It is a moment of transition. A changing of the guards so to speak. Winter will be handing off the baton to spring pretty soon, and that means your local markets will be looking a bit differently. New colors, textures and flavors will be filling those bags, baskets and bins. So, we must bid farewell until next year to winter produce and open the door to the spring assortment.
The Benefits of Eating Seasonally
Eating in season, or primarily focusing on preparing fruits and vegetables at at their peak, has so many benefits like these:The taste is superior. Eating a perfectly ripe, fresh off the vine, warm from the sun tomato in the prime of summer can't be beat. There is simply no comparison to a tomato in August to a flavorless one in January. When you purchase fruits and vegetables that are not considered "in season" it probably came from afar and picked way before its prime or even grown in a hothouse.
Cooking is a snap. Those fresh, locally harvested foods? Flavor. Flavor. Flavor. Yes, it is so much more pronounced. Little preparation or even seasoning is needed to enjoy just harvested fruits and vegetables.
Your wallet is heavier. Supply and demand play a part in foods consumed locally. The abundance of the crop usually makes them less expensive.
You get more nutrients. If the produce was picked before it's ready so that it can be shipped, more than likely it will not have developed its complete nutrient capacity. Some produce is even irradiated to preserve it or even waxed.
So Long Winter Vegetables/Fruits
I keep a big bowl of Clemintines on our kitchen counter for us to grab and peel upon the urge and I will really miss that bowl of sunshine once they are gone from the markets. But, depending on where you live, of course, many of our winter favorites must say goodbye until next year. Many, like those listed below, are leaving their prime season right about now. Thus, you may want to grab the last of the best at your local markets this week and give them a good send-off until next year. Prepare a soup or two to freeze that you can pull out when you get that hankering for that vegetable soup that got you through the winter. And, make sure to click on the green for a recipe link.
- cabbages
- brussel sprouts
- acorn and butternut squash
- sweet potatoes
- some greens like kale and collards
- oranges
- grapefruit
- leeks
- tangelos
- papayas
- pears
- Clemintines
- kiwi
- tangerines
Welcome Spring!
Pretty soon you will be seeing an abundance of these around town inspiring you for some delicious spring menus. So exciting, visiting the market at change of season time to bring home a taste you have not had in a while or even a new variety of a seasonal favorite to try:
- artichokes
- Vidalia onions
- watercress
- cantaloupe
- blueberries
- apricots
- cherries
- strawberries
- spring onions
- garlic scapes
So, what about you? What are the hardest for you to bid farewell until next year and who are you happy to greet for spring?
orange: photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattieb/131215442/">mattieb</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">cc</a>
cherry: photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/random_shootings/4866267929/">New Talent Modelling</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>
leeks: photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/293717280/">Muffet</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>
kiwi:photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sergiu_bacioiu/4252652362/">Sergiu Bacioiu</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/">cc</a>
asparagus: photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/geishaboy500/4591573261/">geishaboy500</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>
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