Years ago, "Time-Life" created a cookbook series based on the seasons. You can imagine the colorful photographs accompanying the delicious recipes: winter was warm and hearty, spring airy, summer cooling and autumn a mix of the end of summer and the beginning of winter. Your kitchen is the one place in the home that changes with the seasons. Refrigerator and pantries stock seasonally, so why not the design, style and color of your kitchen?
Ways to Weather the Changing Seasons
South Florida might not have the typical four seasons of our northern counterparts, but that doesn’t mean that the holidays are not acknowledged and celebrated with the rest of the country.
Summer does get very hot from Orlando right on down to the Florida Keys. Winter cools down to the point of shutting off the air conditioner and opening the windows. Here’s how you can "season" your kitchen:
- Many an all-white kitchen has undergone a huge transformation by displaying warm-toned platters filled with earthy root vegetables and deep colored floral arrangements in the colder months, and paler shades of greenery, lavenders and pinks during the warmer months.
- Slip covers for kitchen chairs; placemats, runners and matching napkins, dishtowels and even certain styles of window valances can be switched out to reflect the seasons.
- Clear decorative storage jars that are displayed on countertops can also be changed: sea shells in the summer, gourds in the fall, Christmas tree ball decorations in the winter and dried herbs in the spring.
- Let us not forget candles. The colors and amazing variety of scents can immediately transport us, as they are often seasonally inspired.
Another indication of changing seasons is how and what you cook: your crock pot holds a favorite spot on your counter during the autumn and winter, and your great big salad bowl in the spring and summer.
Enjoy the flavors and colors of the four seasons, and enjoy your kitchen!