We were impatiently waiting for it… Spring is indeed back, to the delight of our taste buds. Yes, who says spring means the return of fresh fruits and vegetables. No more leeks and squashes! Spring brings us a bit of novelty to enhance our dishes.
Fresh fruits and vegetables yes, but in season!
Needless to remind you that consuming fresh fruits and vegetables is good for your health. Fruits and vegetables have multiple virtues for our health and provide us with fiber, antioxidants, minerals and many vitamins. Integrating them into your daily diet is essential.
If eating fruits and vegetables is good for our health, it is not normal to eat zucchini or strawberries in winter and chard or squash in the middle of summer. Do you know why ? In fact, nature is quite well done and produces what our body needs at the right time of the year. This is called seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Choosing seasonal fruits and vegetables guarantees you several things:freshness, quality, flavors. Fruits and vegetables that have grown naturally and are picked when ripe are definitely tastier. By consuming seasonal foods, you help reduce the carbon footprint:less storage and fewer trips. The icing on the cake, seasonal fruits and vegetables are usually found right next to your home, at a small local producer. On the other hand, if you want tomatoes or mangoes in December, these products will come from other countries, and their transport implies an impact on the carbon footprint.
Is eating in season more expensive?
Good news! In addition to being packed with vitamins and antioxidants, reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the local economy, seasonal fruits and vegetables are good for your wallet. How is it possible ? This economy generates less transport, no import tax, less processing, because they grow "naturally". These parameters affect the final sale price, to the benefit of the consumer.
What do we eat in May?
It's decided, in May you will eat in season! Very good idea, but what do we put on our plates at this time? Here is the list of fruits and vegetables to consume without moderation:
A craving for fall vegetables?
If, despite the diversity of spring fruits and vegetables, you have an uncontrollable craving for leeks, Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli or pumpkin, you can find them frozen or canned. It is always better (ecologically speaking) than consuming products imported from other countries.
Spring:what menus to adopt?
I replace soups and gratins with…
… tasty cooked or raw vegetables. On the menu:pasta with chicken and asparagus, cream of peas, asparagus salad with deviled eggs, cucumber with cream or gazpacho, spinach goat cheese quiche, spinach and salmon lasagna, potato salad.
I replace heavy desserts with…
… strawberry soup, mango smoothie or banana pancakes. All accompanied by a refreshing lemonade. Your imagination is your only limit. A single objective, to have fun, to feast while waiting for the summer and by consuming seasonal and local if possible.
Eating in season has it all:less transport, fewer pesticides, more antioxidants, more flavors… The list of benefits is long. So, we enjoy what nature has decided to offer us. Good tasting!
