Eating seasonally

Eating with the seasons is a great way to get hold of organic produce more cheaply while also reducing the footprint of your diet. September is an amazing time to start eating seasonally if you live in the UK. British soils are busy bearing the very best of two seasons’ crops – the last of the bumper summer harvest and the first of autumn’s spoils. Time to gorge on the top seasonal fruit and veg

Importing fruit and veg from around the world out of season takes a huge amount of energy, and the costs of this are reflected in the price tag of the product you’re buying. So the first step to going with the flow of the seasons is to check labels to find out which country your food has come from, then build your meals around the fruit and veg that’s being harvested in the UK right now. Not for nothing is autumn called ‘the season of mellow fruitfulness’ – there’s a rich variety of home-grown fruit and veg to choose from. Here’s the Soil Association‘s top suggestions to eating seasonally in September…

Those who grow at home will know that the courgette glut continues until October, whilst the last of the broad beans are still being harvested, and many of the salad crops such as cucumber, will also soon be coming to a close.

Broccoli’s peak season hasn’t quite arrived yet – this brassica is at it’s very best from October to April, but you’ll still find many UK-grown available in the shops. However, September is a great time to buy cauliflower and many other autumnal favourites coming into season, like celeriackaleleeksglobe artichokes, pumpkin and, of course, butternut squash.

The end of summertime is famous for its fruits in the UK. September is synonymous with blackberry  picking, and apples are starting to ripen for those autumnal pies.

Pears, figs and plums are coming into season, while the last of the summer fruits, like peaches, nectarines, blueberries and raspberries, may still be available to buy.