This guide will help you explore the healthiest and most delicious spring produce you can eat this season!

Happy spring to you and your family. We’re finally coming out of the cold and flu season, hallelujah! The days are getting warmer, and I’m so ready for fresh spring produce. In its season, spring produce is fresh, extra flavorful and nutrient-dense. 

The colors of all the produce at the farmers market are enough to brighten my day — and that’s before I get to eat them. 

I’m excited about eating spring produce for so many reasons, so let’s dig in!

What Is Seasonal Eating

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s essential to understand what seasonal eating is.

Seasonal eating is a simple concept that means eating fruits and veggies produced during your current season. Right now, that would be spring!

As much as I love dried fruit and canned goods, the truth is that they immediately start losing nutrients once they come off the plant. While dried and canned goods are great for eating specific foods in the off-season, it doesn’t compare to the flavor and nutrients in produce grown and picked in your current season.

It’s important to remember that produce in season for you may be different for someone else in another part of the world. It’s all about climate and the environment. If you’re not in the US, research your specific area and see what’s in season around you!

The Importance of Eating Seasonally

Eating seasonally has many benefits, and we’ve already hit on a few of those. Here are the five top reasons you should eat spring produce in the spring.

1. Supports Your Nutritional  Needs

The longer a fruit or vegetable goes from being picked to into your stomach, the more depleted it is. When you consume produce grown and harvested in the same season you’re currently in, it’ll contain more nutrients and vitamins.

2. Tastes Better

Have you ever noticed the apple you eat in the middle of winter has absolutely no flavor? It’s because produce that’s not in season is usually picked early and goes through temperature changes (heating and cooling), eventually reducing the flavor. Also, less time between farm to table makes a significant impact.

3. Saves You Money

When there’s an abundance at harvest because the product is in season, the cost decreases by a lot. If you can buy from a local farmer, the price could be lower because traveling expenses, shipping and packaging aren’t required. When produce is out of season, it usually has to be sourced from somewhere further away, which leads to a higher price.

4. Environmentally Friendly

When you eat seasonally and source locally, you support local farming. When there’s less demand for out-of-season foods, stores reduce their carbon footprint because of supply and demand (transportation, gas emissions, refrigeration, etc.).

5. Promotes a Healthy Gut

When your food is nutrient-dense, it promotes good bacteria growth in your gut and helps to reduce the overgrowth of harmful bacteria. The result? A balanced gut microbiome will help you stay healthy and thriving.

Choose Organic

When you choose organic produce, you consume fruits and veggies made or grown without chemicals or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). 

Organic foods aren’t allowed to be grown or sprayed with synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. All of these have been linked to severe health conditions and even cancer. 

Here are a few benefits of choosing organic:

• Guaranteed NON-GMO
• No pesticides, herbicides and fungicides 
• No sewage slop 
• No hormone disruptors
• Higher levels of antioxidants
• Lower levels of heavy metals

QUICK NOTE: If your local farm isn’t certified organic, they may still be organic but simply don’t have the money to get the certification. So ask questions. Ask if they spray their produce and if they do, with what. Do a little research on your own. You may be able to find a great option without organic certifications.

To learn more about organic vs. non-organic foods, check out this blog here. 

Spring Fruits You Should Eat

Who doesn’t yearn for the juicy sweetness of strawberries or the tartness of a freshly squeezed lemon in your ice-cold water? These are just a few of spring's luscious produce that debut as the weather warms up. 

Here’s the full list of fruits you should eat this spring: 

Lemons: Interchangeable and versatile, you’ll find my fridge stocked with lemons all year round, especially in the spring. Squeeze in your tea, water or seltzer for a refreshing immune boost or use in dressings, marinades, and even desserts.

Strawberries: Sensational on their own — every fruit lover’s dream. You can also think about slicing and adding them to salads, topping them on yogurts, or even getting your strawberry pie on.

Grapefruit: Even though grapefruit is usually found in winter, you can also get these through spring. Juicy grapefruits offer a burst of color and make a great addition to salads and spring dishes.

Mango: A real addiction in our house, mango is great to slice and eat on its own or use in smoothies, fruit salads, and our favorite: mango ice cream!

Pineapple: Did you know these are great for a natural energy booster because of the high natural sugar content? Add slices to your pizza or toss a few on the grill to go alongside a good burger. Yum!

Fruits are an excellent source of nutrients, antioxidants and fiber. Eating these powerhouse fruits on this list can boost your overall health and reduce the risk of disease. 

Spring Veggies You Should Eat

Even though you can find most of these fruits and veggies all year round in big grocery stores, they’re freshest during the spring, and local is even better!

Here’s the full list of veggies you should eat this spring:

Rhubarb: Give rhubarb a chance. Don’t turn your nose up at it if you’ve never tried it. While it does start a little bitter when raw, it gets sweeter as you cook it. Try rhubarb strawberry pie — it’ll change your life.

Arugula: A peppery salad green that’s a staple in our home. Kids love it, I love it, and it’s so fresh and delicious with just a squeeze of lemon over the top. 

Radishes: Perhaps the darkhorse of spring produce, the bounty of radishes in the spring provides an affordable way to eat seasonally! They’re crisp and slightly spicy. Try slicing them thinly and adding them to salads, sandwiches or even a quinoa salad.

Carrots: A versatile root vegetable that's crunchy, sweet and delicious. Carrots never disappoint, from cooking in stews and sides to eating raw with dips. You can find these in abundance throughout spring in all colors.

Beets: This vibrant veggie is often overlooked, but it’s an excellent addition to many dishes, especially when roasted. Plump, firm, and one of the sweetest veggies around.

Artichokes: One of the oldest foods known to humans and is actually an unbloomed flower (for real). The mighty artichoke is a fleshy delicacy that’s amazing when cooked until soft. It pairs in dips and alongside Mediterranean dishes.  

Peas: The arrival of peas every spring reminds us that they’re much better than their frozen cousins. The subtle sweetness of peas is perfect for casseroles and pasta dishes. They’re firm yet soft, distinct yet subtle. 

Support Your Body Year-Round

If you want to support your body with even more antioxidants and nutrients, consider my USDA Organic Elderberry Syrup made with real ingredients, like all these foods listed in this guide.

Just because the winter season is over doesn’t mean you should stop taking elderberry syrup. In fact, we take it all year round. It makes us that much stronger! 

Keep up with this daily habit and experience radical health — grab yours here. It’s affordable, organic, and designed to continually nourish and sustain you.

What did you think about this Spring Produce Guide? Leave us a comment — we love hearing from you! 

🌿 Here's few more blogs on HEALTHY EATING you might want to check out:

• 6 Do’s & Dont’s of Building Your Immune System
• The Importance of Reading Food Labels
• The Dirty Dozen & Clean 15 Lists
• Powerful Vitamins & Superfoods to Boost Your Immune System