In Season this month – May
Asparagus, broccoli, carrots, chicory, elderflowers, new potatoes, peas, radishes, rhubarb, rocket, samphire, spinach, spring onions, watercress
Why we should eat the seasons
Every month I am going to be telling you about the great fruit and vegetables that are in season and the benefits of some of the great produce you can buy. There will be a delicious recipe using some of the month’s fresh produce for you to try in my recipe of the month. Don’t forget to check me out on Instagram @suzannahjacksonnutrition for even more health tips and recipes.
So let’s kick off with May which brings us lots of lovely fresh fruit and vegetables and a particular favourite of mine are radishes. UK grown radishes add a delicious crunch to your salad and the peppery taste stimulates the production of saliva which aids good digestion. I have created a delicious Ginger Noodle with Radish recipe for you to try so check it out in my news section.
There are many benefits to eating seasonally, but one main reason is when you eat locally and seasonally you know you are eating the freshest, most abundantly available produce. It is better for everyone – you get the tastiest veg, the local farmer benefits and food miles (the distance our food has to travel from the farm to your fork) decreases so you get to save the environment, too. Another unexpected benefit is to reconnect to nature’s seasonal cycle. If you have children, this is especially important as it teaches that food does grow at specific times, a hard concept to grasp when imports from all around the globe ensure that supermarket shelves look the same practically every week of the year.
Where to buy seasonally
Farmers’ markets are usually a great place to find local seasonal veg, but for now consider getting an organic veg box delivered if you can. It’ll teach you super fast when food is in season, you’ll get some of the best produce available in your area and delivered to your door, and it will wake you up to the magic of cooking.
Inviting a veg box into your life forces you to try something new, and this can be very invigorating. Of course, you can pick and choose the types of ingredients you want and avoid having things added that your family hates, but I urge you to have a go and see what happens.
The following offer a huge variety of veg-only or fruit and veg boxes, some even with a ‘pick your own’ element where you can pick and choose exactly how much of what you have