Eating Seasonally & Why It's Important

Do you find that you eat foods that are grown locally and in season? If you don’t, you aren’t alone. Most people don’t know which fruits and vegetables are in season. Nowadays, you can walk into the grocery store and get any fruit or vegetable any time of year. So why does it even matter if you eat foods that are grown locally and are in season? 

Eating fruits and veggies when they are in season means you will be getting produce that is fresher and will have more flavor. Take a tomato for example, if you eat tomatoes in January versus July or August you will taste a huge difference. The tomato you eat in January is not nearly as juicy and rich in tomato flavor. Plus, when you eat things in season you can find them at your local farmers markets. Fruits and veggies fresh from the farm are given to you the way they are supposed to be enjoyed. They are definitely fresher than any fruit or veggie that was picked way before it was ripe so it could be shipped halfway around the world. 

Eating seasonally is not only good for your taste buds, it’s good for your health. When you eat foods that are in season they are more nutritionally dense. You will be getting more nutrients, vitamins, and minerals from them than you would when they are out of season. Foods grown out of season are not able to grow and ripen naturally. There are usually some chemical and heat processes involved. So while that means we will be able to enjoy whatever we want whenever we want, the taste will be inferior.

Eating seasonally is also cheaper. When fruits and veggies are in season you can find an abundance of them and so their price will be lower. Who doesn’t want to save a few bucks? When you buy things out of season you end up paying twice as much. 

Eating seasonally is also good for the planet. When you support your local farmers you don’t have to worry about how far your food had to travel to get to your plate. Between saving the planet from fuel emissions from planes and trucks, to limiting the amount of chemicals used to ripen fruits and veggies, you are doing your part to protect our planet. It’s good for you and the planet too!

One way my family has started eating more seasonally is by joining our local CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. We pay upfront for 16 weeks worth of veggies and fruits. This gives our local farmers the ability to cover their operational costs in exchange for a weekly box of what is in season. We started this last year and I have to admit that I had to look some of the veggies up. I didn’t know what they were or how to cook with them. It helped me get out of a food rut and get more creative with what I was cooking. 

If you don’t have a farmers market near you don’t worry. You can read up on what is in season in your area and just purchase that at your local supermarket. 

I live in Georgia and here is what is in season for May:

• Arugula

• Asparagus

• Basil

• Beans

• Beets

• Blueberries

• Bok choy

• Broccoli

• Cabbage

• Carrots

• Chard

• Cilantro

• Collard Greens

• Garlic

• Green Garlic

• Green Onion

• Kale

• Leeks

• Lettuce

• Lima Beans

• Mint

• Mushrooms

• Okra

• Onions

• Peaches

• Peas / Pea Pods

• Plums & Pluots

• Potatoes

• Radishes

• Spinach

• Summer Squash

• Strawberries

• Sweet Onions

• Zucchini

• Zucchini Blossoms

Check out what is in season in your area and notice how wonderful it tastes. You don’t have to only eat what is in season but maybe start experimenting and see where it takes you. Have fun and enjoy mother nature’s bounty! Let me know how it goes in the comments below!