Buying Produce in Season
Check out these essential tips from our friends at Cooking Matters about buying produce in season.
What does it mean to eat in season?
Eating in season means eating fresh foods being harvested right now – not half-way around the world, but closer to home. With food now shipped from all over the world to our local stores, it’s easy to forget that different foods grow in different seasons.
Why is it good to eat in season?
Eating in season has many benefits, such as:
- You may save money. It costs more to transport produce from overseas to your local store than it does from somewhere closer by. When you eat fresh foods in season, you don’t pay as much for transportation costs.
- Your food may taste better. Foods grown and picked at their peak typically taste better. Compare the taste of a strawberry in May to a strawberry in – January – you may never go back!
- You may get more nutrients from your food. Produce starts to lose nutrients after being picked. The longer the travel time to your store, the more nutrients are lost.
Try these recipes if you’re interested in incorporating local seasonal produce into your meals:
- Mango Salsa (pro tip: sub in fresh local peaches for mangoes when in season!)
- Ratatouille
- Sautéed Greens
- Vegetable Lasagna
- Frittata
To learn more about what produce is grown in Colorado and when, take a look at this wonderful guide put together by the Farm Flavor.
Looking for more awesome tips and resources from Cooking Matters? The new Cooking Matters app for Android makes it simple to feed your family healthy foods, on any budget! Visit CookingMatters.org/app to plan meals with the touch of a button. Exploring Food Together is a Cooking Matters toolkit of simple activities that adults can use to help kids learn about new foods and start building the skills to make healthy food choices.
