Just recently I received an email from the lovely Julissa from Shari's Berries Blog inquiring as to whether I would be interested in writing up a post about the benefits and importance of eating seasonal fruits and all that kind of jazz and of course my immediate response was; HECK YES!
Not only have I been given a free ticket to talk about my favourite topic ever... FOOD, but I also get to talk about something I'm extremely passionate about; the benefits of buying your fresh stuff in their appropriate seasons!!
*It was also nice to be given a free blog post idea!
Too often have I heard someone express their utter distaste for blueberries after a truly awful first-taste experience and too often do I itch to ask them whether or not they ate that first-taste of blueberry during the cold winter months??
Producers supply. Consumers demand. Producers make money of their supply being demanded. So if the consumer wants blueberries (or grapes, or mangoes, or watermelon, or apples, or tomatoes, or avocados....) year-round, then the producer is going to give them what they want, whatever the price (generally quite a hefty one, I'm sure you'd all agree).
Which begs the question, how are they supplying fruits and veggies that appear so ripe and juicy and big and plump... in the season where these products don't grow?
And why, if they are seeming to grow and look so abundantly fresh and 'pretty' do they taste like flavourless water? We've had one of those blueberries/ strawberries!
Well, the short answer to these questions is because they are growing them in an unnatural manner. In a manner that utilises the likes of chemicals and growth stimulants, as well as modified atmospheric conditions, unnatural environments, or even worse, shipping extremely unripe fruit hundreds of thousands of miles across the world to ripen extremely slowly (and unnaturally- not fresh from the orchard) to be stored on supermarket shelves.
And you wonder why you didn't like the taste of that big, plump, blueberry, you paid a small fortune for, at a time when one should be cuddling up with warming soups and stews?
Now, the benefits of eating in-season fruits!
To kick-start us off with the mountainous lists of benefits of buying in-season fruits (and veggies- both apply!) Julissa kindly wrote me up a little intro to sum-up the importance of buying fresh, seasonal produce and has also kindly let me show-case Shari's Berries' In Season Fruit Chart!
Over to you Julissa!
The benefits of eating fruits in season are endless. For starters, you are getting fresh produce - not frozen or packaged to be shipped. Besides, there's always a great feeling when supporting local farmers or picking foods from your own garden. Fruits in season not only taste better but are much easier on your wallet.
Shari's Berries has created a chart with over 50 fruits and their peak season to inspire your next meal or scrumptious dessert. Make a fruity cocktail with freshly picked berries or squeeze some limes into your water for a more refreshing taste. Before you know it, the holidays will be here and it will be time to make gooey apple pie!
Ok, back to the post.
So, yes. The benefits.
In season, fresh, locally grown fruit is just plain natural.
It's naturally grown, it's ripened on a tree/ vine/ whatever it is the fruit grows on.
It's sold to consumers who get the awesome experience of eating a blueberry so full of flavour, intensity, zing, sweetness and super-yummy blueberry flavour. You know those lollies that are blueberry flavoured- yep the fresh ones can actually taste like blueberries too! It's not a made-up flavour!
And another awesome-ality (new word, mixture of awesome and quality :P) of in-season fruit? It's higher in nutrients! It's grown at it's preferred time, ripened to perfection and chock-a-block with the natural goodies that make our bodies sing! A watermelon grown in Summer doesn't require any high-tech, scientifically-lab-created stimulant or artificial growing plantation to grow and prosper. Nope, a watermelon grown in Summer simply expands, multiplies and produces that sweet, crunchy, delicious flavour we've all come to love and desire (a little too much by demanding the fruit for the entire year).
And like Julissa mentioned in her paragraph above, demeaning fresh, local, in-season produce helps our local farmers. Our local jobs. Not the jobs of the mango farmer on the other side of the hemisphere who is already producing mangoes for the summer-ready population experiencing summer not winter!
Y'all know I love my fruit and eat a minimum of 3 servings a day. Minimum. Because my body enjoys it. It thrives on the natural sugars, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and just plain natures-candy taste! So if you're anything like me, let's support local farmers, increase our nutrient intake and enjoy the best-tasting fruits and veggies imaginable by sticking to the seasons. Nature intended it that way!
Your turn:
Are you a fan of only eating the fresh stuff in their season? I've gotta say; I eat pumpkin year-round.. love it so much!
Favourite Summer fruit/ Favourite Winter fruit?
Amount of fruit on average eaten each day?
Anywho, I hope this was enlightening for you and I hope you appreciated Julissa's chart as much as I did; it really is so incredible. Don't forget to head on over to Shari's Berries to see what they're all about and check out some great recipes and other links on the website too!
That's it from me today folks but I hope you all have a lovely rest of your day, smile lots, love more and as always; EAT SOMETHING DELICIOUS (preferably in-season)!! Bye for now friendly friends! :D
P.S. I'm not sponsored in any way by Shari's Berries, I just really love what they're about and all the amazing resources they have on offer for you and me!
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