What’s In Season This April?
Cooking with the seasons means choosing fruits and vegetables that are at the peak of freshness and flavor and buying locally grown produce is the best. Local produce is less likely to be damaged, uses less energy to transport, and ripens more naturally and because of that has a significantly more intense flavor. For the purposes of freshness, April is a fabulous month with many fresh options.
Here’s what to look forward to this month:
Peas: Treat yourself to a handful of fresh snap peas, toss them in your salad or just snack on them, like I did this morning at the market!
The high concentration of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients in peas provides important health benefits that range from keeping your eyes healthy to protecting you against certain cancers. Peas are also high in fiber, which helps move food through your gut for easier digestion. Anti-inflammatory nutrients in peas have been associated with lowering the risk of inflammatory conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.
Carrots: Crunchy, tasty, and highly nutritious, Carrots are a particularly good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. Diets rich in carotenoids may help protect against several types of Cancer.
Nab a bunch of young carrots of spring, they’re so flavorful!
Rhubarb: One of my favorite dishes is Rhubarb stew and funny enough I don’t really know how to make it… Maybe I’ll make this recipe my challenge for this month!
You can cook Rhubarb into cobblers, pies, make jam or stew, like I’m planning to do and enjoy its refreshing, slightly zesty flavor.
Rhubarb is renowned for its sour taste and thick stalks, ranging in color from red to pink to pale green and have a consistency that’s similar to celery. An unusual vegetable because it’s very sour and slightly sweet, it’s rarely eaten raw. Instead, it’s normally cooked either sweetened with sugar or used as an ingredient.
It wasn’t until the 18th century, when sugar became cheap and readily available, that rhubarb became a popular food. Before that, it was mainly used medicinally (its dried roots have been utilized in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years). Rhubarb is a very good source of vitamin K1 and like other fruits and vegetables, it’s also high in fiber, providing similar amounts as oranges, apples, or celery.
Asparagus: April is peak asparagus season!
Steamed Asparagus is one of my favorite things. I've been eating them pretty much everyday. But you can also eat them raw or roast them.
A member of the Lily family, This popular vegetable comes in a variety of colors, including green, white and purple and it’s low in calories and packed with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
In fact, just half a cup (90 grams) of cooked asparagus contains 2.2 grams of protein with only 0.2 gr of fat. An excellent source of vitamin K, an essential nutrient involved in blood clotting and bone health, Asparagus is also high in folate, a nutrient that is vital for a healthy pregnancy and many important processes in the body, including cell growth and DNA formation.
In addition to being nutritious, asparagus is also delicious and easy to incorporate into your diet.
It can be cooked in a variety of ways, including boiling, grilling, steaming, roasting and sautéing and can be used in a number of dishes like salads, stir-fries, pastas and makes an excellent side dish.
When shopping for fresh asparagus, look for firm stems and tight, closed tips.
Artichokes: You can find artichokes in the market in the spring or fall. Look for artichokes that feel heavy when you pick them up, and whose petals (leaves) haven't opened wide.
Although often considered a vegetable, artichokes are a type of thistle. With its origin in the Mediterranean, this plant has been used for centuries for its potential medicinal properties.
Artichokes are low in fat while rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (vitamin C, K B6, Folate Magnesium,potassium and zinc to name a few).
They’re known for their positive effect in lowering cholesterol levels, regulating blood sugar and improving the health of your liver.
Preparing and cooking artichokes is not as intimidating as it seems.They can be steamed, boiled, grilled, roasted, or sautéed. You can also prepare them stuffed or breaded, adding spices for an extra burst of flavor. Steaming is the most popular cooking method and usually takes 20–40 minutes, depending on the size. Keep in mind that both the leaves and the heart can be eaten.
Radishes: If you love radishes, spring is the time to buy them. Serve them thinly sliced over your salad or with tacos. Or enjoy radishes like the French—slice them and serve them on baguette slices with butter (Vegan butter, even better!).
Radishes may not be the most popular vegetable in your garden, but they are one of the healthiest. Eating cruciferous vegetables like radishes may help prevent cancer. A 1/2-cup serving of radishes gives you 1 gram of fiber. Eating a couple servings each day helps you reach your daily fiber intake goal. Fiber helps prevent constipation by bulking up your stool to help waste move through your intestines. Fiber also may help you manage blood sugar levels, and has been linked to weight loss and lower cholesterol.
Fennel: Aside from its many culinary uses, Fennel and its seeds offer many health benefits and may provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects. Both the bulb and seeds contain the mineral manganese, which is important for enzyme activation, metabolism, cellular protection, bone development, blood sugar regulation, and wound healing .Aside from manganese, fennel and its seeds contain other minerals vital to bone health, including potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
To reap the benefits of fennel and its seeds, try incorporating raw fennel bulb into your salads or using the seeds to flavor soups, broths, baked goods, and fish dishes.
Slice raw fennel, add fresh ginger and make the best tummy tamer tea you’ve ever had!
Kumquats: A kumquat isn’t much bigger than a grape, yet this bite-sized fruit fills your mouth with a big burst of sweet-tart citrus flavor. Just grab them and eat them, they’re so fresh and delicious!
Kumquats are rich in plant compounds, including flavonoids, phytosterols and essential oils.There are higher amounts of flavonoids in the kumquat’s edible peel than in the pulp. Some of the fruit’s flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. These may help protect against heart disease and cancer. In folk medicine in some Asian countries, the kumquat has been used to treat colds, coughs and other inflammation of the respiratory tract.
Papaya: Loaded with antioxidants that can reduce inflammation, fight disease, and help keep you looking young, you just need to cut it open, scoop the seeds out if you want and enjoy!
Don’t throw the seeds away, do your best to have at least a spoonful of the seeds each time you have a Papaya, as all the enzymes are there.
Studies show that antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables like papaya help reduce inflammatory markers.
The papain enzyme in papaya can make protein easier to digest. People in the tropics consider papaya to be a remedy for constipation and other symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
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