How to Eat Plenty of Fruit During the Winter

One thing I love about the summer is that grocery stores are filled with an abundance of fresh fruit, often at affordable prices. During these months, we purchase large quantities of berries, melons, grapes, and peaches. Unfortunately, during the winter months, there are fewer fruits available. We generally only purchase apples, pears, bananas, and oranges, which are the most abundant and affordable fruits available during the winter.

I’m grateful we have access to these fruits, but it would be nice to be able to eat a little more variety. This would help my kids, a couple of whom are picky, to eat more fruit and it would help us all consume a wider variety of nutrients. Thankfully, I’ve found that we can have access to many types of fruit during the winter. Here’s how.

How to eat lots of fruit all winter

Purchase fruits that are in season during winter

There are a number of fresh fruits that are harvested during the winter or are available year round. These fruits tend to be more affordable than those that aren’t in season. These fruits include (source):

• Apples
• Bananas
• Clementines
• Coconuts
• Dates
• Grapefruit
• Kiwifruit
• Mandarin oranges
• Oranges
• Papayas
• Passion fruit
• Pears
• Persimmons
• Pomegranates
• Pummelos
• Red bananas
• Tangerines

Purchase frozen varieties

Frozen fruits tend to be packed with nutrients because they are frozen at the peak of freshness. A wide variety of fruits are available frozen. Though some of these are great on their own, many tend to be somewhat soft once they thaw. These latter fruits are wonderful for many uses:

• Stir into yogurt
• Blend into smoothies
• Bake into cakes, quick breads, muffins, cobblers, and crisps
• Add to ice cream
• Make into jams, sauces, or syrups
• Use to top pancakes, waffles, or French toast

Purchase canned varieties

Canned fruits are more processed than their frozen counterparts, but this doesn’t mean they aren’t nutritious (read about this here). As long as you choose varieties that are packed in fruit juice (not syrup) and buy cans that don’t contain BPA in their liners, canned fruits are a healthy, affordable option. Canned fruits are great plain or when used in the same ways listed above for frozen fruits.

Purchase dried varieties

Believe it or not, dried fruits retain many of their nutrients. In fact, some dried varieties contain more of certain nutrients than their fresh counterparts. For example, dried tart cherries contain concentrated amounts of anthocyanins (powerful antioxidants) and prunes contain five times more fiber and vitamin K than fresh plums (source). Popular dried fruits include grapes (raisins), apricots, berries, plums (prunes), apples, dates, and figs. There are many wonderful ways to use dried fruits:

• Use to top salads
• Add to stir fry
• Stir into yogurt
• Bake into cakes, quick breads, and muffins
• Add to cold and hot breakfast cereals
• Make into sauces

Purchase freeze-dried varieties

Though not as common as frozen or canned varieties, freeze-dried fruits are a great option for consuming more fruits during the winter. Freeze-dried fruits are created through the sublimation process. In other words, fresh fruit is placed in a vacuum chamber where the temperature is below freezing. As the temperature is slowly raised, the frozen water in the fruit is evaporated directly from ice to water vapor. This allows 99% of the moisture from the fruit to be removed. The fruit maintains its shape and most of its nutrients (source). There are many ways to use freeze-dried fruits (for example, in cereals and baked good). However, they are particularly great for snacking. They are lightweight and can be eaten by hand with no mess, so they are great to take along with you on the road, to work, while running errands, etc.

I don’t know about you, but now I’m hungry for some fruit! Using lots of frozen, dried, and freeze-dried fruits are the strategies that are working best for us so far this winter.

What about you? How do you make sure you and your family eat plenty of fruit during the winter?

Shared at the following:

Encouraging Hearts and Home, Over the Moon, Farm Fresh Tuesday, and Busy Monday.