Almost Wordless Wednesday: There's More to Seasonality Than Vegetables

Hear the word "seasonality," and you may think of fruit or vegetables: asparagus in the spring, peas and peaches in the summer, chestnuts and porcini mushrooms in the fall...

Meats are seasonal too, or at least they were before modern commercial farming. In particular, Italian farming families used to butcher their hogs in the crisp autumn months, after which they would cure much of the meat, making cold cuts in part to raise cash (or pay the landlord), and in part to guarantee a supply of meat into the spring if not further.

But they also enjoyed some pork at the time, and arista -- roast pork loin, and the cut as well -- is very nice in the fall months.