Let’s all Eat Seasonal Food!

What’s the most important thing that you do everyday? Yea, that’s right; it is to satisfy your stomach. Now, we have another option to make an effort to create a sustainable life for ourselves by purchasing fresh seasonal food in our local area. Although we have the opportunity to purchase any kind of fruits and vegetables all year round in today’s marketplace, they are not the most sustainable option we have. An important fact about purchasing seasonal food is that you get the freshest fruits and vegetables.

There are a lot of advantages of buying local foods in-season. By purchasing seasonal foods in local area such as farmers’ market, we are significantly eliminating damages caused by shipping and handling food across the country. A lot of foods in global marketplaces are shipped from another country which is thousands of miles away. The environmental damage caused by shipping and packaging is unimaginable.

Also, by purchasing local foods, you are giving money directly to the farmers who did their hard works to grow your sustainable foods. The money is spent more worthwhile in that way. The most important key is that your families are enjoying the healthy foods and benefiting from eating fresh. They also taste a lot better than the processed fruits and vegetables that came from thousands of miles away as well.

However, I understand that making a change in your eating habits can be hard. But we can at least try buying local foods when they are available rather than buying the same kind of food from marketplace that you have no idea about the number of people that have handled and packaged your food before they even get there.

Below I found a seasonal food calendar that will provide information about when and what food is in season.

SEASONAL FOOD CALENDAR

Month
Fruit & vegetables
Fish & meat

January
Cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, forced rhubarb, leeks, parsnips, turnip, shallots, squash
goose, lobster, scallops

February
Cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, chard, chicory, forced rhubarb, kohlrabi, leeks, parsnips, spinach, swede, turnip
mussels, halibut, guinea fowl, lobster

March
Beetroot, cabbage, cauliflower, leeks, mint, mooli, parsley, broccoli, radishes, rhubarb, sorrel
sardines (fresh ones!), lobster

April
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, morel mushrooms, wild garlic, radishes, rhubarb, carrots, kale, watercress, spinach, rosemary flowers
spring lamb, cockles

May
Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, gooseberries, parsley, mint, broad beans, rhubarb, new carrots, samphire, asparagus
sea bass, lemon sole, sardines, duck, sea trout

June
carrots, cherries, elderflowers, lettuce, strawberries, peppers, asparagus, redcurrants, peas, rhubarb, gooseberries, tayberries, tomatoes, courgettes, broad beans
welsh lamb, crab, salmon, grey mullet

July
carrots, gooseberries, strawberries, spinach, tomatoes, watercress, loganberries, sage, cauliflower, aubergine, fennel, asparagus, cabbage, celery, cherries, lettuce, mangetout, nectarines, new potatoes, oyster mushrooms, peas, peaches, radish, raspberries, rhubarb, tomatoes, French beans
Trout, pilchards, clams, pike, pigeon

August
carrots, gooseberries, lettuce, loganberries, raspberries, strawberries, cauliflower, aubergines, nectarines, peaches, peppers, courgettes, rhubarb, sweet corn, greengages, basil, peas, pears, apples, French beans, tomatoes
crayfish, hare, skate, john dory

September
apples, aubergines, blackberries, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, damsons, elderberries, figs, French beans, grapes, kale, lettuce, melons mushrooms, nectarines, onions, peppers, parsnips, peas, peaches, pears, potatoes, pumpkin, raspberries, rhubarb, spinach, sweetcorn, tomatoes
duck, venison, oysters, sea bass, grouse, mussels, partridge, wood pigeon, brown trout

October
apples, aubergines, beetroot, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, courgettes, grapes, lettuce, marrow, mushrooms, parsnips, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, watercress
guinea fowl, partridge, mussels, grouse, oysters

November
cabbage, pumpkin, swede, cauliflower, potatoes, parsnips, pears, leeks, quinces, chestnuts, cranberries, beetroot
grouse, goose

December
Celery, cabbage, red cabbage, cauliflower, celeriac, pumpkin, beetroot, turnips, parsnips, sprouts, pears, swede
wild duck, goose, sea bass, turkey

Buying seasonal food also gives you a chance to try a lot of new foods and recipes. Hope we will all be enjoying the freshness from our local foods on our tables soon. Let’s all eat seasonal foods!

-Shuyu Feng