farmers markets

It’s Apple Season!

five apples on a table

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” We all have heard it, yet is it really true?    It is true and great advice!   Apples are one of the most delicious and healthy fruits you can eat!  A medium apple contains about 60 calories, 3 grams of fiber and provides 11% of your daily vitamin C.  Almost half the vitamin C comes from the flesh.  Apples are about 85% water, making them a hydrating snack.  Eating a raw apple, whole and unpeeled provides the most health benefits.  Apples are a versatile fruit that may be used in cooking, baking and juices. Apples offer valuable health benefits including:

  • Stabilizes blood sugar– apples are high in fiber, antioxidants and lower in sugar helping keep your glucose levels steady.   Fiber slows the absorption of glucose into your bloodstream.
  • Lowers cholesterol-apples have antioxidants and fiber that helps lower cholesterol.  The pectin binds cholesterol in your digestive tract and flushes it out.
  • Helps reduce blood pressure-research indicates that the antioxidants in apple peels help blood flow smoothly in our systems and helps reduce blood pressure.
  • Reduces inflammation-apples contain anti-inflammatory substances, mainly fiber and antioxidants that reduces inflammation.  Continual inflammation causes damage and can lead to disease.
  • Boosts microbiome– microbiome are microorganisms that live in the gut and on our skin. Some are good and some are harmful.  Apples help with both types, stops the harmful microbes from growing in the gut promoting good gut health.
  • Satisfies hunger longer– apples are high in fiber and water, making them a filling snack.  The fiber slows digestion making you feel full longer. 

 Apples are a delicious snack when consumed fresh or are great in salads, roasted meats, desserts and beverages!   Making applesauce, chutneys, relishes or butters are a great way to celebrate fall.  Add to toast, pancakes, waffles or in oatmeal are wonderful morning starters.  Visit an orchard or farmer’s market this weekend to purchase apples and enjoy the many benefits and delicious taste!

Written by:  Beth Stefura, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Mahoning County, stefura.2@osu.edu

Reviewer: Alexus Masterson, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Muskingum County, masterson.98@osu.edu

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/benefits-of-apples

https://www.eatright.org/health/health-conditions/cardiovascular-health-heart-disease-hypertension/combating-high-blood-pressure

https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(22)01006-1/fulltext

https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/benefits-apples

Farmers’ Markets Are Back!

Tents at a Farmers' Market

Mid-May and farmers’ markets are back. Farmers’ markets are great places to get fresh produce (often picked that morning) and get inspired to eat and/or cook with fresh ingredients. Since this is the beginning of the fresh produce season in Ohio, produce will probably be limited for a few weeks.  Produce you may find include:

  • fresh lettuces
  • green onions
  • asparagus
  • rhubarb
  • herbs
  • mushrooms
  • strawberries
  • cabbage
  • radishes

Some producers may have other produce which they grew in a green house or purchased from someone in a southern state. These can be delicious too. 

To locate a farmers’ market near you check here. Most farmers’ markets have other items for sale too, such as baked goods, honey, jams/jelly, soap, plants, meat, eggs, cheese and others. There have been gift items, jewelry, homemade cards and décor items at a local farmers’ market I visit. Some farmers’ markets require you to order ahead for pick up. Other ones are open for people to walk around and check out what is available.   

If you are looking for organic food items, many farmers’ markets have a wide variety of options that may be certified organic or grown with specific practices that vendors would be happy to share with you.

Not sure what to look for when purchasing foods in season now? 

strawberries in pint containers
  • Choose loose leaf lettuce over iceberg for more nutritional benefits. Choose lettuce with healthy outer leaves that are green and crisp, not withered and/or with brown or yellow edges. Darker green colors indicate higher nutritional value, and don’t negligent the purple edges or other darker colors as those contain other good nutrients. Don’t forget to choose spinach, kale, and collards. Choose firm, heavy heads of cabbage. 
  • Fresh strawberries from the farmers’ market are delicious. They are usually ripe all the way through, smell wonderful, and taste great. They may not last as long in the refrigerator as grocery store ones, but they have so much more taste. 
  • Choose asparagus that have stalks able to stand up with firm heads, and a smooth texture. 
  • Mushrooms should look fresh and smell good. One surprising fact is you can’t overcooking your mushrooms. Whether sautéing mushrooms quickly or in an hour-long dish cooking in the oven mushrooms retain a firm texture. Enjoy them in many different dishes.   
  • The size of rhubarb stalks are not important. If you want a sweeter and richer taste choose deep red stalks, which are usually not as tart. Mixing rhubarb and strawberries in a pie helps reduce the sugar needed to keep it from being tart. Check out this Rhubarb Strawberry Topping for pancakes, ice cream and yogurt. Rhubarb stalks are a good source of potassium. Don’t eat the leaves of rhubarb as they are poisonous. 

