Eating With the Seasons
Photocredit: Chasingdelicious.com
Eating With the Seasons
“If you find yourself eating strawberries around Christmas time for instance, it’s most likely those strawberries were picked well over half a year ago and stored in some facility to keep until you bought them at your market.” – Eric Lyday
Benefits of eating seasonally:
Savings $$$.
Better taste.
Better nutritional profile per gram.
Lower carbon foot print and consequently less of an environmental impact.
Broader variety in your diet, resulting in a well-rounded balanced diet.
Support your local economy.
The same reasons that keep the cost of seasonal food down also drive its quality up: The food is grown closer to you so it doesn't spoil on its trip, it's harvested at the peak of its season (although there's no real guarantee that it's picked at the peak of freshness), and sold during its season, before it spoils. Ideally, this means you're getting fruits and vegetables that haven't had time to lose their flavor or their health benefits by sitting in a shipping container for a trip across the ocean.
Below I have attached one of the best graphics I have found on seasonal fruits, vegetables and herbs. Happy eating!
Some great resources for Canadians in Vancouver:
https://spec.bc.ca/Resources/Documents/Food/seasonal_availability_chart.pdf
Some great resources for Americans:
https://www.eatwellguide.org/?
References:
https://www.dailyinfographic.com/fruitsvegetablesherbs-when-are-they-in-season-infographic