Nothing says summer more than seeing the rainbow of fruits and vegetables at the farmers market, hearing the fresh snap of a green bean plucked off the vine or tasting the burst of flavor from a tomato harvested from your garden. NRPA makes enjoying healthy, summer-fresh foods easier with its Summer Fresh Foods resources.
Summertime provides a bounty of fresh foods, but even experts may not know everything about the fruits and vegetables they eat. For example, did you know that it takes almost two years for a single pineapple to be ready for harvest? Or that cantaloupe cannot increase in sugar content after it is picked, so it’s best eaten fresh from the vine? How about the fact that ancient Romans used strawberries to treat everything from depression to fever to kidney stones?
Sometimes it can also be hard to know how to prepare an unfamiliar fruit or vegetable. We wanted to shed more light on the produce you do recognize, as well as fill the gap in knowledge about those unfamiliar items at the produce stand. The Summer Fresh Foods resources are categorized by fruit or vegetable and will make you familiar with a variety of produce, provide a little background and fun facts about the fruits and vegetables, and share some tasty recipes so you can enjoy the bounty.
As part of the Commit to Health campaign to support community health and wellness, these resources can easily be used by park and recreation agency staff. These free, downloadable materials will help inspire your community to eat healthy.
Celebrate the flavors of the season and use these resources to inspire your family and community to eat local. You’ll find information for some summertime favorite foods, including:
- Beans
- Berries
- Cruciferous Veggies
- Melons
- Peppers
- Root Veggies
- Stone Fruit
- Summer Squash
- Tomatoes
- Tropical Fruits
Jennifer Nguyen is NRPA's Communications Manager.