Don't you just love when fall arrives? You get those beautiful changing leaves, cool crisp air, scarves become the favorite accessory and my personal favorite, fall produce! I crave pumpkin pie all year round and when fall finally arrives, I try not to gorge myself haha. I wanna refresh or maybe teach those who don't know about fall produce. It's really simple and it will cost you a lot less to buy these produce items while they are in season. Let's get started.
Buying seasonally is not only helpful to your wallet, but great for your body. You are buying produce that thrives in that type of weather and receiving great nutrients in return! Seasonal produce is cheaper to purchase because there is an abundance of certain crops at that time of year. For example, we all associate fall with pumpkins, squashes and apples right? We don't exactly eat juicy peaches and citrus now do we? No.... lol. Just because our grocery stores carry citrus all year round, doesn't mean we should buy it.
Our society has become one of convenience and we are able to buy these produce out of season. What we would normally be growing ourselves last season, we are now importing from other countries and paying a great deal for them.Without a second thought, people will buy a bag of oranges and pay like 8 bucks for them. Get home, and realize that your oranges are full of pith and hardly any orange and have no flavor. I hear a lot of this too," My son's soccer team likes oranges before and after practice." I can't exactly argue that one, but what's wrong with giving them their own pint of berries or a juicy plum? We need to demand that our grocery stores stock up on seasonal produce! Grown either locally or in the United States! But that's another blog lol.
Back to what I was saying before. Not a lot of people know more than a few fall produce. Things to look out for are: Blackberries, figs, apples including the honey crisp apples (Sooo amazing, please go try some if you haven't already. Their very seasonal, like 2 months out of the year), pomegranates, pomelos, plums, pears, grapes, persimmons and a probably a lot more depending on where you live lol. That's just the fruit!!
Vegetables include potatoes, leeks, onions, carrots, cauliflower, squashes, sweet corn, peppers, parsnips, fennel, cucumbers, broccoli, eggplant, the list goes on and on. I work at a grocery store and it is no coincidence that people are buying these produce! They are buying them in large quantities too, especially the fruits. The fall produce are those that have a great robustness and hearty feel. They are our comfort foods against the cold weather. Even the small berries, they are big and bursting with flavor!
Soups are one of those simple and very versatile meals to make. Not only can you make up recipes for soup, but you can add what ever you want to them! They freeze great and can be enjoyed year round! Add any vegetables you wish, you really can't go wrong!
Go online and find more about seasonal produce that's available in the fall. Also, if your city or town have fresh markets, I greatly encourage you to go to one! Farmers are more than happy to share how they grow their crops and how to get the most nutrients out of their produce. Produce bought from a market are going to cost you much less than paying for it at a grocery store, I guarantee it! Even organic produce! Farmers take great pride in organic produce, as they should.
Did you know that: It takes a minimum of 7 years for a farmers land to even become ready to start growing organically! They have to get their soil approved by the government before they can grow any crops, and have to get it tested every few months or once a year? So if you ever wonder why organics are a little more expensive, there ya go!
Anyway, please take my advice and buy seasonal produce. I have listed a few of the available fruits and vegetables that are really thriving right now. If you are an avid grocery shopper like I am, you will notice a great difference in price for what's in, and what's out of season. Just see the prices for yourself! If you like enjoying produce out of it's season, by all means by frozen produce. They are much better than canned. If you really enjoy foods like that, try making your own preserves or canned foods. You will reap the benefits of buying seasonally again and then enjoying the literal fruits of your labor.
Have a wonderful fall season, stay warm!
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