To ask which fruit/veg are seasonal

[dolphinhusband]

Not an AIBU, but posting for traffic. Apologies

In lieu of the recent report on climate change, and the fact I've been trying reduce plastic and zero waste, I was wondering which fruits and veg are seasonal, and those that are how do I make sure they're UK grown? Or are all seasonal items UK grown?

LMGTFY: www.bbcgoodfood.com/seasonal-calendar/all

They'll have a label on the food telling you country/region of origin. Some even name the farm if it's especially local.

If you get an organic veg box through the likes of abel and cole or riverford, you can specify seasonal and UK only. They also dont use plastic if you dont want them to.

If you simply google ‘seasonal fruit and veg uk’ you will be able to find out.
You simply have to look on the packaging /shelf labels to see the country of origin. Just because something is in season does not automatically make it up grown -for example, UK cherries ( often grown in Kent) have a short season and are beautiful. Yet most shops will be selling Spanish/Peruvian/Californian cherries.

I buy seasonally simply because it tastes better and it’s what we should be doing! It’s madness to eat strawberries all year round. If you just eat them when they are in season you enjoy them so much more. I gorge myself on asparagus , broad beans and jersey potatoes when they are in season and then don’t buy asparagus again until it’s in season again next year.

But you ABU to post this here when you could have just used google or posted in food.

At the moment at UK apples,pears,carrots,parsnips,courgettes,squash,raspberries,damsons,potatoes,swede,lettuce,rocket,chillies,peppersturnip,onions,garlic,beetroot,tomatoes and probably a few others that I've missed.
Ask in 2 months when the list will be smaller!

All things are seasonal unless grown in poly tunnels. The point is that some things store well for long periods (potatoes / apples etc) so these things can easily be eaten all year round.

As above, look at the country of origin. It will either be on the packaging, or if it's loose fruit/veg, then will be on the shelf edge label. Also look at country of origin of meat.

If possible, see if you have a local farm shop type place - these can be a cheap source of local veg (and of course can also be very expensive if the fashionable type of place!). Near me i have 1 that sells proper local veg / meat and it's very reasonably priced - and 1 that sells over priced mediocre stuff.

Do you mean now? It changes from season to season. Some helpful posts and links above. My tomatoes are still growing in the garden and I’ve been able to buy British raspberries and strawberries recently. There are also tonnes of lists online.

All seasonal fruit and veg is not UK grown, no. Shops are obliged to declare the country of origin of fruit and veg, should be on the label by the loose stuff. This UK tomato season the shops had tomatoes from Spain and Morocco alongside the more expensive UK grown ones. Doesn't make sense does it when they grow so prolifically here, same for courgettes, apples and loads more. It also is strange that shops, or rather those people who make decisions about what goes on sale, seem to think we want all fruit and all veg to be available all year round, taking away the joy of the first strawberry or new potato. I don't want strawberries at christmas and rock hard peaches all year round.

There's an argument that greenhouse grown UK tomatoes use more energy than transported S European ones, so it's not all straightforward.

Vegetable-wise, we're coming to the end of the UK season for beans, courgettes etc and moving into the cabbages and roots season. Then comes the "hungry gap" which is when you're coming to the end of the roots and winter cabbages, but not yet harvesting the first of the summer crops - strangely, the "hungry gap" isn't in winter, when you'd expect it, but in the late spring when outside everything is bursting into life again.

Thank you everyone, and sorry for the late reply

To one poster, yes I did google but I thought I'd get the opinions of actual human beings as well

I have found a local veg/fruit delivery service who doesn't use plastic as well. Bonus!

Your help is very much appreciated.

@Mere I agree that is strange. The hungry gap isn't something I've heard of before (think of me at beginning level ) but I'll have a look into it

That's shocking that some imported stuff is better than UK grown

By the time you’ve written this post you could have googled it

@Cronesquerness that's one of the things I hate, that choice is taken away from us. I'd love to wait for the fruit/veg that'll come in season in months time and enjoy it even more.

Like you say, out of season stuff is horrid

By the time you’ve written this post you could have googled it

I did before I wrote this post, but I wanted actual human input too. I do apologise. Where would the world be without google!

dolphin if you agree out of season stuff is horrid, you must know what it is surely? And there’s nothing taking the choice to wait for in season fruit and veg away from you - you can still do that. You have the choice not To wait, but there’s noth8ng stopping you waiting.

If you wander past an allotment you'll be able to see.
I'm picking tomatoes and green beans (grown outdoors down south) and digging up the last few spuds. But they'll keep for a bit. And a leek is still in.
I've not bough many bagged salads lately. I stagger seed sowing in troughs in the garden and have it fresh from may to Sept.
No fertilisers, bug sprays or anything.