SPOKANE FARMERS MARKETS: Fall Fruits and vegetables and what they can do for your health.

Spokane Farmers markets are all over the place for another month and a half to two months, and Fall Fruits and vegetables are about to start being harvested. We all love to indulge in these wonderful Spokane seasonal treats, and they are just as good for you as they taste!

• -         Figs are a sweet, juicy, high fiber fruit. We can eat them dried year round, but fresh Fall figs are a great treat.! They also contain small percentages of Vitamins A, C, E, K, B6 and B12, as well as folate which is great for pregnant women (folic acid).
• -         Pomegranates are not only beautiful, but also long lasting and versatile. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months, and the seeds can be used fresh on salad to add sweetness or used to make a sauce. Poms provide vitamins A, E, and K, in small amounts and 10% of your daily Vitamin C (based on a 2000 calorie diet), B6, B12, and folate.
• -         Grapes are taken for granted because we can eat them year round, but they are harvested in the Fall. You will find a greater variety of grapes in the Fall, such as seedless, red globe, and Concord. A full cup of grapes has only 100 calories and 2 grams of fiber, which is just enough to make you feel full. Most grapes are high in vitamin C and are a great source of antioxidants that several studies have touted as being able to reduce the risk of developing heart disease and cancer.
• -         Apples! Who doesn’t love apples in some form? Home made apple sauce, raw apples, apple pie … just about anything you can think of. Fall is the best time for apples, and there are so many varieties to choose from. If you are looking for a way to make that one “cheat meal” a week a little more healthy, try making a fresh apple compote and using it on your pancakes in stead of syrup. Apples and fresh apple juice have just as much vitamin C as oranges and orange juice. And one apple in the morning can wake you up more than a cup of coffee! And it is a healthier choice, too.
• -         Pears come in as many varieties as apples and are just as versatile. They are super high in fiber at 18% of your daily value of fiber, based on a 2000 calorie diet, and have 8% of your daily value of vitamin K, and have trace amounts of minerals like Iron, Calcium, Zinc, and 5% of your DV of potassium. They are also a better source of folate that the previous Fruits.
• -         Squash comes in many forms. Butternut Squash, acorn squash, pumpkins and more! Butternut squash have 298% of Vitamin A,  49% of your Daily value of vitamin C and 11% of B6. They also provide iron, calcium, potassium and even more vitamins and minerals. Butternut squash makes a tasty, filling warm Fall soup as well as many other great recipes.
• -     Cauliflower is in abundance during the Fall. Besides eating it raw, boiling in water, or steaming, you can also turn it into a healthy vegetable dish similar to mashed potatoes.There are two main ingredients in cauliflower, and all of the cruciferous family, that are the main disease fighters. These are indole-3-carbinol, or 13C, and the photonutrient sulforaphane.Sulforaphane lowered the occurence of breast tumors in lab animals at John Hopkins University in Baltimore by almost 40%. 13C works in concert with the sulforaphane by acting as an anti-estrogen. (Estrogen in high levels is known to foster tumor growth, especially in the breasts and the prostate glands. 13c helps to lower the estrogen count, thus lowering the chances of tumor growth.)

This is just a sampling of the many Spokane Fall fruits and veggies available here at our local Spokane Farmers Markets and Spokane grocery stores. Make sure to take full advantage of the Fall Season and get in your fruits and veggies in as many creative ways as you can. The sky is the limit!

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