What are early vegetables?
These are nothing more than young spring vegetables, the first of the spring and summer season. Which ones? These may include:
- lettuce,
- radishes,
- carrots,
- cucumbers,
- chives,
- tomatoes,
- leaf parsley.
Why is it worth reaching for early vegetables?
Early vegetables – like all vegetables – are, of course, healthy and allow you to diversify your menu with freshly harvested agricultural products, which we long for all autumn and winter. They contain vitamins A and C, folate, as well as minerals, namely zinc, potassium, sodium, phosphorus and calcium. It is worth adding that they arouse special desire when the body needs to replenish nutritional values after winter. Besides, the delicate taste of vegetables is simply tempting. Early vegetables mean a return to colourful sandwiches and light, appetizing salads, so they will benefit those who care about their figure.
However, it is important to remember that early vegetables are not the same as seasonal vegetables that ripen in the ground, outdoors. Their flavour is not as intense as the vegetables we buy from June to the end of August. Nor are they as rich in vitamins and minerals as their high-season counterparts.
Early vegetables have few calories (they consist mainly of water) and abound in dietary fibre. Which ones have the most nutritional value? Here are the top three:
- leaf parsley – the queen among early vegetables; contains the most potassium, calcium, phosphorus, folate and beta-carotene. Besides, there is as much as 177.7 mg of vitamin C in 100 g of the product;
- chives – rich especially in calcium and phosphorus, as well as vitamin A, beta-carotene, iodine, vitamin C and B6;
- carrots – richest in fibre, sodium, vitamin A, beta-carotene and folate.
Why are early vegetables important for active people?
First of all – young vegetables will hydrate the body and add variety to the diet. And this is important for athletes: the more sources of vitamins and plant-based materials, the better. Besides, dietary fibre from raw vegetables (and this is the form in which we should consume early vegetables) supports weight loss and metabolism. Early vegetables are also easily digestible – they will not strain the digestive system.
In addition, vegetables – especially green ones – are responsible for better blood flow in the body, a normal heart rate, higher energy levels and even good mood, among other things. By consuming them daily, you will support your body, making it easier to achieve your sports goals and lower your BMI.
When is the best time to eat early vegetables?
Early vegetables show up in two seasons. The first lasts from the end of March – for chives and spring onions, followed by lettuce, radishes, carrots, leaf parsley and dill. These early vegetables come from greenhouse crops.
In the second season, i.e. in late May and early June, the first ground vegetables show up, for example beetroot, carrots and tomatoes. They have more flavour and nutritional value than those from greenhouse crops.
3 tips to help you buy early vegetables wisely
- #1 Wait until the right time for young vegetables.
When you see radishes and carrots in the first half of March, you can be sure that it’s too early for them to grow naturally. It is best to wait until late March and early April, when conditions in greenhouses are conducive to natural cultivation. It is a good idea to buy early vegetables from organic crops that are certified.
- #2 Pay attention to the appearance of early vegetables
Vegetables must not have signs of rotting, and leaves should not have discolouration, as this may suggest that too much fertilizer was used. What’s especially important: early vegetables are not large, so the overgrown ones may indicate an excess of nitrogenous compounds.
- #3 Don’t buy early vegetables in plastic
Always choose natural vegetables, not already peeled and packaged in plastic boxes or bags. At home, consume them on a regular basis and also avoid storing them in plastic, as this aids the transformation of nitrates into nitrites (these are compounds that release nitrosamines, which are carcinogenic and dangerous to the liver and intestines).
What are the concerns about early vegetables?
First and foremost, it’s about the method of fertilization, in this case, nitrogen [2]. Early vegetables take it up in its entirety (i.e. the amount that is supplied in the fertilizer), which makes nitrates accumulate, and these can reduce to nitrites. This is one of the compounds that may have carcinogenic effects. It is for this reason that the European Union, specifically the European Food Safety Authority, has set permissible levels of contaminants that can be found in food, which includes the aforementioned nitrates [3]. Today, the food that reaches our tables comes from controlled cultivation. For example, in 2011, 116 samples of vegetables that were purchased from local stores in the Siedlce (Mazowieckie Voivodeship) area were tested. Nitrates were found in radishes and butter lettuce, but you don’t have to worry – it has been proven that an adult’s consumption of 100 grams of vegetables does not exceed the standards allowed by EFSA [4].
Since radishes take up the most nitrates (as confirmed by tests conducted on samples taken in Siedlce; the nitrate content of 1 kg of radishes was 2132 mg), it is better not to consume too much – a maximum of 100 g per day. Due to the presence of this compound, early vegetables with elevated amounts of nitrates (the already mentioned radishes, butter lettuce and beetroot) are better not served to children under the age of three at all. Why not? In infants, they can cause methemoglobinemia (a blood disease) [5].
Also, be sure to choose those early vegetables that come from reliable sources, especially from organic crops.
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Sources:
[1] 500 Grams of Immunity. Support Immunity and Body Health Naturally, source: https://ncez.pzh.gov.pl/tag/spozywanie-waryw-i-owocow/, accesses on: 03.01.2023.
[2] Early Vegetables in the Spring – to Eat or Not to Eat?, source: https://www.sodr.pl/swietokrzyski-portal-rolny/aktualnosci/Nowalijki-na-wiosne-jesc-czy-nie-jesc/idn:190, accessed on: 03.01.2023.
[3] COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No. 1258/2011 of 2 December 2011, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/PL/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32011R1258&from=fr.
[4] Raczuk, J., Wadas, W., & Głozak, K. (2014). Nitrates and Nitrites in Selected Vegetables Purchased at Supermarkets in Siedlce, Poland. Roczniki Państwowego Zakładu Higieny (Annals of the National Institute of Hygiene), 65(1):15-20.
[5] Anita Kruk, Promotion Office of Warsaw University of Life Sciences; Greenhouse Early Vegetables – Healthy or Toxic?; Warsaw University of Life Sciences.