Enjoy Seasonal Produce for the Freshest Flavor

As a registered dietitian I am always encouraging my clients to increase their intake of vegetables and fruits. The stats on fruit and vegetable consumption are overall quite poor, so this is always a great way to start off right. Including more fruits and vegetables can help take the place of other high sugar, high fat, high calorie foods that you simply don’t need taking up your plate. Buying a variety of produce while it is actually in season in your local area can help ensure you are getting the freshest and best tasting products to adorn your plate! There is nothing like the burst of flavor you get from a ripe home grown tomato, yellow pepper, sweet corn, peach, or cantaloupe.

Peaches have recently been in abundance here in northern West Virginia, and as usual, they are sweet, juicy, drip down your chin delicious! I spent much of last Sunday making fresh dishes out of peaches that came from local orchards. I was able to put together some wonderful treats from sweet to savory, and still freeze some of my peaches for future use.

Just for fun, here are some “peachy” facts from our friends at WebMD :

• The peach is actually a member of the rose family and originated in China.
• China is the largest producer of peaches, followed by Italy.
• You can buy 2 main varieties of peaches: clingstone (the flesh sticks to the stone) and freestone (the stone is easily separated from the flesh).
• A large peach has fewer than 70 calories, has 3 grams of fiber, and is a good source of vitamins A and C.
• The “world’s largest peach cobbler” is made every year in Georgia. It measures 11’ x 5’!
• Peaches are best from June to August.
• The flesh of a peach should have slight give, but use your whole hand rather than fingers to check as they bruise easily.

For more interesting facts, check out WebMD at :

 http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/peach-10-healthy-facts

*Peaches are known to be on the Dirty Dozen list from the Environmental Working Group, so if you have the opportunity to buy organic or from small local growers, do so. Always wash your produce thoroughly.

Here are some great recipes to try with fresh peaches:

Heirloom tomatoes with Fresh Peaches

Spiced Peach Muffins

Fresh Peach Salsa: http://www.lemontreedwelling.com/2014/07/fresh-peach-salsa.html

 

 

Enjoy your fresh peaches today!