From the Internet, January 2003

Q: i was reading your Macro Musings page and i have a question ...

could you please explain what temperate fruits and vegetables are
and give me a list of each?

Jason George, Denver, Colorado

A: Hi Jason,

My apologies for taking so long to get back to you. I had a little problem with my email this week.

I asked where you lived to make sure that it was in a temperate environment — which Colorado is. A temperate environment is one that has four seasons (in contrast to a tropical environment with little or no cold weather). Temperate fruits and vegetables are, therefore, ones that grow in places with four seasons.

The list of temperate fruits and vegetables is huge, as you can well imagine. Vegetables include

1. roots such as beets, burdock, carrots, daikon, parsnips, and turnips;
2. ground/round such as winter squash, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, green beans, green peas, onions, and summer squash; and
3. leafy such as bok choy, celery, kale, collard greens, lettuce, leeks, scallions, and watercress.

Fruits include apples, apricots, berries, melons, grapes, olives, peaches, pears, plums, and cherries.

Macrobiotics teaches that for optimal health people living in a temperate environment should avoid fruits and vegetables grown in a tropical environment. As yummy as they are, citrus fruits, bananas, avocados, kiwi, mangos, papayas, tomatoes, and other heat-loving foods are best eaten sparingly and only in hot weather.

I hope this answers your question. Please feel free to email me if I can help you in the future!

Cheers,
Peg Kingery

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