Seasonality: Why should we pay attention?

In the weekly food shop, many of us pick up the same items each week – a bunch of grapes, a couple of granny smiths and a box of tomatoes. We’ve come to expect them to be there come rain or shine. But, as any green-fingered readers will know, there is only a very limited number of trees and plants which are in season throughout the year. In fact, the grape season is only June to November, the apple season July to February and the tomato season May to October. So what goes on in the months in between?

A staggering 95% of fruit and 50% of vegetables eaten in the UK are shipped or flown out from countries where they are in season. Although the food reaches us in a ripe state, its nutritional value is greatly reduced because of all the time it has had to sit in transit.

And to make things worse, it is environmentally very damaging. Food transported by aviation produces around 650 million tonnes of carbon per year and shipping produces approximately 1 billion.

Then there are the hydroponic greenhouses in which plants are grown in only water and chemicals under artificial lighting and heaters. Importantly, this method has produced higher crop yields using only 5% of the amount of water used for conventional farming. However, in Britain, it is pretty unfeasible because of the high amounts of electricity needed to pump heat and light into the greenhouses outside of the summer months.

Putting ripe foods into storage when they are in season avoids notching up food miles and struggling to grow out of season. But. because of the storage conditions and the sanitation treatments (most often bleach), food often lacks nutrients and flavour and takes on more of a mushy consistency.

So what’s the solution? Gordon Ramsay and eco warriors think that the answer lies in paying attention to the seasons. And, this little nugget of wisdom can really help the struggling student budget. Because in-season foods can be grown locally, they will save on transportation costs and charge you, the consumer, less. On top of this, they are more likely to be fresher, more nutritious and more flavoursome, resulting in a more varied, eco-friendly and healthy diet. The Soil Association has stated that this is a “key step in cutting the environmental impact of our food”. So don’t be what Gordon Ramsay has labelled a “lazy eater”, look out for the fruits and vegetables which are in season and check out the termly seasonality lists below.

Autumn Term

Spring Term

Summer Term

Add Comment

You must log in to submit a comment.