Eat local. Eat what’s in season. Eat organic. Confused by multiple messages about what to eat and where to buy it?  We’ve looked into eating seasonal food and have it all figured out. Here’s why you should (really) do it.

Easy on the Wallet

Let’s begin with cost. When produce is in season locally, the relative abundance of the crop usually makes it less expensive. Think of the packaged herbs you see in a grocery store during the winter – a few (usually limp) sprigs of basil, all too frequently with black speckles and moldy leaves, cost about $3 per half ounce. In contrast, the gorgeous, bright green, crisp basil you see in both grocery stores and at farmers’ markets in the summer when basil is in season often sells for as little as $1-2 for an enormous bunch. It’s the basic law of supply and demand, and when crops are in season you’ll be rewarded financially by purchasing what’s growing now.

It’s the Taste That Counts

For most of us, the taste of the food we buy is every bit as important as the cost, if not more so. When food is not in season locally, it’s either grown in a hothouse or shipped in from other parts of the world, and both affect the taste. Compare a dark red, vine-ripened tomato still warm from the summer sun with a winter hothouse tomato that’s barely red, somewhat mealy, and lacking in flavor. When transporting crops, they must be harvested early and refrigerated so they don’t rot during transportation. They may not ripen as effectively as they would in their natural environment and as a result they don’t develop their full flavor.

“Foods lose flavor just as they lose moisture when they are held. Fresh, locally harvested foods have their full, whole flavors intact, which they release to us when we eat them,” explains Susan Herrmann Loomis, owner of On Rue Tatin Cooking School in France and author of numerous cookbooks. “Foods that are chilled and shipped lose flavor at every step of the way – chilling cuts their flavor, transport cuts their flavor, being held in warehouses cuts their flavor.” It’s hard to be enthusiastic about eating five servings a day of flavorless fruits and vegetables and it’s even harder to get your children to be enthusiastic about it. But 16-year-old Jenny Morris from Littleton, CO is a big fan of eating locally grown fruit in season. “I’d stand in line for one of those peaches from the farmers’ market,” she says, referring to the succulent peaches harvested mid-summer from Colorado’s western slope.

Variety All Year Long

Many people are surprised to find that a wide variety of crops are harvested in the fall (squash, apples, endive, garlic, grapes, figs, mushrooms) and winter (citrus, kale, radishes, turnips, leeks) in addition to products that we readily associate with the summer like sweet peas, corn, peaches, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and green beans. To find out what’s harvested seasonally in your area, go towww.localharvest.org to find farmers’ markets near you and seasonal produce guides.

Save Nutrients, Save Flavor, and Save Gas Too!

According to Brian Halweil, author of “Eat Here: Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket,” “If you harvest something early so that it can endure a long distance shipping experience, it’s not going to have the full complement of nutrients it might have had.” In addition, transporting produce sometimes requires irradiation (zapping the produce with a burst of radiation to kill germs) and preservatives (such as wax) to protect the produce which is subsequently refrigerated during the trip. While no definitive study quantifies the impact of these treatments, Halweil says there is good reason to believe that eating local is really the safer option. Loomis shares his concern and adds, “We have become terribly cavalier about quality, flavor and texture.” She prefers to buy her produce locally, and preferably from a farmer she knows.

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BREAKFAST

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Green Juice In A Blender

The Seasonal Diet

 

Apple Cinnamon Smoothie With Tahini

Trinity’s Conscious Kitchen

 

Apple Pie Waffles

A Virtual Vegan

 

Apple Banana Muffins With Streusel

Vegan Family Recipes

 

Morning Muffins

The Seasonal Diet

 

Apple Crumble Muffins

Healthier Steps

 

Apple & Walnut Muffins

Vegan Sandra

 

Breakfast Bars

Contentedness Cooking

 

SNACKS

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Easiest Apple Sauce

One Tough Cookie

 

Apple Nachos With Cinnamon Spiced Raw Vegan Salted Caramel

Food Doodles

 

Homemade Apple Chips

The Busy Baker

 

Baked Apples With Dates, Pecans & Lemon Juice

Imagelicious

 

Peanut Butter Chia Pudding With Cinnamon Simmered Apples

Connoisseurus Veg

 

PIES & CRUMBLES

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Deep Dish Apple Torte With Walnut Crumble

Raw Revive

 

Raw Apple Crumble

Hot For Food Blog

 

Raw Apple Pie

The Bewitchin’ Kitchen

 

Simple Paleo, Gluten Free & Vegan Apple Crumble

Unconventional Baker

 

3 Ingredient Apple Strudel

Elephantastic Vegan

 

Vegan Sharloka Pie

Vegelicacy

 

DESSERTS

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Mini Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Gourmandelle

 

Easy Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Noshed

 

Gluten Free Vegan Caramelized Apple Nut Squares

Unconventional Baker

 

No Bake Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Bars

Turnip The Oven

 

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Bites

Noshed

 

Mini Raw Caramel Apple Cheesecakes

Rawberry Fields

 

Apple Roses

Elephantastic Vegan

 

MAINS

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Butternut Squash, Apple & Walnut Salad

Food, Pleasure and Health

 

Stovetop Apple Baked Beans

Tastespace

 

Chai-Spiced Apple Sweet Potato Soup With Apple Chips

Connoisseurus Veg

 

Apple Beet Soup

Vegan Family Recipes

 

Warm Balsamic Rosemary Cabbage Salad

Tastespace

 

Tabbouleh With Apples & Walnuts

Maria Ushakova

 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Apples With Caramelized Onions and Pistacios

Cadry’s Kitchen

 

Smoked Apple Veggie Burger

It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken

 

Thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful recipe contributions!!

Dedicated to your health and wellbeing,