You can find just about anything you need year-round at the grocery store but shopping for in-season fruits and vegetables is better for your health and your community. Seasonal food is fresher, tastes better, and offers a great way to connect with local food sources. Now that farmers’ markets have opened for the season, you can easily get fresh, in-season produce while supporting others in your community. Can’t make it to your farmers’ market? No problem. You can find in-season produce at your local grocery store too.
To help you get started, here is a guide to a few of the fruits and vegetables you might see at your farmers’ market, or in the produce aisle at the grocery store this spring — plus recipes and ways to prepare them.
- Asparagus: Roast the stalks in olive oil with salt; puree into soup; or use a vegetable peeler to add thin strips to salads. You can also use asparagus as one of the vegetables in a bowl meal.
- Broccoli: Eat raw; roast in olive oil with salt; steam and top with melted cheese; or bake into this cauliflower crust vegetable quiche.
- Green beans: Roast in olive oil with salt; boil and add to pasta; or use in a side dish like green beans with mushrooms and shallots.
- Kale: Eat raw in a kale salad or bake into kale chips for a healthy snack.
- Peas: Mash on toasted bread; boil and add to pasta; roast in the pod; or add to cauliflower rice.
- Strawberries: Eat raw; dip in chocolate; add to desserts; or try this strawberry spinach salad.
And, don’t be afraid to ask vendors, or your grocer, for recipe ideas or how to prepare their produce — they know it best!
Click here to find a farmer’s market near you!
Sources: Healthy HometownSM Powered by Wellmark
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