Can you go a day without eating any fruits at all? Pretty sure you can. Lots of people do. But while you can skimp on fruits, you can hardly do so when it comes to vegetables, and that’s because no matter what you are cooking or where you are eating, there’s at least one vegetable involved.
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Even that regular burger treat wouldn’t taste like a burger at all if not for all the complementing red onions, and if onions are all the veggies you eat in a day, that’s good enough too. It’s better than no veggies at all anyway.
But right now, all across Canada, there’s an abundance of produce in season and not only can you save money by shopping for produce in season, but you’ll also get a lot more flavor for the value, and you’ll be supporting the local economy.
And here’s one more thing about seasonal produce: nature is got it all figured out. Let’s talk winter.
- Winter fruits: winter fruits are all things citrus and citrus fruits contain generous amounts of vitamin C which help ward off nasty colds and the nasty flu.
- Winter vegetables: beets, carrots, potatoes, squash, sweet potatoes – you know, all these root vegetables that make hearty and warming soups and broths to provide necessary nutrients to help the body cope through winter.
Of course, spring produce has its fair share of advantages and vegetables in season right now can really impact the taste of your meals and provide you with a lot more nutrition. Here’s a list of all the vegetables usually available across Canada starting late March, early April throughout the spring season.
- Asian greens
- Asparagus
- Beans
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Kale
- Lettuce
- Mushrooms
- Green onions
- Red onions
- Yellow onions
- Parsnips
- Potatoes
- Radishes
- Rutabaga
- Spinach
- Squash
- Sweet potatoes
One very important thing to remember is that weather, unpredictable as it is, can influence seasonality and while a majority of the vegetables are most likely available throughout spring if crops hit rough weather, this can influence availability.
Some vegetables, such as tomatoes and cucumbers, can be available ahead of the season, although they are probably sourced from greenhouses in this case.
Another thing: Canada is known to have six seasons, meaning spring, early summer, summer, early fall, fall, and winter. Early summer is considered May to June, which means we are shortly into seeing the first fresh berries to hit the market, particularly strawberries, always the first to hit stores and farmers’ markets.
You can actually visit on-farm markets and source your vegetables along with any in-season fruits directly from growers. Many of them probably offer foods-to-try and additional features, organizing events and fun activities to keep people entertained.
In fact, on-farm markets are probably the best place for great produce shopping experiences because they offer so much more than purchasing possibilities. There’s a lot of fresh air and fun to go along with that. They’re really great opportunities to connect with local growers and, why not, spend some quality family time.