Eating fresh healthy is one thing, but eating seasonal is another. For many of us, the thought of eating seasonally throughout the year is a very alluring one – offering the wholesome promise of eating produce in rhythm with nature’s cycle. But in a culture of “eat what you want, when you want”, it can be difficult to know exactly where to start.
Well, fear not, because in this article we’re going to offer a list of fruits and vegetables that are in season throughout the month of March. On top of that we’ll also provide a few recipe ideas for each, so you’ll know exactly how to put that seasonal produce to use!
Cauliflower
Cauliflowers are incredibly versatile and, of course, extremely tasty. They can be cooked in almost every conceivable way – from steaming and frying to boiling and roasting. Cauliflowers are in season for quite a chunk of the year (which is great if you like them), including March.
Recipe ideas: cauliflower curry, cauliflower wings, cauliflower soup.
Purple sprouting broccoli
You probably won’t find this one in the local supermarket, but if you can get your hands on a purple sprouting broccoli, you probably won’t regret it. With a pretty purple colour and a lovely taste, it makes a great alternative to the regular green variety. It’s only in season during the early months of the year, and March is coming towards the end of the harvest period.
Recipe ideas: fry with garlic and sesame oil for a tasty side, bake with hazelnuts, make into a tart with leek (also in season) and almonds.
Bramley apples
The classic Bramley hardly needs an introduction, but did you know that its season runs from winter until March? So take this month as your opportunity to enjoy the last of this season’s harvest!
Recipe idea (let’s be honest, there’s only one): Bramley apple pie.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb can be a confusing specimen, a bit like the tomato, in that most of us really have no idea whether it’s a vegetable or a fruit. To put your mind at rest, it is a vegetable. But rhubarb doesn’t seem to cling too hard to its identity, as it’s most commonly used in a fruity sort of manner. Luckily, rhubarb season is still in full swing, but if you want to make the most of that timeless apple/rhubarb combo, you’ll need to act quickly before all the Bramleys are gone!
Recipe ideas: apple and rhubarb crumble, rhubarb sorbet with pistachio brittle, rhubarb jam.
Spring onions
Spring onions are often overlooked. When not being cooked in stir-fries or with noodles, it’s easy to simply discard them for lack of knowing what else to use them for. But they provide a wonderfully subtle and light option for times when onions would overpower a dish. So now that they’re in season it’s the perfect opportunity to grab a few bunches and experiment!
Recipe idea: potato, spring onion, dill & cheese frittata.
Swede
Another overlooked and underrated vegetable. Swede is so good for so many things. Boil it, mash it, roast it — just don’t walk past it next time you’re in the supermarket.
Recipe ideas: swede and herb gnocchi (substitute the flour to make it gluten free), carrot and swede mash, honey-roasted swede with chilli & cumin.
Spinach
Although spinach is available all-year-round, it’s at its best in springtime. One of the many wonderful things about spinach (aside from how healthy it is) is that it’s incredibly versatile. You can add it last minute to curries and stir-fries, make salads out of it, put it into soups. It’s a good-and-proper winner.
Recipe ideas: spinach soup, saag aloo.
Eating seasonal
For more information on seasonal eating, you can take a look at these fantastic resources: Eat The Seasons (a wonderfully simple website with week-to-week updates on what’s in season in the uk), and Eat Seasonably (another simple and informative resource, featuring a brilliant seasonal food wheel).