Savory herb encrusted Sirloin Tip Roast

Appetites and needs change with the seasons

Now that it's October and the weather is getting colder, it's good to think about the seasonality of food.

All summer long I almost never feel like turning on the oven and cooking a roast, but now that it's frosting most every night and cold in the house in the morning, cooking a roast, with all of the great options for leftovers, sounds quite appealing.

Slow cooked roast - the ultimate convenience food
There's nothing like coming home from a long day to the savory smell of a roast that has been cooking all day. It is so easy to put a frozen roast in a roasting pan with some salt, pepper, onions, and water in the morning, place it in a 250 degree F oven and leave it for the day. You can access the full recipe for slow cooked roast at this link.

Honestly, it takes less than 10 minutes in the morning. You don't even have to thaw the roast or preheat the oven. If you don't want to take the time to cut up an onion into a few sliced rings, you can always use onion powder.

When you return in the evening and are greeted with the tantalizing smell you and your family will be delighted. Then simply steam several frozen or fresh vegetables and you have a delicious, and hearty meal.

Specials on Grass fed beef Brisket, Pike's Peak Roast, and Heel of Round
For the month of October, in honor of the season change, we are offering great specials on Brisket, Pike's Peak Roast and Heel of Round Roast. Follow the links to get yours today.

Hearty and delicious with great leftovers
Once you've cooked up a roast, you can do any number of things with the leftovers from French Dip sandwiches to beef and noodles. Leftover roast can make great sandwiches for lunch as well.

Cochetopa Canyon fall colors

The last of the harvest
Now that harvest is almost over, we have put up most of our vegetables and fruit for the winter, buy we still have some fresh produce coming in. The produce from Colorado's Western Slope is currently in prolific abundance, so we are tanking up and chowing down on peaches, pears, and apples.

Over the past few weeks we have been putting up the peaches that have been available, and now we are just eating them.

Unfortunately, I missed the local broccoli, as we had an early frost that killed it all before I could buy any cases and get them put up. Same with the spinach. I'm a little sad about that because broccoli is one of my favorite frozen vegetables during the winter. The best option now is to buy a case or two of frozen organic broccoli from the health food store, which is far more expensive. I grow spinach in my greenhouse during the winter, so I wasn't quite as sad about missing that.

Summer is about grilling but fall invites cooking indoors
As the night becomes longer than the day (here in the northern hemisphere) I believe that our bodies naturally start to crave and require different foods. Where in summer we want salad most every day, it starts to lose its appeal for me and by January I almost can't even stomach a salad.

Now I want more cooked vegetables, and start desiring more of the crops that are easily stored, and are more hearty like root crops such as carrots, beets, turnips, rutabagas, and yes, even potatoes.

Enjoying summer's bounty throughout the winter

Alamosa Canyon fall colors

All winter long I enjoy the produce that has been frozen and is cooked, like broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kale, chiles and chard. The frozen fruit I put up include cherries, peaches, and tomatoes, (I know, chiles are technically a fruit too but I still categorize them as a vegetable, the same with tomatoes), and provide a healthy burst of color and antioxidants through the dark winter months.

Pay attention to your own desires and cravings and see if you don't feel better when you too eat more in sync with the seasons.