The Reason Carrots Are Sweeter In The Winter
You might have already heard of the concept of "eating with the seasons." But this isn't a diet that is strict or restrictive. Eating with the seasons simply means eating fruits and vegetables during the time of year that they are in season. It is certainly not a new idea — in fact, before globalization allowed produce grown abroad to be shipped to our local grocery stores at any time of year, people pretty much just had to eat whatever they could harvest from their gardens. But even today, there are many benefits of eating with the season.
Produce that is in season is more nutritionally dense, containing more vitamins and minerals than food that is grown at an off-peak season, according to Eat The 80. But not only is it more nutritious, fruits and vegetables that are grown during optimal growing conditions are also more flavorful. When produce is harvested when it's at its peak, it is at its ripest, freshest, and sweetest.
However, eating with the seasons doesn't mean you can only enjoy delicious, flavorful fruits and vegetables during the spring and summer. There are plenty of fresh foods that can be harvested in the colder months. In fact, some foods, such as carrots, even reach their peak of flavor and freshness during the winter.
Carrots increase their sugar content during the winter
If you've ever eaten a carrot in the winter, you might have been surprised at just how sweet it tasted. This is because carrots have to be hearty enough to survive the cold weather, so they have to develop a way to protect themselves against the cold. But why does the cold weather make carrots taste so sweet? It turns out, it all comes down to frost.
As the weather gets colder, frost can develop on plants, which can damage and even destroy plant cells, according to University of California Research. To protect itself, the carrot increases its sugar content by converting its starch into sugar. This increased sugar content lowers the vegetable's freezing point and helps prevent ice crystals from forming inside the carrot, which stops the frost from doing significant damage to the carrot's cells. Luckily for us, this extra sugar content also happens to make the carrot taste even sweeter and more delicious. Other hearty winter vegetables, such as parsnips, also develop this protective sweetness, according to the Washington Post.
Other fruits and vegetables reach their peak flavor in the winter
Carrots are far from the only food that tastes better during the colder months. There are plenty of other fresh fruits and veggies that can be harvested in the winter and used to make a wide array of delicious and healthy meals. Many other healthy vegetables, including kale, turnips, sweet potatoes, yams, and the aptly named winter squash all reach their peak in the winter, according to the USDA.
But you'll have more than just vegetables to look forward to during the colder months. Plenty of fruits, like apples, pears, and bananas, also thrive during the winter. Several citrus fruits also dominate the harvest in the cold weather. Oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and kiwis are at their sweetest and freshest during the winter. In fact, as an added perk of eating seasonally, citrus fruits contain high amounts of antioxidants and Vitamin C, which can help boost the immune system, so eating these seasonal fruits are an excellent way to stay healthy during peak cold and flu season, according to Healthline. So if you are trying to eat with the seasons, there will certainly be plenty of fruits and vegetables to pick from even after the warm weather ends.