I never really appreciated rhubarb until I started seriously getting into eating local food, what with fruit from anywhere in the world being available effectively all the time, but now I really look forward to the spring crop, which comes so much earlier than any other fruit. Having eaten mainly stored apples all winter (and my stored cox’s are still going strong!) – although I have been eating oranges and bananas during the periods when I wasn’t officially eating local – it was such a joy to get rhubarb again! It is a really beautiful, glowing colour; stewed with honey and mixed into my porridge, it is absolutely delicious! Simon’s stall in the Sunday market has some, although, as Helen mentioned, you have to get there early!
The sweetness of anticipation
It really is one of the unexpected joys of eating local food, looking forward to the new season’s fruit and vegetables. It’s now the asparagus season, although I haven’t yet bought any here. (I’ve just got back from three weeks in Switzerland and when we were in Ticino, the Italian part on the other side of the Alps, the spring was really advanced and we ate local asparagus and wild strawberries.)
Last week Dave Fox brought salad leaves and baby radishes from his allotment polytunnel to our Transition Carbon Conversations final get-together and the radishes looked (and tasted) so perfect.
My five exceptions to local seasonal produce
- puy lentils
- gluten-free bread (no gluten-free flour to be had locally!)
- dried spices (black pepper, chilli, cumin – as they weigh practically nothing and are used in such small quantities, I thought it would be okay to count them as one this time, but maybe that’s cheating! It’s just that it makes such a difference to flavouring vegetables stews!)
- garlic – I can’t wait until the local garlic season!
- chickpeas
Posted by Bev