Seasonal eating – July – The Earthbound Report

We’re into the good stuff in July, with new potatoes and carrots everywhere, joined by courgettes, brocolli, and a chorus of broad, French and Runner beans. Cucumbers, cauliflower, cabbages and lettuces continue, and you may find an aubergine or two.

Lots of summer berries to enjoy too, with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants.

Basically, you’re spoilt for choice in the summer.

I did learn an interesting thing about seasonality the other day though, about how easily it can be exploited. Asparagus is in season in June in the UK, and I popped into a Sainsbury’s near the station to pick some up on my way home. In the vegetable section was a great big ‘point of sale’ display with a banner saying ‘British season’, and boxes of asparagus in crates with a union jack patterned inlay. Great. Except that the crates were full of Peruvian asparagus. All of it, except for a tiny row of organic asparagus on the top shelf, 5% perhaps of the total display.

Seasonal food sells, in London anyway, but it’s still a good deal cheaper for the supermarkets to ship from Peru and grow all year round then move suppliers back and forth. But they still want to kudos of saying it’s seasonal. In my mind, selling Peruvian asparagus in union jack packaging is an insult to well meaning shoppers, to UK farmers, to Peruvian Farmers, and to asparagus too, why not, as British asparagus is something of a delicacy.

So, look at the labels on the actual products if you can, and watch out for devious supermarkets.