produce

Just over a year ago, I changed my grocery shopping habits. Instead of looking for the best deals, I began looking for the best options for my health. I was already buying quite a few organic packaged products, but not as much organic produce. Now, I buy fewer packaged products overall and 100 percent organic produce whenever possible. Why? After taking a few food and environmental politics classes, I was enlightened about how unfortunately detrimental to one’s health pesticides truly can be.

Why settle for store-bought food when you can have fresh, seasonal produce growing on your windowsill? Here’s the best part: It’ll cost you practically nothing. After all, seeds are relatively cheap, and if you already have access to soil and pots, you're set. You can even grow some of these from scraps! Just follow these simple instructions and you'll be growing (and eating) autumn bounty in no time.

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably already planning out your menu for that upcoming traditional Thanksgiving feast. Since unforgivingly dry turkey will not be showing up on my dinner plate, I’m paying close attention to which seasonal fruits and veggies can steal the spotlight on the last Thursday of November. Put those boring old sides on the back burner; turn the tastiest produce November has to offer into unforgettable, out of this world dishes that will surely wow your entire family.

I love fruit. Any kind. However, the amount of fruit I’d like to eat does not match up with the amount of fruit that is healthy for anyone to consume on a daily basis. The same goes for drinking fruit juices, I’ve learned; drinking juices that are primarily fruit-based does not always bode well for the digestive system. My partner and I have gotten into a lovely routine of making our own juices, and it’s become an important part of most mornings for us.

Have you ever thought about getting your garden or farm officially certified as organic by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)? Obtaining a USDA organic certification means that your garden or farm products officially meet USDA organic regulations.  This certification allows you to label, sell, and represent the products you grow or produce as being “organic.” If you are at all interested in learning more about this process or doing this, here are 5 important facts you will need to know ahead of time.

You probably don’t need another recap on the benefits of buying organic. Whether it’s for increased nutrient value or more sustainable farming practices, choosing organic over conventional can reap a lot of benefits for your body and the planet.

Due to the recent Zika spraying, massive use of neonicotinoid pesticides,  and other environmental factors, bees are now on the endangered species list, effective October 31, 2016. If bees go extinct, honey won't be the only thing we'll be missing: A third of the food humans eat would disappear with the bees. To put things in perspective, that means no more blueberries, apples, pumpkins, or almonds – all those plants (among others) need bees. Worried yet?

With fall finally here, it's beneficial to know which vegetables are in their prime. After all, in-season produce is always the freshest and most nutritious. Personally, I always try to eat in-season produce, but  supermarkets don't seem to know the meaning of this (tomatoes in winter, anyone?).To really connect with the season of fall, here are five vegetables you should put on your plate this autumn. 

October is, without a doubt, the best month out of all 12 of them. The weather is pure perfection because I greatly appreciate a slight chill. Even just looking outside of my window right now is picturesque. I mean seriously—is it a life-size painting or my front yard? I could be biased because I’m such a Halloween fanatic, but it truly is the best 31 days of the year. If the cozy-up weather, fall foliage, and ghosts, ghouls, and goblins haven’t convinced you that nothing beats October, let the produce do the talkin’.

Walking into the markets here in Barcelona, Spain, I am welcomed to find an array of seasonal fruit, from three kinds of watermelon to cantaloupe and late-harvest cherries. Strawberries were on the shelves in late June, but as August rolls into September the last of the summer stone fruits make their appearance, getting ready for autumn’s harvest.