Why choose fruits and vegetables that are in season in the U.S. and/or North Dakota?
Fruits and vegetables in any form - fresh, frozen, dried, canned or juice - taste delicious and are beautiful to behold. When we eat them we can protect our health against chronic disease such as stroke and perhaps other cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers.
Humans, for most of our time on earth, have eaten only what is available each season.
Do you remember picking an apple right off a tree and biting into it? How about pulling a pea pod off the vine and tasting the cool, chewy peas inside? Or maybe waiting for the summer’s first juicy peaches to arrive in the grocery store?
The fresher the produce, the tastier and more nutritious it is.
Foods in season are more likely to be most affordable, too.
Choosing local foods grown in season supports the local economy.
Produce that is in season is less likely to have travelled a great distance. Eating more local, seasonal food reduces the energy needed to grow and transport the food we eat.
How do you find foods that are in season?
Shop a farmers market. The North
Dakota Farmers Market and Growers Association has a searchable list at its
website.
Look for specials in your grocery store; ask your grocer where its produce comes from.
Fruits & Veggies—More Matters™ offers information on planning and shopping for fruits and vegetables. Included is a listing of "What's in Season" for the United States
Pride of the Prairie in Northern Minnesota offers a Seasonal Food Guide for the Northern Plains
Fruits & Veggies Matter website features the “Fruit & Vegetable of the Month”
What’s In Season now?
Spring!
There is nothing like rhubarb that signals spring here in the northland! Rhubarb does well here where we have cold winters. Rhubarb crisp, pies, cakes and breads are usual ways to used rhubarb in cooking; recipes typically have sugar added to cut its tart flavor.
Here are ideas for eating rhubarb without adding sugar:
- Slice it thinly into a vegetable slaw
- Slice thinly into green salads for added jewel colors and crunch!
These ideas were found at http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/agk/rhubarb
Spinach
Spinach is a leafy green that can be eaten raw or cooked! It wilts or cooks in just minutes!
Check to be sure that the fresh vegetables you buy are not bruised or damaged. Wash spinach thoroughly washed before eating. (Although washing produce would not have prevented the 2006 E-coli outbreak involving spinach, washing can reduce the risk of contamination from some other causes.) Packaged vegetables labeled “ready-to-eat,” “washed” or “triple washed” need not be washed.
For more information see “Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Lettuce and Leafy Greens Supply Chain” at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~acrobat/lettsup.pdf
Winter
Of course in a North Dakota winter, snow and wind are in season! As Pride of the Prairie notes, “winter is a great time to combine canned, frozen, dried and stored produce with products like locally grown grains and meats that are available all year round.” Grocery stores or your own root cellar may still have root vegetables such as parsnips or carrots, and potatoes. It’s a great time of year for fruits such as dates, grapefruit, kiwi, and tangerines from the U. S. Apples and pears from storage may be good deals at this time of year. Vegetables that are U. S. in season include bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale and radishes.
Dry beans are always in season. North Dakota is the number one producer of dry beans such as navy beans and pinto beans, and is a major producer of great northern beans, black beans, and pink beans.
In Season Recipes
Spring
A link to the
Food Network’s “spring” section
Spring for Spinach! From National Geographic “GreenGuide” includes a recipe for Spinach with Sesame Miso Sauce
Asparagus tastes great roasted on the grill! Just toss with a bit of olive oil and watch closely. Here is a recipe for steamed asparagus with lemon
Traditional and unusual rhubarb recipes can be found here
Winter
Fruits & Veggies Matter website features a searchable recipe index. All recipes listed there meet nutrition criteria
Here’s a simply delicious recipe from Fruits & Veggies Matter featuring roasted root vegetables such as carrots and turnips or parsnips:
Fruits & Veggies—More Matters™ also features a searchable recipe index with categories for moms and from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA):
Here is a recipe from Fruits & Veggies—More Matters/CIA that would taste great at any seasonal celebration, “Winter Squashes Sautéed with Cranberries & Pecans“
Another CIA recipe for “Classic Vegetable Soup”
The Food Network website offers a Healthy Eating section that features
recipes ideas by season. Here is the link to the "winter" section:
Here is a winter recipe from the Food Network for “Homemade Tomato Soup”
The Canned Fruit Alliance offers some canned fruit recipes that taste great in any season
Northarvest Bean Growers offers up “Great Bean Recipes”
Here is a prizewinning chili recipe from the Northarvest site:
