The Ultimate Seasonal Eating Guide

Photo Credit: Alesia Kozik

In This Article You Will Find.

3. Benefits Of Seasonal Eating

4. How To Eat Seasonally

1. What Is Seasonal Eating?

2. Why Is Seasonal Eating Important?

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The sweetness of a summer watermelon. The juiciness of a winter beetroot. The flavour of a late spring strawberry. The ripeness of an autumn grape.

Have you ever wondered why these fruits and vegetables taste so good at a particular time of the year?

Well, the answer is that they are in season. The secret to fully enjoying the foods you consume lies in the season you buy them.

Seasonal eating is about syncing with nature and living at its pace. Nature is so wise and nurturing, providing us with different goods each season that are full of specific nutrients we need at that particular time of year. All we have to do is listen to it and follow its rhythm.

Photo Credit: Alesia Kozik

Seasonal eating is a way to return to our roots, reminiscent of our ancestors who ate according to nature’s calendar, long before imported and processed foods became available.

Just as you adjust your wardrobe to the current season, your shopping list should also be adapted to the current month. Only then will you be able to take advantage of all the benefits, nutrition, and flavour of the food on your plate.

For that reason, I am presenting an all-embracing and mouth-watering seasonal eating guide, covering the benefits that arise from it, the foods that thrive each season, and some tips on how you can create your own garden to save money and help the planet.

What Is Seasonal Eating?

As the expression itself indicates, seasonal refers to a specific time and defines those foods that, naturally, due to their biological cycle, are at the most optimal moment for consumption during specific periods of the year. They are only available during particular times. 

Therefore, they have a seasonality, which means that within that period, the food reaches its maximum regarding taste, aroma, freshness, and nutrition. Likewise, this makes these foods more economically viable, as there will be a greater supply.

Eating with the seasons does not only mean consuming the food that is available at that particular time of the year. It is about surrendering yourself to nature and its cycles. It is about allowing nature and its timing to guide your decisions about what you will eat and when. 

Because, after all, nature knows best. It kept our ancestors alive at times when no stores or imported goods were even there.

Photo Credit: Daka

Why Is Seasonal Eating Important?

Over the years, with our progressive distancing from the rural world and globalisation, we have gradually moved away from terms such as local, native or seasonal produce. In recent decades, we have witnessed enormous changes in the way we produce, process, and consume food, which has increasingly disconnected us from the cyclical nature of crops.

Thanks to technological improvements in food production and transportation systems, we can now find all the foods we want on any day of the year. The development of advanced techniques has brought us foods produced in various regions of the planet and different climates and seasons. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage.

On one hand, we can indeed have food from distant places that cannot be grown here, making it easier for us to satisfy our needs, desires, and food whims. However, on the other hand, this means that these foods do not reach their state of maturity within their natural period at their places of origin.

Photo Credit: Eva Bronzini

Consequently, food is often preserved in controlled environments and harvested when there is a certain demand from buyers. At that point, due to chemicals such as fertilisers being applied to the food, artificial maturation occurs very rapidly. When food is harvested prematurely, whether fruits or vegetables, its properties become impoverished.

The natural maturation process of food is first and foremost. By respecting the natural processes of seasonal foods and following their natural rhythms of growth and maturation, we ensure that they are in excellent condition, with maximum vitamin and nutritional potential.

Benefits Of Seasonal Eating

Eating seasonally comes with numerous benefits for you and the environment. Here are some of the benefits of seasonal eating.

Better Nutrition

Eating seasonally means taking advantage of all the nutritional benefits. Foods of each season respond to the needs of the human body.

In winter, with the cold and lack of sun, our bodies demand more nutrients and vitamin C. So much the better, because it is the season of vegetables rich in minerals and citrus fruits full of vitamin C.

In summer, with the heat, our bodies expend fewer calories but require more water. And all summer fruits and vegetables are full of it.

