I overheard someone complaining that her apple wasn’t very fresh at lunch the other day. June isn’t peak apple season in the northeast region of the US. If there is a demand for apples in the off-season, most grocery stores will supply them. Whether they are fresh is a different story. Below you can see a guide for fruit (applies to the greater New York area) that I swiped from the FreshDirect website. I love those guys.

Push yourself out of the funk of eating-food-that-tastes-not-so-great-but-is-supposed-to-be-healthy. Eat fruits and veggies that are in-season for your local area. (Click the image to see a larger size) Healthy food can taste good. Promise.

An easy way to make sure you’re eating produce during peak season is to buy local. This is the second year that my roommates and I are participating in community supported agriculture (CSA). We paid $650 upfront for 20 weeks of vegetables. There are three of us so we each paid $220. If you’re not already paying at least $11/week for vegetables at the grocery store it might be time to re-evaluate your diet. There is a weekly pick-up at a central location in the city and the vegetables are harvested the day before so they’re very fresh. The farm is located about 80 miles outside of NYC. Did I mention that it’s organic? BONUS!

Here is our share from week 1: kale, arugula, mint, radishes, kohlrabi, and pak choi (sister to bok choi). The share will be different every week depending on the harvest and it will be larger in a few weeks.

Ready to eat local, in-season vegetables?? Use LocalHarvest to find a CSA near you! Keep in mind that some CSA shares include fruit and flowers and the prices/seasons vary. Enjoy!