The Benefits of Shopping Seasonally

You’ve probably heard about shopping seasonally, but you might not know about the benefits.

Eating seasonally means buying produce that’s grown around the time you purchase it rather than produce that’s stored for long periods of time or grown through artificial means. 

Each season is known for naturally producing specific fruits and vegetables, and there are plenty of benefits to buying what’s in season. Here are a few:

1. It tastes better. Seasonal produce tends to be harvested naturally and ripened on the vine. And it’s picked at the right time, so it’s got maximum flavor. Think about the best strawberry you’ve ever had; you probably ate it in early summer.
2. It can be healthier. When the sun ripens a fruit or vegetable, that piece of produce gets more nutrients, naturally. When produce is stored for long periods of time, it actually begins to lose some of those nutrients.
3. It’s cheaper. Naturally harvested fruits and veggies are cheaper to produce than artificially harvested ones because the sun does most of the hard work. There are also fewer travel and shipping expenses. You’ve probably noticed that some parts of the year, avocados are more expensive than other times. This is why.
4. It’s more environmentally friendly. It takes less energy to produce something that can be naturally produced. So you can feel good while you bite into your delicious pear.

What’s in season now:

• Apples
• Pears
• Grapes
• Persimmons
• Pumpkins

Sources: Lifehacker.com and Time.com