A cornucopia of fresh fall foods
As the seasons change, your wardrobe goes through a metamorphosis. You exchange your summer gear for the latest fall trends, which usually have a different color, texture, and weight than the previous season. We adopt most styles because of the changes in weather, well, because who would want to wear open-toed sandals on a raining October morning?! The same principle can be applied to what you eat. Some seasons are perfect for specific fruits and vegetables, while eating some fruit during an off-season can be quite a nutrition faux pas. Keep that in mind, fashionistas, and change your diet as you change your closet. Transform yourself into a nutritionista, looking good on the outside and feeling even better within!
With all the fancy advancements in technology, we can eat whatever we want, whenever we want it. Quite spoiled, aren’t we? While it might be refreshing to have fresh strawberries in the fall, the reality is, those strawberries are off-season. Different plants require different amounts of light and warmth to grow and fruit properly, and when you don’t have that perfect equation, you just end up with tasteless filler. Farmers have the ability to play Mother Nature and create conditions, like hothouses, to grow off-season foods, but it will never be as good as the real thing. Ever had a tomato in the winter? With the horrible color and flavorless fruit, it doesn’t even deserve to be called a tomato! Foods grown during their correct season have their full flavor, making it more enjoyable to eat healthy. Plus, seasonal food may be healthier as they can contain more nutrients. Plants loses nutrients when they are picked, and foods picked early for transportation aren’t as good as fruits and veggies ripened the good old fashioned, natural way.
Aside from taste and nutrition, another major downfall of eating off-season is that it’s expensive! You’ll be paying a lot more for those strawberries because it takes so much to grow them and transport them from lands far away. If you eat seasonally, there is so much to harvest that local farmers can sell at lower prices. Any way to save money and eat fresh, healthy food is the way to go.
Eating in season pays off, and it keeps life exciting. You might be excited for your favorite designer’s upcoming collection, but it’s equally as exciting to know that your favorite fruit will be on your plate soon. That’s because eating in season builds anticipation for the next harvest, which also means a refreshing change in your diet. Just like how you might be dying to wear your favorite winter coat again, you can also look forward to eating delicious citrus too! There is so much variety each season, make sure to be in the know so you’ll eat what’s best for you, for your wallet, and for the planet.
Ready to dive into the autumn harvest? Go to your local farmer’s market to see what’s in season in your area. You’ll be happy to see some of these on the stands:
- Pumpkin
- Kiwi
- Sweet Potato
- Apples
- Butternut Squash
- Eggplant
- Pears
- And so much more!
Signing up for a CSA box will also be a great way to get seasonal, local, and organic food from the farm to the kitchen. If only designers offered a box like that….hmmmm…..
But what about that top of yours that looks good any time of year? There are fruits and vegetables that grow all-year long without a compromise in nutrients or flavor, but there’s always that one time of year when they’re at the peak. Wondering what those foods can be? I think I’ll build more anticipation and save that for later!
