Healthy, tasty and local: it's time for you to experiment with seasonal nutrition

We all know it: we pay a fortune for fruit in the supermarket, only to find out that it is not tasty, too hard, too soft, or tasteless. But what if we could enjoy fresh, juicy and much healthier produce, and along the way support local agriculture and the quality of the environment? It is completely possible, and the answer is simple: eating seasonal fruits, directly from the local farmers. Each fruit and vegetable has its own natural season, in which they reach the peak of their taste and quality.

Although a wide variety of fruits and vegetables can be found on the shelves of supermarkets throughout the year thanks to artificial growing conditions, this produce is not as healthy or tasty as that which is grown in its natural season. The convenient availability does make it easier for us, but it comes at the expense of quality, taste and nutritional values.

For example - the lychee

Take for example the lychee, which we have been seeing on the shelves of the supermarkets for weeks, although it is only these days that it begins to ripen naturally on the trees. The lychee that we have been finding for some time in the supermarket went through a chemical torture mask before it reached us - it was picked long before it had time to ripen, and dipped in sulfur and acid, which caused its skin to be dyed a bright red color.

The result: it looks very tempting from the outside, but is full of chemicals that have penetrated the flesh of the fruit, and its taste, obviously, does not compare to that of a lychee picked at the height of its season.

before the mango ripened

A similar thing happens with mangoes, which we can find in supermarkets for almost two months now, even though its season only starts in July. It was also picked long before it had time to ripen, and went through a process in the packing house
Bakhla (that is - ripening) is artificial, and by using ethylene gas, its ripening is accelerated.

These chemical processes are obviously not healthy for us, are very harmful to the environment, and also harm the small local farmers, who sell fresh and healthy agricultural produce directly from the harvest to the consumer, without
Chemical means or ripening methods. So if we pay dearly for the fruits anyway, we should make sure to eat them as healthy, fresh and high quality as possible. It's not complicated: it's called seasonal nutrition.

Anat Rashef Gilad, co-director of the 'Hantiyot' venture, which provides fresh agricultural produce and connects hundreds of farmers with consumers from all over the country, says:

A seasonal diet is healthier not only because of the growing conditions of the fruits and vegetables, but also because it ensures that our body receives the nutritional values ​​it needs at different times of the year.
Fruits and vegetables that grow in their natural season and ripen naturally retain their nutritional values, which include a variety of vitamins and minerals. Their consumption in their natural season helps our body deal with the challenges of the different seasons. In winter, for example, citrus fruits are full of vitamin C that protects us from winter diseases. The summer fruits contain nutritional values ​​that help the body cool itself and protect itself from the sun's radiation.

Beyond the health benefits, Rashef Gilad also emphasizes the environmental and economic benefits of a seasonal diet: "It is a diet that ensures that the food that reaches our plate has not undergone chemical processes, cold storage and artificial ripening, and reduces the soil and water contamination that accompanies the consumption of fruits that are not in season.

In addition, purchasing seasonal fruits and vegetables contributes to national resilience and local agriculture, and in particular to small farmers, whose entire livelihood is based on the natural produce they sell fresh - immediately after picking." So how can you ensure that the fruits you consume are fresh, at the peak of their season, and have not undergone harmful chemical processes?

We have compiled for you all the tips for seasonal nutrition:

1. Do your research: check in which seasons and months the fruits ripen naturally, and make sure to consume them at the peak of their season. If you find a mango in the supermarket in May - know that it has undergone a ripening process. On the other hand, the mangoes you see on the shelves in July and August will most likely be fresher mangoes, picked ripe.
2. Farmers' markets: Farmers' markets have long since become a global trend and an attraction in itself. Even in Israel such markets are popping up in quite a few places. Look for the farmer's market closest to you, and enjoy not only that
   From fresh fruits and vegetables, but from a complete recreation.
3. Order from the farmer to your home: Purchase through purchasing initiatives or neighborhood groups that offer deliveries directly from the farmers to your home. This way you can be sure that you received the freshest and highest quality agricultural produce, directly from the farmers' plantations, immediately after harvesting.
4. Have you heard of agricultural tourism? Many orchards throughout the country open their doors to visitors, offering educational tours, workshops, and of course - self-picking of seasonal fruits and vegetables. Pack a bag, take the kids, and enjoy an experiential and delicious day in the great outdoors.