Another one that can’t be beat at the farmers’ market is when they have fresh tomatoes, usually in July, August and September. It’s a explosion of flavor in your mouth compared to eating store purchased tomatoes. 

Enjoy buying from a local farmer’s market as it supports your local economy. Check out what day your local farmers’ market happens and go shopping!

Author:  Pat Brinkman, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension Fayette County

Reviewer:   Emily Marrison, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension Coshocton County

Sources:

Franzen-Castle, L. (2021). Healthy Bites for May: National Asparagus Month. University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension.  Available at https://food.unl.edu/healthy-bites-may-national-asparagus-month

Ohio Proud. (2021). Find a Farmer’s Market.   Available at http://ohioproud.org/farm-markets-all/farmers-market-search/find-a-farmers-market/#!directory/map

Tufts University, (2021). “Five Fun Food Facts You Should Know,” Health & Nutrition Letter, Tufts University, Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, 39 (2) p.6

University of Illinois Extension. (2021). “Watch Your Garden Grow Rhubarb,” University of Illinois Extension.  Available at https://web.extension.illinois.edu/veggies/rhubarb.cfm

The Flight of the Fresh Tomato: From Farm to Table

We all know we’re supposed to eat healthy, but how often do we use the excuse that it’s just too expensive? Fresh, perishable food and shelf-stable food can have a vast difference in price. Let’s look at canned tomatoes versus fresh tomatoes. My local grocer carries a national brand of 14.5-ounce canned diced tomatoes for 99 cents. Fresh tomatoes from the same grocery store sell for $2.49 per pound or roughly, $1.40 each. By volume, you end up with about the same amount of product: approximately ½ cup.

Canned tomatoes on a shelf

So why the huge difference in price? At the time of writing this article it’s late February here in Nashville, Tennessee. Tomatoes, being out of season, are going to be more expensive this time of year compared to any other. Have you noticed that tomatoes in February just aren’t as good as tomatoes in July? The tomatoes that get sold in the grocery store throughout the winter are typically grown and harvested in warmer parts of the country, namely Florida. They are picked before they fully ripen; while still green or at what’s called the breaker stage where the tomato is breaking in color from green to yellowish-red. They are then washed, cooled, and stored in warehouses awaiting distribution. This process is costly for the farmer and ultimately those costs are passed on to you, the consumer.

Fresh tomatoes

So why do growers use this procedure instead of allowing tomatoes to ripen on the vine? It would taste better, but the tomatoes would decompose by the time they reached the grocery store shelves. Another reason is to keep up with demand. In the United States we expect to see tomatoes at the grocery store any day of the week, any time of year. Additionally, produce is grown and sold based on how they look and not on how they taste. The trick to eating fresh, great tasting, healthy foods on a budget is eating locally and seasonally. The less time a tomato (or any produce) spends traveling from the farm to your plate, the more nutrients it retains. When fruits and vegetables start to decompose, so do those beneficial nutrients. We may have to wait until the summer to enjoy a juicy tomato around here but in the meantime, our local farmers are producing hearty root vegetables and nutrient-dense leafy greens. Skip the expensive, mealy grocery store tomato and enjoy this sweet potato and kale with grits dish instead. Check your local farmer’s markets for seasonally available foods in your area. It will be lighter on the wallet and heavier on the nutrition.

Sources:

Boyhan, G. E., & Coolong, T. (2019, April 01). Commercial Tomato Production Handbook. Retrieved March 1, 2021, from https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1312

Harper, J., & Orzolek, M. (2021, February 25). Tomato production. Retrieved March 1, 2021, from https://extension.psu.edu/tomato-production

Staff, N., & Estabrook, B. (2011, July 09). The troubled history of the Supermarket tomato. Retrieved March 1, 2021, from https://www.npr.org/2011/07/09/137623954/the-troubled-history-of-the-supermarket-tomato

Eggs over kale and sweet Potato GRITS. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2021, from https://www.myplate.gov/recipes/myplate-cnpp/eggs-over-kale-and-sweet-potato-grits

Author: Bridget Russell, Senior Dietetics Student, Middle Tennessee State University, ber3h@mtmail.mtsu.edu

Reviewer: Amanda Bohlen, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Washington County, bohlen.19@osu.edu