Seasonal fruit and vegetables

2010 Peppers, tomatoes, fennel, broccoli, spinach, lemon, kiwi.... In the supermarket they can be found in abundance in every season. In fact, you only miss out if the stock is not replenished in time. So I had no idea - besides kale - what a seasonal vegetable actually was.

And so once I cheerfully suggested a recipe with broccoli in the middle of summer.

As if I had made a dishonourable proposal. Maria, that's a vegetable for the autumn or winter', they said in disgust.

Somewhere in the back of my mind a bell was ringing. My mother used to pick chicory in November. I am 100% sure about that. But I checked anyway, because now the vegetable is available all year round. Because of its use as a salad, we often think of it as a summer vegetable, but in reality it is harvested from September to December.

Paprika then. Also a summer vegetable. Tomato? The same. It is not without reason that families in Italy get busy around August with teak pots and crates full of tomatoes: in the past, they were hard to come by, so supplies had to be replenished in the summer for the tomato sauce.

But what about lemons? Yellow, smelling of sunshine, isn't that right? No. Lemons grow in winter from October to December in mild climates. There will be blossom on a tree earlier, but they really grow and are good in winter.

Many vegetables and fruits that we no longer use can be found in Italy, for example. Chard? Often only given to cattle, whereas it is really tasty and reminds a bit of spinach. Chicory, another thing.

There is a lot to be said for eating only seasonal fruit and vegetables. In the Netherlands, a lot is grown in greenhouses: it requires electricity and is therefore less sustainable.

Want to know what goes with the season and what doesn't? Then check out this site from Giallo Zafferano: https://blog.giallozafferano.it/ortaggichepassionebysara/stagionalita-di-verdure-legumi-e-aromi/

Google translate will go a long way. 👈🏽