Step into Spring with Organic Seasonal Produce
Step into Spring with Organic Seasonal Produce
The promise of Spring is all around us in the UK at the moment and an unseasonably warm February and longer days add to the feeling of fresh starts and new life. Blooms hoping to attract pollinators are filling the air with their perfume and birds have been spotted starting their migration early.
Spring brings a glut of delicious produce, expanding its repertoire from warming root and cruciferous veg to include tart apples perfect for baking, heavily scented herbs, and dark, rich leaves. And if you’re growing your own, now is the time to get going with your spinach, chard, lettuce, radish and kale because they love warmer soil.
As organic foodies, you know eating organically, locally and seasonally is preferable for myriad reasons, here’s just a handful:
- Eating food naturally in season reduces the energy and associated CO2 emissions needed to grow and transport produce.
- Food that has travelled or is less abundant incurs a premium price tag.
- As always, supporting farmers buoys the local economy.
- Buying local increases your knowledge of provenance and transparency of your food footprint.
- Investing in your grocers, farm shops and markets brings a community closer and highlights the reason for eating with the planet, not against it (i.e. to benefit us all and ensure food and eco systems can survive).
- Eating seasonally reconnects us with natural cycles and observes and honours natural shifts and change.
- Food is at its best when consumed at natural fruition. It’s fresher, tastier and full of all its natural goodness.
With that in mind, here’s a selection of Biona recipes celebrating the best of Spring produce. Give them a try and share your dishes with us on social. Happy feasting!
A Bowl Full of Goodness
We start with a favourite dish for the longer, warmer climes - our Spring Vitality Bowl. Making use of the freshest, crunchy veg and a zesty, warming dressing, this dish kick starts your palette into the new season.
Eat Your Greens
A spring staple, PSB (purple sprouting broccoli) is just one of the Spring ingredients in this mouth-wateringly wholesome Green Goddess Noodle Salad. There are so many elements of the green season here - the fresh herbs, aromatic fennel, the cool, cleansing crunch of cucumber, spring onions, - drizzled with a bright and fiery dressing.
Feeding a Crowd
Sweet potatoes are at their best round about now and our Loaded Sweet Potato Fries with BBQ Jackfruit and Red Cabbage & Apple Slaw is one of the most nourishing ways to fuel friends and family. The smokey paprika sweet potatoes are perfectly matched with a hearty helping of BBQ jackfruit and topped with zesty, biting slaw.
Springtime Sweeteners
Sadly we’ll have to wait a little longer for the sweetness of strawberries. But there are some delicious spring fruits begging to be served with crumble, custard or cream. We are of course referring to British favourites - rhubarb and apples (Bramley at this time of year). Rhubarb’s easily grown in most UK gardens and should be ready for harvesting mid Feb. Try adding some to this comforting Healthy Apple Crumble.
Toast the Season
Springtime is the ripe time for pomegranates. The jewelled orb with seeds that pop and fizz is the perfect ingredient for this kombucha mojito. We fuse lime, raspberries and mint with the natural effervescence of our pomegranate juice. This mocktail is a taste of spring, best enjoyed in the sunshine. Enjoy!
