It’s fall and the leaves are turning. The landscape is colored in red, brown, yellow and orange hues. On our farm you can hear leaves rustling to the forest floor and their crunch as you walk across the field.

This is the time of orange foods. We are enjoying Hubbard Squash with it’s sweet flesh as well as chicken cooked in a savory sauce packed inside of a pumpkin. These seasonal treats are a gift to the palate as well as to our health.

You see, when we eat more orange foods we brighten up our health with powerful antioxidants that combat free radicals and fight diseases. The orange colors come from phytochemicals that are beneficial to us!

Orange foods contain beta-carotene that improve eyesight and is suspected to delay the onset of aging because it protects our skin from the sun’s rays. Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A,  which helps form and maintain healthy skin.

Orange foods are perfect for eating during the dark days of fall and winter. The bright and lively color enhances health and mood. Orange is a bright and happy color. People tend to smile more around the color orange and some folks report feeling like they have more energy.

Orange foods can include herbs like tumeric and orange peel.  Tumeric is very anti-inflammatory and can be used in fall soups, curries and even golden milk. Orange peel smells fresh and the dried peel adds depth to many dishes. It is often used to lower cholesterol. I will need to go in to these two herbs in separate articles.

Some of my favorite orange foods are calendula flowers, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins and other squash. They can be roasted, cooked in to casseroles, soups, grilled, diced and baked and of course make in to all sorts of treats. My favorite way to eat a sweet potato is to roast it in a small cast iron in our toaster oven. When it is soft and the skin crackles, I spilt it open and drizzle in a little black strap molasses. This is a wonderful treat that my kids enjoy too!

If you want a little “skin food” that brings that orange energy to you,  you an check out SongCroft Naturals Chamomile and Calendula Toner. This is a great way to treat your skin to a healthy dose of antioxidants.