Fine Cooking Magazine
Depending on where you live, what is in season or available at your local farmer’s market might look different week to week, or not. But healthy eating can’t just be limited to the summer and autumn months of plenty and harvest. Below are links to information about cooking with fresh ingredients year round, in any region of the US.
Fresh Spring Produce
Spring is when produce begins to grow, making this the time of year for lettuce, some root vegetables, and fruit like apples and strawberries. Other seasonally ripe ingredients include avocado, asparagus, broccoli, and mushrooms. Peas and asparagus are other ingredients common to spring dishes.
If you’re looking for springtime recipes, salad might come to mind first, but fresh young veggies also taste great cooked. If you live in an area of rainy spring days, seasonal soups can be another great choice. Here are some lists of springtime recipes:
Bon Appetit shares 44 recipes to get you in the spring spirit
BBC Food collected the top 20 spring recipes
Food & Wine Magazine shares 28 seasonal spring recipes
Summer Seasonal Produce
In summer, the fruits of spring continue to be in season as new veggies also ripen. Tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, corn, and cucumbers are just some of the produce that hits its peak in summer. Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, plums, and peaches also inspire some of the sweet summer flavors we know and love.
Summer is a time for grilling and relaxing, meaning cold side dishes like pasta salad or coleslaw might be on the menu of your traditional weekend. There are always exciting summer recipes to try, like the ones on these lists:
Taste of Home lists 101 fresh and easy summer recipes
Cooking Light shares over 45 recipes using seasonal summer ingredients
Delish compiled a list of the best non-alcoholic seasonal summer beverages
Best Fall Produce
Autumn’s freshest produce includes sweet potatoes, beets, pears, apples and squashes like the pumpkins you start to see everywhere for Halloween. Grapes, persimmons, and more hearty greens like kale or chard are also at their full ripeness.
Fall’s lower temperatures make this an exciting time to get back in the kitchen for slow-cooked meals. Many recipes on these fall lists feature yummy sauces or broths:
Saveur created a fall recipe and produce guide
Food Network shares recipes that use just five fall ingredients
Country Living lists over 75 recipes for easy fall meals
Fresh Produce in Winter
In winter, most fresh produce is going to be root vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, and onions. Some squashes and apples also ripen in winter. But your favorite fresh food from other seasons is still likely to be available as well, whether fresh at the grocery, frozen, or canned.
Winter calls for warming recipes that help us keep well through the stresses of the holidays and the annual flu season. Make the most of your extra time indoors with some of these recipes:
Eating Well figured out their 10 most popular winter recipes
Root & Revel lists 100 recipes using fresh winter ingredients
AllRecipes offers a catalogue of options for winter meals
Eat Balanced Meals for Year-Round Health
While different produce is fresh at different times, many ingredients are available year-round at the local grocery in some form. As you find favorite healthy seasonal recipes from these lists and others, keep making them your own to nourish your body. No matter what the time of year, it’s always a good idea to eat right!
We at Greg Says like to say that health insurance doesn’t actually ensure your health, a healthy lifestyle does that.