Everyone knows how important it is to eat a balanced diet. Everyone tries to do their part, whether it’s by shopping locally or hitting your neighborhood farmer’s market.
It’s all too easy to visit the supermarket and be tempted by the assorted vegetable selection offered all year-round. But when you stop to think, you start to realize that even though the selections are offered all year long, it doesn’t always taste the same.
The reason is because most produce is meant to be eaten seasonally. Eating seasonally not only contributes to your local community, but eating seasonally is also good for the environment.
Here are some food suggestions for spring and to help you do your part.
1. Avocados
Avocados top the list because spring is the best time to eat them and who doesn’t like a great guacamole? Not only do they offer 20 types of vitamins and minerals in every serving, they are also low in sugar.
Some produce and its availability varies depending on where you live. Naturally, if you can’t get them at your local farmer’s market, spring is the best time to purchase avocados at the supermarket as well. The reason is that avocados are likely imported from a region where the fruits are in bloom.
2. Strawberries
Fruit is the most important to eat seasonally than any other produce on the shelf. If you’re someone who can’t wait to bite into a ripe strawberry, your time is now.
Strawberries go into season starting in March up until the end of fall. Strawberries are a great addition to a smoothie, fruit salad, or even as breakfast toppings on waffles or pancakes. They are also sodium-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free, and low in calorie.
The ways to eat them are endless; you can also freeze strawberries and save them for another time.
3. Pineapples
Similar to avocados, the seasonality of pineapples will vary depending on the region. However, as a general rule, pineapples go into season in spring and are good throughout the fall.
Pineapples are not grown in the continental United States, with pineapples only being grown in Hawaii. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t eat pineapples since they aren’t grown locally (unless you’re lucky enough to live in Hawaii), but you should try your best to eat it while it is in season.
Pineapples taste like no other and can be eaten alone, as an ingredient in a marinade, and so much more. Pineapples are also perfect to eat for your does of daily vitamin C.
4. Rhubarbs
Perhaps the vegetable most associated with spring, rhubarbs can be quite versatile. Even though it’s a vegetable, it’s usually sweetened and used in dessert (rhubarb pie anyone?).
Known to be rich in antioxidants, rhubarbs are only ripe in the spring. When preparing rhubarbs, make sure that you only eat the stalks as the leaves of rhubarbs are poisonous and not to be consumed. The ripe season of rhubarbs is short, so be sure to pick them up while you can.
5. Cucumber
Although cucumbers are ripe throughout the summer, the vegetable goes into season at the height of spring. Cucumbers can be used for many things so don’t limit your options to only culinary.
While you can enjoy cucumbers in Greek recipes, a sandwich or salad, cucumber also has great skincare benefits. Cucumbers can help with skin inflammation and may help combat wrinkles as well.
There are many options to choose from for the season of spring, and as a general rule of thumb, if it’s available at your local farmers market, it’s in season.
Reflect & Refresh 