Wednesday 22 April 2009

What to eat?

I was sent this link today from edible communities - it made me think again about what I am buying. I really hate this time of year - all the fruit and vegetables look rather sad. I've had enough of winter roots and I've eaten kilos of rapini, black kale (organic I'm happy to say) and their relatives - too far north for any local asparagus yet. The choice of fruit is even worse, hothouse rhubarb is the only thing that is new but the supply is spotty. Local apples are tired and soft and the others are worn out and bruised from their long voyage from the southern hemisphere. And I don't want to eat them or the pears, I've had my fill last autumn and I remember how wonderful they tasted. A few blood oranges are still around and mangoes galore. I am not a tropical fruit lover but my husband is so it's more mangoes and today I broke down and bought a pineapple - I just wanted some fruit I liked. With relief I note they are on low in pesticides.
Out in my garden, despite the return of frigid temperatures, signs of spring are emerging. My hardy gooseberry bush is covered in leaves and blossoms, the red currant and the raspberry canes are sending out green shoots, even my wild strawberries are waking up from their winter slumber. Out on my deck my fig tree, covered in bright green leaves, is bravely resisting the cold winds. My home-grown fruit however is a long, long way away. So for the next week, until we leave for Paris, it is pineapple and mangoes. I know, on the other side of the Atlantic there will be white asparagus and cherries, baby peas and new potatoes - I can hardly wait.

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