A guide to eating seasonally

Do you know what fruit and vegetables come with each season?

You might think seasonal produce is just for our enthusiastic veggie gardening friends, but knowing what produce comes with each season has benefits to our health, environment, sustainability and the local economy.

Why you should buy with the season…

It’s good for your gut

Naturally occurring food that is harvested during each season, has been found to have a higher nutritional value. According to The Good Trade, “when produce is harvested at its peak maturity, it is at its most nutritionally dense.”

A study on the nutritional quality of seasonally grown broccoli found that the vegetable had a higher vitamin C content than when it was grown out of season. When produce is picked before it’s ripe it might be treated with certain chemicals, wax, or gas to slow down the ripening process to meet delivery and demand. These processes can impact flavour, nutrition and texture.

It’s lighter on your wallet

Ever paid for super expensive strawberries in Winter? That’s all because of supply and demand (remember that business studies class from high school?). When fruit and vegetables are abundant, the supply is high and therefore the costs are usually lower. Whilst out of season produce is rarer and therefore demands higher prices.  So, if you’re trying to cut down your shopping bill, try and buy in season.

It supports our farmers

The 2020 Pandemic sure has highlighted the importance of supporting local. Eating seasonally supports our local farmers and economy. Farmer’s Markets are a great way to learn about the produce that is in season, because they will always have seasonal produce on offer. Not to mention they allow you to purchase directly from local producers. If you can’t always make it to your local farmer’s market, make sure to keep an eye out for produce labelled “Australian Made” whilst at the supermarket.

It’s better for the environment

A final thing to consider is that Australian grown produce would have travelled much less than the fruit and veggies that came from overseas. Therefore, far less fuel emissions and transportation costs would’ve incurred to get that watermelon to your table. #ThinkOfThePlanet

We’ve become spoilt for choice when we enter a supermarket and are able to buy the same produce all year-round. Eating seasonally is more than just saving a few bangs for your buck. Rather, it’s an intrinsic part of human life… because it’s what we did before supermarkets! Your green thumb friend will understand why…

If you’re wondering what produce is in season, we’ve found a list of Australian produce that can be found during each season of the year. See it here.

If you’re new to Armidale, you might also want to check out our favourite places to eat locally!