Eating By The Season

Try these tasty fruits and vegetables that pack a health punch, available now at Hiller’s!

One of the health values common to many fall fruits and vegetables is a plethora of antioxidants, which rid the body of harmful chemicals known as free radicals. Fresh at Hiller’s now, chestnuts, pomegranates, cranberries, winter squashes, sweet potatoes and Michigan apples all offer great nutritional value as well as hearty flavor to ready our bodies for winter.

Read on for health profiles (and cooking suggestions) of these great fall fruits…

Chestnuts
Nutritional value: Low in fat, high in fiber, rich in vitamins and minerals. Chestnuts promote heart health, provide energy, are low in cholesterol and are high in vitamin C – which helps prevent colds and enhances fertility in men.

How to eat: Eat chestnuts raw, like any nut, or sauté to include in stuffing.

Pomegranates
Nutritional value: Rich in antioxidants that keep bad LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. Pomegranate juice can keep blood platelets from clumping together in clots. Long-term consumption of pomegranate juice may help combat erectile dysfunction, prevent prostate cancer and reduce risk of breast cancer.

How to eat: Slice in half and pull out the jewel-like seeds – the only edible part of this fruit. Sprinkle on vegetable and fruit salads, add to cooked dishes or mix into sangria.

Cranberries
Nutritional value: Antioxidant-rich, cranberries can block urinary infections, prevent plaque formation on teeth and can kill bacteria that cause stomach cancer and ulcers. It also helps lower levels of bad LDL cholesterol and increase amounts of HDL, or good, cholesterol and slows the growth of tumors.

How to eat: Don’t eat raw! Mix with sweeteners and oranges for a jelly-like side dish or macerate and mix into just about any entrée or side dish.

Winter squash: Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Spaghetti, Sweet Potato Squash, Dumpling Squash
Nutritional value: High in fiber, rich in beta-carotene and B vitamins, which help in the fight against cancer, heart disease and cataracts.

How to eat: Slice and bake in simmering water, then scoop out pulp to eat plain or mix into casseroles, puddings and soups.

Red Yams or Sweet Potatoes
Nutritional value: High in Vitamin A and vitamin C, antioxidants that remove free radicals. Sweet potatoes combat stomach ulcers and colon inflammation, helps lower blood pressure and treat hemorrhoids. Good for diabetics because they stabilize blood sugar levels.

How to eat: Bake whole and eat – or mash into a side dish.

Michigan apples – McIntosh, Empire, Gala
Nutritional value: High in fiber, apples help lower cholesterol, prevent certain cancers and keep weight in check. Plus, a flavanoid called phloridzin, found only in apples, may protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis by increasing bone density.

How to eat: A great snack, sliced and smeared with Sun Butter or bake with cinnamon sticks for a healthy dessert.

Try this!

Cider-glazed sweet potatoes with cranberries

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked
1½ c. apple cider or apple juice
¼ c. brown sugar
2 T. butter
½ t. nutmeg
½ t. allspice
½ c. dried or fresh cranberries

Boil sweet potatoes in large pot until halfway cooked, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool. Combine cider, sugar, butter and spices in a skillet over medium heat. Boil, stirring often. Add potatoes and reduce heat to simmer. Cook 5 minutes. Add cranberries and continue cooking until liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

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