We’re turning the corner from June to July soon, which means it’s peak of the season for some of summer’s greatest fruits and vegetables. The corn is at its sweetest and juiciest and greens of all sorts radiate vivid lushness.
Whether you’re a devoted foodie and home cook or a budding, bumbling amateur in the kitchen, there are at least five compelling reasons to shop, cook, and eat fresh:
5) Cooking fresh is actually easier. Many people believe–incorrectly– that cooking with fresh foods is somehow harder than cooking with canned or packaged ingredients. The reason may be that most fresh foods don’t come with instructions. Cooking with fresh foods is actually easier and faster, though, than cooking with packaged foods. Besides, there are lots of recipes online.
First of all, think about how much time you spend just opening and eventually discarding the packages in which processed foods are sold. Huge time waster! Fresh food takes very little effort to get from market to table. With fresh ears of corn, for example, you can just pop the ears–leaves and all–into the oven (350^F) and 20 minutes later you’re enjoying the tastiest roasted corn you’ve ever had. If you’re having company and want to impress them, pull the leaves back (but not off) and tie them together with one extra leaf.
Vegetables are just as easy. Wash, cut, and toss some broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, and eggplant with olive oil and spices; place in an oven pan and roast. This is much easier than thawing out vegetables or opening up cans!
4) Shopping fresh produces much less inorganic waste. Sure, you can recycle plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and cardboard boxes in many cities, but what about all that plastic wrap? 60% of the 30 million tons of garbage produced in each developed country every year is packaging waste. (Seen those plastic-wrapped apples and oranges at airports?!). When you buy fresh, you’re almost always buying zero packaging. The waste that is produced is organic (leaves, cores, seeds, etc.), and can be composted… even in the city!
Counter-top composters are great for disposing of fruit and vegetable waste, producing soil that can be used for planting (donate the soil to a local school if you can’t use it). They’re also cheap. Models start at $8.00 USD . They’re not messy and because they have carbon filters, don’t produce bad odors.
3) Shopping fresh means you actually develop relationships with people. Whether you shop at a local farmer’s market or participate in a community-supported agriculture (CSA) fresh vegetable and fruit delivery program, shopping fresh will almost always result in striking up friendships with other folks… from the farmer who planted and harvested the food you’re about to eat to the community organizer behind the scenes who makes markets and CSAs possible. These people will get to know you and will be happy to teach you more about fresh food. They also tend to have the unfailing ability to keep your preferences in mind. If you can say that about your local big-box grocery store, let us know.
2) Eating fresh makes you more conscious of the seasons. Try this experiment: between now and late August, buy fresh corn once a week. Each time you eat it, note the difference in taste. As the season peaks and then progresses towards its end, your awareness of flavor profiles will expand dramatically.
1) Shopping fresh stimulates the local economy. When you shop at a farmer’s market or participate in a CSA, you’re supporting your own community’s economy. You also become much more aware about the practices that local farmers use with respect to their employees… which is more than you can say for those grapes from Chile.
Do you cook fresh? What are your reasons? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Corn photo: smcgee (creative commons)
Onion photo: gregkendallball (creative commons)
Compost photo: dkhlucy (creative commons)
Local economy photo: Fabbio (creative commons)
Great article!. I remember sitting next to a nutritionist on a plane once and he told me…”if you have to open up a can, jar, or packet, you probably shouldn’t be eating it anyways”.
Definitely food for thought!
Thanks, Lola! Once I began eating fresh food (including dried beans instead of canned beans) almost exclusively, I noticed a huge change in my ability to enjoy food and distinguish lots of different flavor profiles. Regardless of one’s motives for health or the environment, eating fresh food is just tastier, hands down!
That pastry picture just made me hungry. I’m trying to shift all attention to veggies and healthy food. I just found out I’m hypertensive. *sigh*
Jenny-
I think I made myself a coffee and a tortilla with cinnamon and sugar after I wrote this one! Sorry to hear about your hypertension, but you’re right- adjusting your food habits will help enormously.
It made me hungry too!
You’ll notice a change in your body as well if you start eating fresh. I’ve been eating good, fresh foods in Paris and I feel lighter and healthier. Plus, even when you eat packaged foods (I don’t know about you, but sometimes I just need to eat some salty chips), there are often less yucky thing in them over here (no high fructose corn syrup, for example). Without any effort, without going to the gym 4 times a week like I did in DC, I’ve kept a slim, healthy figure and feel great!
Great article, I’m vegan and have been cooking at home out of necessity for over ten years. Love the way fresh foods make me feel! Can’t wait to find the markets in Mexico City!
Tanya- I DO get that salty chips craving… as I was walking through the market in Mexico City yesterday, I grabbed a bag of homemade chips that vendors sell, lime and chili sprinkled on top– yum!
Karin- Francisco was once contracted to cook a 5 course vegan Christmas dinner, which was a pretty incredible experience! If you’d like some advice about markets in Mexico City, let me know. I’d be happy to send you a copy of an article that was just published here that has really great market tips (there are hundreds of markets but each one has a particular specialty) and my own recommendations!
Wow, As a foodie and a cook you are right, Fresh,Fresh,Fresh,the only way to go!!
You then are able to taste the real flavors of our fortunate selection of foods we have here.I grow a lot of my own,have a large greenhouse. Thanks,Chuck
You’re 100% right! And a greenhouse is the best!