What is Seasonal Eating?

Seasonal eating is the lifestyle of eating produce and wildgame while in their respective season. It’s buying from local venders and farmers to cycle with the different growing seasons. There are many guides to seasonal eating, and it is also very dependent on where you live. The best way to learn is to go to your local farmers market and see what they’re selling that week.

Seasonal eating allows you to eat fresh, ripe veggies and fruits. Regular supermarkets have mass produced products that are picked and sent out early so they are ripe or nearly ripe by the time they reach you, the consumer. Seasonal eating allows you to eat produce that has been picked when they are ripe.

Seasonal eating is not only good for you but is good for the environment. The food travels less. Meaning there is less gas emissions required to move the products from the farms to the buyer. This also results in fresher products with minimal preservatives and lower rates of pesticides (check with the farm on their farming practices). Seasonal eating helps support local farmers and producers.

Not only is seasonal eating better for you and the environment you can start canning your own food for the winter months. If you’re like me and live in places where there are seasonal farmers markets, canning fresh produce is a great way of preserving. It may not be the fresh produce of spring and summer, but you know how it’s been processed and is a great alternative to canned veggies from the supermarket.

Be ready to try new foods and new ways of preparing them. An open mind will be your best friend on this new journey.

Here’s a general guide and great source for seasonal eating: https://www.seasonalfoodguide.org