The winner of the “Not Nuts” Giveaway is #303 — sara! Congratulations, sara — you can email me at cleaneatingchelsey(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize.
When I was younger, I never knew just how important eating fresh, local and in-season produce was. Over the last couple of years, I have made a greater effort to do just that. Last year, the Husband and I participated in a CSA (and are doing so again this year!), and when possible, I always buy produce at a farmer’s market or farm stand nearby.
The thing about eating locally and in-season is it reaps so many benefits. Not only does your body get to experience the freshest foods, but it also means you will be eating a variety of foods over the course of the year instead of the same foods repeatedly. Eating locally is also wonderful for the environment — the less travel time the food has to take from field to plate = the less your carbon footprint makes on the environment.
My absolute favorite time to eat in season is fall. The produce is abundant in the Midwest, not to mention some of my all time favorite foods in general. And now I’m sure you’re wondering — just what is in season during the fall season?
Winter Squash
balsamic glazed butternut squash fries
I live for winter squash in the fall. The possibilities are endless — butternut, buttercup, pumpkin, acorn, and spaghetti squash are a few of my favorites. Winter squash are incredibly cheap and can feed me for days! In fact, I got a 5.5 pound butternut squash at the farmer’s market a few days ago for $2.00. The thing I love the most about squash is that it’s a blank canvas. It can be creamy, sweet, savory, roasted, stuffed, etc. I love my winter squash!
Brussels Sprouts
I have been waiting for Brussels sprouts to be back in season for moooonths now. For some reason I avoided Brussels sprouts for the first 23 years of my life (for real) and just tried them last year. When I was younger I thought they were supposedly the nastiest vegetable of all. I suppose I was wrong because they are delicious. My favorite way to eat Brussels sprouts is roasted with a little bit of olive oil, cracked pepper, and garlic. Delicious.
Apples
Okay I eat apples every day even when they are NOT in season. When I was little my mom would always eat an apple a day, and I suppose I have picked up on that trait because sometimes I will eat two a day! Apples right now are so great — Honeycrisps, McIntosh, and Galas area all my favorite at the current moment.
Root Vegetables
Some of my favorites are root vegetables! Carrots, sweet potatoes, beets and onions are all in season right now. Root vegetables make great creamy soups, are great chopped into a stir fry or roasted for a side dish. You can never go wrong with roasted root vegetables!
Cranberries
Love cranberries — love love love! I usually have a bag of dried cranberries in the pantry at all times, but only in the fall do I ever buy cranberries fresh. I love cranberries in savory dishes to give it a hint of sweetness, or as compote on top of my breakfasts. Let’s also not forget about cranberries at holiday dinners!
Leafy Greens
I was just introduced in the last few years to greens other than the ones I would normally use on a salad such as romaine, spinach, and arugula. There is a whole other world of greens out there that are hearty and in season during the fall. I have been loving kale lately — as chips, sautéed into dishes, or massaged in a salad (helps to take away the bitterness), and Swiss chard is well, just beautiful to look at! I also really enjoy beet greens!
These are just a few of the wonderfully in-season fruits and vegetables right now. A few more favorites are mushrooms and pears!
The only bad thing about eating in season is knowing that the time you are able to enjoy each food at its peak freshness is not very long. On the flip side, counting down the days until you can eat that particular food again is something fun to look forward to each and every year!
Question: Do you eat seasonably and locally?
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