Looking at the picture above, I can guess straight away when it was taken. There’s mainly root vegetables and also cabbages and leeks. These are foods that traditionally are harvested at the end of the season and eaten in the autumn or winter.
Have you ever had strawberries at Christmas, and found them disappointing? That’s because they’re out of season. They’ve either been grown in a heated glasshouse with lots of artificial fertiliser, or picked on the other side of the world (before they’re properly ripe so that they don’t damage in transit and flown here (with unfortunate consequences for the environment).
As a small child we used to enjoy a varied diet, which depended on the seasons. New arrivals, like strawberries in May, and runner beans and blackberries later in the summer, were eagerly anticipated.
Today we tend to eat the same things throughout the year – which means there’s extra costs for consumers and the planet.
This site looks at what’s in season in different months. It also looks at some of the traditional dishes that historically would be consumed at different times of the year. The wonderful Foods of England site is a great source of information for this.
It also directs you to other sites that have more advice and recipes. There’s a useful chart to stick on your fridge here. My site is written for a UK reader – so if you’re from the other side of the globe it won’t be relevant for you – unless you look six months ahead!
I also write the Good Food Shops Blog. This site features traditional artisan food shops. The sort of butcher, farm shop, fishmonger or greengrocer that’s featured in my blog will know and stock what’s in season, and are well worth supporting!
Eat Seasonal Food 