SEASONAL FOOD

We’ve all heard the experts recommend seasonal fruit and vegetables, but is seasonal produce really worth the trip down to the local market? Although it does seem more convenient to add fruit and vegetables to the supermarket shopping basket, there are advantages of buying your fresh food from Norwich market or the nearest Norfolk farm shop.

 

What is seasonal food?

Seasonal food simply means eating fruit and vegetables at the right time – their natural time. Meat and fish can also be eaten seasonally when they are most available and at their best age. Mainly, eating seasonal food means eating the best quality fruit and vegetables money can buy.

 

What’s great about seasonal food?

In short, seasonal fruit and vegetables are tastier, fresher, more nutritional, and more natural. Strawberries, peas, and apples are sweeter when they’re picked at the right time. Generally, fruit holds far more nutritional value if it is left to ripen on the plant, as it would naturally. Plants left to grow in their natural seasonal patterns tend to be more resistant to disease and will, therefore, produce stronger, better quality fruit. Eating fruit and vegetables at the right time of the year also allows for a varied and interesting diet without too much effort.

 

What’s in season this month?

Good comprehensive guides indicating which fruit and vegetables are naturally available in which months can be found on most nutritional websites. For now, here is a list of what tastes the best in autumnal September: blackberries, apples, figs, rhubarb, pears, elderberries, carrots, aubergines, parsnips, spinach, kale, and cabbage.

SARAH BULMAN
WRITER