I’M SURE YOU’VE HEARD THE PHRASE ‘EAT IN SEASON’ BEFORE. BUT, WHAT DOES SEASONAL EATING REALLY MEAN?

Now, close your eyes and imagine this:

You’re out for a walk in the local park, leaves smell sweet and crunch each time you take a step. You’re biting into a tart, juicy pear. Or, you’re at home at 5pm, it’s dark outside and you’re about to crank up the heating. You’re also stirring a pot of warming lentil and squash stew, ready for dinner. Doesn’t feel just right? Or a juicy sweet peach in the summer when sitting outside with your face nicely warmed up by the morning sun? The foods we eat seasonally have a lot of meaning and emotions linked to them. I still remember smell of clementines in winter from my childhood – I hardly imagine eating them in the summer! 

Seasonal eating means eating whatever fruits and vegetables are fresh and ready to be consumed around the time they’re harvested. This of course is different for each part of the world. I like to think about it as the old school and in-tune with nature way of eating produce – back in the days when import wasn’t as huge and shipment across the globe wasn’t as fast and easy, we all ate mostly seasonal produce. Can you see it also?

SO, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SEASONAL EATING?  

1. Fresher and tastier food – this is due to the food being available and consumed shortly after harvesting.
2. More nutritional value – some studies show that fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients when allowed to ripen naturally on their parent plant (it also gives them richer, deeper flavor: think those juicy tomatoes in the warmer seasons!).
3. Reduced carbon footprint and healthier environment – we support more sustainable food economy when buying in season and local fruit and veggies. Compare eating in autumn an apple from a farm 30km and a strawberry from 2000km away- which one you think would be tastier and has traveled less to your plate?
4. Less pesticides – to make sure the produce survives the transport, often pesticides and preservatives are added. Your November strawberries in Europe may look plump and colorful, but may be packed with pesticides and lack in flavor.
5. Supporting our local farmers – they often choose to farm sustainably and naturally. When we buy produce in season it means we buy it at the peak of its supply. Local farmers often work with seasonal products, so we are supporting that cycle. 
6. Lower price tag – produce in season it’s in its peak supply, which means it’s abundant and therefore available at a lower price. Nice, isn’t it? 
7. Nutritional variety – by eating different fruit and veg throughout the year, you give yourself a healthy microbiome (good bacteria in your colon) and huge variety of vitamins and minerals. I can’t think of anything better! Branch out of your avocado-banana-berries shopping basket and add something new each season to support diversity of your diet and treat your tastebuds.
8. Supporting intuitive eating and connection to natural cycles– as much as it does sound a bit woo-woo, go back to that imaginative exercise at the start: stew in winter and juicy peach in the summer? Makes sense, right?

Is organic the same as ‘in season’?

It may be, but not always. Buying organic produce won’t mean that it is seasonal. Do you sometimes wonder why we see strawberries in the middle of December and pumpkin in March? Well, they are imported from countries with different climates; this essentially means that those locations have their own seasonal produce that has been harvested and shipped around the globe. It may often also mean that not as great taste and lower nutritional value (remember those tomatoes that look so plump but taste of nothing?), as the produce is wrapped, packaged and moved around the continents (also adding more pollution).

Tips for eating more seasonal

• Check out seasonal produce in your country or area. Make sure you’re familiar with what’s in its peak supply and aim for most of your fruit and veg to be from that list.
• Choose 1 new or different fruit and veg every week and learn how to eat and cook with it. 
• Explore local food markets – often the produce we see there is seasonal and local. 
• Try some of the veggie box deliveries that support local farmers – again, it would be all seasonal produce. You eat in season and contribute to local economy – 2 in 1!
• Make a list of seasonal fruit and veggies visible at home and play a game with your kids to tick off as many of the produce on the list throughout a season. Colors are encouraged 🙂
• Swap your usual veggie or fruit for one from the seasonal list, e.g. in winter use apple or persimmon in your morning oats instead of berries or butternut squash instead of zucchini in your pasta dish; in the summer, choose watermelon and fresh berries as a snack and picnic food. 
• Have a few favorite seasonal recipes bookmarked, so it’s easy to experiment with swapping veggies and have it as your family favorite.

Having said all that, don’t stay away from apples in the summer or cucumber in November. Food supposed to be enjoyable and it’s much more than fuel for our bodies. For some fruit (e.g. berries) or veggies (e.g. sweet corn or runner beans) choose frozen versions when out of season. I often have a stash of berries for smoothies in the colder months (although I am aware of the awful plastic bags the frozen produce comes in). But, in terms of nutritional value, frozen produce is usually packed with vitamins and minerals as it’s packed in peak season (similar to fresh seasonal version). My simple advice is to eat majority of your produce in season and add in some variety to your plate here and there.

Here are some seasonal fruit and vegetables for November and December for Europe. What will you cook?

Fruit: apple, clementine, cranberry, date, grapefruit, pomegranate, pears, persimmon.

Vegetables: beetroot, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cabbage, celeriac, celery, artichoke, kale, leek, parsnip, potatoes, pumpkin, swede, sweet potato, turnip, wild mushrooms.

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Resources:
seasonal eating and sustainability

nutritional quality of seasonal veg (broccoli as example)