You might have heard about “eating the rainbow” – choosing as many different colours of fruit and vegetables as possible to squeeze the most health benefits from them. And if you’ve thought about giving it a go, now is the ideal time to try it, as spring’s beautiful weather means this season’s veg, from bright-red radishes to earthy purple aubergines, are bursting with vibrant colour.
Although we’ve become used to the luxury of eating our favourite vegetables year-round, when the veg you pick for your plate is seasonal and locally produced, you know it’s as fresh as possible, has been grown to UK standards, and has a smaller carbon footprint.
It’s also a way of helping our farmers stay on their feet during a difficult time for food producers everywhere, and reduces the food waste caused by the temporary closure of cafes and restaurants across the UK due to coronavirus.
Next time you fill your basket, consider choosing a vibrant range of veg to add a rainbow to your plate that will offer hope to local producers. And once you’ve taken the vegetables home, here are some great ways to whip them up.
Radishes
In season from June until October, radishes are the ideal fiery salad staple, adding vibrant pinky-red hues to your plate. For such a diminutive vegetable, they’re highly nutritious, and packed with antioxidants. Pairing well with fennel and rocket, both of which are also in season this month, the radish’s roots in the mustard family give it a peppery bite which has enough flavour to elevate salads out of the ordinary. For extra crunch, soak your radishes in iced water before slicing – or simply bite into them whole.
Summer squash
We tend to turn to squash in colder weather, but summer squashes – with soft, edible skin in shades of yellow and green – are ideal for creating dishes well-suited to summer. Less well-known varieties include crookneck and scallop, as well as the more familiar courgette, all light in calories thanks to their high water content, and a great source of vitamin C and fibre. Chilled soup with a swirl of creme fraiche, light pasta with lemon and courgette, and salads sprinkled with feta are all great vehicles for summer squash.
Carrots
A staple in every British kitchen, carrots are rarely seen as a seasonal vegetable – but they’re at their best right now up until the end of September. Treat carrots with care, and you’ll be rewarded with great flavour, as well as some tasty health benefits. Roast baby carrots with honey and tahini yogurt, make them into soups, pasta sauces and patties, or bake them into a carrot cake – just don’t boil them until they’re limp and lifeless.
Globe artichoke
Artichoke hearts are packed with flavour, loaded with vitamins and minerals, and very low-fat – providing you’re not eating them jarred in oil. Preparing fresh artichoke takes time, but is worth it: strip off the tough outer leaves and slice a thick wedge off the base, remove the stem and scoop out the thistley choke to reveal the white heart in the middle. Once prepped, the globe artichokes can be shaved into salads, barbecued whole, or simmered and served simply with buttery hollandaise.
Asparagus
Arguably the most British of all vegetables, asparagus’s lease hath all too short a date, famously flourishing from St George’s Day in April into mid June. Tasting of summer itself, the stalks are best eaten unadulterated, steamed with a little butter and a grinding of black pepper, or eaten raw.
Cabbage
Regarded by most of us as a winter vegetable, cabbage is actually in season year-round, and is joined in June by more vitamin-packed green leafy goodness in the form of chard, savoy cabbage and spring greens. But rather than automatically thinking of coleslaw, try getting creative with cabbage by shredding it into duck salad, charring chunks with butter as an alternative side dish, or using it to make a zingy kimchi to top eggs, rice and Asian-style burgers.
Mangetout
Also known as snow or sugar peas, mangetout comes into its own for just three months a year, from June to August. Infinitely snackable and enjoyed by most children, these young garden peas can be thrown into stir fries, shredded into noodle salads, and are especially good eaten raw with all kinds of dips. Keep a fresh bag in your fridge, and you’ll find yourself crunching through them at an alarming rate.
Fennel
Considered by many to be a superfood thanks to its antioxidant properties, the aniseed notes of fennel can be divisive – but there are myriad ways of preparing it if you’re a fan. The classic way to serve fennel when it’s in season is shaved into a salad with other crisp, watery vegetables such as cucumber and celery, often topped with dill to accentuate the anise flavour. It’s also a great partner for seafood dishes, such as a light smoked trout salad.
Watercress
From April until September, watercress is in season in the UK, ready to add a slightly bitter, peppery crunch to salads, wraps and sandwiches, or to be blended with veg and potatoes to make a soup whose vivid green colour makes it particularly popular with children. For such an unassuming leaf, it’s also a nutritional powerhouse, crammed with iron, calcium and vitamins C, A and E.
Aubergine
Packed with fibre and a great source of vitamins B1 and B6, aubergines are incredibly versatile and a great carrier of flavour. And there’s no question about the best way to prepare them: char the glossy skin over a naked flame until the outside blisters and the inside collapses into tender folds, and you’ve got a pile of sweet, smoky flesh ready to be turned into baba ganoush or stirred into pasta. Delicious.
Search #SeasonalVeg for more information.
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