vitamin A

September is often the time to reminisce on summer enjoyed and a fall to come; it’s that transitional month where kids are going back to school, schedules are picking back up, and the summer heat is finally beginning to dissipate. While you might not associate September with the best of what the garden has to offer, in many ways it’s actually the prime month for seasonal foods. Here are five surprising seasonal foods you should be trying now (and what, exactly, you should do with them). Happy eating!

I know how annoying acne can be. In fact, it can be downright depressing. Really bad acne can make you want to stay home all day and make you feel like everyone is looking at your skin. Recently, I have been dealing with terrible breakouts, which is uncommon for me. While I've always had acne, it has recently gotten a lot worse. I have a sneaking suspicion as to why: I tried to cure it topically and it wound up backfiring in my face (literally).

The pansy is a member of the genus Viola – it is closely related to the violet and of the species Viola tricolor. Its common name is derived from the French word “pensée” meaning “thought” because the petals of the flower can resemble a human face that nods downward in contemplation.

Arugula is also known as “rocket” and is originally a Eurasian cruciferous plant related to cauliflower, kale, and mustard. It grows wild in Asia and the Mediterranean basin and takes its name from the Latin term “eurca,” meaning caterpillar, because of the plant’s hairy stems.

The temperatures are on the rise, flowers are in bloom and farmer’s markets are stocked full of this season’s finest. If you look, you will find asparagus most dominantly known in its green variety, but also available in white and purple, stocked on the shelves. This nutrient dense vegetable is only available in the produce aisle of your local supermarket from February to June, with its peak harvest in April, when the price for these gems may come down a bit.

Why all the hype about asparagus?

Wild rice is not actually rice at all, but the seed from a grass of semi-aquatic species found from southern Canada to the eastern United States along the Atlantic coastal marshes. It was the staple food for the Ojibwa and Chippewa people who gathered it by canoe and fire parched the seeds.

Green beans aren’t exactly the “coolest” vegetable of the hour, but there’s more to this crispy legume than meets the eye. 

Also referred to as “snap beans” or “string beans,” green beans have been gracing dinner plates for centuries. Though we don’t usually give green beans as much attention as say, kale or sprouts, they are actually incredibly high in nutrients and even have some “superfood” qualities. 

Amaranth is a seed that has been part of the Aztec diet for more than 8000 years, when the Aztecs would collect the seeds in the wild. They also used the seeds to make flour for baked images of their gods during festivals and for tributary payments. The plant began to be cultivated in Mexico approximately 4000 B.C.E. and continues to be a native Peruvian crop.

Ginseng was discovered more than 5000 years ago in the mountains of Manchuria, China. The name is derived from the Chinese word “jen” meaning the form of man and “shen” defined as the crystallization of the essence of the earth.  However, this ancient herb was used approximately the same time in North America by many of the tribes there, though the European invaders did not know of its existence until the 16^th century.

You might think of mochi as the neon-green or fluorescent pink-colored ice cream treat popular at Japanese restaurants, but mochi is a traditional Japanese food that has been eaten for hundreds of years. While once considered a "Food for the Gods," mochi remains a talisman of prosperity and luck in Japanese culture–especially during New Year's celebrations. While sweet mochi is delicious as a treat, the more traditional brown rice or glutinous rice mochi makes a satisfying and healthy snack. Here's why: