Last week, I presented a workshop on resilience and self-care. During the discussion on nutrition, someone asked how I read a label on food. My first response was the one that a physician friend uses, “Eat food that doesn’t need a label.” Author Michael Pollan puts it another way, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.” (see https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090323/7-rules-for-eating#1)
Fruits and vegetables do not require labels. While rapid and refrigerated transportation as well as climate controlled growing allow our local grocery stores to carry many seasonal fruits and vegetables year round, the best taste still comes from eating fresh, local, and in season. As we come into fall, we begin the season for pumpkins and squash, root vegetables like beets and radishes, fall garden staples like tomatoes and peas, citrus fruits like grapefruit and oranges, and fall greens.
For more information check out this interactive seasonality wheel from the Texas Department of Agriculture or the Texas Farmers' Market site for a list of seasonal produce by month. http://www.squaremeals.org/FandNResources/TexasFarmFresh/SeasonalityWheel.aspx https://texasfarmersmarket.org/in-season/