Ask The Expert

Brought to you by Winder Farms VP of Marketing Melanie Robinson

Question:

“I’m trying to be more mindful of the food I buy for my family. With the changing of the seasons, what produce is best to buy this time of year, what should be organic and where can I find these products?” –OC Resident

Melanie from Winder Farms Answer:

I love the rejuvenation of spring and what it means for produce. In April and May, you start to see a wider variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables becoming available. Staying seasonal is also beneficial for the environment, as the produce is more likely to be sourced locally.

Spring is when raspberries and cherries come bursting onto the market, both of which make a sweet, healthy option for dessert or a delicious addition to yogurt in the mornings. Cucumbers are another spring favorite. Kids love the crunch of cucumbers; try serving thin slices with hummus as an afterschool snack or combine with other favorite vegetables for a fresh cucumber salad.

On the savory side, spring herbs such as basil are a healthy way to add flavor to dishes for your family. A few varieties of tomatoes, such as Early Girl, will start to ripen in spring. Basil and tomato combine well together to add fresh flavor to pastas, sandwiches, or sauces. Late spring brings apricots, figs and plums, which I love using to make slightly sweet complementary sauces for meat dishes.

The challenge for some families is squeezing in healthy choices and incorporating variety on a busy schedule. One popular trend we are seeing among busy families is choosing to juice or blend their produce to add a quick boost of fruits and vegetables to their diet. Spring produce offers several nice options for this approach: celery, cucumbers, nectarines, pears, peaches, Valencia oranges. Try throwing in some leafy greens such as spinach or kale to get extra health benefits. Adding berries will make the concoction a bit prettier in color and sweeter, plus you’ll get a boost of antioxidants. (Berries may be small, but they pack a big healthy punch!)

Luckily, living in Orange County, the spring produce selection is more varied than most regions. In addition to the products that are available only in spring, there are many items available year round. Variety is the key to keeping your family from getting bored with produce. Try mixing in a few new items each month; you may discover new family favorites. (My family found a new favorite in Swiss chard this winter.)

Whether to buy organic or conventional is a question that you can find many diverse opinions on. Whatever your choice may be, adding fruit and vegetables to your family’s diet has been shown to have important health benefits, so don’t let the debate hold you back from eating more produce. At Winder Farms, we offer both organic and conventional fresh produce boxes, to let our customers choose the best fit for their family. Some shoppers choosing organic do so for the environmentally friendly growing techniques, others choose organic for health reasons.

If you are shopping on a budget and trying to choose which produce to buy organic and which to buy conventional, you are not the first to navigate that question. Organic fruits and vegetables typically have a higher price tag due to higher costs in production. The Environmental Working Group distributes a list each year of prioritized fruits and vegetables to help shoppers distribute their grocery dollars across organic and conventional. The list identifies 12 “dirty dozen” items that are recommended to buy organic, and 15 “clean fifteen” items that are good conventional purchases. The most recent list recommends the following:

Higher priority to buy organic – apples, strawberries, grapes, celery, peaches, spinach, sweet bell peppers, nectarines (imported), cucumbers, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, hot peppers.

Lowest priority to buy organic – sweet corn, onions, pineapple, avocado, cabbage, sweet peas, papaya, mangos, asparagus, eggplant, kiwi, grapefruit, cantaloupe, sweet potato, mushrooms.

Adding more produce to your diet, whether conventional or organic, is a good thing and is recommended by most in the industry. Buying organic is an extra precaution that individuals and families can decide whether is worth the extra cost. In our house, we buy a mixture of organic and conventional, with the strongest focus being on taking advantage of the fresh flavor that comes from seasonally available produce.

Submitted By:

Danielle Solich

Winder Farms