Optimal Freshness And Taste

Another advantage of seasonal fruits and vegetables is that they are more likely to have ripened in the sun and been picked at their optimum ripeness. This means you are buying food that is fresh and richer in taste.

Off-season products are usually harvested early to ripen during transport or produced in greenhouses to mature artificially. Both scenarios diminish the food’s flavour, aroma, freshness, and texture. That food is in season means that it is at its best. Especially if you are a foodie and always seeking satisfactory gastronomic experiences, seasonal eating should be your thing.

Good For Your Pocket

Another argument in favour of buying and consuming seasonal produce relates to your budget. The fact that you can buy from local suppliers and avoid import and storage costs allows you to get your goods at the best price.

When fruits and vegetables are in season, they abound, and their prices tend to drop. Conversely, foods that are out of season are scarce, and as they are considered a luxury, they become more expensive.

This practically means that by following nature’s pace, you not only benefit from the nutrition and taste of seasonal foods, but you also keep your money in your pocket.

Photo Credit: edelweiss 700

Support For Local Businesses

In addition to savings and increased quality, seasonal eating promotes the local and national economy. The products come from local farmers and can be produced in large quantities at lower costs.

There is no need to use greenhouses, heating systems, or additional lighting since the temperature and climate are more suitable for their natural growth. By following the natural cycles for sowing, growth, and harvesting, crop rotation can also be encouraged and the soil is less depleted.

So next time you find yourself at the supermarket, look at the origin and seasonality of fruits and vegetables. The more you buy locally produced seasonal fruits and vegetables, the more you help local and small farms thrive. You can even join the consumer group closest to your home and obtain your fruit and vegetables directly from the producers.

This means avoiding large distribution systems and helping break their market dominance. In both cases, you buy directly from the producers, helping them to get a fair price for their harvest and reducing waste. Sometimes it can even be cheaper (and more fun) if you pick them up directly at their farm.

More Sustainable

Local seasonal produce is always the most sustainable on the market. Their consumption is more ecological. Many of the products obtained out of season grow thanks to the use of pesticides, fertilisers, or the use of large amounts of energy to generate artificial climates. This greenhouse production, the key to having off-season products available, has a significant contribution to carbon emissions.

Moreover, it is more sustainable to buy products that do not have to travel long distances, which significantly reduces fuel emissions associated with transportation costs. It is as easy as observing the kilometres that a product travels from its origin to our shopping bag: as a general rule, the shorter the distance, the fewer the emissions.

On the contrary, the products grown in the season and place that corresponds to them do not need extra help to thrive. You may not be aware of it, but by choosing seasonal eating, you praise your land. This way of consuming respects the natural cycles of plants contributes to better care of the soil dedicated to crops and optimises the use of resources intended for their production. You actually thank nature with every seasonal bite. And believe me, nature will be grateful.

Waste Reduction

Food waste is one of the serious consequences of our complex food system. For example, during the harvesting and sorting of fruit and vegetables in industrial production for sale, some of the produce is thrown away because it is considered unattractive, even though it has the same nutritional value.

In addition, during transport (especially when travelling long distances), some of the fruit and vegetables spoil and must also be thrown away.

You have the power to change this by choosing to eat seasonally. In that way, you consume fresh, organic, health-giving food without pesticides or synthetic fertilisers, reduce waste, and make nature happy.

Photo Credit: Valeria Ushakova

How To Eat Seasonally?

Now that I have your interest after learning all the benefits of seasonal eating, here is how to start.

First, you have to find out what kind of food and vegetables are in season. Forget about your craving for strawberries in winter – they won’t taste the same as when you eat them in late spring.

Here you can find out all about how to eat seasonally according to nature’s calendar.

Spring Feeding: Time To Bloom

I start with the season when nature begins to wake up. Winter is finally over, and what we need is to revitalise our bodies after the cold months have passed. Our diet becomes lighter, requiring less cooking time and more greenery on our plates.

