Spring Seasonal Produce
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Spring is here. Are you ready to get fresh and fabulous?
In your quest to become a more sustainable eater, one of the low hanging “fruits” is buying seasonal produce. A few minutes -- every few months -- is all it takes to raise awareness on the fruits and vegetables that are ripe for “the picking” at a particular time of the year.
Benefits
Eating seasonal foods has three main benefits:
- More nutritious food
- Better tasting food
- Lower emissions and energy use
Many of the compounds our taste buds crave diminish over time, as do textures. Nothing worse than a rubbery carrot. The nutrients in food are affected by time and how they are stored and transported. Many nutrients are negatively affected by temperature, light, and exposure to water. And finally, getting that strawberry to you in the blazing heat of July likely involves a lot of transportation and cold storage...which eats up fossil fuels and money.
Oh – and you’ll generally find in-season produce to be cheaper. Sustainability pays!
Spring | What’s in season?
From April - June, keep your eyes out for these seasonal fruits and vegetables:
- Cucumbers
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Cantaloupes
- Peaches
- Blueberries
Fun Fact | Peach Fuzz
That fuzzy feel of a peach is actually a defense mechanism, protecting the fruit from insects, disease, and the weather. Don’t like the fuzz? Try a nectarine – essentially a peach that’s had a shave.
