Before factory farming and preservatives, people only had one option: to eat seasonally. As the years have gone by and the world has progressed we’ve become used to being able to buy strawberries, corn on the cob, or peaches all year round. We don’t even give it a second thought.
But convenience usually comes with a price. I talk a lot about how we as a society have become dependant on these conveniences. Fast food, fast fashion, fast service. If our food is 10 minutes late we’re angry and inconvenienced.
I’m not suggesting that we start living like pioneers and churn our own butter. I’m also not against a lot of our technological advances. Without them, there are a lot of fruits and veggies I’d never get to eat living up here in Canada.
But I do think we need to slow down and get back to our roots. Become reconnected with nature, know where our food is coming from, shop locally and, eat seasonally.
Not everybody will have access to a farmers market or get to know their local farmers by name, but that’s ok. You can still shop in-season foods at the grocery store!
Eating seasonally is actually easy and a lot cheaper than it sounds. And best of all, it’s more nutritious and sustainable.
A Guide to eating seasonally in summer:
How is eating seasonally more sustainable?
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says ” For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under Heaven”. If you’re not new here then you know that faith is the driving force behind this whole blog. And this verse can be taken literally and metaphorically but I’m not educated enough to go into that.
Regardless of what you or I believe, everything has its season.
God designed fruits and vegetables to grow in certain seasons, temperatures, and atmospheres. When produce is grown in its offseason, it’s a lot harder for them to flourish and more chemicals, energy, and resources are used in the growing process.
For example, summer produce that’s grown in the winter can’t usually be planted outside and so more water and heat are used to mimic summer weather.
A lot of produce is harder to grow in the winter (especially here in Canada) so they’re shipped in from warmer climates halfway around the world. That’s a lot of carbon emissions used to get them here and a lot of preservatives and temperature regulators to keep them “fresh”.
All in all, when we’re able to buy local, in-season produce, they don’t have to travel far and fewer chemicals and preservatives are used.
How is it healthier?
Well like I mentioned above, grown produce in-season uses fewer chemicals and preservatives which re not only harmful to the planet but also harmful to our bodies.
I also believe that eating seasonally helps us connect more to nature. Both physically and spiritually. This is apart of slowing down and not always wishing for a different season. Talk it from me, when August rolls around I’m ready for Halloween.
But I think that eating seasonally helps us tune into our seasonal, day-to-day life. It can help calm the antsy, anxiousness we feel waiting for warmer or colder weather.
How is it cheaper?
Price is often a good indicator of what’s in-season. Cheaper produce is usually in season and has been grown locally meaning it didn’t have to travel very far to get to your grocery store shelf.
Buying berries and fresh tomatoes in the middle of winter is usually more expensive because it had to travel farther and use more resources to grow.
What foods are in season in summer?
Lucky for us, summer is the season of abundance and almost everything grows in the summertime.
This can vary depending on where you live. Like avocados grow in the summertime but they don’t grow up here in Canada. If you’re from the states you can click here to see what’s in season near you and if you’re from Canada, you can click right here!
Here’s a general list of foods that are in season in summer:
There you have your guide to eating seasonally in summer! I hope this post encourages you to get out and start eating seasonally! I will be adding posts for each season and I hope to include some recipes soon as well to inspire your seasonal kitchen!
Thank you for reading, please don’t forget to share this post and follow me on Instagram for daily sustainable living tips!
Related reading:
How to Become a Conscious Consumer
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