As the weather changes, because we are all used to shopping primarily in conventional grocery stores, it can be hard to know what fruits and vegetables are in season. If you have never tried eating seasonally or buying local produce, you may be wondering why should I care? The wonderful thing about the seasons changing is that if you can find out what local farmers are growing you can get access to fresh, nutrient dense produce, at a bargain price. Some of the benefits of eating seasonal and local include:
More Flavorful Produce. If you have ever experience the glorious sweet and juicy taste of a tomato that was plucked from a local garden you will understand this point completely. Local and seasonal produce just tastes better, hands down. This is primarily because farmers aren’t pulling the produce before it’s ripe. The other difference between local and seasonal vs. produce in the grocery store is that the local produce is not transported from far away. In order to transport crops, they must be harvested early and refrigerated so they don’t spoil during transportation, and chilling will reduce the potency of the flavor. When the crops arrive to their destination some vendors will then heat them to artificially ripen them before the produce hits the shelves. The chilling process followed by heating greatly reduces the flavor, texture, taste, and nutritional density.
High Nutritional Value. As mentioned in the last point, there are several factors that can effect the nutritional density of produce. The produce may be picked before it’s ripe, and chilled and heated before it ever hits the shelves. When fruits and vegetables are stored for long periods of time, they will have a reduced amout of phytonutrients. In addition to this, some antioxidants such as vitamin C, folate, and carotenooids will rapidly decline when stored for long periods of time.
Cost Less. When there is an abundance of a particular vegetable or fruit, farmers need to get rid of them and so the price will go down. Another reason you may get local season produce at a bargain price is because travelling expenses and storage are not required therefore reducing the production costs that are usually then passed onto the consumer.
Supports Seasonal Nutritional Needs. Nature really does know best. In fact nature offers us produce during specific seasons that complement what we may need nutritionally to be at our best. For instance in winter we are provided with citrus and fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C; perfect for boosting immunity and proventing the onset of a cold or flu. Winter vegetables are also perfect comfort foods and are great in warm meals like soups, stews or roasted to give us a warming effect. Summer foods provide us with extra betacarotene and other carotenoids that help protect us against sun damage, provide more natural sugar to give us more energy to beat the heat, and vegetables that are great for cooling meals like salads.
Reduces Exposure to Contaminants. When you can look your farmer in the eye at a market to find out whether or not the produce is pesticide-free you are bound to get a more accurate answer than trying to research information about produce that was transported thousands of miles away. Some countries have different standards for the growing of produce, and the farther the fruits or vegetables come from, the more likely they are sprayed with a variety of pesticides before they ever hit the shelves in order to keep them fresh. For instance, produce such as garlic is irradiated, bleached and sprayed with methyl bromide to withstand quarantine and long periods of travel. This is the story for most fruits and vegetables shipped by sea that have a long journey to remain puchaseable by the consumer.
Supports Your Local Economy. The last but not least benefit of buynig seasonal and local produce is that you are supporting businesses operating in your local economy and allowing them to flourish. Buying local reduces the overall cost, emissions, and time involved in the transaction and means less transportation, less refrigeration, less hot houses, and less irradiation of produce.
Below is a short list of some fruits and vegetables that are available in the winter season. If you have never tried eating local, you can look out for your local farmers market, or also look for produce marked local in specialty health stores. – XO Raw Girl
- Belgian endive
- Brussels sprouts
- Butternut squash
- Cactus Pear
- Cherimoya
- Clementines
- Collard Greens
- Date plums
- Dates
- Delicata squash
- Grapefruit
- Kale
- Kiwi fruit
- Leeks
- Mandarin Oranges
- Oranges
- Passionfruit
- Pear
- Persimmons
- Pumelo
- Red banana
- Sweet Potatoes
- Tangerines
- Turnips