Within the environmental and food community, one word seems to come up a lot: seasonal. Seasonal literally means in season, but in terms of food, it means whatever is naturally growing based on the time of year.
For example, watermelons grow naturally in the summertime, whereas carrots you can find in the spring and then again in the fall. Seasonal eating is very important for many reasons, so read on to figure out why.
Environmental Reasons
Every fruit and vegetable has specific needs in order to grow. Soil and temperature are the most important, because it gives the plants nutrients to grow. If you don’t respect the seasonal needs of plants and try to procure them when they’re out of season, like many companies do, there is a lot of chemicals that have to go into the food and the soil to make that possible.
Taste
Fruits and vegetables have different tastes based on the way they were grown. The best tasting produce will come during the time it’s actually supposed to be harvested, so consider only buying products that are in season from your local market or farmer’s market to ensure you get the best tasting and best quality products.
