The harvest season is a reason to celebrate. Whether it is the joy of a new year at Rosh Hashanah or bringing in the harvest at Thanksgiving or and the
Mid-Autumn Festival, fall is a time to gather and share food.
With the cost of food, sharing a meal can help us save money while enjoying a variety of foods. The nutrition in a shared harvest meal is often wonderfully nutrient dense with its focus on freshly picked fruits and vegetables. There are many reasons to celebrate!
Dietitians are always encouraging people to enjoy a variety of foods. Eating the rainbow is easier when Aunt Edith is providing the braised Swiss chard,
cousin Dave is making turnip puff and cousin Lindsey is bringing both pumpkin and apple pie. The beautiful colours make for a beautiful and antioxidant-rich meal.
With everyone contributing there is also the wonderful benefit of days of leftovers. Save time on meal prep this week by enjoying turkey and all the fixings for a few days.
There are a few strategies for saving money on the harvest meal. Keeping an eye on the ever-changing cost of food can help. For instance, knowing
you’ll need 10 pounds of potatoes for your meal allows you to buy a bag in a September sale. Many people are shopping this way already.
The same can be said for butter and sugar. In fact, prices that may be high this week can decrease between now and the upcoming winter celebrations in December.
Recently the price of canned pumpkin was up to $6.99 per can or about double its usual price. The cost of actual pie pumpkins was two pumpkins for
$3. The extra work of roasting pumpkins may be worth it and can give your home the aroma of everyone’s favourite pumpkin spiced lattes.
Adjusting the menu at your celebration can also impact the cost of the meal.
So often the favourite foods at celebrations are the marshmallow salad or mashed potatoes made just the way Grandma made them. These special
foods need not be expensive ones. And, there’s room to move on the basics.
The Thanksgiving meal often features turkey. There is a wide range of prices for turkeys from about $5 to $16 per kilogram. The cost of chicken
falls somewhere in the middle allowing you to roast the bird of your choice at your price point.
Some years your time may be the most valuable part of the meal and catering the meal is always an option.
Celebrating with food reminds us to be grateful. The impulse to share food and meals with other folks is strong in the fall. One way you might contribute in Guelph is by filling a bag for the Guelph Food Bank. This year their paper donation bags are available in local grocery stores and include a list of their most needed items.
People in our community depend on the food bank to have their family celebrations and they deserve to have their favourite holiday foods.
Looking for a way to enjoy the pleasure of food and make a difference? Check out Chalmers Community Services Centre’s Harvest Bowls fundraiser.
Chalmers Centre’s mission is to support those who are experiencing food insecurity in our community with respect and dignity and the proceeds from
Harvest Bowls will provide fresh, healthy, and culturally appropriate food for their guests. A ticket to the event includes soup and bread made by local
chefs and a beautiful hand-potted bowl to take home.
There are many ways to share and be grateful this season.
Recipe for turnip puff:
Ingredients
Casserole
● 6 cups turnip, peeled and cut
( about 2 turnips)
● 2 tablespoons butter
● 2 eggs, beaten
● 3 tablespoons flour
● 1 tablespoon brown sugar
● 1 teaspoon baking powder
● salt and pepper
● pinch nutmeg
Topping
● 1/2 cup bread crumbs
● 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a casserole dish.
2. Boil turnip in water until soft. Drain the water and mash well.
3. Add butter and eggs and mix.
4. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, seasoning and nutmeg and stir
into the turnip mixture.
5. Butter a casserole dish. Scoop the turnip mixture into the dish.
6. Mix bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle on top of the turnip.
7. Bake for 25 minutes until golden-brown.
Adapted from turnip puff recipe by E.M. Sinclair
