How to Eat Seasonally (and Why It's So Important)

We all know eating our greens is the staple of a healthy diet, but veggies can be so… uninspiring. (If you are one of those unicorn people who “love” vegetables please tell me all your secrets, immediately or get out, thank you.)

Better (and better tasting) for you

Enter seasonal eating. It appeals to me on a soul-deep level, because it’s branded as a way to “get excited” about all the green stuff. Eating fruits and veggies when they’re in-season means they’re fresher (i.e., haven’t been shipped across country and left to wilt in a supermarket bin for days), which in turns means more flavor. A friend of mine once traveled to Italy and had “the best tomatoes of her life” and then claimed she couldn’t eat tomatoes from the grocery ever again because they “just weren’t the same.” Pretentious? Yes, but I’m seeing her side now that I’m on the whole “eat seasonal” bandwagon. When you eat a tomato fresh from the farm, you’re eating it how it was meant to be and thus getting the most tomato-y flavor from it. Which means you’re probably going to eat more tomatoes. Win, win.

Source: Pinch of Yum

Easier on the wallet

Eating foods that are in-season is actually cheaper for you — one of those a-ha moments that you might overlook when throwing eight frozen pizzas in your cart (been there, girl). Buying food at the peak of its supply is cheaper for farmers and for distribution, making it cost less for you. Hooray for savings!

Support your local community

Bonus: seasonal eating supports local farmers, which helps your local community grow and flourish. It’s nice to know that whipping up some kale chips will make your body and the growers down the road happy. That kale tastes a little bit better now, doesn’t it? No? What do you want from me, it’s kale.

So, how do you know what’s in-season?

Depending on where you live on the planet, different good stuff will be in season at different times. Here’s a quick and easy breakdown of many in-season fruits and veg for North America:

Source: Minimalist Baker

Think vivid tasting fruit that bursts on your tongue.

Veggies:
Arugula, asparagus, bell pepper, cauliflower, corn, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, radishes, spinach, zucchini

Fruits:
Apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, figs, lemons, limes, melon, mulberries, nectarines, passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, plums, strawberries

Tomatoes (I’m not entering the fraught is-a-tomato-a-fruit-or-a-vegetable debate. I mean, can you blame me.)

Recipes to try:
Super Fresh Cucumber Salad
Grilled Veggie Skewers with Chimichurri Sauce

Source: Fox and Briar

Think rich fall-colored (burnt orange, deep burgundy, forest green) meals with back-to-basics flavors.

Veggies:
Artichoke, beets, bell pepper, broccolini, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cauliflower, celery root, chard, corn, eggplant, fennel, garlic, mushrooms, parsnip, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, rutabaga, spinach, sweet potatoes

Fruits:
Almonds, apples (apple picking!), chestnuts, cranberries, pears, persimmon, plums, pomegranate, raspberries, tamarillo, tangerines

Tomatoes (see above)

Recipes to try:
Autumn Harvest Salad with Pomegranates
Black Lentil Vegetable Bolognese
Old Fashioned Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes

Source: Love & Lemons

Think deeply colored root vegetables, perfect for hearty cold-weather soups.

Veggies:
Beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, kale, leeks, onions, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, rutabaga, turnips

Fruits:
Citrus, kiwi, pomegranate

Recipes to try:
Sweet Potato Stew
One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf