Fall’s fruits and vegetables are treasures for our health

Autumn is not only apple season, but it’s also the season of squash, carrots, pears, cranberries and leeks. In the fall, Quebec overflows with delicious, healthy fruits and vegetables.

When they say that nature is like a pharmacy, they’re not exaggerating: these fruits and vegetables are real treasures for our bodies. Read on to learn more about their benefits and get inspired to cook them up and pump up your health.

Why eat local and in season? 

In the fall, we need vitamins to take on the coming winter, and we tend to seek gentle, comforting flavours. What’s better than a pie packed with apples you’ve just picked or a nice, creamy squash soup? Spending a day out picking your own food is a pastime of many Quebecers and we know why: in addition to spending quality time in nature and harvesting fresh fruits or vegetables, it teaches the kids where what they eat comes from. And it’s a lot of family fun!  

Eating local significantly reduces our ecological impact, and it means getting the complete vitamins and minerals from fruits or vegetables in our dishes, because they’ve spent less time in transport and they’ve never been refrigerated.

How to cook foods that are in season

A freshly picked apple in the oven with a touch of maple syrup and a little cinnamon makes a tasty, healthy dessert. If you feel like making a more elaborate recipe, dare to mix fruits and vegetables: try an apple and squash gratin, a carrot and pear soup or a creamy carrot and squash soup. If you love crumbles, why not cook up a salty version with butternut squash? When it comes to spices, cinnamon and vanilla are delicious with apples, pears and even carrots. Squash and leeks also go very well in curries.

Plenty of benefits

• Apples: Extremely versatile in the kitchen, apples are great in compotes, pies and even in salted dishes with lamb. Their high concentration of pectin, a soluble fibre, regularizes intestinal transport, lowers cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar. Apples stimulate the appetite before a meal and help you sleep, plus they eliminate 86% of the bacteria in the mouth when you bite into them with the peel: very practical if you can’t brush your teeth.
• Pears: Excellent sources of fibre, copper, vitamins A, B and C, pears also contain plenty of antioxidants. Try cooking them up salty with apples, or make a turnip and pear soup for the family.
• Carrots: Great for your white blood cells which prevent the formation of certain cancers and some cardiovascular diseases. A little tip: don’t peel your carrots, but brush them instead, because most of the vitamins are in their skin.
• Leeks: These veggies have a protective effect against certain cardiovascular diseases and soothe inflammatory pains. Rich in iron, anti-arthritic, hypotensive and remineralizing, they effectively stimulate the kidneys.
• Pumpkin and squash: Very rich in beta-carotene antioxidant, pumpkins and squash don’t contain many calories or much fat and sodium, plus they’re overflowing with vitamins and minerals. Their seeds are rich in proteins, full of magnesium, zinc and iron, and they’re anti-parasitic.  

Rediscover fall’s fruits and vegetables every year. Don’t be afraid to try out new recipes and new combinations. You’ll never get tired of them. Bon appetit, and have a great time outside picking!