A guide to seasonal eating
Why should you eat local, seasonal foods?
By eating locally and seasonally you know you are eating the freshest, most abundantly available produce with a higher nutrient value than food that has travelled across countries. It is better for everyone. You get the tastiest veg, the local farmer benefits and food miles (the distance our food has to travel from the farm to your fork) decreases so you get to save the environment, too.
Another unexpected benefit is to reconnect to nature’s seasonal cycle. If you have children, it is important for them to know that food grows at specific times, which is a hard concept to understand when the same food imports from all around the world are on supermarket shelves practically every week of the year.
Let’s make 2022 the year you embrace the seasons and get the very best from your produce all year round. The likelihood is that you’ll be making friends with some new ingredients but that’s part of the fun. Some wise person said that magic lies outside your comfort zone and that may very well be true if you are willing to try.
Where to buy?
Farmers’ markets are a great place to find local seasonal veg. Make it your mission this month to find out what’s on near you. Hands down the best resource for finding produce is https://www.bigbarn.co.uk/local-food-map/
Maybe you already know where your nearest farmers’ market is, and maybe you don’t. I love a good browse. This might help you discover yours: https://farmretail.co.uk/find-a-farm-retailer/
Picking your own
This is a great way to get local fruit that’s fresh as it can be. It’s also a fun day out for the family – kids love picking their own strawberries (and maybe eating a few along the way). They also get to learn where the fruit comes from. You’ll find some PYO details listed on Big Barn but also check out this resource - https://www.pickyourownfarms.org.uk
Don’t forget local markets.
It’s well worth checking out your local traditional street markets and covered markets. You might be surprised how much local food you find. Market stalls are not much different from traditional specialists like butchers, bakers, greengrocers and fishmongers, and with similar produce. It’s still worth trawling your local supermarket – Co-Op, Booths and Waitrose have a good track record of selling local produce…
Having someone else do the hard work and just bring you the goodies is also a good thing. If you’ve never considered getting an organic veg box, it can be an amazing experience. It’ll teach you super-fast what is in season when, you’ll get some of the best produce available in your area and delivered to your door, and it will wake you up to the magic of cooking. I wonder whether this resonates with you. I actually LOVE cooking but with children and a job, it often turns into a real chore; a juggling act between what everyone wants to eat (usually the same things week in, week out) and what I have actually got in the fridge or cupboards. Inviting a veg box into your life forces you to try something new, and this can be very invigorating. Of course, you can pick and choose the types of ingredients you want and avoid having things added that your family hates, but I urge you to have a go and see what happens. The following offer a huge variety of veg-only or fruit and veg boxes, some even with a ‘pick your own’ element where you can pick and choose exactly how much of what you have.
What’s in season?
January
Apple, banana, beetroot, Bramley apple, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chestnut, chicory, clementine, date, grapefruit, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, leek, lemon, mussels, onion, orange, oyster, pak choi, parsnip, pear, pomegranate, raddichio, rhubarb, salsify, spring onion, swede, sweet potato, turnip, venison.
February
Apple, banana, Bramley apple, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chicory, clementine, cod, grapefruit, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, leek, lemon, mussels, onion, orange, oyster, pak choi, parsnip, pomegranate, purple sprouting broccoli, raddichio, rhubarb, spring lamb, spring onion, swede, sweet potato, turnip, venison.
March
Banana, Bramley apple, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, chicory, cod, grapefruit, halibut, Jerusalem artichoke, leek, lemon, mussels, onion, orange, oyster, pak choi, parsnip, pepper, pomegranate, purple sprouting broccoli, raddichio, rhubarb, salmon, spring lamb, spring onion, sweet potato.
April
Banana, cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, cod, crab, grapefruit, halibut, lettuce, onion, oyster, new potatoes, pak choi, pepper, pomegranate, purple sprouting broccoli, raddichio, rhubarb, salmon, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring lamb, spring onion, watercress.
May
Apricot, banana, cabbage, carrot, chervil, crab, grapefruit, halibut, lamb’s lettuce, kipper, mackerel, mint, new potatoes, onion, oyster, pak choi, peas, pepper, pomegranate, raddichio, radish, rhubarb, salmon, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring lamb, spring onion, tuna, watercress.
