Seasonal fruit and vegetables are not only better for your wallet and the environment, but also for your health. However, you should rather keep your hands off some foods during the cold season.
Asparagus in spring, tomatoes in summer, pumpkins in autumn and carrots in winter: each season has its own typical fruit and vegetable variety. Shopping seasonally is better for the environment, your wallet and your own health. Because the food is then ripe and particularly aromatic and has not been transported far by ship or plane. In addition, fruit from the region also has a higher nutrient content.
But in the meantime, strawberries and co. can also be found in the supermarket at almost any time of the year. This is neither good for our health nor for the environment. Especially in the cold season, there are some foods that you should rather avoid.
berries of all kinds
Strawberries, raspberries or blueberries in winter? Not a particularly good idea. They mostly come from abroad, for example from plantations in Spain. This not only means a long transport route, but often also massive use of pesticides, high water consumption or exploitative working conditions on site. Don’t be fooled by berries from Germany either: in autumn and winter it takes a considerable amount of energy to let the fruit ripen. It is better to rely on preserves or frozen berries.
Imported apples
The apple is one of the few types of fruit that are also available in winter from regional cultivation in Germany. That’s why you should avoid imported apples, for example from New Zealand or Chile. Jonagold, Elstar, Cox Orange or Berlepsch are examples of good regional apple varieties that do not require refrigeration, which requires a great deal of energy.
Greenhouse salads
Classic green salads such as lettuce or iceberg lettuce are only in season from May to November. Although the supermarket shelves are full of green lettuce even in the winter months, these come from the greenhouse and contain almost no vitamins. Salads such as batavia, endive or lollo rosso have usually come a long way and have little taste. But you don’t have to do without lettuce, as many varieties are in season in Germany during the cold months, such as lamb’s lettuce, chicory or radicchio.
tomatoes
Tomatoes are a popular ingredient in many dishes. While they grow in abundance in Germany in summer and late summer, almost all tomatoes come from the Netherlands, Spain or France in the cold season. There they are grown in greenhouses with high energy consumption. For pasta, pizza and other recipes in winter, it is therefore better to rely on tomatoes in a jar with Germany as the country of origin. These are harvested in their season when ripe and therefore taste better than imported goods.
cucumbers
Cucumbers are one of the most popular types of vegetables, but like tomatoes they are only in season from June to the end of October. In winter, only greenhouse imports are on offer. This not only means problematic production conditions and long transport routes, but also fewer nutrients and less taste. Better in winter: rely on pickled gherkins.
Zucchini
Botanically, the zucchini belongs to the pumpkin family. Unlike classic pumpkin varieties such as Hokkaido or Butternut, their season only runs from June to the end of October. The courgettes that you find in the supermarket in winter mostly come from Italy, Spain, Turkey or the Netherlands. In terms of taste, they cannot be compared to vegetables grown locally in summer, and they cannot keep up in price either.
Imported Nuts
Most of the nuts come from far away: cashews from Vietnam, almonds from California or peanuts from Israel. On-site cultivation of the nuts usually consumes a lot of water, plus the long transport routes. There are also some types of nuts that grow in this country that can be stored without using a lot of energy. During the winter months, walnuts and hazelnuts are high on the list.