It is March already. Spring is in sight. Slowly but surely, the first flowers are appearing and there are more Dutch fruit and vegetables available. The choice may not be vast yet, but there are many advantages to eating seasonal fruit and vegetables in March. Read all about it in this article.
Enjoy the healthy winter vegetables available in March for a while longer
Thanks to Crisp for the seasonal produce
After winter, our bodies could use some extra vitamins. When you eat according to the seasons, you automatically get the nutrients you need at that time. Have you ever noticed that in summer, when your body needs a lot of moisture, juicy fruits grow mostly? While in winter, vegetables like tubers and cabbage grow a lot, which are packed with vitamins? Nature is smart and gives us exactly what we need at that moment. So take advantage of healthy vegetables like kale, celeriac, parsnips, Brussels sprouts and winter purslane in March. Besides the extra vitamins, there are many other benefits to eating seasonal vegetables and fruits.
Some great examples of vegetables (and fruits) from March.
The benefits of seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit: also in March
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 March:
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
- endive
- cauliflower
- kale (inspiration recipe: vegan pumpkin stew with kale Asian style)
- green celery
- celeriac (inspiration recipe: veggie celeriac lasagne)
- mushrooms (inspiration recipe: oyster mushrooms in beer batter with an Asian twist)
- parsnip
- pumpkin (inspiration recipe: pumpkin curry quiche)
- leeks (inspiration recipe: vegan pea soup: snert with spice)
- turnip
- radish
- ramson ash
- red beet
- red cabbage
- red leave
- savoy cabbage
- salsify (inspiration recipe: creamy pasta with salsify)
- spinach (inspiration recipe: spicy spinach Indian style)
- sprouts
- onion
- lamb's lettuce
- warmoes
- winter purslane
- chicory
- white cabbage
- root
Dutch seasonal fruit March:
- apple
- rhubarb
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 article on seasonal fruit and vegetables.
Rhubarb grows in full Dutch soil as early as March.
Do you already know the forgotten vegetable warmoes?
Warmoes is also known as chard. It is a brother of red beetroot. Unlike beets, with warmoes the leaf and stem are used. The leaf resembles spinach. You can cut the stem into pieces and boil or roast it until it is cooked. The leaves can be prepared like spinach and eaten raw or cooked. Warmoes taste delicious in quiche, curry or lasagne, for example.
The forgotten vegetables turnip, radish and salsify are also still in season in March. In the article on February's seasonal fruit and vegetables I'll tell you more about these greens.
Source: Velt.nu
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.
Seasonal vegetables and seasonal fruit in March: sustainable, healthy and cheap
We hope you can now make conscious and healthy choices more easily. And with any luck, you'll notice it in your wallet too. Another little tip: bookmark this list on your phone. That way you will always have it to hand when you are in the shop and you can quickly find March's seasonal vegetables or seasonal fruit.
More green tips from thegreenlist.nl
- Wondering where to buy these sustainable seasonal vegetables? This is the place to be for sustainable shopping.
- What about plastic packaging? You can read the truth about plastic packaging here.
- Or are you already curious about April's seasonal vegetables? You can find those here.
Sources: Nu.nl on the nutrients of seasonal vegetables, 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: Rhubarb in full soil: Mahlee Plekker, other photos: thegreenlist.nl.
