Fresh or Frozen?

A friend recently asked me whether it was better to buy fresh or frozen vegetables. As we sit in the middle of winter here in the US, and our post-holiday dollar must stretch to its limit, I deem it a very fair question. Most frozen vegetables are undeniably cheaper, but are they as nutritious?

The answer is: sometimes. As a general rule, frozen vegetables are picked from the plant at their peak of ripeness, blanched in hot water or steam to kill bacteria and stop the action of degrading enzymes, and then flash-frozen. While the blanching process causes some water-soluble nutrients to leach out (for example, vitamin C and vitamin B), the subsequent flash-freeze locks in the remaining nutrients in a stable state.

In contrast, fresh vegetables are more often than not, picked from the vine before they are ripe. This gives them less time to develop the full range of nutrients that their 'vine-ripened' counterparts contain. Outward signs of ripening still occur, but they are not as nutritious an end-product as they would be if they were allowed to ripen naturally. In addition, the time it takes these vegetables to get from the farm to our plates is often surprisingly long, and during this time they are exposed to lots of heat and light which in turn degrades some of their nutrients.

So, my advice is this: when the vegetables (or fruits) are in season (and therefore generally grown close to your dinning table), buy them fresh and ripe. When they are out of season, frozen vegetables are a great option since they most probably offer you a higher level of nutrients. In addition, since frozen vegetables are generally cheaper than fresh, some of us are able to afford more organic options in the freezer section of the market.

And finally, in answer to those of you who are questioning how to know what the hell is in season now we are pretty much offered the full spectrum at any point in the year (!), there is a pretty conclusive list at www.fruitsandvegiesmorematters.org . At the moment, in the Northern Hemisphere, December, January and February yield the following:

Apples
Belgian Endive
Brussels Sprouts
Cherimoya
Chestnuts
Collard Greens
Dates
Grapefruit
Kale
Kiwifruit
Leeks
Oranges
Passion Fruit
Pear
Persimmons
Pummelo
Radicchio
Red Currants
Sweet Potatoes
Tangerines
Turnips
Winter Squash

I'd like to continue this blog to cover foodmiles, 'green' produce containers and much more, but I'll leave these for another day. Suffice to say that 'Eating Well' online recommends that those of us in the US choose packages marked with a USDA "U.S. Fancy" shield, as this designates produce of the best size, shape and color, which deems the vegetables more nutritious than those of the lower grades ("U.S. No. 1") or ("U.S. No. 2").
As yet, I haven't been able to find enough information on the UK grading system ...

I hope this helps stretch those winter dollars and keep the nutrition levels high!