#6

Spring Foods and a Declaration of my Imperfection

By Isabella Brunt

Before I begin this week’s article, I’d like to make it known that I although I’m writing these for you to read, I’m human and imperfect. If you think I’ve got something wrong, or you think there’s a side of the argument I haven’t considered, please send any suggestions for improvement my way. I welcome opportunities to expand my knowledge on subjects I’m less versed in, and hope you feel you can critique my judgement if you feel I’m blind to something. In all areas of my life, I have a long way to go. 

Following on from last week’s article, I thought I’d give you some practical ways of integrating the motto less meat, more local and take a look at the foods you can get hold of at this time of year. I’m not a seasoned gardener (pun intended), indeed, I’m right at the start of my gardening journey, but I’m passing on what I do know to help you make informed decisions about what’s on your menu this month. 

Spring hosts new growths of all sorts of vegetables, and buying local, seasonal greens means you massively reduce the carbon footprint of your food. Don’t worry if ‘local’ for you means it’s coming from a nearby European country, that’s much better than buying fruit and veg that’s been imported from somewhere further afield. It’s great if your ‘local’ is literally down the road, but don’t beat yourself up it it’s not, we live in a globalised world and many supermarkets stock the most in-demand foods.

What’s new this season? 

Left over from winter should still be beetroot, celeriac, leeks, and pumpkins. Coming up in the next few months there’ll be asparagus, carrots, cauliflowers, spinach, cabbages rhubarb and purple sprouting broccoli will all be ripening up ready for picking – look out for them! 

If you fancy going a step further, you can forage foods like wild garlic and elderflower. Please DO NOT eat anything unless you are a 100% certain of its classification. Foraging is extremely dangerous if you aren’t cautious. If in doubt, go without. Remember to look up and follow local guidelines for both of these and do not over-pick. Only take from areas where it’s growing abundantly, and only take enough for personal use. Again, I cannot stress enough that foraging can go seriously wrong unless you are certain of the identity of the plant. 

Illustrations by Emily Wolfe. Instagram: @wemolt