Have you ever wondered what fruits and vegetables are in season? Look no further! Today we’re going to look at seasonal fruits and vegetables by month, the benefits of a farmers’ market, and what you can do with your market finds.
Why shop seasonal?
Whether you’re shopping in a shop or at a farmers’ market, shopping in season gives you the best tasting produce. The items in season are usually cheaper as well!
There are some other perks of shopping at a farmers’ market such as benefiting the local economy and supporting local farmers and small businesses. Getting fresh items at the market can help promote sustainability in your community. At a farmers’ market you can learn more about the produce by talking to the farmers. You can get ideas for new recipes and find out how to cook an item you may have never tried before! The farmers are always excited to talk to customers about their products currently, what will come in future weeks, and ideas for use.
Did you know?
Some farmers’ markets have a program that “double your dollars”. If you have SNAP/EBT or WIC benefits, you could be eligible for this program. This takes a portion of your benefits for fruits and vegetables and doubles that amount. For example, if you give $10 of your benefits you get $20 to spend on items at the farmers’ market. There are many different programs for this depending on your state, check online to see what your state offers and where to use these tokens! Here is the link for Missouri and Kansas.
Seasonal produce
Depending on your location and the weather, seasonal produce will vary. The best way to know what’s fresh and what to look for soon is to talk to the producers at your local market!
Spring (March, April, and May): apples, apricots, asparagus, avocados, bananas, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, collard greens, garlic, herbs, kale, kiwi, lemons, lettuce, limes, mushrooms, onions, peas, pineapples, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, Swiss chard, turnips.
Summer (June, July, and August): apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, beets, bell peppers, blackberries, blueberries, cantaloupe, carrots, celery, cherries, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, green beans, herbs, honeydew, lemons, lima beans, limes, mangos, okra, peaches, plums, raspberries, strawberries, summer squash, tomatillos, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini.
Fall (September, October, and November): apples, bananas, beets, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cranberries, garlic, ginger, grapes, green beans, herbs, kale, kiwi, lemons, lettuce, limes, mangos, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, pears pean, pineapple, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, raspberries, rutabaga, spinach, sweet potatoes/yams, Swiss chard, turnips, winter squash.
Winter (December, January, and February): apples, avocados, bananas, beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celery, collard greens, grapefruit, herbs, kale, kiwi, leeks, lemons, limes, onions, oranges, parsnips, pears, pineapples, potatoes, pumpkin, rutabaga, sweet potatoes/yam, Swiss chard, turnips, winter squash.
What else can you find?
While farmers’ markets might be best known for produce, there are endless possibilities of what else you might find there.
Some other food products you might find are jams, jellies, honey, eggs, meat, dried herbs, breads, pies, salsa, pickles, spice blends, juices and much more.
Non-food items could include soaps, candles, jewelry, crochet or knit items, beeswax items, cut flowers, lotions, lip balm, and more.
Because of all these extra items, some farmers’ markets may continue year-round even if the produce isn’t as plentiful.
Recipes
What can you make with your market finds? The possibilities are endless!
Here are a few ideas:
One Pot Veggie Pasta
Serves: 6 Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8 oz angel hair pasta (dry)
- 5 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, diced
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 1 yellow squash, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup kale, chopped
- 1 cup cabbage, chopped
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 ½ cups broth
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp oregano
- Optional to garnish: basil, green onion, tomatoes
Instructions:
- Add broth and wine to a large pot.
- Add pasta to the liquid – be sure it is submerged.
- Add veggies on top of pasta.
- Add vinegar, oregano, and olive oil.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, cover and continue to cook for 7-8 minutes.
- Stir in cheese.
- Garnish as desired.
Watermelon Salad
Ingredients:
- ½ large watermelon or one small watermelon, cubed
- 1 cucumber, cubed
- ½ red onion, diced thinly
- 1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup mint leaves
- ½ jalapeno, sliced (optional)
For Dressing:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions:
- In a small bowl, mix together all dressing ingredients.
- Combine watermelon, cucumber, and onion in a large bowl.
- Drizzle half the dressing onto the salad and toss to coat.
- Top with feta, min, jalapeno (optional).
- Drizzle remaining dressing over salad.
Summer Breakfast Hash
Ingredients:
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 4 medium potatoes, cubed
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 medium zucchini, cubed
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup fresh corn
- 4 fried eggs (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan, leaving bacon fat in pan.
- Add potatoes to skillet and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add onion, zucchini, bell pepper, and carrots and cook until soft, about 7 minutes.
- Add corn and garlic, cook until heated, about 5 minutes.
- Chop bacon and add back to pan and stir.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide into 4 servings and top each with a fried egg.
What if you have too much?
Sometimes you might find yourself with too much of an item to eat it all before it goes bad, or maybe you purchased more items than you can use in time. In these cases, you can preserve them to use later!
Freezing is one option to preserve fruits and veggies. Each item has a different protocol to freeze safely and effectively. Here is a link for how to freeze each vegetable.
Fruits are a little easier to freeze. Wash well then cut into desired pieces. Lay a single layer to freeze and once frozen through add to a freezer safe bag getting as much air as possible out. Here is a link to freezing fruit.
Canning is another option for preservation. This method is much more complicated than freezing but provides shelf stable products. The Ball Mason Jar company website has a lot of information regarding safe canning practices. Here is a link to the basics of canning and types of canning, but you can find information on canning almost anything on their site.
Drying or dehydrating is another form of food preservation. Many universities have information on dehydrating.
There are many resources for learning how to preserve food in these ways and there is likely one local to you. Check out your county’s local extension office for more information, many host classes and group sessions to learn and troubleshoot problems. These offices may also have information on growing food at home using a large or small space.
You never know what you might find when you go to a farmers’ market, but you can always expect to find kind people happy to talk to you about their products. There will be many different items to experience when you go each month. Grab a reusable bag or two and head to your local farmer’s market this week! What did you find? Let us know in the comments of this blog on our Facebook page and share your ideas!
Do you need some help meeting your nutrition goal? Reach out for a free discovery call.
Resources:
https://snaped.fns.usda.gov/resources/nutrition-education-materials/seasonal-produce-guide
