WHAT'S IN SEASON?

WHAT'S IN SEASON?

Broad Beans, Cucumber, French Beans, Runner Beans, Fennel, Kohl Rabi, Shallots, Blackcurrants, Redcurrants, Blueberries, Cherries, Strawberries

WHAT DO WE NEED TO KNOW?

What's in season in July? Well leading from last months' kick off, the vegetable garden starts to mass produce in July. The bean harvest starts in earnest to continue through to October, the berry season picks up from its slow June start with strawberries and blueberries ripening, and even the apple starts in late July, with some early varieties starting their season.

BROAD BEANS

As the season goes on, the beans get tougher, and need to be cooked slower and for longer, and by the end of the season the beans should be skinned to show the bright green, softer and more tender bean inside.Not only the bean and young pod can be eaten - the tips of the plants can be eaten, and are considered a delicacy.

Broad beans are similar to peas in that they must be eaten soon after picking, for the sugars soon turn to starch. If you have are growing them, and have too many to eat, you can blanch them and freeze them similar to peas. At the start of the season, when the beans are small and tender, they don't need long to cook, and if overcooked, broad beans tend to turn rubbery. 

BLACKCURRANTS AND REDCURRANTS

Blackcurrants, in turn, were used first as a medicine, for soothing sore throats, and as an additive to tea, before they were used in desserts. Blackcurrants have a very high Vitamin C content, and are now very popular in cordials.Blackcurrants are also good raw in summer puddings, and are best eaten in season, as fresh as possible.Redcurrants were cultivated before blackcurrants which weren't so popular because of their smelly leaves, and are popular in jams, accompanying a large range of foods from meat such as lamb, or a partner fruit such as blackberries, rhubarb or pears in jam-making.

BLUEBERRIES are excellent in pies and tarts, and a particular favourite is blueberry muffins, because the berry explodes within the muffin mix while being cooked, spreading the flavour, this also works with pancakes. Finally, they are also great in summer puddings.

Blueberries are currently enjoying much attention as their healthy properties become known. Like many purple fruit and vegetables, blueberries are rich in antioxidants and good for helping reverse short term memory loss.

CUCUMBER

Cucumbers have long been cultivated as a food, for over 3,000 years in fact. Cucumbers have little nutritional value since they are 96 percent water, and this makes them excellent as part of a balanced diet; they will fill you up when you eat them but require as many calories to digest as there are in the food itself.

Cucumbers are related to melons and prefer a slightly warmer climate than Britain, since they originally come from Africa and Asia. However, given the use of a greenhouse or a slightly warmer area, cucumbers are relatively easy to grow. 

CHERRIES

Cherries have a short season in the Ireland, mostly during July, and are very susceptible to changes in the weather, with greatly changing yields year to year. Take into account that the large retailers, supermarkets, strive for cosmetic perfection and a reliable supply, and it's no surprise that they source foreign more reliable cherries. 

It's important to buy cherries fresh, and not store them too long. More than any other stone fruit, they don't store well, another reason not to buy them in supermarkets when they'll have been in a cold supply chain for at least 2-3 days.

STRAWBERRIES

In Europe, large  strawberries are not the only ones available; particularly on market stalls, alpine or everlasting strawberries are available too; these are typically smaller, and very tasty. Strawberries don't stay ripe for long for a start, and when they are ripe, they are very easy to damage, even sitting in a plastic carton will damage them within a few days, and should be eaten as soon as possible after picking. Strawberries sold in the winter will have been picked when unripe, and ripened up using ethylene gas.

Recipes for strawberries seem unnecessary; serve them as fresh as possible, with lots of cream and sugar!

COMING SOON

Tomatoes, aubergine, beans, broccoli, radishes, shallots.

(Information was gathered from Food Fresh Central)

Michelle :)