Eating Seasonally

There are certain fresh fruits and vegetables that I always have in my house. Apples, bananas, grapes, carrots, onion, garlic. I think I am doing pretty good providing my family with the fruits and veggies that they need to be healthy. But, I’ve been thinking, I haven’t seen a banana tree anywhere near me. And, I’m pretty sure that apples are in abundance in the Fall, and this is the end of Winter. So, where do these come from and how do they get to my grocery store?

Once again, off to do some research. Produce that is picked at the peak of ripeness is always the healthiest, not to mention the tastiest. In order to get out-of-season produce to us, it must be grown somewhere else and shipped. This means a couple of things. It must be picked before it is ripe and it must be shipped a long way. Of course, they lose nutritional value during long trips and they don’t taste too good because they are not picked ripe. In fact, many growers have developed varieties of fruits and vegetables that are sturdy and shippable, but not necessarily nutritious or tasty.

So, in order to have healthy fruits and vegetables that aren’t shipped all over the world, it is important to eat both locally and seasonally. Right now in California, every citrus tree is loaded with fruit, including those in my backyard. Right now, I am eating more citrus because it is both in season and local. I wondered what else is in season right now. Because my local farmers market doesn’t start until May, it’s hard to know. I did find a good website that tells which fruits and vegetables are in season. Then you can decide if you want the benefits of eating locally.

Of course, if you want to eat really locally, you could always plant a garden.