June
Apricot, asparagus, aubergine, banana, blackcurrants, cabbage, carrot, chervil, courgette, courgette flower, crab, fennel, garlic, globe artichoke, gooseberry, halibut, kipper, lamb’s lettuce, lettuce, mackerel, mange tout, mint, nectarine, new potatoes, onion, pak choi, peas, pepper, pomegranate, raddichio, radish, rhubarb, runner bean, salmon, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring lamb, spring onion, tomato, tuna, watercress.
July
Apricot, asparagus, aubergine, banana, basil, beetroot, blackcurrants, broad beans, cabbage, carrot, cavolo nero, cherry, chervil, courgette, courgette flower, crab, fennel bulb, garlic, globe artichoke, gooseberry, halibut, kipper, lamb’s lettuce, lettuce, mackerel, mange tout, mint, nectarine, new potatoes, onion, pak choi, peas, pepper, pomegranate, raddichio, radish, redcurrant, raspberry, runner bean, salmon, samphire, sorrel, spinach, spring onion, strawberry, swiss chard, tayberry, tomato, tuna, watercress, watermelon.
August
Apricot, aubergine, banana, basil, beetroot, blackberry, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cavolo nero, celery, chervil, courgette, crab, crab apple, elderberries, fennel bulb, fig, garlic, globe artichoke, gooseberry, halibut, kipper, kohlrabi, lamb’s lettuce, lettuce, loganberry, mackerel, mange tout, marrow, mint, nectarine, new potatoes, onion, pak choi, peas, pepper, pomegranate, raddichio, radish, redcurrant, raspberry, runner bean, salmon, samphire, sorrel, spinach, spring onion, strawberry, swiss chard, tayberry, tomato, tuna, watercress, watermelon.
September
Apple, apricot, aubergine, banana, beetroot, blackberry, broad beans, broccoli, butternut squash, cabbage, carrot, cavolo nero, celeriac, celery, courgette, crab, damson, elderberries, fennel bulb, fig, garlic, globe artichoke, gooseberry, grouse, guinea fowl, halibut, kipper, kohlrabi, lamb’s lettuce, leek, lettuce, loganberry, mackerel, marrow, mint, nectarine, onion, oyster, pak choi, parsnip, peas, pear, pepper, plum, pomegranate, raddichio, radish, redcurrant, raspberry, runner bean, salmon, sorrel, spinach, spring onion, strawberry, sweetcorn Swiss chard, tomato, tuna, watercress.
October
Apple, aubergine, banana, beetroot, blackberry, broccoli, cabbage, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, cavolo nero, celeriac, celery, chestnut, crab, cranberry, duck, elderberries, fennel bulb, fig, garlic, globe artichoke, gooseberry, grouse, goose, guinea fowl, kale, kipper, kohlrabi, lamb’s lettuce, leek, lettuce, loganberry, mackerel, mint, nectarine, onion, oyster, pak choi, parsnip, peas, pear, pepper, plum, pomegranate, raddichio, radish, redcurrant, raspberry, runner bean, salmon, sorrel, spinach, spring onion, strawberry, sweetcorn, Swiss chard, salsify, tomato, tuna, turnip, watercress.
November
Apple, banana, beetroot, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cabbage, celeriac, celery, chestnut, clementine, crab, cranberry, date, duck, globe artichoke, goose, grouse, guinea fowl, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, halibut, lamb’s lettuce, leek, lettuce, mussels, onion, oyster, pak choi, parsnip, peas, pear, pomegranate, pumpkin, quince, raddichio, runner bean, salsify, spring onion, swede, sweet potato, Swiss chard, tomato, turnip, venison.
December
Apple, banana, beetroot, Bramley apple, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, cabbage, celeriac, celery, chestnut, clementine, cranberry, date, duck, goose, grapefruit, grouse, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, leek, lettuce, mussels, onion, oyster, pak choi, parsnip, pear, pomegranate, pumpkin, quince, raddichio, salsify, spring onion, swede, sweet potato, Swiss chard, tomato, turnip, venison.