5 Reasons to Buy Fresh, Local

Food tastes better in the summertime when you use fresh-from-the-vine produce. Recently, I made tacos that were amazing, because of the fresh peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and cilantro. It was simply a matter of dicing everything up and putting it together in a warm tortilla. For dessert, we had fresh peaches and blueberries. It was a perfect summer dinner. Not only was it easy to make, I know it was a whole lot healthier, because everything was fresh and in-season.

It’s always best to fill your plate with in-season fruits and vegetables. Here are five reasons to eat foods that are local and in-season:

1. Seasonal fruits and veggies have been allowed to fully ripen in the sun, which gives them their amazing taste.
2. Since the plants are given more sun exposure and less travel time, they will have higher levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
3. Lower price. When produce is in-season, it can cost less to purchase them at the grocery or farmer’s market.
4. Buy local. When you buy your produce from the farmer’s market, you often can meet the growers and find out exactly where the produce came from, and when it was picked.
5. Environmentally friendly. Since eating seasonally supports local farming, this means less transportation, less refrigeration and supporting your local economy.

Here are some tips and recipes on how to incorporate foods in-season now into your meal plan:

1. Cauliflower. Cauliflower is all the rage this year. Buy some fresh cauliflower and whip up some cauliflower rice or try this easy cauliflower pizza crust.
2. Tomatoes. This juicy fruit can be added easily to almost any dish. Check out this video and whip up a tasty tomato salad.
3. Carrots. Carrots are an easy grab-and-go snack. But if that doesn’t sound appetizing, make this salty-sweet, carrot bacon.
4. Potatoes. These make a super easy side dish. Just cube them up and roast them in an oven.
5. Peppers. Add these on your favorite tacos, make stuffed peppers or slice them up and eat them with hummus for a snack.

Try reaching first for seasonal fruits and veggies. I’ll bet you’ll agree even dishes as simple as tacos taste better with fresh-from-the-vine produce.

Tiffany Cox

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