The Importance of Eating Seasonally
Strolling down a supermarket aisle in the middle of winter, the shelves are full of berries, lettuces, and tomatoes. On further inspection the labels read from Israel, Egypt and Ethiopia. This doesn't stop us piling these products into our trolleys with no further thought, except perhaps how the hell to make use of strawberries on a freezing cold winters day!
We have become so accustomed to having these fruits and vegetables available to us all year round that the concept of eating seasonally has gone out the window for many of us. The supermarkets have created one big season in which we can have everything throughout the year.
Taking a trip to a local market gives you a real sense as to what we should be stocking up on. As well as it being highly beneficial for small producers, our bodies are also built to eat seasonally. When the weather turns colder, our bodies crave nourishing soups and stews to help ward of the cold temperatures. I often notice how my fridge becomes full of starchy root vegetables, as the days grow darker. Whilst hot summer days I crave crunchy, fresh and raw foods that have been grown above ground, think asparagus, berries, broccoli etc.
Eating seasonally helps to support local farmers and English produce. We should be aiming to eat what our land is producing for us not what has been flown over from the other side of the world. As supermarkets search further afield for those juicy raspberries, English producers are being undercut and left out in the cold. I'm not saying everything must be British grown, even I can't resist walking towards a huge stack of avocados and putting several in my basket, however it’s not hard to do and in many cases cheaper then buying exotic produce. You don’t need to spend a fortune at a farmers market, supermarkets stock lots of British produce, all you need to do is take a bit of time reading where your fruit and veg has come from, and try to steer towards eating local foods.
The other weekend I ate arguably the most delicious vegetable I have ever tried. Behold, the humble gem squash. Grown by a friend, wrapped in foil and chucked into a fire, no seasoning, spices or herbs. Forgoing the knife and fork I went all cavemen on it, skin and all. First hand experience of how quality ingredients are everything. The squash was grown 50 yards from where I ate it, and it was unforgettable. Compare this to eating an out of season woody asparagus in January, it's a no-brainer to start embracing the seasons when it comes to food
Useful ways to help keep in touch with what is in season:
-www.eattheseasons.co.uk
-Looking at online veg box companies at what they are supplying, Farmdrop, Abel and Cole etc
-Taking a stroll to your local farmers market OR simply reading the back of supermarket packages and increasing your awareness of British produce.