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You may or may not have heard the call to ‘eat seasonally’.
In a world of 24-hour supermarkets, where the shelves are stocked with produce from every corner of the world every single day, it can be easy to forget about how and when things grow.
After all, our favourite fruits and vegetables always seem to be there and ready for us to pop in the trolley.
But did you know there are some huge benefits to eating with the seasons?
The concept of eating seasonally is actually really simple. It involves eating foods that are grown at the same time as you eat them.
As most fruits and vegetables are being grown somewhere in the world at any one time, eating seasonally more specifically concerns eating produce that’s being grown right now - locally.
The main aim of this? To minimise the time it takes for the fresh produce you buy to get from the ground or the tree to your plate.
If you are on the fence as to whether or not you should start eating seasonally, check out some of our top benefits below.
First and foremost, eating seasonally could keep your wallet heavier.
When fruits and vegetables are out of season in your area, they either have to be grown in managed conditions or transported from the other side of the world.
Both of these processes cost lots of money, and that cost gets passed on to you – the consumer.
When you eat seasonally, local produce can be grown in natural conditions and easily transported to the point of sale, making it much more affordable.
You’d be surprised how far some foods have to travel to ensure they’re on the shelves 365 days a year.
Out of season fruit and veg can spend days and weeks travelling to get to you, and this comes with a price.
Either they’re picked earlier than they should be so that they’re ready on arrival, or they spoil a little on the way. Whichever happens – flavour and freshness are compromised on-route.
Seasonal produce comes such a short distance that it doesn’t spoil on the way to you. It’s harvested at the very best time, so taste is maximised.
For the same reason, seasonal fruit and veg taste better, it’s also healthier.
It’s no surprise that being locked in cargo holds and shipping containers for days, in order to reach us, does nothing for the nutritional content of the food.
In fact, in many cases it’s detrimental.
As a rule of thumb; the fresher the better, and you can’t get much fresher than eating seasonally-grown local produce.
When you buy foods out of season, the profits are swallowed up by the grower, the transporter and the retailer – and it’s a safe bet that none of these are based in your local area.
Growers in your region don’t down tools out of season; they’ll be churning out fruit and veg all year round.
By buying what they produce, you’ll constantly be feeding the profits back into your own community.
Be it by plane, train or automobile – when food has to come a long way to get to you, it comes with a carbon footprint.
Of course, every apple you buy has had a journey to get to the store.
It’s a safe bet that the apple that’s come from a farm 50 miles away as it’s in season here, compared with one that’s had to come from South Africa, has had a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable trip.
When you make a concerted effort to eat seasonally, you’ll find yourself introduced to foods and dishes that you may not have considered before.
It’s often said that limitation is the key to creativity; who knows what meals you might end up rustling up. As the seasons change, you’ll get plenty of variety in your diet too.
Working out what’s seasonal in your area might seem difficult, but it’s easier than you think.
For great ideas on how to prepare your seasonal fruit and veg, check out some of our delicious recipes.
To help you out on your seasonal eating journey, here is a month to month guide on the fruits and vegetables you should eat every month in the UK.1
Here are the fruits you should buy every month in the UK.2
Month | Seasonal fruit |
---|---|
January |
Apples and pears |
February |
Apples and pears |
March |
Rhubarb |
April |
Rhubarb |
May |
Rhubarb and strawberries |
June |
Blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries, redcurrants, rhubarb, strawberries and tayberries |
July |
Blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, cherries, gooseberries, raspberries, redcurrants, rhubarb and strawberries |
August |
Blackberries, blackcurrants, cherries, loganberries, plums, raspberries, redcurrants, rhubarb and strawberries |
September |
Blackberries, raspberries, rhubarb and strawberries |
October |
Apples, blackberries, elderberries and pears |
November |
Apples, cranberries, elderberries and pears |
December |
Apples and pears |
Here are the vegetables you should buy every month in the UK.3
Month | Seasonal vegetables |
---|---|
January |
Beetroot, brussels sprouts, carrots, celeriac, celery, chicory, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, red cabbage, salsify, savoy cabbage, spring greens, spring onions, squash, swedes, turnips and white cabbage |
February |
Beetroot, brussels sprouts, carrots, celeriac, chicory, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, purple sprouting broccoli, red cabbage, salsify, savoy cabbage, spring greens, spring onions, squash, swedes and white cabbage |
March |
Artichoke, beetroot, carrots, chicory, cucumber, leeks, parsnip, purple sprouting broccoli, radishes, sorrel, spring greens, spring onions and watercress |
April |
Artichoke, beetroot, carrots, chicory, new potatoes, kale, morel mushrooms, parsnips, radishes, rocket, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring onions and watercress |
May |
Artichoke, asparagus, aubergine, beetroot, chicory, chillies, lettuce, marrow, new potatoes, peas, peppers, radishes, rocket, samphire, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring onions, sweetheart cabbage and watercress |
June |
Asparagus, aubergine, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, cauliflower, chicory, chillies, courgettes, cucumber, lettuce, marrow, new potatoes, peas, peppers, radishes, rocket, runner beans, samphire, sorrel, spring onions, summer squash, sweetheart cabbage, swiss chard, turnips and watercress |
July |
Aubergine, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, chicory, chillies, courgettes, cucumber, greengages, fennel, french beans, garlic, kohlrabi, new potatoes, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, rocket, runner beans, samphire, sorrel, spring greens, spring onions, summer squash, sweetheart cabbage, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips and watercress |
August |
Aubergine, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, chicory, chillies, courgettes, cucumber, fennel, french beans, garlic, greengages, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mangetout, marrow, mushrooms, parsnips, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, rocket, runner beans, samphire, sorrel, spring greens, spring onions, summer squash, sweetcorn, sweetheart cabbage, swiss chard, tomatoes, watercress and white cabbage |
September |
Aubergine, beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, celery, courgettes, chicory, chillies, cucumber, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mangetout, marrow, onions, parsnips, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, red cabbage, rocket, runner beans, samphire, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring onions, summer squash, sweetcorn, sweetheart cabbage, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, wild mushrooms and white cabbage |
October |
Aubergine, beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chestnuts, chicory, chillies, courgette, cucumber, kale, leeks, lettuce, marrow, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, quince, radishes, red cabbage, rocket, runner beans, salsify, savoy cabbage, spinach, spring greens, spring onions, summer squash, swede, sweetcorn, sweetheart cabbage, swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, wild mushrooms, winter squash and white cabbage |
November |
Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chestnuts, chicory, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, quince, red cabbage, salsify, savoy cabbage, swede, swiss chard, turnips, watercress, wild mushrooms, winter squash and white cabbage |
December |
Beetroot, brussels sprouts, carrots, celeriac, celery, chestnuts, chicory, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, potatoes, pumpkin, quince, red cabbage, salsify, savoy cabbage, swede, swiss chard, turnips, watercress, winter squash and white cabbage |
Disadvantages of seasonal foods are few and far between, but the following factors are something you should be aware of:
But we think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages!
Yes! If anything, seasonal foods are more suitable for most, especially if you’re trying to save money or improve your health.
They may not be suitable for those with not a lot of spare time to be cooking / planning though, although it gets easier with time.
Wondering how many portions of fruit and veg we should eat a day? And how big the portion sizes are? We can help with that.
Read more
Last updated: 29 September 2021