Here at Cooking them Healthy we are huge advocates of eating seasonally, selecting fruit and vegetables that naturally thrive at certain times of the year, such as rocket, tomatoes and courgettes in summer, squashes and sweet potatoes in winter, and spring greens and sugar snap peas in spring. As we form part of the supermarket generation, it has become all too easy to get hold of any fruit and veg all year round. We have sadly lost touch with seasonality and we would encourage you to stop and think before you buy. Those imported green beans from Kenya may look tasty, but after a long refrigerated journey and up to several weeks in cold storage, at what cost for both our health and the environment?
Eating seasonally also provides us with more nutrients as the fruit and veg are designed to be eaten by nature when they are harvested. It is no coincidence that wintery root vegetables are rich in betacarotene, the vegetable source of vitamin A, so important for immune health helping to support us through the wintery months. Parsnips in fact taste even better after they have experienced the first frost, making them more sweet and delicious.
As we have written about previously, we urge you to Make friends with your freezer, storing and saving nutritious gems to enjoy another time. You can read our top tips on how to make the most of your freezer here. We love using frozen berries for example and always have some on hand. These are picked in season and frozen to preserve their freshness, packed with antioxidant vitamin C. Why not try our delicious Berry Smoothie or Amazing Pink Ice Cream?
In order to help us on our quest to use fresh seasonal produce in our cooking we simply love the fruit & veggie boxes provided by Abel & Cole, a fantastic company with quality organic produce suppliers and provenance at their heart. It really does feel like Christmas when that familiar brown box arrives on our doorstep each week. You can select a box type to suit you and your family size, and then add anything extra as you wish. Abel & Cole are not only the kings of fruit and veg supply, they also stock good quality organic or free range meat and fish, bread & dairy goods as well as handy store cupboard products. They currently have a lovely range of tempting organic Easter goodies too . 🙂
And as an extra special bonus, when you sign up for box deliveries using the special promo code SPUDS you will receive your 4th box completely free. Enjoy.
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