What's in season in May?

May is one of the seasons I love the most.  British produce is starting to creep back into the shops and although we still have the occasional cold day, summer feels like it really could be just around the corner.

What's in season in April

How is it April already?  There is blossom on the trees and it genuinely feels as though spring is here and summer can't be far away.  Spring is such a great part of the year, lighter evenings, the promise of warm weather to come, summer holidays may be months away but they feel measurably closer than a few months back.

The shelves of the shops start to change too and by the end of the month greenhouse soft fruits become more common and more flavourful.

Here are my pick of the ingredients to cook with this month.

What's in season in March?

March, the hungry gap continues.  March is a difficult month for the seasonal eater, especially if you would stick only to UK produce.

What's in season in February?

February is that time of year UK farmers used to call "the hungry gap".  The season when there was little fresh produce.  Indeed at this time of year, there is little UK grown seasonal vegetables on the shelves.

For the ethical consumer this does provide us with a quandary; of course buy what UK produce there is but with the advent of new farming methods including heated poly tunnels and imported foods, there is still a lot of variety on the shelves.  It's tricky because the environmental consequence of importing foods is not the same for different products.  Some fruits and vegetables can be transported by boat, others have to be air freighted.  The difference in environmental impact from air freighted produce to home grown but in heated poly tunnels to boats.  It's a tricky balance to strike but by boat certainly seems to be the more logical answer.

But before we think of importing foods, there are two great things on my shopping list this month.

What's in season in January?

So the Christmas decorations are finally down.  The festive food is away.  There is no need to be downcast though because there are lovely ingredients in tip top condition right now.

What's in season in December?

Ah Christmas approaches, so what is in season?

What's in season in November?

I can't believe it's November already!  Where has the year gone?  At the start of November, you can just about convince yourself it's still autumn, by the end we could be into the first hard frosts or even snow and thoughts start to turn to Christmas preparations.

November is perfect for root vegetables and parsnips are first on my list.

What's in season in October?

October is here and it's one of my favourite months for produce in the UK.  There are still British soft fruits available from poly tunnels, the end of the blackberry season and crisp apples from the trees are still at their best.  While it's the end of one season it's also the start of the next and that wonderful golden period when so much local food is available is fantastic.

Kale

But this is when we start to get the cruciferous vegetables coming to the fore.  I am no trend follower, I've been eating kale for years.  Kale is just a more flavourful cabbage basically.  Rumours as to it's superfood status have been highly inflated in my opinion.

What's in season in September?

Ah September... as we drift into this month summer starts to fade and become a distant memory.  If we're lucky in the UK we'll still have a few warm days but generally the cardies are going on and someone in the family starts looking wistfully at the heating controls.

But this month is also a season of bounty.  Everything from home gardens to hedgerows are groaning with produce.  The wild blackberries are still bountiful and what better than apples to have with them?

What's in season in August?

August is in full flow and the tomatoes and courgettes are still adorning our plates.  Also due to different methods of growing the UK strawberry season now extends far beyond Wimbledon fortnight but here are a few things coming into season now.

What's in season in July?

Another great month is already 1 week in.  So what am I eating?

July is a real month of plenty.  Berries are in the shops and at their best and cheapest at this time of year.  Tomatoes are still on song (or still taking blooming ages to get going if they're in my greenhouse.)

What's in season in June?

I have to admit that even being very aware of the seasons, I don't always eat seasonal food but I thought that it would be a good idea in a new recurring feature to look at some of my favourite seasonal food from the month ahead.

June is a lovely month for produce, the sun (supposedly) is shining, the days are at their longest and the garden is finally looking fertile.  Or, as happens sometimes in the UK, it's bloody cold, the heating is back on and I'm sat on my sofa in a fleece.

But let's be positive and think to the sunnier days ahead of summery foods!