Want to do something good for the earth and for your health during this festive season? Then put seasonal fruit and vegetables on your menu more often in December. As you will probably be busy enough this month, we will make it a little easier for you: in this article, we list all seasonal fruit and vegetables for December.
Enjoy seasonal fruit and vegetables during December too
Thanks to Crisp for the seasonal produce
Peppernuts, chocolate letters, Christmas wreaths, oliebollen... When you think of December, seasonal vegetables and fruit are probably not the first foods that come to mind. Still, as a change, it can be nice to have fresh seasonal vegetables or seasonal fruit on your plate from time to time. Although the choice is not vast; even in December, there are still plenty of seasonal fruits and vegetables available to make a festive meal. How about a traditional Dutch stew? Or tasty stewed pears? Later in this article you will find more tips for healthy, sustainable and festive dishes with December's seasonal fruit and vegetables.
Ta-da... some of December's seasonal vegetables. Yes, it really is getting winter.
The benefits of seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit
Supermarkets are full of fruit and vegetables. Why bother to pay attention to which fruit or vegetables are currently in season in the Netherlands? For one thing, it is better for the environment. Fruit or vegetables that have a longer transport route or are grown in heated greenhouses generally have a greater environmental impact. But did you also know that seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit are better for your health? Because the transport route is shorter, the vegetables or fruits are riper before they are harvested. As a result, fewer nutrients are lost. Seasonal vegetables and fruits also contain more nutrients because they are stored for less time. Moreover, fewer pesticides are often used as they are less susceptible to diseases. Finally, it is usually a lot cheaper to buy fruit and vegetables from the season.
Fruit or vegetables from the Netherlands are not always the most sustainable choice
Now that you are convinced of the benefits of seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit, you can pay attention to them when you go shopping. Because the country of origin is indicated on the packaging, you may choose to buy fruit or vegetables from the Netherlands. Unfortunately, this is not always the most sustainable choice. After all, you can't tell in the supermarket whether the fruit or vegetable was grown in a heated greenhouse. For example, a head of lettuce from the Netherlands may be the most sustainable choice in July; while in January the head of lettuce from Spain is more sustainable because it grows in the open air. Pretty confusing isn't it? To make it easier for you, we have picked out for you which vegetables and fruits grow in full Dutch soil or in unheated greenhouses in the Netherlands. For October, these are the following fruit and vegetables:
Dutch seasonal vegetables December:
The fruit and vegetables in bold can currently be harvested in the Netherlands. The remaining fruit and vegetables, although from the Netherlands, are from earlier months. Vegetables are often stored for months after harvest and thus sold (which is fine).
- potato (inspiration recipe: vegan tikka masala with lentils, pepper and potato)
- Jerusalem artichoke
- endive
- kale (inspiration recipe: vegan pumpkin stew with kale Asian style)
- green celery
- celeriac (inspiration recipe: celeriac lasagne with vegan bolognese)
- turnip
- mushrooms (inspiration recipe: 5 x recipe with oyster mushrooms)
- parsnip (inspiration recipe: vegan vegetable soup)
- pumpkin (inspiration recipe: pumpkin curry quiche)
- leeks (inspiration recipe: creamy celeriac and leek soup)
- turnip
- ramson ash
- red beet
- red cabbage
- savoy cabbage
- salsify (inspiration recipe: creamy pasta with salsify)
- sprouts (inspiration recipe: vegan gnocchi with vegetables in tomato sauce)
- onion (inspiration recipe: vegan lentil soup)
- lamb's lettuce
- watercress
- winter purslane
- chicory
- white cabbage
- root (inspiration recipe: Moroccan-style carrots)
Dutch seasonal fruit December:
- apple
- pear
Want to know which fruit from abroad is good to eat year-round as a sustainable choice? You can find the list in January's seasonal fruit and vegetables article.
Why storage vegetables and fruits are also on the list
The fruits and vegetables listed above are the varieties normally available this month from full Dutch soil or unheated Dutch greenhouses. This will only not saying that these fruits and vegetables are also this month harvested are. Some varieties such as apple, pear, carrot, potato, pumpkin and onion, for example, can be stored by producers for longer periods of time. This makes these types of fruits and vegetables available even during the winter months, increasing the choice of fruits and vegetables produced locally. Thegreenlist.nl chose to include these storage vegetables and fruits in the list of seasonal vegetables and fruits as well, because they are a sustainable choice of the Dutch country. If we were to omit these varieties, there would be no fruit on the list at all in the winter months, for example. So these storage vegetables and fruits are not quite of the season, but they do offer an eco-friendly way to eat varied and healthy food during the colder months.
Want to know more about how Dutch producers store fruit and vegetables? You can read all about it in this article.
Staying healthy with December's seasonal vegetables and fruit
In December, it can be a challenge to eat healthy. There are so many goodies everywhere! Moreover, December is often a busy month with all the preparations for St Nicholas and Christmas. Still, it can be nice to have some healthy food on your plate as a change. Here are a few tips on how to do this easily with December's seasonal fruit and vegetables:
- Make sure you always have some fresh foods in the house that you can easily grab when you have a quick craving. For example, apples, pears, green celery or carrots.
- Plan healthy meals in advance with seasonal vegetables. You will already find some recipes for inspiration at the list of December's seasonal vegetables.
- See if you can incorporate seasonal vegetables into meals during the holidays. For example, we used to always eat kale stew on New Year's Eve. Or how about these Asian pumpkin stew with kale? There are also plenty of opportunities to incorporate seasonal vegetables and fruits during Christmas dinner. For example, make a tasty pumpkin soup as a starter or go for this beautiful beetroot tartare and surprise your guests during the main course with a stuffed pumpkin. You can also serve seasonal vegetables as a side dish: for example, a surprising carrot salad or hasselback potatoes. And, of course, don't forget the stewing pears. Finally, end the year well with vegan apple turnovers during New Year's Eve.
Seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit in December: sustainable, healthy and cheap
As you can see, even during the December month, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit that the Netherlands has to offer. We hope you can now more easily make a conscious and healthy choice. And with a bit of luck, you'll also notice it in your wallet. Another little tip: bookmark this page. That way, you will always have the list to hand when you are in the shop and you can quickly find December's seasonal vegetables or seasonal fruit.
More sustainable tips from thegreenlist.nl
- What about all those labels in the supermarket, really? We looked into it for you.
- Sustainable grocery shopping? This is the place to be!
- Old oliebollen? Don't throw them away, but make them a delicious oliebollenbrood of or how about French toast made from oil balls?
Sources: Outdoor Living Feeling about the benefits of seasonal eating, Albert Heijn on the benefits of seasonal fruit and vegetables, VegetableGroente.nl on seasonal vegetables by country, Velt's seasonal calendar for the list of seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit. Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
