Summer is just around the corner and what better time of year for a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, which are at their best quality and freshness. Watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, cherries, blueberries, peaches, apricots are some of the seasonal fruits of the summer.
Farmer's markets are a great source for value-priced organics during the summer months. If there are no markets in your area, look for locally grown organics in your grocery store. Since local produce doesn't have to travel far, the prices are often lower. You may even want to take a look at Farm Co-ops and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) groups, which allow you to buy a share in a local farm in exchange for a portion of the food that the farm produces – a real bargain. Locate an organic co-op or CSA in your area through Local Harvest.org, and enjoy more organic fare for your money.
Since warm weather is in the air in many parts of the country, let’s take a look at a very popular summer fruit – watermelon. Despite there very sweet taste, watermelon is very low in calories and very high in lycopene, which is a very heart-healthy phytochemical. Watermelons also have a lot of vitamin A and beta carotene too.
Watermelon has only 46 calories per cup – compared with some other summer fruits, this is a savings of an extra 10-15 calories compared with cantaloupe, peaches and apricots. Most people know very little about watermelon seeds, which are a good source of protein (8 grams of protein for ¼ cup). A watermelon seed is about 35% protein, 50% oil, and 5% dietary fiber. Watermelon seeds are also rich in micro- and macro-nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorous and zinc. In many parts of the country, salted and roasted watermelon seeds are consumed as a snack, so why not give this a try this summer.
Rebecca
