What’s in Season – February
We are back with your favourite feature about What’s in Season, where we cover what produce is ready for harvesting and give you tips for seasonal dishes to make. We do this as part of our goal to engage you all with creating a positive impact on the environment – and what better way to engage people than with food!
By shopping locally and in season,
- Your food won’t have to travel as far so fuel emissions and transportation costs are minimal.
- This food is fresher, tastes better and is more nutritious.
- You support your local economy.
Now we know the basics, let’s dive in. February is an action-packed month with Pancake Day (21st Feb) and, like it or not, it’s Valentine’s Day too. This can be the perfect opportunity to cook and impress someone special or simply avoid those crowded restaurants and save some money.
Here is February’s Produce at a Glance:
Click on the links to find out recipes to try.
Our Favourite Recipes to Try
Spring onions
TRY: Sweetcorn, feta and spring onion pancakes
The best savoury pancakes idea! Sabrina Ghayour, a British-Iranian chef, food writer and author, has developed this quick, easy and flavoursome savoury pancake recipe made with sweetcorn, feta and spring onion. A quirky yet delicious combination of salty and sweet flavours comes from the addition of bacon and maple syrup, resulting in a recipe perfect for an exciting pancake day brunch.
Swede
Developed in Sweden in the 17th century, a swede is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. Store them in a brown paper bag in the fridge to keep them fresh for at least a week.
TRY: Curried swede soup – This curried swede and coconut soup is the perfect winter warmer to enjoy with freshly baked crusty bread.
Kale
Kale has risen in popularity due to its robust texture and high nutritional content. Shred it into a salad, roast it into crisps or simmer it into soups. Remove any tough middle ribs or stalks as they can be quite chewy if not given enough time to soften.
TRY: Feta and kale börek – Make the most of the seasonal superfood kale by combining it with salty feta in this filo pastry tart. Serve with leafy salads for an easy veggie dinner.
Carrots
British carrots are available in the shops for nearly 12 months of the year, from early to mid-June when the new British season starts right through to May, and 95% of the carrots in our supermarkets are home grown, so if you’re keen to buy British then you’d better pop some carrots in your shopping basket.
TRY: Carrot lemonade – A simple, sweet cordial you can make from leftover carrots. Don’t throw the grated carrots away after steeping – bake up a delicious carrot cake.
Salsify
Salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius) is a seasonal root vegetable, belonging to the dandelion family. It has a long tapered root and is either creamy white in colour, or the Spanish variant, which is black (scarzonera). You can eat the leaves raw and freshly picked, but it is the root that was once a highly prized food source, dating back to Roman times. It was thought in the middle ages that it could even cure snakebites!
Which recipe are you going to try first? Let us know on our Instagram @WeAreArc. Happy seasonal cooking everyone!