Color Your Palate, Week 3

Seasonal Eating


Grocery stores are stocked with fruits and vegetables year round; apples in December, tomatoes in February, etc. The ability to import fruits and vegetables ensures that supermarket shelves look the same throughout the year. While it’s always great to get your fruits and veggies in year-round, learning to eat in season can offer us a broad range of benefits all year long.

Seasonal produce is not only easier on the wallet, but it tastes better and is more nutritious. Produce that is out of season has to be shipped long distances to get to the grocery stores in your city. These fruits and vegetables are usually picked premature or “green” and ripened en route. This method contributes to lost flavor and nutritional value, not to mention the environmental cost to ship it so far.

Use these guidelines to eat more seasonally:

Spring: think tender, leafy vegetables—the start of new growth for the season! Think Swiss Chard, spinach, lettuces, and herbs like parsley and basil.

Summer: think of light, cooling foods; strawberries, apples, pears, plums, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, corn and herbs like peppermint and cilantro.

Fall: think warm, autumn harvest; carrots, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic and don’t forget ginger, peppercorns and mus-tard seeds are good choices in fall.

Winter: think of root vegetables; car-rots, potato, onions, leeks, kale and garlic. Winter squash stores extremely well so stock up and use through the winter.

Eating seasonally doesn't have to be thought of as missing out on produce that isn’t in season. Eating seasonal choices gets us to try new fruits and vegetables when they are at their peak and taste the best. So really, eating seasonally isn’t about sacrifice; it’s all about enjoyment!
 

Week 3's Challenge:
 
This week choose 3 seasonal fruits or veggies and include them in 3 homemade dinners this week.
 
Feeling ambitious? Try to make them the star of the plate as you get creative.

For recipe ideas check out the following:
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/
http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/
http://www.vegetariantimes.com/

Post Title : Color Your Palate, Week 3

Color Your Palate, Week 3,

wellsteps,

Color Your Palate, Week 3