Why should we eat seasonally?
Eating seasonally simply means eating foods that are grown at the same time as you eat them. This has lots of benefits, including:
It’s better for the environment - the less your food has to travel, the better. Out of season food is shipped across the world, which means it has a high carbon footprint.
It’s more nutrient dense – due to less time spent travelling, the nutrients inside the food have less time to degrade.
It has less chemicals - food grown outside its natural season needs a lot more help from pesticides, chemicals, and preservatives.
It often tastes better and is cheaper – seasonal food is harvested when it tastes best.
Fruits:
Raspberries, Strawberries, Blueberries, and Cherries – if the plural ends in ‘ies’, it’s likely to be in season during June! Berries make great snacks and breakfast toppings. They are also perfect for smoothies, or even using in baking.
Apricots – often paired with chicken, or in a tart, why not try a savoury apricot recipe this June?
Kiwi – whether you eat the skin or not, there’s no debating the benefits of kiwis, from being extremely nutritious, to helping your skin and digestive system.
Vegetables:
Lettuce – when thinking of June, surely BBQs, burgers, and picky bits come to mind. Lettuce is a staple ingredient to any British summer, even if it’s only there to ‘add a bit of colour’ to your plate.
Onions and Peppers – while these make the perfect base for just about every dish, there’s one stand-out, family favourite meal I think of when seeing onions and peppers … fajitas!
Carrots – an excellent snack, addition to stir fry, base for a soup, or ingredient in cake, carrots are a versatile veg. And they’ll make you see in the dark…
Broad Beans – typically paired with peas, broad beans are rich in B vitamins, which maintain the body’s cells. They are also used in risottos, pasta dishes, and salads.
New Potatoes – these would be great in a traybake, curry, salad, or just as a side dish.
Courgette - you could make veg chilli, soups, casseroles, and much more!
Eating seasonally reduces your carbon footprint, supports your local agricultural economy, and allows you to discover new foods.