Lucky for us, nature offers a wide range of purifying and energising foods that will awaken our bodies and motivate us to embrace the new season. Fresh fruits, leafy greens, and lots of nutrients. These are the stars of spring:

Some Seasonal Spring Goods:

• Gooseberries

• Currants

• Rhubarb

• Cherries, late spring

• Strawberries, late spring

• Asparagus

• Arugula

• Spinach

• Pea greens

• Spring onions

• Lettuce

Tips For A Good Spring Diet

Start the day with something refreshing, such as a fruit and veggie juice or a green smoothie. It will get you off to a good start and help you feel more energetic and light. Generally, increasing the consumption of seasonal fruits will stock you up on the vitamins and antioxidants of the season. Springtime is the season to recharge your batteries.

It is advisable to gradually start including the most refreshing foods typical of the warmer seasons, introducing or increasing the consumption of raw, pressed, or marinated vegetables without completely leaving aside foods that will continue to generate internal heat, such as soups, stir-fries, and stews. Reduce cooking times and cook with lighter ingredients, such as quick wok-style stir-fries or steaming.

Spring is also the ideal time to reduce the use of saltier condiments, such as sea salt and soy sauce, and replace them with lighter condiments such as fresh herbs like chives and parsley. You can use herbal and flower infusions such as mint, marjoram, lemon balm, chamomile, rosemary, bay leaves, and turmeric that will purify your digestive system and relieve possible stagnation.

Springtime Is The Perfect Moment To:

• Increase the consumption of vegetables and fruits in lighter cooking styles and decrease the portion of heavier foods (fats, baked goods, very long cooking time).

• Insert more greens onto your plate. Foods rich in chlorophyll help purify and regenerate the liver, which is exactly what your body needs after heavy winter meals. Celery, spinach, chard, arugula, pea beans, spring onions, and chives are good examples of green foods typical of spring.

• Keep soups and vegetable creams hot, but in lighter cooking than winter ones, with less oil and less density.

• Promote the use of fresh herbs: they give us vigour and spark, which is just what we need to activate ourselves at this time.

• Stick to spring-like and seasonal preparation of your meals:

• Quick sauté: it provides dynamism and movement - a very suitable cooking style in spring.

• Simmered and short-boiled: we maintain more vitamins and minerals in less cooking time. It is a clean, digestive, and healthy technique.

• Steam: keep the vegetables al dente to preserve all the nutritional value.

Photo Credit: Alesia Kozik

Summer Feeding: Hydration Is The Salvation

Summer is for colorful seasonal eating. It is the season of fullness, ripeness and flavour. And since the heat reaches its maximum levels of expansion, our bodies need a refreshing and light diet.

We tend to crave something juicy that will satisfy our need for extra water that comes with the rise in temperatures. Summertime is the cleansing season and, for that reason, nature provides us with foods that have high water content.

Some Seasonal Summer Goods:

• Berries

• Peaches

• Plums

• Avocados

• Corn

• Cucumbers

• Tomatoes

• Zucchini

• Peppers

• Eggplant

Tips For Eating Seasonal Food In Summer

Summer nutrition requires lightness and hydration to make us feel more active and lightweight on the hottest days of the year. With this season comes an explosion of colour and a wide variety of juicy tastes. This is how to get the most out of the vibrant season we all love.

• Add plenty of colour to your plate, whether you prepare breakfast, lunch or dinner. The season is your oyster.

• Summer is for salads: leafy greens, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, avocados, corn, etc. You can experiment with all your favourite ingredients and create your signature salad that will be both refreshing and nourishing.

• Use light cooking methods such as blanching, boiling, grilling, and sautéing quickly with water or just a drizzle of oil.

• Choose the natural way of hydration by consuming watery fruits like watermelon and vegetables like zucchini and cucumbers.

