Each month brings different in-season fruit and veg that can be grown right here in the UK, reducing CO2 emission from transport and offering cheaper alternatives to add some variety to your diet. Continuing from August, here are the seasonal foods for September, but before that, here is a reminder of the benefits of eating seasonally.

Tastes Better

In-season produce is fresher and tastes better. When fruits and vegetables have naturally ripened on the vine or the tree, and are harvested at the right time, the flavour will be enhanced.

Fresher with a Higher Nutritional Value

Produce that is purchased in season is more likely to be fresher and higher in nutritional value. Some antioxidants such as Vitamin C, folate, and carotenes will rapidly decline when stored for periods of time.

Avoids Overseas Contaminates

When fruits and vegetables are sourced overseas you can’t be sure of the regulations on the use of chemicals. Many countries across the globe have very relaxed laws on the use of pesticides and fertilisers so while one country may have banned harmful chemicals from use in food production, another may not have. Sourcing seasonal food means sourcing locally produced food which means, in the UK, strict and proper laws on the use of pesticides.

Supports Your Body’s Natural Nutritional Needs

Winter vegetables offer comfort and are perfect for hot meals, healthy stews, soups, casseroles, and other warming meals. Summer foods such as stone fruits provide us with extra beta-carotenes and other carotenoids that help protect us against sun damage, they also provide more sweetness for an energetic summer, as well as salad vegetables for those tasty cool summer salads.

More Environmentally-Friendly

Eating seasonally reduces the demand for out-of-season produce which further supports more locally produced food. This in turn supports local farming which reduces transportation, refrigeration, and storage. This leads to greater food production efficiency and less CO2 entering the atmosphere.

 

If you’re looking to eat seasonally this September, here’s what to eat…

Vegetables

  • Artichoke
  • Beetroot
  • Broccoli
  • Butternut squash
  • Celeriac
  • Celery
  • Chicory
  • Chilies
  • Fennel
  • Garlic
  • Horseradish
  • Jerusalem artichoke
  • Kale
  • Kohlrabi
  • Leeks
  • Lettuce & salad leaves
  • Marrow
  • Parsnips
  • Potatoes (maincrop)
  • Pumpkin
  • Radishes
  • Rocket
  • Runner beans
  • Salsify
  • Shallots
  • Swede
  • Sweetcorn
  • Tomatoes
  • Truffles
  • Turnips
  • Watercress

Fruit

  • Apples
  • Bilberries
  • Blackberries
  • Elderberries
  • Figs
  • Grapes
  • Medlar
  • Pears

Herbs

  • Almonds
  • Brazil nuts
  • Chestnuts
  • Chives
  • Cob nuts
  • Hazelnuts
  • Parsley (curly)
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Sorrel
  • Thyme

Meat

  • Beef
  • Duck
  • Goose
  • Grouse
  • Guinea fowl
  • Hare
  • Lamb
  • Mallard
  • Partridge
  • Pheasant
  • Rabbit
  • Turkey
  • Venison

Fish

  • Clams
  • Cod
  • Coley
  • Crab
  • Dab
  • Dover sole
  • Grey mullet
  • Gurnard
  • Haddock
  • Halibut
  • Hake
  • Herring
  • Lemon sole
  • Lobster
  • Mackerel
  • Monkfish
  • Mussels
  • Oysters
  • Pilchard
  • Plaice
  • Pollack
  • Prawns
  • Red mullet
  • Sea bass (wild)
  • Sea bream
  • Skate
  • Squid
  • Turbot
  • Winkles