Fruits and vegetables are a part of any healthy diet. They give your body vital nutrients that can help lower your risk of certain diseases. They also support your body’s systems.
Choosing to indulge in some seasonal produce can help you add variety and flavor to your diet. With fall just around the corner, it’s a great time to start looking at what’s fresh and in season. And while pumpkin may be the king of fall, remember there are many other fruits and vegetables to try.
Top fruits and vegetables for the fall season
The dividing line between summer crops and seasonal fall fruits and vegetables is thin. In the beginning of the season, you can still enjoy the final summer crops, like tomatoes, corn and cucumbers.
As the season goes on and the air feels cooler, the options change. However, you’ll still find a bounty of tasty produce at its peak, as you can see in the lists below.
September: apples, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, collards, eggplant, grapes, kale, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onion, parsnips, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, spinach, summer squash, turnips, watermelon and winter squash
October: apples, beans, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, grapes, kale, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsnips, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, raspberries, summer squash, turnip greens, watermelon and winter squash
November: cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, turnips and winter squash
When you know what’s in season, you know what to look for when shopping at the store and what to expect at the farmer’s market or roadside stands. And, of course, you may even try growing some of these seasonal fruits and veggies in your backyard garden.
Additionally, take a closer look at how the nutritional value of some of the above fall veggies compare:
- Beets: This brightly colored root vegetable includes nitrates, folate, manganese and fiber in each serving, which can help lower blood pressure and open blood vessels.
- Broccoli: In a one-cup serving of broccoli, you get 90 percent of the daily recommended value of vitamin C and 77 percent of the DV of vitamin K, as well as folate, manganese, potassium and antioxidants.
- Carrots: A cup of carrots exceeds the daily recommended value of vitamin A, and it also gives you beta carotene, potassium as well as vitamins C and K.
- Cauliflower: A single cup of this versatile vegetable gives you antioxidants, vitamins C and K, folate and fiber as well as three grams of protein.
- Collard greens: In one cup of collard greens, you consume one-quarter of your daily recommended value for calcium, four grams of protein and antioxidants.
- Kale: Adding a cup of kale to your salad gives you vitamins A, B, C and K along with potassium, copper and calcium.
- Parsnips: In a 1-cup serving of raw parsnips, you consume about half of the daily recommended value of vitamin C in addition to fiber, iron, magnesium and potassium.
- Pumpkin: A cup of pumpkin provides double the daily recommended value of vitamin A, as well as vitamin K, copper and fiber.
- Turnips: A serving of turnips contains one-fifth of the daily recommended value of vitamin C, as well as calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin B6.
You can blend them in smoothies, toss them in salads or mash them with your favorite herbs. Whichever way you do it, adding these nutrient-packed fall fruits and vegetables to your meals helps you meet your daily requirements of vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients.
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