Blog

By Lauren Scott, Arizona Farm Bureau Intern

In Arizona, we are very fortunate to have many different tasty fruits and vegetables available to us in the summer. Actually, we are fortunate to have tasty produce available year round! But as summer is almost here, let’s discuss what you will soon be seeing in abundance at your local grocery store!

In the month of May potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes are in season. In June potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, and watermelon come into season. If we move on to July, potatoes, radishes, zucchini, tomatoes, watermelons, and grapes are in season. Toward the end of summer, in August and September, the same produce from July carries over and stays in season.

Let’s take a look at what nutritional value all these different fruits and veggies have, and what fun and tasty recipes they can be used in!

Potato: To start, potatoes are full of antioxidants. You wouldn’t think so, but they have lots of vitamin C and carotenoids. Potatoes are also a great source of vitamin B6, which the body needs to turn food into energy. If you consume one whole medium-sized potato with the skin still on, you just got 8% of your daily dose of fiber! If magnesium is what you’re looking for, a medium potato carries about 5% of the daily recommended amount. Potatoes are also a great healthy snack because they have no fat or cholesterol!

Zucchini: Zucchini is a great thing to eat if you’re looking for something low in calories. They also have no cholesterol or fat, making them even healthier! All varieties of zucchini are packed full of antioxidants, but the golden variety have more antioxidants than others. Important in cell division, folates are something else found in abundance in zucchinis. Lastly, minerals like zinc, iron, manganese and phosphorus are all found in zucchinis.

Tomato: Tomatoes, like zucchini, are low in calories! They are high in antioxidants, as well. Lycopene is a specific antioxidant found in tomatoes that isn’t found in many other fruits or vegetables. Tomatoes are rich in potassium, and carry just a little bit of sodium. On top of that, they are a great source of vitamin C and vitamin A. Zeaxanthin is also found in tomatoes, and is a flavonoid that helps to protect the eyes.

Watermelon: Watermelon just so happen to be my favorite fruit, and it’s not only because they are tasty! First off, they can really help with your fluid intake on hot summer days. Because they are mostly pulp and liquid, they are a great snack to munch on to beat the heat. They are also super healthy, with a high amount of vitamin C and vitamin A. Like the tomato, watermelons contain lycopene. They actually contain more lycopene than tomatoes.

Grapes: Grapes, no matter what the variety, are packed full of antioxidants like resveratrol, and catechins. They also carry lots of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K. Grapes are pretty low in calories, so if you are watching your calorie intake, they are perfect for you! Lastly, they contain tons of copper, manganese, and iron.

Radish: Radishes are a root vegetable, and contain lots of vitamin C, folates, and vitamin B-6. They also have a very low calorie count, like many of these other fruits and vegetables. The minerals contained in little radishes are iron, calcium and copper.

All of these fruits and vegetables are very tasty and perfect for summer. Whether you are making a salad, or adding these ingredients to a dish, you are sure to be creating a flavorful summer. For recipes including these ingredients check out Fill Your Plate’s recipe section!