The importance of eating seasonal

Cherry tomatoes from our summer garden

Tomatoes should be eaten in summer, pumpkins in fall and apples in winter. Some fruits and vegetables need warmth, others give off all their properties and flavour only in the cold. The cultures should follow the seasons and mature when the time is right, man should not interfere artificially with this natural process. Eating seasonal is a healthier choice for our body. Think for a moment on the fact that the fruit that ripens in the summer is richer in water and therefore more refreshing and moisturizing, perfect to beat the heat, while typical winter fruits like oranges are rich in vitamin C essential to stimulate and strengthen the immune system during a time when it's more susceptible to virus and bacteria. Nature does not do anything by accident. The economic aspect should not be undervalued too.

Can you agree with me that buying a seasonal produce cost less? This is because producing unseasonable fruits and vegetables in greenhouses or importing them is very expensive. Seasonal produce do not need energy to grow and mature, they just need sun. To grow strawberries in december has a very high environmental cost. Since the climate is not the most suitable one, they grow in greenhouses heated and lit, and that requires a lot of energy, often coming from fossil fuels. Moreover, seasonal products are healthier beacause they are not treated with pesticides, even those not so called "organic", if they are in season, require far fewer chemicals to eliminate pests. Plants that are grown in different times than their normal season, in fact, are weaker and more easily prey on insects. And where pesticides and fertilizers come from? They are synthetic and come from oil. In conclusion, unseasonable products are polluting, expensive and unhealthy, Ando also less tasty. Eating locally grown foods is even better: they push down the cost of transportation (which is also a form of respect for the planet), support the local economy and create community (think of the wonderful farmers' markets).

See our posts of the Farmer's Market in Rome and the Farmers' Market in Edmonton.