sweeping in with colder, cloudier days. Perhaps our most desperate need in these long, frigid months is vitamins. Lack of sunshine, increased risk of flu: immune systems cry out! Oranges are at their prime in these winter months. Sweeter, deeper, juicier. When we need them most, they are at their best. A single naval orange provides almost all of our daily requirements for vitamin C intake. Cold winds of winter lead one to crave warmth and comfort. Hearty root vegetables like potatoes and parsnips come into season; slow-burning energy keeps our temperature stable. Dark leafy greens keep our bones healthy as activity levels drop. Brussels sprouts, spinach, kale; we are fortified by these resilient vegetables.
What we lack nutritionally, we find provided for us in the natural shifts of the harvest. Our bodies’ seasonal needs often align with the weather cycle. We could discuss the societal, environmental, and economic impacts of eating seasonally. Staying in touch with nature in this way is not only ecologically sustainable, but individually gratifying. In other words, the benefits of living in sync with nature extend not just outward but inward. What a gift that our immunity needs can be met in the bright tang of an orange, that our integumentary needs can be met in the golden char of a roasted carrot. That a fresh strawberry would bring delight as it hydrates. It becomes apparent that God designed us for the world, and the world for us.
We are not promised an easy life. This becomes hard to forget in December: colder months and shorter sunlit hours usher in seasonal sadness. What we are promised is that we will be equipped for the journey (Matthew 6:31-33). God’s providence does not disappear when things get difficult; from a certain perspective, it becomes more apparent. We become like the Israelites in the desert, having no choice but to admit our dependence on the Lord and His provisions.
Vitamin C does not make the cold go away. But it helps us through. It fights the flu. It reminds us that the Creator is looking out for us constantly; Divine providence is written into the rhythms of nature. It is all around us, all the time. Moreover, we can appreciate moments of brightness, sweetness, and colour in the midst of the winter. “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy” (Acts 14:17). We may miss fresh garden tomatoes when they are out of season, but this only means that Divine kindness is being expressed in other ways. He has not left himself without testimony! One of my favourite hymns goes: “Summer and winter and springtime and harvest / Sun, Moon, and stars in their courses above / Join with all nature in manifold witness / To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.”
In every season, God provides. His glory imbues our everyday! At the end of this wintry tunnel is springtime: the promise of snap peas and rhubarb, seeds planted in gardens, hope for the future. The promise of a fresh tomato in summer! But God’s glory does not merely wait in the future. It is equally with us now, in the impending winter.
