I have decided to shed some light on seasonal fruit and vegetables in the UK. Food seasonality is something that a lot of people are unaware of, especially the impacts that importing and forced growth has on the environment. Along with my monthly wildlife to spot in the UK, I also want to introduce fruit and vegetables to eat in each season. Currently, I will only be writing posts in the UK but I definitely want to expand to other countries and produce a full calendar. Without further ado, here are the seasonal fruit and vegetables to eat in spring!
Featured photo by Peter Wendt on Unsplash
Do you look at the label on your food to see where it’s from before putting it in your basket? Are you aware of what is currently seasonal? Do you look out for your country’s flag on the packaging? Do you know which foods in your fridge/cupboards are from your country? I’m sure that most people’s answers will be no to, most if not all, the questions above. I don’t blame you, we aren’t taught about the seasonality of fruit and vegetables. I have an idea of what is in season and what isn’t because my parents have an allotment. But to most people, food is placed in their basket because they want the product. It’s fair enough, but the carbon footprint of a product imported can be huge!
What is seasonal produce?
Seasonal produce is food that is sold and eaten shortly after it has been harvested, Countries that have warmer climates tend to have more seasonal produce but we have some key staples in the UK!
What impact does out of season produce have on the environment?
There are many ways that out of season produce can have an impact on the environment.
Air miles – Produce that isn’t in season here but is something that consumers want results in it being imported from thousands of miles away. These miles produce a lot of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane which then increases the carbon footprint of the produce.
Forced growth – Forced growth is when produce has been grown in a country where the climate isn’t suitable so an artificial climate is created. For example, tomatoes are grown in the UK in extremely hot greenhouses which require a lot of energy to maintain. The produce will say they are grown in the UK, which isn’t a lie, but sometimes the carbon footprint can be higher than if it was imported.
It is so hard to win in these situations, which is why I think it would be so good to have the carbon footprint on the packaging!
What fruit and vegetables are in season in spring?
Winter is over and the weather is beginning to get warmer which means a few new fruit and vegetables are in season in spring! Although March, April and May are all spring months, they have different climates as it builds up to summer. To make it super simple, I’m going to split up the months.
March
It may be over half way through March, but it’s never too late to eat in season!
- Artichoke
- Beetroot
- Carrots
- Chicory (my favourite!)
- Cucumber
- Leeks
- Parsnips
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Radishes
- Rhubarb
- Sorrel
- Spring greens – kale, spinach
- Spring onions
- Watercress
April
The list for fruit and vegetables in season in April are very similar to those in March.
- Artichoke
- Beetroot
- Carrots
- Chicory
- New potatoes
- Parsnips
- Radishes
- Rhubarb
- Rocket
- Sorrel
- Spring greens – kale, spinach
- Spring onions
- Watercress
Related post: How to reduce food waste
May
In May, there will be a few more fruits and vegetables in season because it’s almost summer and the climate is warming up more,
- Artichoke
- Asparagus
- Aubergine
- Beetroot
- Chicory
- Chilli
- Cucumber
- Elderflower
- Lettuce
- New potatoes
- Pak choi
- Peas
- Peppers
- Radishes
- Rhubarb
- Rocket
- Samphire – salty suculent, best boiled/steamed
- Sorrel
- Spring greens – bok choy (white cabbage), spinach
- Spring onions
- Strawberries
- Sweetheart cabbage (pointed cabbage)
- Watercress
It is really hard to eat all in season food, especially because a lot of our staples are imported. The vegetables that I eat most of are broccoli, mushrooms, kale, cucumber, peppers and avocado (yes avocado!). These aren’t always in season, which of course increases my carbon footprint. As much as I want to eat only food that is in season, that is pretty impossible. But, I think it’s useful to know which fruit and vegetables are in season so that we can eat more of those and explore recipes with them in.
Related post: How I became a vegetarian in recovery
Next months freebie will be a checklist of the seasonal fruit and vegetables in spring so make sure you are subscribed!
Were any of these surprising to you?
Best wishes, Cx
This is such an informative post. I’m saving it in my recipe folder.
