Making the most

We've been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle in class lately. It's all about eating locally and organically.
It struck me as interesting how people simply don't know about where their food comes from. I know that I don't ever think much about where my food came from. Well, I didn't. Now I'm trying to be more conscious of where the food I eat has been.

Many Brasilian recipes come from local sources. Local to Brasil. Many are specifically local to the area of Brasil where the dish originated.
I found it difficult to find some ingredients in some recipes that I wanted to make. For instance, I couldn't find some specific types of peppers or types of fish. Some things I could find, but they were too expensive for me to afford.

I remember being really upset about how difficult it was to obtain some ingredients. I never really thought about the prices of items changing due to the season they are naturally ripe.

The recipes created by the people of Brasil come from what is available to them. Because of the climate in Brasil, vegetables and fruit have longer seasons that in America. These recipes would be much more economic to make there. When three bell peppers cost five dollars, a recipe can be expensive to make if it calls for six. But, if I lived in Brasil, the peppers would cost three for one dollar and this recipe would be very inexpensive to make.

How could I make a Brasilian dish for little money in America? Well, I should just make the recipe when bell peppers are in season here. That limits my cooking season to the growing season. I guess there is a price to pay.

But what is that price?

By paying a higher price for peppers out of season, I get to cook my Brasilian recipe in January. The peppers might not be as flavorful and also might have an off texture.
If I pay a lower price for peppers while they are in season, I can only cook that recipe during that time. But, the peppers would be more flavorful, have the best texture and be more readily available.

I think that I am much more likely to start buying peppers in season and saving my Southern Hemisphere cooking for a time when the weather is more like the climate where the dishes were created.