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Choose local fruit and vegetables in season
By Marilyn Wiley
Gardening season has finally begun in the Berkshires and soon abundant fresh fruits and vegetables will be available from your local supermarkets, farmers’ markets and your garden or your friends’ gardens.
The flavorful fresh tomatoes should be eaten as much as possible not only because they are high in Vitamin C, but also because this is the time of year that they taste best from local sources. Make a fresh tomato sauce for your pasta with chopped ripe tomatoes, basil, crushed garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper. Add this sauce to your favorite cooked pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Among other nutritious vegetables available are fresh green, red and yellow peppers. All are high in Vitamin C with the red and yellow peppers also high in carotene, the antioxidant that our bodies convert to Vitamin A. Peppers can be added to any salad to add flavor and color and can be readily stuffed with a rice and ground turkey mixture and baked with a fresh tomato sauce.
Although cucumbers are not as nutritious as tomatoes or peppers they add crispness to salads and can be eaten as a side dish if sliced with the addition of a dash of salt, vinegar and sugar and let stand for a half hour. If the cucumber is waxed, peel before using. Non-fat plain yogurt is also a tasty addition to sliced cucumbers.
The cruciferous vegetables include broccoli and cabbage, both widely available now. Both are high in Vitamin C and broccoli is also a good source of Vitamin A. Cole slaw is a great recipe for cabbage and can be made with oil and vinegar dressing or a low calorie mayonnaise dressing; adding shredded carrots makes it more nutritious. Broccoli can be eaten either cooked or raw. A recipe for broccoli salad includes sunflower seeds or walnuts, dried cranberries or raisins, chopped red onions and bacon. Substitute bacon flavored chips for bacon to reduce fat, salt and calories. Blanch (cook briefly in water) the broccoli to maintain a green color. Add about half of the salad dressing or oil suggested in the recipe to reduce calories. The sunflower seeds add Vitamin E to the salad and walnuts or other nuts are high in omega 3 fatty acids that help protect the heart.
Blueberries are a healthy fruit that can be purchased as late as October. Tufts University researchers ranked blueberries highest of all fruits in their level of anti-oxidants that help protect our bodies by destroying free radicals. They are low in calories and can be eaten raw as a snack or on cereal. Blueberries freeze readily and can be kept frozen for use in baked products, waffles and pancakes through out the year. Do not thaw blueberries before adding to baked products. Blueberries add color and nutrition to your favorite fresh fruit cup. Peaches and blueberries make a great dessert with the addition of vanilla or lemon yogurt.
This is the time of year to include these vegetables and fruit in your menus, because they are the most flavorful when available locally. Look for new ways to use them in your diet.
Marilyn Wiley is a Registered Licensed Dietician and Consulting Nutritionist for Elder Services of Berkshire County.