Eat in season

Would you like to save money, lose weight, and eat fresh, delicious food?  If so, all you have to do is learn to shop for your produce in season.  

However, just because the produce is in the grocery store doesn't mean it's in season.  Have you noticed how the price of produce, such as strawberries, fluctuate from one season to the next?  If you buy foods that are in season, they will cost much less.  If you're buying fresh produce, you will be eating the nutrients and vitamins you need in order to maintain a healthy diet.  And in-season food always tastes better.  

You can eliminate the guess work of what's in season by shopping at your local farmer's market, which will offer local goods and reduce the resources needed to transport them to the grocery store from, say, California or Canada.  If you don't buy locally, it not only takes a lot of fuel to transport, but these products are usually picked early and don't always arrive in the best shape.

Another way to get your produce locally and seasonally is by joining your local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at your local farm.  Your local farms can either deliver their crops to your door, you can go pick it up at the farm, or you can pick it yourself.  If you don't grow it yourself, this is the cheapest way to get your produce fresh.  

Of course, if you'd like a strawberry pie in the middle of winter, you can always go to the store and get what you need for that, but it won't taste as good as it does in the summer.  Or you could stock up on all of the seasonal produce and freeze it or can it so you can enjoy it all year long.  

Here's a link to an interactive map of the food in your season and region (with recipes too!):

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap


From the website of the World's Healthiest Foods (whfoods.org), here is a list of the food you should eat according to season (and if you click on each vegetable it'll give you the scoop on what it is and why it's good for you):

• In spring, focus on tender, leafy vegetables that represent the fresh new growth of this season. The greening that occurs in springtime should be represented by greens on your plate, including Swiss chard, spinach, Romaine lettuce, fresh parsley, and basil.
• In summer, stick with light, cooling foods in the tradition of traditional Chinese medicine. These foods include fruits like strawberries, apple, pear, and plum; vegetables like summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and corn; and spices and seasonings like peppermint and cilantro.
• In fall, turn toward the more warming, autumn harvest foods, including carrot, sweet potato, onions, and garlic. Also emphasize the more warming spices and seasonings including ginger, peppercorns, and mustard seeds.
• In winter, turn even more exclusively toward warming foods. Remember the principle that foods taking longer to grow are generally more warming than foods that grow quickly. All of the animal foods fall into the warming category including fish, chicken, beef, lamb, and venison. So do most of the root vegetables, including carrot, potato, onions and garlic. Eggs also fit in here, as do corn and nuts.

Yummy eating, happy planet!