It's National Eat Your Veggies Day!!

Vegetables at a local farmers' market

Anyone with a mother probably grew up hearing "eat your vegetables."

Well, today is the day to actually listen to mom. It's National Eat Your Vegetables Day."

According to the National Day Calendar website, June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, so National Eat Your Vegetables Day is one more opportunity to remind everyone about this important part of a healthy diet.

"As part of a main meal or as a snack, vegetables can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Each vegetable has it's own nutritional content through generally they contain little protein or fat and varying proportions of vitamins like A, K, B6, provitamins, dietary minerals and carbohydrates. They also contain phytochemicals and some vegetables also contain fiber, which is important for gastrointestinal function."

"It is recommend by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to consume 3 to 5 servings of vegetables a day. For most vegetables, one serving equals about 1/2 to 1 cup eaten either raw or cooked."

There are a lot of wonderful vegetables grown fresh right here in New York state. Many are in farmstands, farmers' markets and grocery stores now and others will begin showing up as the growing season progresses. 

So get out there and  buy some local vegetables. You can't get fresher than that!!

 

The Best Time of the Year in New York

Isn't it great to live in New York, folks??

We're getting into the heart of the fresh produce season, and nothing's better than that. We've already picked sweet strawberries locally and now it's time for peas, raspberries, blueberries, sweet cherries and everyone's favorite -- sweet corn.

I implore everyone to get out there and visit a farmers' market or farmstand. Or, check out the produce section of your supermarket -- many of them carry fresh veggies and fruits from local farmers.