Eating seasonal vegetables and fruit is good for your health.
Seasonal foods are loaded with nutrients: vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals, that are partially lost when the food is imported, transported and stored.Seasonal and local foods is also good for you energetically, it provides your body with what you need to function optimally with the weather and environment of the season.
The locally grown vegetables and fruits of summer have a cooling and energizing effect.
Seasonal produce is often less expensive than imported produce. Ka-ching!
You will be supporting local farms and the environment when you shop locally. I love shopping in outdoors farmer’s markets and seeing all the wonderful colorful produce, you can actually smell the freshness! And there are many organic farms on display.
Fresh harvested produce lasts longer, and tastes so much better!!!
Here is a list of some summer produce:
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Corn
Beets
Peppers
Zucchini (courgette)
Yellow squash
Eggplant (aubergine)
Fresh beans and peas: sugar snaps, green peas, string beans
Radishes
Apricots
Nectarines
Peaches
Melons: Galia, cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew
Cherries
Berries: blueberries, blackberries, boysenberries, strawberries, raspberries
The best way to prepare summer produce is to eat it fresh with minimal cooking, that will preserve most of the nutrients and provide you with the cooling energy of summer foods. Fresh salads, high flame stir fries, quick sautéing and grilling are all great.
Try some of my upcoming summer recipes.
xoxo
Rachel
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