With the local grocery store offering your favorite fruits and veggies year-round, it can be easy to forget that we're actually meant to grow and eat our food seasonally.
That's when fruits, vegetables and herbs are freshest, and when you can get the most bang for your nutritional buck. Fortunately for Atlanta, we have a plethora of farmer's markets available.
Why should you eat seasonally?
There are plenty of big health benefits that come with eating seasonal food.
For starters, it tastes better. In-season produce is riper, more flavorful and crisper than what may have been languishing on grocery store shelves.
In-season fruits and vegetables have also been given optimal time in the sun, with the most exposure to soil and rain. And the closer to harvesting that you consume them, the bigger the dose of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants you'll be receiving.
The redder your tomato, the more beta-carotene it contains; the deeper blue in your berries, the more anthocyanins – phytochemicals that can help lower blood pressure, fight heart disease and ward off certain types of cancer.
Why shopping local matters
Buying seasonal produce from local farms and markets is also better on your budget. Farmers have more fruits and veggies on offer when the crop is in season, which means lower cost to you.
Keeping it close to home when you buy produce also takes less of a toll on the environment, thanks to reduced transportation costs, less refrigeration, less pesticide use and less soil and water contamination.
Shopping locally for seasonal produce helps support local growers and small businesses in our communities.
More simply though, there is something symbiotic and gratifying about knowing exactly where your produce is coming from and who's growing it. And it helps keep us all connected to the holistic process of eating, growing and sharing food.
What to eat in May
Whether you're headed to the Peachtree Road Farmer's Market, the Marietta Square Farmer's Market or somewhere in between, these are your top produce picks for May.
- Arugula
- Asparagus
- Green and snap beans
- Beets
- Bok choy
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Green onions, scallions
- Collard, mustard and turnip greens
- Kale
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Okra
- Onions
- Peas
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Summer Squash
- Zucchini
Fruits:
- Apricots
- Avocados
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Cherries
- Lemons
- Nectarines
- Peaches
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Tomatoes
Herbs:
- Basil
- Garlic
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