Bursting with vibrant colors and fresh scents and an undercurrent of newly turned earth, your local farmers market is a beautiful and bustling place to spend your morning. By making informed choices about your veggies, you can get the most bang for your produce buck.
Beets
Beets contain “betalains,” a cancer fighting compound. The darker the beet, the more power it packs. These deep purple roots can be roasted in the oven, wrapped in foil and grilled, or boiled. Cooked beets can be chopped and added to a cold salad. Hang on to those highly nutritious tops, too. Cook them up and toss with pasta and parmesan for a tasty and healthy vegetarian meal.
Carrots
Unlike many vegetables, carrots are actually more nutritious when cooked rather than raw. The beta-carotene triples in a cooked carrot. Look for full sized roots with the tops still attached, and keep the peel on when cooking as this is where much of the nutrients lie. Toss with olive oil and salt and roast in the oven for a delicious side dish or snack.
Cherries
Bing cherries contain anti-inflammatory “anthocyanins.” Check the stems to gauge freshness, looking for brighter green and flexibility.
Kale
Rich in calcium and fiber, kale can be sautéed or stir fried with garlic and herbs, or you can eat it raw for even more healthy goodness. The vitamin C and antioxidant benefits are higher when kale is consumed raw.
Lettuce
There are a wide variety of lettuces to be found in the market. Darker varieties like red, purple, or brown are rich in anthocyanins. Look for heads with loose leaves rather than tightly packed. This means a boost in the nutritional content of the head, since it was exposed to more sunlight as it grew.
Peaches
The whiter the flesh of the peach, the more antioxidants will be packed inside, so look for lighter skins without bruises and dark spots. Try your peaches sliced, diced, or chopped and served with yogurt, cereal, or ice cream for a sweet and cool late summer treat.
Tomatoes
For the biggest lycopene boost, look for small, dark red tomatoes. Grape and cherry tomatoes contain up to 18 times more lycopene than a beefsteak tomato, and they can still be chopped up for your pastas, sauces, or salads.
Watermelon
Lycopene can also be found in watermelon. Finding the deepest shades of red is the way to go, but how do you tell if your melon is ripe? Look for the belly, or field spot, the underside of the melon that sat on the ground as it grew. The whiter it is, the less ripe the melon. Flicking the melon with your finger will produce a hollow sound in a ripe melon. You can also try the sniff test. Step a few feet away from the watermelon stand and take a whiff. You should be able to detect a sweet smell in a ripe melon.
Featured Image from Peter Wendt/Unsplash