• Now is the right time for tasty juices and smoothies. You can even make your own iced tea or lemonade that doesn’t contain large amounts of sweeteners, dyes and preservatives typical of the conventional soft drinks you buy in the supermarket.

• Summer is the typical season for eating ice cream. Swap industrial and unhealthy ice creams (from a nutritional point of view) for delicious and super healthy homemade treats. The variety of summer fruits makes this easier than ever.

When it comes to meal preparation, summer dishes require almost no cooking time:

• Salads: all you have to do is cut your favourite summer veggies, drizzle some olive oil and squeeze a lemon for a final touch of zest.

• Light and refreshing soups or creams of fruits and vegetables will give you lightness and nutrition.

• Sautéed, simmered or steamed vegetables: they will provide liquids, minerals and freshness without cooling you too much.

• Good quality pasta accompanied by vegetables and seeds will help you create summer dishes that are rich and equally healthy.

• Stay away from heavy preparations like fried food that will generate denser energy and give rise to heavier digestion. They will cause fatigue and laziness, which is something you definitely don’t need, especially in the summertime.

Photo Credit: Polina Kovaleva

Autumn Feeding: Warming Up The Engines

Before you even notice, the sunny days come less and less which means it’s time for autumn. It is the season of mesmerising landscapes in red, orange and warm yellow colours. Autumn is also the season that brings the change of weather from hot to cool. And with it, a lot of respiratory viruses arrive, so we need something that will protect us from seasonal diseases and keep us warm.

Summer eating habits which consisted of light salads and watery fruits should come to an end, and make room for a warmer, softer and more organised diet. Autumn is the time of the year when our bodies will be grateful if we provide a simple and orderly nutriment. Step by step, we should start heating the diet to cope with the first cold air.

The seasonal selection of autumn food should have more wintery touches to prepare the body for temperature drops and the reduction of sun exposure. It is also time to take advantage of the fruits and vegetables full of antioxidants that will help generate warmth, sweetness, relaxation and a calm mind. Dive into the wide variety of this season’s harvest to find your favourite autumn comfort food.

Some Seasonal Autumn Goods:

• Apples

• Pears

• Grapes

• Figs

• Pumpkin

• Quince

• Chestnuts

• Mushroom

• Cauliflower

• Celery

• Spinach

• Radishes

• Sweet potato

• Nuts

Tips For Eating Seasonal Food In Autumn

For autumnal seasonal eating, you must take advantage of the foods that the garden offers you in each season and in the place where you live. If in summer the ideal is to provide freshness, lightness and dynamism, now that autumn is coming, a more energetic, concentrated and warming effect is needed.

If you start now to provide heat and generate a balanced and organized diet, you will enter winter with strength and energy. This is how you can maximise the good nature gives you in autumn.

• To start warming up and provide more energy in the morning, you can have cereal creams, oatmeal, granolas or porridge for breakfast and have a nice hot tea or a mid-morning autumn fruit snack as an accompaniment.

• Transform your cooking style into slower and warmer food preparations such as stews, longer stir-fries, soups, and creams. You will feel more focused on taking your first steps towards winter with the pot already preheated.

• Add mushrooms – they act as medicinal and cleansing foods that add a wild touch and forest flavour to your autumn dishes. On the other hand, roasted or cooked chestnuts can be added to creams, stews, and desserts, providing fibre and slow-absorbing carbohydrates.

• Include autumn creams in your regular menu, they will remineralize, purify and warm you. If you eat it with dinner, it will help you have a peaceful and restful sleep, as well as a lighter digestion.

• You may start to crave sweet snacks more, which is normal at this time of year. Autumn is the perfect season for natural jams made from seasonal fruits, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and dried fruits that will satisfy your seasonal sweet tooth in a very healthy way.

• Slightly spicy foods such as ginger will have a preventive, antiseptic and energizing effect in autumn. Likewise, slightly spicy vegetables such as radishes, watercress, chives, leeks and turnips, grated or chopped.

