I’ve just got back from a trip to Italy where I made the most of the seasonal food available. Fragrant cantaloupe melons, juicy and sweet blueberries and the best tomatoes I think I’ve ever had. Pictured above is one of my favourite dishes – Caprese salad which I enjoyed in Capri in a lovely little restaurant called Le Grottelle. I also had aubergine parmigiana with this and a glass of locally produced white wine.
Here in the UK, fruit and vegetable sections of supermarkets look the same every week but behind this, there are very distinct seasonal fruits and vegetables. They contain an abundance of nutrition! As we approach autumn, look out for apples, pears, blackberries, butternut squash, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, kale, leeks, onions, parsnips, pumpkin, spinach and purple-sprouting broccoli.
5 reasons to eat seasonal food
1) The greatest joy of eating seasonally is the opportunity to reconnect with the cycle of nature and the delicious foods that our seasonal climate provides.
2) Food in season is cheaper because you are buying it when it is in abundance and it hasn’t had to travel very far.
3) Eating seasonally reduces the energy requirement (and associated CO2 emissions) needed to grow and transport the food.
4) Eating seasonal foods supports the local economy, especially produce from farmer’s markets or vegetable box schemes.
5) Seasonal food is fresher and so tends to be tastier and more nutritious, containing the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need at particular times of the year.
