North Carolina
Peaches
Summer is the time for gardens, farmers markets, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Take advantage of any pick-you-own farms as well! There is just something so fresh and scrumptious about fresh summer fruits and vegetables! It is a great time to stock up and try new recipes and varieties. With so many places to get fruits and veggies in the summer it’s an easy season to make sure you are getting enough. Try to include variety and a rainbow of colors in your diet daily.
Our Garden
Fresh Picked
Green Beans & Peas
Our daughter enjoys our garden at home. She has fun getting dirty and watching the vegetables grow. She loves to eat fresh picked green beans and peas! Getting children interested in fruits and vegetables early is key, make it fun and interesting! Plant a garden at home if you can. Try a container herb garden if yard space is an issue.
Wild Raspberries
Besides our garden, we are lucky to have fresh wild raspberries in our yard. The season is quick and furious. We eat some fresh and then freeze the rest to enjoy throughout the fall. Berries are supposed to be washed right before eating, but if freezing them you can rinse them and spread them on a cookie sheet in the freezer until frozen. Then, take them off the cookie sheet and put in a freezer storage container. This way they will separate easily.
Raleigh, NC
Farmers Market
Farmers markets are a great source of fruits and vegetables! I love to check out farmers markets in other towns when I am traveling. Earlier this summer my daughter and I went to North Carolina to visit my sister and her family. During our short stay we were able to visit two great farmers markets. The first one we went to was the Raleigh Farmers Market. This one was very large and had many great fresh samples including these scrumptious tomatoes! My daughter loves blackberries and ate them right after I purchased them as we went through the rest of the market. This farmers market had more than just fruits and vegetables and I bought some handmade soap; one of my favorite non-guilty pleasures. The other farmers market we went to was the Western Wake Farmers’ Market in Morrisville, NC. It was small, but full of great produce and their website offers recipes. My sister purchased some fresh carrots from Root Down Farm, which were very tasty!
Cary, NC
Farmers Market
A few treasures near my house in Media, PA for local and fresh fruits and vegetables include our towns Farmers Market (Media Farmers Market), Linvilla Orchards, and Wolf’s Apple House. In Media and Aston there are two CSA’s including Hillside Farm and Red Hill Farm.
If you are watching your caloric intake do not skimp on nutrient rich fruits and vegetables. Read this great article “Making the Case for Eating Fruit” which quotes Dr. David Ludwig throughout the article who is the director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Ludwig states that the sugar consumed in fruit is not linked to any adverse health effects, no matter how much you eat. Whole fruit is the best choice.
Enjoy the rest of the scrumptious summer produce and make sure to include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet all year long. If you are thinking about joining a CSA next season, check early in the year as they are becoming more popular and may get filled up. For more recipe and farmers market resources check out our resources page!
Be Well,
Lori