3 Ways to Eat Seasonally

By Lydia Wallie, Nutrition Director

In prior years when it was typical to grow food instead of purchasing it from the store, people consumed fresh foods in season rather than out of season. Eating seasonally supports your community, tastes immeasurably more flavorful, and benefits your health since foods are fresher when they aren't picked long before they ripen and then travel hundreds or thousands of miles to your grocery store. So what are some ways to eat seasonally?

Find local farmers through online research or local farmer's markets. Through some research, you can find great local options, and farmers will have different options available during various times of the year. 

Find friends, family, or neighbors who sell produce or animal products. My neighbor gave me a peach picked from her tree the other day when I went to get duck eggs from her, and it may have been the best peach I've ever eaten. I discovered this neighbor when I noticed chickens in her yard; she happened to be outside one day as I walked by, and I asked if she sold eggs. Ask around, make friends with friendly neighbors, and you can hopefully find great resources for alternatives to store-bought foods.

Grow your food. The best option, which may also be the most difficult and rewarding, is to garden and raise animals for meat/eggs/dairy if you have the land and resources to do so. And suppose you have people in your community who know how to grow plants/animals in your particular climate. In that case, you can ask them for advice on how best to farm in your environment (protecting chickens from predators, for example). 

Whatever strategy you take to eat more seasonally, remember that you can always start small, like buying a pot of herbs from your local nursery and following the directions on the plant for the best outcomes!

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