6 benefits of choosing seasonal fruits and vegetables

Our ancestors knew very well that in January, in this part of the Earth, a salad was not made with romaine lettuce, but with endive. And what about putting any tomato in the middle of winter, not even dreaming of it. In the same way, in August it would not even have occurred to them to make orange juice for breakfast. If only they had found oranges!

Today we have within reach a large number of fruits and vegetables out of their natural season. We have become so used to it that we forget that eat food in seasongrown when the climate is most propitious, has many advantages.

Advantages of eating seasonal foods

If you consume fruits and vegetables in season, you make sure to consume foods that grow respecting the cycles of nature. That is reflected in many ways.

1. They are fresh and genuine foods

Seasonal natural foods provide genuine flavors, aromas and textures. The more you introduce into your diet, the less space you will leave for the processed ones, which have largely lost them and try to imitate or reinforce them through salt, fats and chemical additives.

2. They have more flavor and nutrients

By growing in the most favorable climate and being able to complete its natural cycle, fresh seasonal foods when harvest day arrives better preserve their properties nutrition, flavor and aromas.

Neither has cultivation been forced so that they are ready in months that are not natural to them, nor have they been enduring in chambers for a long time that detract from their juiciness, flavor and nutrients.

3. They are better priced

For out-of-season products to be on the market, they must be imported from distant areas or countries… and transportation is paid for.

Instead, the farmers in the area They can offer fresh seasonal products at a good price.

4. They are more ecological

If your vegetables and fruits are not organically grown, they will surely have chemical residues of pesticides or fertilizers. But the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides becomes more necessary if it is grown against nature, forcing the plant to grow out of season, when the weather is not favorable.

If you buy directly from organic farmers or organic food stores, they will surely always offer you the fruits and vegetables of the season.

5. They are more sustainable

Buying in season is easier to bet on locally produced food, for whose commercialization less energy is wasted. Transportation, distribution and storage leave their ecological footprint on the planet.

By respecting the natural cycles of plants for sowing, growth and harvesting, it is also possible to promote the crop rotation and the soil is less impoverished.

6. You will be able to make better preserves

In addition to eating fruits and vegetables at their best, you will be able to prepare better home canned and dehydrated. So you can continue enjoying those fruits and vegetables for the rest of the year, when the season is over.

And you will do it knowing that you took advantage of them at the time of best flavor and best price.

If you have a garden, this form of conservation is an excellent option to take advantage of surpluses.