Before global transportation was as quick and commonplace as it is today, eating seasonally and locally were just things everyone did. Now many people are sadly out of touch with seasonal eating. Eating seasonally has a huge array of benefits for the health, wealth and happiness of both you and the planet.
Eating with the seasons brings variety to your diet — and that helps you get the full complement of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that nature offers. This means you're getting fruits and vegetables that haven't had time to lose their flavour or their health benefits by sitting in a shipping container for a trip across the ocean.What keeps the quality of seasonal food up can also keep it's cost down: The food is grown closer to you so it costs less to transport; it is easier to store and less likely spoil on its trip. This cuts down on the cost of the produce in terms of it’s environmental impact too.
The inverse is true for foods that are out of season. They have to be shipped from around the world to get to you, usually picked before they ripen so they survive the long trip (or allowed to mature while they travel).
Getting started
We have a couple of tricks up our sleeve to help ease you into a more natural way of eating.>
What to eat when
Getting to know which fruit and vegetables are in season at each time of year is the obvious place to start. This Eat Seasonably Calendar gives a visual introduction to what's in season in the UK for each month of the year. The Grown in Britain Cookbook also provides a monthly guide to the food in season, an introduction to varieties commonly grown in the UK, and some great recipes.A good way to get to grips with what is in season is with a local vegetable box scheme. Be sure to pick one which uses all or mostly local produce. Our Gert British Vegetable Box is made up of all British vegetables with as many from the local area as possible.
Alternatively a weekly trip to your nearest farmers’ market is another simple way to stock up on seasonal groceries. Local farmers generally sell food as it becomes available — it’s often picked that morning. You can’t get fresher than that!
Learning curve
A pleasant side-effect of eating what's in season is that you get a wider variety of foods in your diet. Those foods can broaden your palate, for one, but they may also expose you to dishes and ingredients you may not have otherwise explored.
If you are struggling to know how to prepare this seasonal food there are lots of fun interactive ways to learn:Throughout the year Jo Ingleby (BBC Cook of the year) will be coming to the farm and teaching us how make the best of what the season has to offer with her Seasonal Plot to Plate days. She will be cooking up a storm with the little ones at her Pick, Cook and Eat! Children’s Cookery Day (30 October) and helping us eat, drink and be merry this Christmas with her Festive Family Cookery Day (19 December).
At home you can try making a family cookbook using the recipes you try throughout the year, organized by winter, spring, summer and autumn. Involve your kids by including their photos and drawings of the beautiful produce you’ve sampled — you’ll be inspired to cook (and eat!) your way through the seasons again and again.
Waste not want not
This weekend (24-25 October) The Community Farm will be taking part in Bristol 2015 Lab’s Pumpkin Rescue.
The Pumpkin Rescue is a celebration of food, one set on carving up Halloween conventions by giving good reason to combat the 18,000 tonnes of edible pumpkin that we waste each Halloween.There will be two days of workshops, demonstrations and alternative vegetable carving to highlight the humble pumpkin, and food waste in general, with some of the best Bristol-based chefs.
Come and learn how to make your pumpkin waste taste delicious. After all the best way to save a pumpkin is to eat it!