This Is The Best Way To Prepare Your Autumn Seasonal Meals:

• Raw seasonal fruits can be your best snack in autumn.

• Sautéed vegetables with longer cooking time are just the right autumn type of cooking that provides heat, strength and minerals.

• Legumes such as well-soaked and cooked lentils, presented in the form of a pate, provide minerals, and protein and help recharge the batteries.

• Reducing the amount of liquids in cooking to concentrate food more will help dry the moisture accumulated during the summer.

• Increase the use of dressings and condiments that provide greater heat and concentration to the dish.

• Nuts such as almonds or chestnuts warm up the engines for the winter.

Photo Credit: wr heustis

Winter Nutrition: Conserving Energy And Heat

As the chilliness starts its reign, we need to stock up on more nutrients and fuel from the winter goods nature is providing that will keep us warm and strong the entire season.

Wintertime brings us foods rich in vitamin C to boost our immune system and protect us from the cold. If we want to survive the low temperatures without being bugged by a runny nose or a boring cough, especially during the festive season winter brings, it’s good to maintain an adequate diet.

In winter, nature introduces foods that nourish us and strengthen us in the face of cold, boasting antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. In addition to their rich flavour and high nutritional properties, they have a preventative and healing power that conserves energy and heat.

If in autumn we tried to make a transition that would bring us warmth, but without completely losing lightness, in winter we will dedicate ourselves to keeping the fuse lit to preserve our internal fuel throughout the season.

These are winter superfoods that will warm up your heart, body, and soul.

Some Seasonal Winter Foods

• Cranberries

• Orange

• Mandarins

• Tangerine

• Cabbage

• Beetroot

• Potato

• Brussels sprouts

• Broccoli

• Leeks

• Kale

• Various nuts

Tips For Eating Seasonal Food In Winter

Wool sweaters and warm coats will be your best companions in winter, but the choice of food you place on your table also counts. Wintertime calls for high-calorie goods that will allow you to accumulate energy and maintain body heat. Strengthening your natural defences through proper winter nutrition should be your priority when the temperatures start to drop.

This is the time for your favourite citrus fruits, tasty granma’s stews and hot zesty soups. Embrace the winter chilliness with these tips for seasonal winter eating.

• There is no better way to start your winter day than devouring a hot porridge with milk and cinnamon. Start your mornings warm and spiced!

• Cold foods and drinks are your enemies during winter as they will make you feel weak because your body will need extra energy to warm you up.

• You will need extra immunity to win the battle against the flu and other seasonal illnesses. The best way to do it is to include a vitamin-C-rich diet with foods such as citrus fruits and cruciferous vegetables that will help strengthen the defences against external attacks.

• Hot and well-cooked soups, stews and broths should be your main meal choice in winter because they generate heat and provide strength. Spice them up with garlic, parsley, ginger and black pepper for an extra zest.

• Pay attention not to overindulge in foods that are too heavy or sweet. Excessively heavy foods like biscuits, chocolate, pastries or fried foods will take away your energy and give you the winter blues.

Photo Credit: Alesia Kozik

Seasonal Eating – Nature’s Way Of Taking Care

As you can assume from all the information in this guide, seasonal eating is good for you, the environment and your wallet, but it can also be very simple. Following nature’s rhythm comes easily and naturally for us humans because we are part of it.

Living aligned with nature’s cycles is deeply rooted in us. All we have to do is listen and let nature guide us. I see seasonal eating as waiting for nature’s gifts with arms wide open. It is nature’s way of taking care of us and our well-being, enabling our survival and showing us respect.

Our land nurtures us by providing goods that are exactly what our bodies need at the right time. The least we can do is show gratitude for that care and try our best to give something back.

Check out the rest of my blogs to learn more ways to embrace nature’s power.

I'm a nature-loving mom from the Netherlands, sharing my journey of reconnecting with nature and embracing a simpler, more natural life.

Let’s explore this path together!

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