13 Jan Why Seasonal Is Better
Your fruits and vegetables will taste better.
Have you ever eaten stone fruit out of season after they have been kept in cold storage? They barely resemble how they should naturally taste. The same goes for tomatoes in winter – they just don’t taste as good. If you take the time to really appreciate fruits and vegetables when they are in season, you will quickly decide it was not worth it at other times of the year.
2. You will save money on your food bill.
When fresh produce is in season, it’s cheaper. Fresh produce is much more expensive out of season, and also just as its coming into season and again as the season is ending.
3. You will get more micronutrients from your fruits and vegetables.
If fruits and vegetables are sold and eaten when they are in season, they will have had the chance to ripen properly and so will have more nutrients, including antioxidants. When produce is picked early, kept in cold storage, and then artificially ripened, there are fewer nutrients in them.
4. You will create less impact on the environment.
If you buy produce out of season, it means that one of two things has happened. It may have been kept in cold storage between when it was picked and when it was sold, that means that refrigeration was required. Alternately, the produce has been grown probably in the other hemisphere, and has been transported a long distance, again with cold storage. Both of these scenarios use considerable natural resources to produce the energy needed to keep the produce in good condition, and also for transportation, thereby increasing the environmental impact.
5. You will help to support the local economy.
When you buy produce that’s in season and hasn’t been stored for long, or transported for long distances, this means that it must have been grown locally. So buying seasonal produce helps to support local farmers. This is especially the case if you are able to go to local farmers markets and can buy the freshest of produce from your local suppliers.