We all know that feeling of craving certain foods depending on the season that we’re in — stone fruit, berries, and fresh tomatoes in summer, hearty vegetables like squash, potatoes, and brussels sprouts in the fall/winter, and fresh, crisp greens and produce in the spring. There’s a reason for that! These foods are in their peak harvesting season and it’s what we evolved eating many years ago.
Have you ever thought about eating seasonally or sourcing food locally? In learning more about nutrition and our food systems, I started to really think about where my food comes from and what that means for our health and our environment.
What does it mean to eat seasonally?
Eating seasonally means eating foods as close as possible to the time that it is harvested. This will vary based on geography, but fortunately there are plenty of resources out there that allow us to look up what’s in season near our own homes. This seasonal food guide is my go-to resource for searching what’s in season by state.
There are also plenty of fun ways to remind yourself of seasonal produce. I have this cute poster hanging in our kitchen as a reference to use each month. There are tons of fun options out there to choose from if you do a quick online search.
Why is this important?
When you eat fruits and vegetables seasonally:
- it is fresher, more nutritious, and full of flavor, as it’s picked during peak harvesting time
- you inherently are incorporating a wide variety of healthy foods into your diet by only buying select foods during certain times of the year
- you’re able to experiment with cooking with different fruits and vegetables (hi artichokes I keep receiving in my CSA box that I had never taken the time to learn how to cook until now)
- you’ll pay less for what’s in season, as it’s more abundant and cheaper to produce
Now, shopping locally. While not always possible, I try to shop locally when I can, by way of purchasing products at the grocery store grown in my state/surrounding states, visiting my farmer’s market, and recently I signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture box (commonly referred to as CSA box) that provides me with a box of produce directly from a local farm based on what’s in season. For anyone living in the San Diego, YasuKochi Family Farms is where I source my produce from, and I haven’t been happier with the process. A large box of produce is delivered to my doorstep (see photo above) once a week at just $25/box. It’s so fun to receive different produce each week and continuously get creative in the kitchen with what’s on hand.
Eating locally will:
- ensure that the produce is as fresh and nutritious as possible — when our food travels long distances, it gets picked before peak ripeness (not reaching its nutrient potential) in order to remain fresh until it hits grocery store shelves
- support your local farmers and truly feel connected to your food (this is so important to me!)
- put money back into your own community
- reduce the carbon footprint by limiting travel time
If this is something that’s important or sounds interesting to you, you can start by looking online for CSA programs in your area (there are often times several options).
It took me years to finally begin using a CSA box, and while I wonder what took me so long, it’s not always the best option for everyone! I totally get that.
I want to acknowledge that it is a privilege to be able to participate in this type of program. I realize this may not be available or accessible to everyone depending on what area you live in or other circumstances. If that is the case, we do the best we can given our current situation. This post is meant to bring awareness to the benefits of eating seasonally and locally as best we can. Even small acts like supporting your local farmers once in a while at your neighborhood farmers market or picking up locally grown foods at your grocery store are making an impact.
I hope you found this little guide to be a quick introduction to the benefits of eating in season and supporting local when you can. If you have any questions or would like to chat more about this topic, I’m always here!