Tag: Crops

• Regional and Seasonal

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  A great way to engage in sustainability is to buy seasonal fruit and vegetables, what I mean by this is buying produce that can be organically grown in your location. To help with this, I have listed different fruits and veg and the month they thrive in to help steer you towards better decisions, or perhaps grow your own!

  Why buy local?

  Buying local has many health and sustainability benefits. Not only does buying local produce reduce your carbon footprint, but there is less likely to be excess packaging, which is often soft plastic and is not easily recycled. Furthermore, supporting local farmers enhances the local economy and is likely to encourage sustainable farming practices where the land and ecosystems living on such land are given an environment to thrive. Such farming practices are less likely to use chemicals to artificially grow their produce and as a result, produce healthier and tastier fruit and vegetables. Finally, eating seasonal produce creates a balanced and varied diet where the flavours of the month are embraced and more likely to contain the vitamins and minerals specific to that time of the year! When done right, nature doesn’t need additives to grow, and neither do we.

  Month	Fruit	Vegetable
  January	Apples, Pears	Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Squash, Swedes, Turnips
  February	Apples, Pears	Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Squash, Swedes
  March	Rhubarb	Artichoke, Beetroot, Cabbage, Carrots, Chicory, Leeks, Parsnip, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Radishes, Sorrel, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Watercress
  April	Rhubarb	Artichoke, Beetroot, Cabbage, Carrots, Chicory, New Potatoes, Kale, Morel Mushrooms, Parsnips, Radishes, Rocket, Sorrel, Spinach, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Watercress
  May	Rhubarb, Strawberries	Artichoke, Asparagus, Aubergine, Beetroot, Chicory, Chillies, Elderflowers, Lettuce, Marrow, New Potatoes, Peas, Peppers, Radishes, Rocket, Samphire, Sorrel, Spinach, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Watercress
  June	Blackcurrants, Cherries, Gooseberries, Raspberries, Redcurrants, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Tayberries	Asparagus, Aubergine, Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Chicory, Chillies, Courgettes, Cucumber, Elderflowers, Lettuce, Marrow, New Potatoes, Peas, Peppers, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Samphire, Sorrel, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Summer Squash, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Watercress
  July	Blackberries, Blackcurrants, Blueberries, Cherries, Gooseberries, Greengages, Loganberries, Raspberries, Redcurrants, Rhubarb, Strawberries	Aubergine, Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chicory, Chillies, Courgettes, Cucumber, Fennel, French Beans, Garlic, Kohlrabi, New Potatoes, Onions, Peas, Potatoes, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Samphire, Sorrel, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Summer Squash, Swish Chard, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress
  August	Blackberries, Blackcurrants, Cherries, Damsons, Greengages, Loganberries, Plums, Raspberries, Redcurrants, Rhubarb, Strawberries	Aubergine, Beetroot, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chicory, Chillies, Courgettes, Cucumber, Fennel, French Beans, Garlic, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Mangetout, Marrow, Mushrooms, Parsnips, Peas, Peppers, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Samphire, Sorrel, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Summer Squash, Sweetcorn, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Watercress
  September	Blackberries, Damsons, Pears, Plums, Raspberries, Rhubarb, Strawberries	Aubergine, Beetroot, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Courgettes, Chicory, Chillies, Cucumber, Garlic, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Mangetout, Marrow, Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Peppers, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Samphire, Sorrel, Spinach, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Summer Squash, Sweetcorn, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress, Wild Mushrooms
  October	Apples, Blackberries, Elderberries, Pears	Aubergine, Beetroot, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chestnuts, Chicory, Chillies, Courgette, Cucumber, Kale, Leeks, Lettuce, Marrow, Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Spinach, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Summer Squash, Swede, Sweetcorn, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watercress, Wild Mushrooms, Winter Squash
  November	Apples, Cranberries, Elderberries, Pears	Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chestnuts, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Onions, Parsnips, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Swede, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Watercress, Wild Mushrooms, Winter Squash
  December	Apples, Cranberries, Pears	Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Celeriac, Celery, Chestnuts, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Red Cabbage, Swede, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Watercress, Winter Squash

  Source: The Association of UK Dietitians

  Drop your favourite recipes in the comments box below!

  18th Mar 2025

  Climate Change, Consumerism, Crops, Farming, Fruit, Grow-your-own, Local, Overconsumption, Regenerative Farming, Seasons, Single-use Plastic, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Farming, Vegetables, Waste

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• Faithful Food

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  Worldwide, we produce enough food to feed 11 billion people, if there are only 7.9 billion people in the world why do 733 million starve? Whilst we manufacture all this food, factories and farms release more nitrogen into the atmosphere than all combined natural processes. So we’ve managed to waste food and severely pollute the environment whilst simultaneously not providing certain communities with the food they need to survive.

  The same 12 plants and 5 animals supply 75% of the food we consume, if we expanded this, we would have greater nutritional value, reduced vulnerability in many commonly used crops and animals, and a larger choice of production options. A staggering 300,000 plants are available for human consumption, meaning only 0.004% are used. Whilst cutting animal products out of your diet may not be feasible, the reduction of such food can make a huge difference, here’s why:

  1. Meat often comes from large factory farms which emit huge amounts of carbon dioxide and increase deforestation
  2. Endangers Indigenous communities as their land is taken for production
  3. Large meat producers often engage in slavery which can involve violence towards local communities
  4. Habitats are destroyed as a result of deforestation and the use of pesticides to grow animal feed
  5. Deforestation increases the risk of infectious diseases being spread via habitats coming into close contact with humans
  6. Animals have weak immune systems, so when large numbers are put into small spaces, the likeliness of them spreading diseases is high and we choose to eat those animals
  7. 1kg of edible chicken takes up the same amount of land as 3.2kg of edible crops, so we get more for our buck if we eat a plant-based diet

  Jaguars are one of many animals which inhabit the Amazon Rainforest, these large cats are considered to be ‘near endangered’ due to deforestation. Jaguars play a vital role in their ecosystem as they are top predators, balancing the food chain.

  

  Manufacturers like to keep their supply chains simple, therefore the demand for farmers is very specific. Influencing what is in these supply chains is imperitive for sustainable food production and consumption. Like many other sustainable practices, the collaboration of business, government, and society must occur for an impactful change. Below is a list of what each party can do to drive sustainable food production.

  Business: Engage in the innovation of sustainable technologies for production; assess and change food supplies to be local and seasonal

  Government: Grant subsidies towards sustainable technologies and production; place tariffs on imported foods to drive local growth

  Society: If possible, have a willingness to pay more for locally produced food, the more this is done the cheaper it will become; be mindful of what you are buying, could you reduce your meat, wheat, rice and sugar consumption (these are amongst the biggest CO2 polluters) and replace them with alternatives such as fruits, legumes and vegetables? Whilst large retailers have a significant influence on what we eat, we can challenge their influence by buying locally and purchasing low CO2 emitting products.

  It’s Bizzar, we produce food to feed animals, which we then eat. If we didn’t do this, we would have 75% more farmland available. Whether you represent a population, own a business or are part of a society there is always something you can do to improve our earth. Understanding what you can do is the first step.

  13th Sep 2024

  Buying Locally, Crops, Deforestation, Farming, Food Consumption, Waste

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