Eating a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables is the ideal way to get the necessary vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Planning meals around food that is in-season is a great way to stay healthy and keep variety in your diet!
Now that you know eating seasonally has great health benefits, how do you start planning your fresh meals? The first step is knowing where to buy ingredients. Your local farmers market is the perfect place to get seasonal produce because the sellers have likely traveled less than 50 miles from where they grow to get to the market. You can’t get fresher than that! An added bonus to shopping at your local farmers market is that you are supporting growers in your own community. This helps to build and maintain your local economy, as well as strengthen the ties of your neighborhood. Finally, many farmers markets also accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) vouchers to make sure that fresh food is accessible to all. Not sure where the closest farmers market is located? The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a search tool!
The next step in planning fresh meals is knowing which produce is currently in-season in your area. This can vary depending on the climate in your hometown, but the below chart can be used as a basic reference.
To find seasonal food in your area, use the Seasonal Food Guide.
Now it’s time to have fun and decide which foods you will eat! Try mixing in your favorites, as well as some new options to keep meals exciting and maximize your nutrient intake. Want to try a new food, but not sure the best way to prepare it? Ask the seller! As the one who has grown the food, they will be very familiar with its flavor and will be able to recommend what other foods pair well. Enjoy!
