WHAT’S IN SEASON: SUMMER
Summer is a time of abundance in the UK and Europe (especially the Western parts!) when it comes to food. The light and heat of the sun encouraging faster growth makes this the ultimate growing season, meaning that seasonal foods are plentiful, exciting and more accessible than ever.
It is said that by eating foods that are in season, you are fueling your body with the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that it needs for that current season and that specifically suit the time of year to protect our bodies from the inside out. An example of this for summer is tomatoes, berries, cherries, etc. which are high in nutrients that help protect our skin from UV damage.
According to Ayurveda, summer is the season of Pitta, when those fiery qualities abound. It’s hot and intense and interestingly a time when your Agni or digestive fire is naturally not as revved up — since our strong source of internal heat disperses in order to keep us cool. With the increased heat come the Vata qualities of dryness to take into consideration, so this is a time when our bodies need more liquids — and in response many of the summer foods available are hydrating, for instance the many varieties of fruit that ripen in the sun like melons, grapes and cucumbers that are mostly water!
Summer is therefore the time to favour those sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes and to relish in cool, liquid, even slightly oily foods — leafy salads, olive oil, mint and lime anyone? Being fully present with your meal turns your focus into chewing and savouring the flavour and textures while helping to minimize overeating, as well as better digesting any raw foods. Iced drinks, even in summer, are best avoided according to Ayurveda as they upset the Agni, and bubbly beverages can disturb Vata. Try my fennel, grape and mint refresher, which you can find both on the website and in East by West page 250. If your digestion is still acting up, check out braised salads such as these braised gem lettuce wedges.
Minimise sour tastes, including unripe fruits (these are not great for digestion and you have no excuse in the summer!) and too much spice from heating food such as chillies and cayenne pepper, and even onions, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds, which can aggravate both Pitta and Vata.
Since I’ve been reminded to focus more on seasonal eating, I’m putting together an inspirational list of UK summer foods as much for me as anything so that I have something to refer to and add to every year to remind me what's about and what I could be snuffling out.
There are also some now-unusual but actually traditional heritage picks that you might not have tried before for July to tickle the tastebuds: bilberries, chervil, elderflower, greengages, nasturtium, sorrel and tarragon — see if you can hunt them out!
Keep reading for a more exhaustive list of everything that’s in season.
WHAT’S IN SEASON IN THE UK
VEG
artichoke, aubergine, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, chillies, courgettes, fennel, french beans, garlic, jersey royal new potatoes, kohlrabi, lettuce & salad leaves, mangetout, new potatoes, onions, pak choi, peas, radishes, rocket, runner beans, samphire, spinach, spring onions, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, wild nettles
FRUIT
bilberries, blueberries, cherries, gooseberries, greengages, kiwi, strawberries
HERBS & EDIBLE FLOWERS
basil, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, elderflowers, oregano, mint, nasturtium, parsley (curly), parsley (flat-leafed), rosemary, sage, sorrel, tarragon, thyme
SEASONAL RECIPES
LETTUCE
Braised Gem Lettuce Wedges With Fennel and Sesame Gomashio
Warm Green Salad (East by West page 151)
CUCUMBER
FRUIT
Fresh Fruit With Spicy Dip (East by West page 68)
BEETROOT
Red Velvet Beetroot Latte Cumin Beetroot Soup
Winter Sunset Soup With Ginger, Cumin and Rosemary
COURGETTE
Zac 'n' Cheese With Basil Courgettes
Parsley, Courgette and Avocado Rice Bowl
Caramelised Celery, Courgette and Pumpkin Seeds With Mint, Manchego and Rocket
TOMATOES
Read: Ayurveda on tomatoes
BROCCOLI
Cream of Broccoli Soup With Black Sesame and Watermelon Seeds
Blue-Green Soup With Blue Cheese and Green Veggies
Ginger, Broccoli and Baby Corn Kitchari
Sri Lankan Mustard Fish Curry With Broccoli Pea Rice
FENNEL
Farinata With Fennel, Wild Mushrooms and Parsley
RADISHES
SPINACH
THE LOT!
Vata Pakti Bowl With Sautéed Cucumber, Green Beans, Beetroot and Carrot
BBQ Basted Veggies With Almond Aioli
One-Pan Brunch: Green Eggs and Olives
Read more about my top picks for veg box deliveries here, about the best of local foods in the UK here and why seasonal eating and variety are so important here.