Why Should I Eat With The Seasons? From growing up and going to school in New England t moving to the Pacific Northwest – I’ve always experienced and loved the changing of seasons. Knowing that in a few months, there will be a new season, new foods to enjoy, and activities to do brings me a […]

Why Should I Eat With The Seasons?

From growing up and going to school in New England t moving to the Pacific Northwest – I’ve always experienced and loved the changing of seasons. Knowing that in a few months, there will be a new season, new foods to enjoy, and activities to do brings me a lot of excitement. It’s nature’s way of reminding us to shift our daily habits like what we eat or how we exercise.

I make an effort to create and share recipes that go along with the changing of seasons. This means using vegetables that are abundant and in season and adjusting the types of meals with the changing weather.

As we go from season to season, we crave different types of foods. In the winter we want comforting, stick-to-your-bones meals like heavier soups, stews, and carbohydrate-heavy meals. It’s our body’s natural response to cold so we can stay warm and better generate heat. When the warm weather comes and we need fewer calories to stay warm, we crave more raw veggies and lighter meals that help cool us down.

So, that all makes sense…but why else should we try to eat more seasonally?

Better flavor and nutrition

When you incorporate more seasonal foods into your meals, it means the vegetables you are eating are going to contain more nutrients and have a lot more flavor. When you pick a vegetable at its peak ripeness and they don’t have very far to travel, they retain a higher amount of nutrients and taste way better. “Spinach, for example, has been found to lose 47 percent of its folate content after eight days of storage, and 80 percent of its vitamin C content after just three days”. A fresh summer tomato tastes infinitely sweeter and juicier compared to the tomatoes you find in the fall or winter.

Promotes better health and well-being

Eating with the seasons also helps our bodies naturally transition from season to season, feel more aligned with nature, and stay healthy. This is a major principle of Chinese medicine, which encourages us to live in harmony with the environment around us. We’re all affected by changes in environment and temperature, and our bodies adjust physiologically to these changes. By eating with the seasons, we are eating in harmony with our surroundings and with our bodies.

Saves you money

It’s also generally more affordable to eat seasonally since out-of-season produce comes from further away, making it more expensive. That’s why berries and summer fruits tend to cost a lot more in the winter months. So eat seasonally and save your wallets!

Better for the environment

Lastly, eating what’s in season is a lot better for the environment. The fuel that it takes for trucks and airplanes to transport produce from around the world and country to your grocery store leaves a very large carbon footprint.

Today it’s super easy to transport foods from one place to another. That’s what lets us eat things like berries in the winter and avocados all year round. If you try to buy more seasonal foods that were likely grown nearby, you’ll be both supporting your local economy and reducing your carbon footprint.

The Transition from Winter to Spring

We’re in the exciting transition from colder dreary weather to warmer, brighter days (hallelujah!). We’ve been eating lots of starchy root veggies, heavy soups, and stews for what feels like an eternity!

When March hits, I’m all usually pretty over winter, but it’s definitely not quite Spring weather until late March or April. During that awkward phase, I just like to focus on including a lot more fresh herbs and still eat warm things like soups and braises but lighten and brighten them up a bit.

Once April hits, it actually feels like Spring! Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and the warm weather feels like it’s here to stay. For me, I know it’s really spring when I start seeing those seasonal Spring veggies popping up at the farmer’s markets.

With all that being said, not every part of the country or world has abundant seasonal, local vegetables available. At the end of the day, just eating more vegetables will be better for your health and the health of our environment.

So, I’ll still be enjoying my avocado toasts and roasted sweet potatoes all year round and that’s just fine. It’s just nice to know what is in season so we can incorporate those foods more into our meals.

What’s in season during the Spring (mid-March to mid-June)

(Click here for a more comprehensive list!)

Now, we all live in different parts of the country and world, so what’s in season can vary state by state or country. I’m going to list what’s in season here in the Pacific Northwest, but it also applies to most other parts of the country that experience the four seasons.

• Leafy greens
• Peas
• Carrots
• Radishes
• Beets
• Rhubarb
• Stone fruits
• Herbs

• Fennel
• Potatoes

• Leeks and green onions
• Mushrooms
• Asparagus
• Zucchini
• Broccoli

My goal with this post was just to encourage you to incorporate more seasonal produce into your meals. If you’re cooking along with the Cooking Club, you’ll be doing just that. Happy Spring!!