Cooking and Eating in Spring

Spring is here! Flowers, pollen and a fresh sense of renewal... let's talk about how to eat seasonally. But first, what is eating seasonally?

Eating seasonally means eating the fruits and vegetables that naturally grow during specific times or seasons of the year. They taste better and are also more nutritious. We have covered summer and fall in previous posts, so let's move to spring.

Not to say we can't ever eat foods that are not in season, but have you ever compared a fresh strawberry to one that has been shipped from far away? There is a huge difference!!

Groceries are so expensive these days, especially organic! Seasonal foods are cheaper! Seasonal foods are often priced lower or are on sale at the grocery store. Since this produce is more available when it’s in season, it drives the prices down.

If you have the option to buy your produce from a farmer’s market, roadside stand, or local farm, you’ll also be contributing to your local economy and buying food sustainably. Local produce can be less expensive than at the grocery store because there are fewer packaging and shipping costs rolled into the cost of the food.

Here is a list of very versatile in-season spring vegetables that you can try in your meals this time of year:

• Arugula

• Artichokes

• Asparagus

• Beets

• Carrots

• Fava beans

• Radishes

• Lettuce

• Peas

• Greens (Kale, Collard, Mustard, Turnip)

• Ramps

• Spring and Green Onions

• Chard

• Broccoli products

• Rhubarb

• Green Garlic

This spring, we also have an abundance of fresh sweet fruit in season. Here is our list of in-season spring fruits:

• Strawberries

• Apricots

• Lemons

• Limes

• Pineapples

• Mangoes

• Cherries

• Avocados

• Blueberries

All material was gathered and researched through my amazing fellowship program, The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.

https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/ ,

https://www.ifm.org  and

https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org