2 minute read
Eat the Seasons
food & drink seasons eat the
Keeping you in the know as to what is coming into season each month is NEIL MORTIMER from Lovejoys Wholesale...
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As I sit and write this article the temperature is 35°C! Rain is forecast for the next few days though and I am hoping we get enough to benefit all of the outdoor crops and gardens. Our potato grower Derek says the Maris Piper tops (haulms) are still quite green luckily so hopefully it won’t be too late to bulk this important crop up - our restaurants really rely on them. It is remarkable just how our growers continue to supply great produce under extreme weather conditions, the overheads to look after these wonderful fruit and vegetables rise steeply when they have to apply water over a large area.
It isn’t free and the labour charge is also massive to move the irrigation around between fields. Up to now all of the fruit and vegetables have been of average price and quality. A few crops are showing stress with
strawberries which are ripening too quickly and leafy vegetables being scorched in the hot soil. I am sure the knock on effect of the dry summer will lead to winter root crops having yields reduced causing higher prices and more imports. It has been a good summer for all salad crops, especially tomatoes. Cucumbers have been short in supply at times but all other salads have been at normal levels.
This month heralds the start of a new season as the nights start drawing in steeply and the temperatures drop, however there is still lots to enjoy and keep you busy in your allotment or garden. Sow over- wintering onions, spinach, winter lettuce and plant
onion sets and garlic cloves. You may be lucky enough to have some autumn raspberries to harvest.
September is a nice month for foraging. There is a calm and quietness as the children are back to school and the countryside is a little quieter as people are back into their term time routines. The hedgerows are filled with berries, nuts and seeds.
As always please do message me with any of your stories about your growing or foraging, I always manage to get scratched all down my arms and legs lifting up my granddaughters to reach those elusive blackberries!
Neil neil@lovejoyswholesale.com
@lovejoysuk @lovejoysuk
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