How to Eat Sustainably: The Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Eating & Spring Produce

31 March 2025 | to be reviewed March 2026 | The Osé Team

We often hear about many ways to eat more sustainably and more often than not, the solution is a complete overhaul of what you are eating and maybe even your lifestyle, which, for most of us, isn't always a long term solution. One simple way of making a consistent and easy change is to eat seasonally. How do you eat sustainably without changing your lifestyle? Well, we are going to make it easier for you by sharing some of our spring produce survival guide that you can use to impress your friends at your next dinner party. No one even has to know that’s what you’re doing, but we think you should definitely brag about yourself! Go ahead, you deserve it! 

What is seasonal eating?

While some lifestyle changes may be hard, we are about to make seasonal eating pretty simple for you. Seasonal eating, as defined by a study ordered by the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, there are two types of seasonal eating: global seasonal eating and local seasonal eating. In both cases it means, eating foods that are ready to be harvested in the month or season you are in but one can probably understand that global seasonality refers to the produce being exported from another part of the world versus grown locally.

We live in a world where we have become accustomed to instant gratification and eating lackluster watermelon in December, but this isn’t the way our eco-systems are supposed to work. And to be frank, wouldn’t you rather have a delicious watermelon in August than a crappy one in February? Let me explain. According to a study of food life cycle assessment done by the European Food Information Council, there are many steps our food goes through that we don’t think about.  In order for you to have a watermelon in winter or early spring, that watermelon has to grow somewhere where it is hot which means, if you are living in the UK or the contiguous United States (or anywhere in the northern hemisphere in general, your watermelon needs to come from somewhere else and usually that somewhere else is really freaking far away. Meaning your fruit has to fly from somewhere in the southern hemisphere to get to you making its carbon footprint much larger than if you were to wait and purchase your watermelon in July or August when the likelihood of your watermelon being produced closer to home is greater. That watermelon also has to go from harvest to processing and manufacturing, distribution, then the store and then to you – so it has to be picked earlier and earlier. On top of that December watermelon is generally only available pre-cut in plastic containers and don’t even get me started on individually wrapped plastic containers. 

Thus, seasonal eating is just the simple act of eating your favorite produce in the season and region it is intended to be harvested. Below you will find our cheat sheet for this season’s offerings. 

Why is Seasonal Eating Sustainable?

Eating seasonally is more sustainable because it puts less stress on our ecosystems and generally supports local farmers rather than huge industrial agriculture that causes massive amounts of pollution in our water systems and air. 

If you can do one better and go to a farmer’s market then great! But even just checking to see what country your produce came from is huge and in today’s world, if it comes from your continent that’s a huge win. 

Wondering why that is? Well let’s say you buy a bright, shiny, sparkling apple from your local grocery store. That apple could have been grown in New York, then shipped to South Africa to be polished and covered in a thin layer of wax to give it that “come get me” sheen and then flown to the UK to be sold in your local supermarket. This apple has racked up almost as many flying miles as Taylor Swift’s private jets! It’s just not reasonable. 

That being said, your local produce can have the same journey. That New York apple can fly to South Africa to be polished, then to China for wax and back to Kansas City to be sold, which is why buying less attractive apples at your local farmer’s market is the best option. Is this a realistic option for everyone? Of course not. In today’s world buying any produce, let alone seasonal, local produce is a luxury… how freaking sad. Doing the best you can with what you have is always the best solution which is why just changing what you consume and when can help. 

Best spring fruits for sustainable eating?

So, now that we have the “whys” out of the way let’s get down to brass tax. What fruits are in season now? Well April is a season of bounty and a lot of our favorites are ready to be devoured as spring is springing. The list of fruits and vegetables that are available in Spring, according to the Center for Science in Public Interest, are:

• Artichoke (Yum!)

• Arugula 

• Asparagus (Delish!)

• Avocado (Toast for everyone!)

• Bananas

• Blood Oranges (Ooo Fancy!)

• Broccoli

• Carrots

• Dill

• Fava Beans

• Fennel

• Grapefruit 

• Kale

• Leeks

• Mint (tea anyone?)

• Parsnips

• Passion Fruit

• Pears

• Peas

• Radishes

• Rhubarb 

• Round Lettuce 

• Spinach

• Spring Garlic

• Spring Onions

• Strawberries
  

How Seasonal Eating Makes Sustainability Simple & Delicious

Figuring out how to eat sustainably without changing your lifestyle doesn’t have to mean giving up the foods you love. It simply means making a small adjustment to when you are eating those foods. That small step can make an impact and chances are your food is going to get a whole lot tastier! Plus, if you subscribe, each season we will send you a cheat sheet of what produce is in season so it never has to be hard! 

Are you hungry for more? Well we’ve got it for you! Check out our latest articles on sustainable eats, we even have some great recipes to impress your friends with! If you love our ideas or have made one of our recipes, let us know! Oh! and don’t forget to share yours in the comments 😀.