Seasonal Cooking Challenge

Join me, as I cook with seasonal ingredients and share tips to help you make the most of what’s in season.

Cooking with seasonal food just makes sense. It tastes better, costs less, and supports more sustainable choices. Each month I feature a Canadian ingredient at its best, with real tips for selecting, storing and using it up so nothing goes to waste.

Are you in?

Scroll down for this month’s featured ingredient and everything you need to make the most of it.

Join In

The Produce of the Month

Peppers are having a bit of a moment this year. The National Garden Bureau named 2026 the Year of the Hot Pepper, and on the prairies, late summer is exactly when both sweet and hot peppers hit their peak. This month I’m sharing how to pick the best ones, how to store them so they last, and what to do when your crisper drawer is overflowing.

In Partnership With

I’m truly grateful to partner with Canadian Food Focus and Love Food Hate Waste Canada to bring the Seasonal Cooking Challenge to life.

I have deep respect for the work of these organizations and for the people behind them. Their passion for Canadian food, farmers, consumers and families is something I’ve experienced firsthand. It’s why I’m proud to work with them to share the full food journey, from understanding how food is grown and raised, to choosing seasonal produce, cooking it confidently and using it up so nothing goes to waste.

Pepper Resources to Get You Started

From Canadian Food Focus

• What’s in Season? Bell Peppers (Field and Greenhouse) — Canadian field vs. greenhouse peppers, and what to look for when buying peppers
• Barley Crust Sweet Pepper & Onion Pizza — a simple way to put a full pepper harvest to good use

From Love Food Hate Waste Canada

• Best Ways To Store And Use Peppers — learn how to store them to keep them at their best whether whole or cut
• Glazed Baked Stuffed Red Pepper — a full meal built around the pepper, not just a topping

From Getty

• How to Make Your Own Hot Sauce – Non-Fermented
• Quick and Easy Chicken Fajita – a sheet pan dinner version

Past Featured Ingredients

Thank you to all participants who entered our previous draws. We are currently not running any more draws.

• August: Tomatoes
  • We covered it all in tomato month from delicious garden fresh tomatoes to learning how to freeze them to enjoy every last bite. While we are all enamoured with fresh locally grown tomatoes during August, sadly, Canadians toss about 1.3 million tomatoes EVERY DAY. We hope the information, tips and recipes we shared can help put a dent in that number.
• July: Berries
  • Draw Winner: Stephanie Dmyterko from Winnipeg, MB. Stephanie made good use of fresh picked saskatoons and raspberries. She made saskatoon grunt, lemon saskatoon scones, raspberry white chocolate chip scones and raspberry chocolate chip cookies.
• June: Leafy Greens (Lettuce Month)
  • Draw Winner: Donna F. of Winnipeg, MB. She used living lettuce with canned salmon on a sandwich. Sounds like a nutritious, delicious lunch. And with the living lettuce, Donna can go back to that lettuce for many more sandwiches!
• May: Asparagus
  • Draw Winner: Sujata D. from Thornhill, ON. I think it’s awesome that Sujata starts her morning with a side of sautéed asparagus. Why not? It’s quick, it’s full of nutrients and it’s delicious. You simply cannot go wrong with fresh, seasonal veggies.
• April: Cucumbers
  • Draw Winner: Janet F. from Bridgewater, NS. Janet made a lentil salad with cucumbers – just one of many salads she likes to made with cucumbers in April. I love the sound of a hearty, fibre rich salad like that!
• March: Onions
  • Draw Winner: Jeannette S. from Sherwood Park, AB. Jeannette made French Onion Sourdough Bread to go with her French Onion Soup with maple syrup. Sounds so good
• February: Cabbage
  • Draw Winner: Lorraine G. from Oakbank, Manitoba. Lorraine used a bag of coleslaw mix and noodles to create her own version of this One Pan Egg Roll recipe.
• January: Oranges/Citrus
  • Draw Winner: Tressa A. from Winnipeg. Tressa used oranges and grapefruit for a variation of the orange salad with mint. Way to go Tressa!

I’m here for you. Please message or email me if you have questions or if there’s a produce tip or recipe you’d like to see featured.

Cook with the seasons, effortlessly! I’m Getty, a food educator and Professional Home Economist, helping you select, store, and serve seasonal ingredients in delicious, simple, everyday meals. Sign up for seasonal tips and recipes delivered straight to your inbox, and dive deeper with my books, guides, or YouTube content.