Tis the Season: Fruits and Vegetables in Season Now

We are well on our way into this spring season! It can be useful to know what fruits and vegetables are in season because that is when they typically taste the best. Also, fruits and vegetables that are picked during their peak can contain a few extra of those vitamins and minerals which is an added bonus!

Buying in season can help you slim down the cost of your groceries. If you are wanting to buy produce that is not in season and doesn’t look as fresh from the produce section, consider buying them in the frozen section. Frozen produce is harvested at its peak ripeness, which gives you the best quality produce even when out of season.

Nutrition Tip: When looking at canned fruits and vegetables, look for those that are in water or fruit juice rather than syrup. This helps cut back on added sugar if this is something you are trying to reduce. Also look for “No Salt Added” or “Reduced Sodium” for canned vegetables. You can always add spices and herbs to the canned vegetables after opening for more flavor. If you or someone you know has hypertension, this shopping tip can be helpful because sodium is an essential mineral for a healthy diet; however, when consumed in excess it pulls water into your blood vessels and this increases the pressure. This is why you often hear the recommendation to reduce your sodium intake if you are at risk or have hypertension.

If you have a busy lifestyle and little time to frequent the grocery store, it can be challenging to eat fresh produce before it goes bad. You may buy a bulk supply of produce and then find that life gets hectic and you weren’t able to eat it all before some of it starts to go bad. Or you may find that you were able to eat all of your produce you purchased but don’t have the time to restock  for a few days. If you find this happening to you a lot, buy frozen or canned so you can always have fruits and vegetables on hand to make them apart of your meals each day. You can also buy fresh produce and freeze them yourself. Here is a link that explains how to freeze fresh produce.

Produce currently in season:

Apples

Apricots

Artichokes

Asparagus

Bananas

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrots

Celery

Collard Greens

Corn

Garlic

Greens

Honeydew

Lettuce

Limes

Mango

Mushrooms

Onions

Oranges

Peas

Pineapple

Radishes

Rhubarb

Spinach

Spring Baby Lettuce

Strawberries

Swiss Chard

Turnips

 

Do you have a favorite recipe that includes fruits and vegetables that are in season now? If so I’d love to hear them in the comment section below.