Seasonal Autumn Vegetables
Is it just me or has weather been fairly reasonable this summer? Judging by all of my outdoor food photography on Instagram I think we can conclude that summer 2017 was a good one. That said, I really love the changing seasons from summer to autumn. The colours of the leaves, the cool nip in the evening air and, not surprisingly, the new seasonal vegetables that are on offer. As much as the summer salads have been delicious, warm soups, stews and curries with lots of root vegetables are equally as appetising. Watch out for the seasonal changes coming soon to the DropChef menu.
Carrots help you see in the dark – an old wives’ tale some might say but there actually is some truth in it. Carrots contain a plentiful amount of Vitamin A, often as beta-carotene and retinol, and night-blindness is the deficiency disease of Vitamin A. Hence, carrots help you see in the dark… theoretically.
Carrots are the most popular of all the root vegetables and they are in season from July right through to March. Why not try bulking up your noodles with some carrot noodles? Or add to a wholesome veggie lasagne for some added colour and nutrients?
Fun Fact
Carrots come in lots of colours – orange, yellow, red, white, even purple and black.
Potatoes, aka spuds, are a member of the nightshade family along with aubergines and tomatoes. Potatoes originated in South America and have been grown in Europe since the 16th century.
“Floury” potatoes such as Maris Piper are ideal for mashing and baking while the “waxy” varieties such as Charlotte are suited to potato salads. Have you tried the grilled chicken and potato salad from Drop Chef? Coupled with The Happy Pear green pesto, this is a meal made in heaven!
Turnips are a vegetable I only became familiar with around this time ed-medicals.com . Up until then I thought they were too much hassle to chop and to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure how to cook them. Well let me tell you, they’re super easy to prepare and delicious drizzled with some olive oil, sprinkled with garlic salt and rosemary and baked in the oven. So simple. So quick. So tasty.
Remember, including vegetables in your diet is important for good health. New healthy eating guidelines for Ireland suggest that we should be eating 5-7 portions of fruit/vegetables every day. While vegetables are seasonal, advances in growing, processing, shipment and preserving techniques means that it is possible to get your hands on most vegetables all year round.
Eat the Rainbow: Lots of variety = Lots of colour = Lots of nutrients
To keep up to date with what is in season, check out Bord Bia’s nifty calendar of seasonal availability for fruit, vegetables and herbs.
- Amy Meegan, BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition, UCD
- Facebook: The Baking Nutritionist
- Instagram: thebakingnutritionist
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