I’m starting to buy more fresh veggies now & using my slow cooker more. It’s so convenient.
Thank you!
This reminds me of the small, independent family-run fresh fruit and vegetable shops I used to go to when I lived/grew up in Cornwall, UK. There aren’t any like that where I currently live (Ohio, USA) so I really miss it! I love the variety and range of things on offer!
I love fruit & veg shops! Especially as they are normally plastic-free too.
This is such a lovely idea! I think eating in season is something I definitely want to do more of, like you said it would be pretty impossible to only do that but I definitely want to up it. I can’t wait until strawberries are back in season in May, haha! Thank you so much for sharing x
Thank you, me too x
This is such a lovely post and I learnt so much about which fruit and vegetables are in season for each month of Spring! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you x
This post is so informative and motivational! I do look at how far my produce is coming from and try to eat local and seasonal as much as possible (including growing much of my own produce in season). Thanks for sharing.
Oh that’s great! x
This is a really helpful post when thinking about dinner ideas and recipes. Thank you for sharing the great information about what is in season! I am looking forward to more things coming into season.
Lauren – bournemouthgirl
Thank you 🙂
This is super useful and very ecofriendly.
Thank you Jamie 🙂
So many of my favourites coming up in season – strawberries are my weak spot so very much looking forward to them! We always shop at the farmer’s market for veggie and fruit, so we are always following seasons thankfully!
Aw amazing! x
What a lovely post.
I’m not a vegetarian, but having been brought up on a farm I do remember we only had seasonal vegetables. I still enjoy my veggies 🙂
Aw that’s nice x
What a helpful post! I don’t live in the UK but I’ve always been confused on which different pieces of produce are available during which times so great article!
Thank you x
What a helpful guide! I’ll be honest, aside from strawberries and pumpkins, I’ve never really paid much attention to when certain produce is seasonal! But this will help me to be more conscientious in the future!
Thank you for reading 🙂
What an interesting and informative post. I’ve definitely learnt a few things here that I will keep in mind when buying fruit and veg x
I’m glad 🙂
We try to grow some of our own fruit and vegetables at home so this was really interesting. Obviously we can’t grow it all, but this was a good reminder of what’s in season and what we could probably skip and wait for!
I’m the same 🙂 x
Thanks for the list. this makes me want to buy more fresh fruits and veggies now. Time to eat healthier and build healthier eating habits.
Definitely 🙂
SO many good foods coming into season, I’m so excited to get baking with them! You can’t beat fresh fruit and veg, it’s just delicious. Thank you so much for sharing with us lovely Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
I agree! x
It’s a shame there’s not much fruit in season during March and April. Obviously it’s understandable why though! This is a really informative read!
I agree, thank you!
I enjoy reading this. I love carrots soo much, even my dogs like veggies. It’s time to eat healthier 😀
Haha x
Great post. Enjoyed reading this post. So many amazing fruit and vegetables to look forward to in the spring. Thank you for sharing.
I agree x
I LOVE this list, for the past year I’ve had a weekly produce delivery system that provides me a big box of local produce only which is great as it follows along with seasonal fruits & veg! To be honest, before that service I couldn’t tell you really when eat the fruit was seasonal as it was always at the store so I never had to think about it – you’ve outlined some incredible points on the importance of seasonal fruits and veg to help the earth!
Oh that sounds amazing! x
Although March, April, and May are all spring months, their climates alter as summer approaches.
Definitely
This is the one thing that I look forward to. I love spring fruit and vegetables. It is great to know to need it best to buy my favourite fruit and veggies. I can’t wait until May as I can eat my favourite vegetable, asparagus. Thank you for sharing.
Definitely x
Spring is a great time for fresh fruit and vegetable. Definitely a time I look forward to. Thank you for sharing.
Me too x
This post had me questioning if I’ve been consuming more imported food or local. Your questions were just so clear and most of my answers were no. It’s great to learn about the UK from wonderful posts such as these. We’re currently in Winter here in South Africa. Thanks for sharing x
Thank you x