Hey earth muffins! While subscribing to a plant-based diet is a great way to be more sustainable, you don’t have to give up meat to be more eco-friendly when it comes to food. Another great way to reduce your impact on the planet is to eat seasonally and/or locally! 😊 When you eat with the seasons, you are supporting local farming and reducing the demand for out of season produce. This reduces transportation impacts on the planet – and is better for your nutrition and cheaper too. Here’s how you can eat seasonally and locally!
1. Learn about which vegetables and fruits grow in your area!
The first step to eating more sustainably is to educate yourself on what produce grows in your area throughout the year. I’ve seen plenty of Pinterest infographics with information like this, but make sure those facts are true to your region. To get educated, read some books from the library, do Google research, or talk to local farmers at the market.
2. Create a “cheat sheet” and hang it in your kitchen.
After you have learned about what produce is local and seasonal, make yourself a handy reference guide to keep in the kitchen. This can be a drawing, a list, or even just a note in your phone. Make sure you can reference it often throughout the year!
3. Shop in places that support local/seasonal eating.
My favorites: the farmers market, family-owned grocery stores, and natural food stores. The farmer’s market is the easiest place to know which fruits and vegetables are in-season because there will be a ton of them for cheaper prices. 😊
4. Look for the special “local” sections in grocery stores!
If you don’t have many smaller stores in your area, many chain retailers will mark food as “local” with special labels. You might even be lucky enough to have a whole section of local items! If you aren’t sure if local foods are marked, don’t be shy and just ask an employee. Hopefully they can point you in the right direction!
5. Find a few core recipes for each season.
When eating seasonally, you will get to focus on certain produce at different times of the year… Which is awesome because you can change up your recipes every few months! Just like with special holiday foods, find some recipes that your family can reserve for “summer”, “fall”, etc. When that season rolls around you have some delicious recipes to look forward to!
6. Don’t be afraid to try new fruits, vegetables, and recipes!
I still find random produce in the grocery store that I have never heard of. There are millions of recipes out there for every single type of produce, so keep trying them out until you find ones that your family loves.
There you have it – food should be delicious all year round, and it most definitely can be when you eat with the seasons. Supporting local farmers is a huge reason why I try to eat this way; but, there are tons of benefits to seasonal eating. Once you educate yourself and find recipes that your family loves, you really can’t go wrong! Do you try to eat seasonally and locally? Comment below and let me know your favorite seasonal recipes!
Love,
Jenna ♥
