A Guide to Eating Seasonally in Spring

Spring is when fresh and light veggies come back into season. After a long winter of hearty meals and hibernation, we’re ready for something lighter— whether that be our bed linens, our clothing, or our food. This season is all about the liver, skin, and detoxification. Foods that are abundant in spring are refreshing, regenerating, and detoxifying. Spring’s offerings are simple—radishes, leafy greens, asparagus—but they restore our dulled appetite after a winter of meat and potatoes.

Eating seasonally is no longer a modern practice. We have lost the beauty of God’s design in the midst of our culture of immediate gratification. We have access to strawberries all year round. We can go to the grocery store and get corn on the cob in the middle of January. We truly are living in luxury. But like most things, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily what’s best. In a way, I’m grateful for our modern advances which have allowed me to taste mangos and bananas and other amazing produce that I otherwise would never have the opportunity to try living in the midwest USA. But I’m also saddened by our complete disconnect from nature and where our food comes from. There has to be a balance that we can maintain.

I believe that eating seasonally is something that so desperately needs to be brought back into the rhythm of our lives.

Our disconnect from the food system is leading to a lack of nutrition and a reliance on convenience. It’s time to get back to the roots of local and sustainable eating, connecting with our food and its sources. I have found eating seasonally to be the best way to do this. And it’s not as hard or expensive as it sounds. It’s actually easy, healthier, cheaper, and more sustainable. Let’s dive in and see what it means to eat seasonally in the season of spring.

WHAT DOES EATING SEASONALLY MEAN?

Just because something is available in the grocery store doesn’t mean it’s in season.

God created certain fruits and vegetables to naturally flourish at a certain time of the year. Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Eating seasonally means fully embracing the current season and the earth’s offerings during that time. Simply put, eating seasonally means eating the fruits and vegetables that naturally grow in abundance and organically during specific times of the year.

We aren’t used to eating this way. Like I said above, we have access to anything we want at any time of the year. I find this to fall in the same category of consumerism as purchasing a tee shirt from an unethical big name brand—it should be avoided.

Once you begin eating seasonally, you will feel more in tune with your body and the nutrients that it needs. You will be able to feel your body’s natural cravings transition with each season.

WHY IS EATING SEASONALLY IMPORTANT?

natural rhythms

Eating food that is not in season can go as far as throwing your mind and body out of alignment. You know that antsy, frantic, agonizing feeling of wishing for warmer weather when it’s cold? Or wishing for colder weather when it’s hot? By fully syncing not only our day-to-day habits with the current season, but also our eating habits, we will find it easier to enjoy the current season, no matter the weather or hardships.

Aligning our eating habits with this truth will lead to better nutrition, increased energy, and the ability to find the gift of each season.

SUSTAINABility

Produce that is out-of-season is firstly, forced to grow when it’s not its natural time to grow. This means more chemicals are used as well as more energy and resources. Secondly, the out-of-season produce is shipped very far distances to reach our grocery store shelves. For example, tomatoes can’t grow in Northern America in the winter or early spring, so in order to get them to our grocery stores we have to source them from Chile or Mexico. That’s a far trip that uses a lot of resources and creates a lot of carbon emission. Not to mention that this produce is coming from farms with little to no transparency. We cannot know how the food was really grown, or how the workers were truly treated.

nutrition

Like we mentioned above, because out-of-season produce is shipped from far away, the produce has to be prematurely picked before it’s ripe. Studies show that prematurely picked produce lacks nutrients compared to in-season produce that is grown naturally and allowed to ripen on the plant. Not only is in-season produce healthier but it tastes better too. If you’ve ever tasted a winter berry or tomato, you know what I mean. It only makes sense that God’s way of doing things results in a healthier, tastier, more sustaining outcome.

Foods that are in-season contain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that your body specifically needs for that current season. How cool is that?! For example, after winter, our bodies are lacking Vitamin D due to the increased time spent indoors and gloomy weather. Mushrooms, which are in season in the spring, are an excellent source of Vitamin D!

Winter can be hard on our skin, and I don’t know about you but I always head into spring a little less hydrated and glowing in the skin department as I’d like to be. Fortunately, in the spring, fresh leafy greens like arugula, lettuce, dandelion greens, and spinach are in season, all which contain vitamins and minerals that support skin health, cell regeneration, and hydration.

