Eating fruit and vegetables when they are in season is a great idea for many reasons. Firstly, produce is cheapest when it is at its most abundant. If you are working to a tight budget eating seasonally can dramatically reduce your grocery bill.
Secondly, fruit and vegetables contain the greatest number of nutrients when they are allowed to ripen naturally. For instance, avocados sold in winter have often been picked early then frozen or chilled to prevent them ripening too quickly. Nutrients are lost this way, and they just don’t taste as good.
We know through studies conducted on supermarket produce that one week after harvest, many fruits and vegetables have lost up to 80% of their nutrient levels.
Given the high demand stress and modern living places on us, it is vital we get as many nutrients as possible from our food sources.
In summer, it’s often easier to get as many nutrients as possible from what we eat. Stone fruits, antioxidant-rich berries, salad varieties, and corn on the cob are just some of the produce available in the warmer months. It’s often easier, and more enjoyable to eat more fruit in summer than in the cooler months. When eating in season, this aligns with our natural movement patterns and daylight hours.
When it’s warmer outside, we are often more active, spend time at the beach or going for walks after dinner. Fruit is an easily digestible - and delicious - form of energy to fuel this activity. Always best to be mindful however that fruit does contain naturally occurring sugars and eating large amounts in a sitting can affect your blood sugar levels.
To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of the fruits and veggies that are in season during summer. As you'll see it's very different to our list on Winter seasonal eating. Choose as many of these as you can. During warmer months, it is the ideal time for cooler, crunchier raw salads - as opposed to winter when our digestion needs a rest. Lightly steaming or sautéing your veggies as well as using them in fresh salads will keep you energised and nourished.
Seasonal Summer Vegetables
Courgettes (Zucchini)
New season potatoes
Snow peas
Asparagus (Late Spring / Early Summer)
Beans
Corn
Fennel
Broad Beans
Cucumber
Peas
Eggplant
Capsicum
Chili
Artichokes
Iceberg Lettuce
Cos Lettuce
Rocket
Spring onion
Radishes
Beetroot
Mint
Coriander
Basil
Tomatoes
Swede
Seasonal Summer Fruits
Avocados
Apricots
Nectarines
Peaches
Plums
Cherries
Blackberries
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Lemons
Limes
Sweet Navel Oranges
Give the fritter recipe a go and be sure to check in on our blog, Facebook and Instagram over summer to see more ways to use fresh seasonal produce.
To help you use some of this fresh summer produce, we’ve got a delicious recipe for Zucchini Bacon fritters. This recipe serves 2.
Recipe: Zucchini and Bacon Fritters
Ingredients
- 3 slices of bacon, chopped
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- 1 medium zucchini, grated and excess moisture squeezed out
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 handful parsley and basil, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- Cracked black pepper to season
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped (optional)
- 30 grams feta (optional, but makes it so tasty)
- ¼ cup ground almonds
- 1 egg, beaten well
- 2 tbsp butter or coconut oil, for frying
Method
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Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Heat a cast iron or heavy based fry pan on a medium heat and melt the butter or coconut oil.
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To make the fritters add a heaped tablespoon of batter to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Make sure the pan is nice and hot before you add the fritters to prevent sticking.
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