Why is it Wise to Eat Seasonal?

In today’s modern world, as consumers we are used to supermarkets having a wide range of fruit and vegetables on shelf throughout the year. On the one hand, many of these are imported and not necessarily in season in our country at that time. So read the label, to make sure it’s grown in South Africa. The other side of the coin is that agricultural developments and farming practices are expanding the varieties of cultivars at a rapid pace, so for some produce, their ‘season’ is now stretching over a much longer period of time than before. Good examples are avocados and apples or even strawberries. These all now have much longer seasons due to different varieties and cultivars being ripe at different times of the year in South Africa.

Here are a few ‘in season’ points to consider

• Seasonal food is more affordable as produce is in peak supply.
• It’s also easily available when in season, so you can choose where and how much you want to purchase.
• When you eat fresh food that’s in season, it has a higher nutritional value. Fruits and vegetables that are stored for long periods of time due to transportation or long periods of storage can lose some of their nutritional content.
• Seasonal food has a better aroma and flavour, as it tastes better and sweeter, when eaten at the peak of the season and perfectly ripe.
• Produce that is fresh and tasty needs very little other seasonings to be enjoyable, which means that it’s easy to keep meals healthy and appetising.
• Fresh produce typically results in less waste, as the taste and texture are still top quality and there are often less bruising or wilted parts which gets cut off or thrown away.
• Local and seasonal fruit often have a much smaller carbon-footprint, compared to imported produce, so supporting our local farmers is also much better for the environment.

If you struggle to know when it’s the best season for fresh veggies and fruit in South Africa, just visit Heleen Meyer’s website and have a look at her handy seasonal guide.

Click here to read more.

Image by Adel Ferreira