Other spring veggies like radishes, asparagus, greens, herbs, lemon, etc are great for detoxifying and cleansing the liver, which as I mentioned is necessary after all those holiday treats!

The list goes on.

price

Produce that is in season is in abundance and local, therefore prices are often cheaper. Price is a good indicator of whether or not something is in season when you’re at the grocery store. For example, you may notice that when it’s strawberry season in late spring/early summer, the strawberries will most likely be sourced from somewhere nearby, therefore having to travel less of a distance. This makes them cheaper. It’s almost May and here in Ohio, the strawberries that are showing up in our grocery stores are now from California and Florida, rather than Mexico and Chile, and they are also on sale or for a good price. That’s a key indicator of strawberry season. But when you see a tiny pack of strawberries for $6 in the middle of January, that’s because they are not in season, therefore it took a lot of energy and resources to grow them and to ship them, which is why they’re so expensive.

Produce that’s not in season is not in abundance because it’s not the natural growing season and environment, which all leads to increased price. Not only will sticking to seasonal foods help your health, but it will save you money as well!

HOW DO I EAT SEASONALLY IN SPRING?

In most parts of the world that experience all 4 seasons, spring is still ways away from summer abundance. Although a few fresh veggies are coming into season, we still have to be mindful of what isn’t yet. Things like tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, and peppers are not quite in season and are most likely still being shipped from Mexico to the United States at this time. Although fresh is usually always best, this only goes for when the produce is in season. A good rule of thumb is if it’s not showing up at your local farmers market yet, then it’s not in season.

Foods like berries, corn and tomatoes are not base of our meals in spring like they are in the summer. Instead meat, root veggies and winter squash leftover from winter storage are paired with the few fresh offerings of spring like leafy greens, cilantro, radishes, asparagus, cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower as the base of spring eating. If produce like tomatoes or corn are needed for a recipe, frozen, canned, or preserved are the best choice. Frozen and canned veggies from trustworthy brands are usually picked and preserved at the peak of their season and ripeness, so they are packed with their natural nutrients, unlike out-of-season fresh produce that we mentioned above, which is lacking. Even better yet, you can freeze, can, and preserve fresh produce from your garden or local farmers markets in the summer to use throughout the winter and well into spring.

Fruits and veggies are not the only thing that have “seasons”. To everything there is a season! Including eggs and dairy. Chickens slow or even stop production in the winter due to lack of daylight. Once our days begin to stay lighter longer, egg production picks up. Eggs are abundant in spring and an excellent source of nutrients if the chickens are raised on pasture. Dairy is also wonderful to source in spring as the cows have returned to lush pasture, creating a delicious rich yellow milk.

The best way to know whether or not something is in season is to go to a local farmers market or click the button below:

Planning your meals and shopping lists around what is in season will make a big difference. I love using Pinterest to find seasonal meals. It may also be handy to print out a list of what’s in season and hang it up on your fridge. I’ve created 4 FREE printables that you will be sent straight to your inbox when you fill out the form below!

This is not something to seek perfection on. I love that I have access to citrus that has been shipped to my area for fresh lemonade on a summer day, or access to mangos to make my favorite snack: mango salsa. But I also love getting the bulk of my produce from local farmers, taking the time to preserve it for the months it’s not available, and planning my meals based around what’s in season.

If eating seasonally is something you would like to bring back into the rhythm of your life, avoid restricting or eliminating certain foods. When certain foods all of a sudden become “off limits” it only sets us back and leaves us very hungry! Instead, replace and crowd out out-of-season foods with in-season foods. The more you do so, the more you’ll get the hang of it. Start by focusing on what’s in season in spring, purchase those things, base your meals around them, and then fill in the gaps from there. You’re doing great!

For more seasonal recipes…

Peace and Plenty is a collection of recipes for spring and summer. Seasonal, nourishing, and traditional— this ebook is like taking a look at Kaetlyn’s personal recipe box.

In 40+ pages, Kaetlyn shares recipes and food ideas that celebrate peace and plenty. This ebook will equip you to eat seasonally in spring and summer with various recipes such as: Refrigerator Sweet Pickles, Frozen Yogurt, Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough Loaf, Chicken Corn Curry, Basil Tomato Soup, and more! Collected, created, tweaked, passed down— these are now yours to make and master. Let us return to real food and true nourishment together this season.