The seasonal food section of Gastric Juice aims to promote seasonal produce and help the reader educate themselves. This page contains all the information you need to get you started and an explanation of why seasonal produce is best.
Freshness – Quality
This may seem obvious, and I suppose it is. But if you don’t know what’s in season how can you buy accordingly. That’s where the information on this page comes in. Fruit and vegetable degrade quickly so the sooner they are eaten after harvest the better. Freshness = more goodness.
Price
Seasonal goods are not only of better quality but they are cheaper as well, bonus! Often a glut will mean you can pick up fresh seasonal produce for amazing prices. The hardcore seasonal buyer can use this to his advantage by stocking and utilising storage technique such as making loads of soups and freezing. Hmmm leak and potato soup for 20p! See the links section below for a good article on the seasonal glut.
Supporting Local
When buying locally produced seasonal good you are supporting your local farmers. This is a good thing as by supporting local you ensure UK heritage and traditions continue, and it keeps your cash in the local economy. Another major factor is animal conditions on UK farms are of a better standard than on the continent.
Food miles
When you buy strawberries out of season that could have been grown in Spain for example, consider the amount of miles these strawberries have had to travel. Not only will the goods be loosing freshness and nutrients as they travel across countries to reach the supermarket shelves but pollution will also be generated by the trucks that transport the goods. Think of all that wasted energy and the clouds of exhaust smoke generated from the import of the stawbugs!
After thought
Don’t go over kill. We are lucky enough to have good trade in today’s modern consumer market. Exotic fruit, spices and vegetables are available and have helped to shape the food we eat today. To be fair a lot of the vegetables grown in the UK are boring. If I had to live on carrots, potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, and cabbage alone I would not be a happy bunny. A combination of UK produce with the more exotic helps to make for a rich varied selection of muchables. Keep an eye on what’s in season (both UK and abroad) and check the packaging or ask your grocer the food origin.
Seasonal Links
The great BBC in season section
A guide to taking advantage of the season glut
