This 'Eat the Rainbow' thing.

[restingintheshade]

I have been trying to eat more seasonally in recent years so am aware of what I can source locally, etc.
And that isn't a complex and colourful array of seasonal veg!
I could definitely do more digging, if you'll pardon the pun, but how on earth can one make a bloody veg rainbow from UK winter produce?

I do think it is a wonderful idea to incorporate a ton of varied veg into the diet, but it slightly conflicts with seasonal/local eating. Obvs, there are a lot of very colourful fruits that appear in supermarkets through winter that are travelling around the world..

I know that the '30 plants a week' concept includes seeds, coffee, spices, etc, so that's somewhat easier to fathom.

Is this rainbow idea compatible with 'true' seasonal eating? I can think of tomatoes, carrots.... peppers occasionally pop up.

No one will tell you off if you don't eat a sodding rainbow of veg in winter. Don't get sucked into orthorexia.

Red onions
Carrots (heritage varieties if you grow your own red and purple)
Brussel sprouts
Tomatoes grown on a windowsill? (Low yield though)
Apples last in the fridge.
Red/green cabbage?

Frozen veg is your winter friend!

Squashes store well.

But yes it is not easy.

My aunt who grows almost all her own food manages to freeze/tin or jar lots of her fruit and veg over the summer and eats it all winter, if you’re really committed to local eating can you look at how to safely store food?

Red cabbage, carrots, swedes, turnips, green cabbage, apples, pears, plums - which colour are you struggling to find in winter?

Yeh, I love sprouts, and do a lot of roasts in the colder months. Parsnips are a firm favourite here, and well seasoned carrots.

A good amount of colour in supermarkets but rarely local stuff. We have been enjoying grapes this month!

My belief is that what nature provides is quite enough and we shouldn't get sidetracked by the whole wellness marketing mania.

Did laugh at the predictable first comment associating healthy food chat with mental illness, lol.

I think it's where we are, not a great amount of grocers, just supermarkets. We drive out to a few places but not every week. Nice list there, will keep an eye open.

I dont think its a definitive guide to optimal health, its useful generally to encourage people to have a variety of fruit and vegetables rather than none or the same 1 or 2 items repeatedly which wont give a broad variety of vitamins and minerals. If youre looking to eat seasonally and eat an array of veg then it doesnt apply to you as youre already on the right track to a balanced diet.

I just eat as wide a variety as I can and as seasonal / local as I can - and also plenty of tinned (especially tomatoes and occasionally fruit) and frozen (especially green veg) fruit and veg.

In addition to the list above I'd add beetroot, citrus and tropical fruit (pineapple, mango etc) in winter.

Mm, beetroot, for some reason I had forgotten about that. Radish, too.
Nice time to create a homemade coleslaw with added chopped radish, balsamic and maybe some beets...

Even if you can't afford it, maybe have a look at what's on offer from Riverford, or one of the other veg box providers, as that will give you a good idea of what is in season.

For the winter, I think things like

Beetroot
Kale/curly kale/kalettes/cavolo nero/red Russian kale
Cabbage
Sprouts
All the different winter squashes
Carrots
Parsnips
Celeriac
Onions, red and yellow
Red cabbage
Dried beans and lentils
Swede
Turnips
Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Leeks
Broccoli
Purple
Sprouting broccoli
Sweet potatoes
Chard

As pp said go for frozen or tinned in winter.

Eating the rainbow is about getting a variety of vitamins and minerals and vegetables of the same colour generally having the same benefits.

Where I live I’ve seen people foraging for blackberries which freeze well.

Yes, I'd say I go along with this. For me, it's about avoiding obvious seasonal produce out of season, eg strawberries in winter, parsnips in summer, but I don't go to the extreme of limiting myself to what is literally growing in the fields around me at any one time, so tomatoes, for instance, I will buy all year round but maybe not as many fresh in winter as I would in summer.

Thank you, some good tips here.

I think you still can eat the rainbow in winter by sticking to mainly seasonal fruit & veg.

For veg: beetroot, carrots, dark green cabbage, red cabbage, white cabbage, sprouts, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and pumpkin, turnips and swede.

For fruit: oranges, tangerines, blackberries, apples.

Lots of tinned or frozen stuff which is almost as good as fresh - tomatoes, beans and pulses, tinned fruit, frozen berries, peas, sweetcorn, broad beans etc

How do you thaw/prepare your frozen berries?
I had a bad experience with blueberries once and only bought fresh after.
I am not the most skilled fruit chef

Another tip - red cabbage makes home-made coleslaw turn pink. 😂

I think you could still eat locally produced foods but have some summer fruits and veg which have been frozen or preserved in some way. E.g. pickles, chutneys, jams etc.

It's bullshit!

Just aim to eat a rounded, varied, whole foods diet, and ensure it's not overly beige!

I say this as someone with a lifelong interest in nutrition and fitness.

well i love my baby spuds so have got my nutritious beige covered!

Oh yes, defrosted uncooked blueberries are revolting. I did that once and they smelled of fish!

I do them straight from frozen to cooked. Blackberries can go in a crumble or pie or stewed fruit compote along with pears, apples etc. Blueberries and raspberries I either eat frozen with yoghurt or add to porridge or when baking muffins or banana bread.

red onion
Swede
turnip
peas
sweetcorn (tinned)
lentils

when they talk about this it includes fruit, pulses, nuts, seeds spices etc. so anything grown.