Want to lower your carbon footprint and cook sustainable food? Then try sustainable local produce. Chef Alex gives tips on seasonal fruit and vegetables, and what to do with a glut of apples, tomatoes, and courgettes and marrows.
Eating seasonally is often thought to be healthy, affordable and in tune with nature. To a degree this is true. However, technology has allowed us to obtain just about any fruit or vegetable at any time of the year. Although this may be nice in the short term, importing fruit such as strawberries over thousands of miles has an environmental cost.
The other day I was in the supermarket and a whole row of fruits were grown outside the UK. That really made me think. With the demand for all fresh ingredients all year round, are we ignoring and overlooking local produce? And would it lower the carbon footprint of the food we eat?
Is it better to eat seasonal food?
The UK is a small island that has always relied on food imports. In fact, most of what we eat today has only been widely available in the past 300 years, and much of that is just in the past 100 years. Transport, refrigeration, packaging and preservation techniques have all contributed to what we see on the shelves today. Our grandparents' stories of when oranges really were a treat, and pineapples were even rarer, really were true. Never mind mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit or guava. But these have become easily available, and they make a nice change.
If we only ate local seasonal produce from the UK, many of us would struggle to get a balanced diet. Not that it would be impossible, rather we would have to rethink our menus. But with a little thought, we can eat a balanced vegan diet, get all the portions of fruit and vegetables needed for a healthy diet, be environmentally friendly, and support UK farmers.
What is seasonal autumn food in the UK?
This the most abundant time of the year. Just about whatever does grow in the UK is available now; apples, pears, plums, soft fruit, vegetables galore.
I will pick out a few highlights: Apples, because they are literally falling off the trees at this time of the year, tomatoes, and courgettes and marrows.
What can you do with a glut of apples? Apples are great baked, or in pies, crumbles, cobblers, and cakes. And how about adding to flapjacks, biscuits, strudel or Charlotte? Apples are also good to add to savoury dishes such as curry, chilli, or classic stews. One of my favourite everyday recipes is vegan sausage casserole. This (almost) one-pot meal is easy to make and uses up whatever you have in the cupboard. The Henderson’s Relish included in the recipe can be bought at Tesco, Waitrose and B&M. It’s like Worcestershire Sauce but without the fish. Choose your favourite vegan sausages; Linda McCartney sausages work very well.
If you have a glut of apples this year, simply stew them and freeze them. That way, when you want to whip up a pie, you have already done half the job.
If you don't have an apple tree, why not plant one? I only have a small garden, but I have four miniature trees, which are doing well and produce loads of fruit. And they produce lovely blossom in the spring.
Ideas for vegan Christmas treats
Why not make some homemade chutney with your apples and courgettes/marrows? It really is quite an easy process. All you will need is sugar, vinegar, and spices. Remember to sterilise the jars. A quick internet search will pull up loads of chutney recipes.
How to cook courgettes and marrows
It's courgette season. A marrow is effectively a big courgette. Courgettes lightly fried in olive oil and garlic are delicious. The trick is not to overcook them. Marrows can be sliced and fried in the same way but remove the seeds first.
Stuffed marrow was a popular dish in the 1980s. Simply make your regular vegan chilli or vegan bolognese. Cut the marrow down the middle, remove the seeds and add you filling. Place into the oven and bake for 40 minutes at 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4). I would recommend having the filling drier than you may serve normally, because the marrow will moisten your filling as it cooks. Marrow is great to add to soups, curry, bolognese etc. As they are large it’s as well to mix and match how you serve them. To add a little additional texture, try slicing and remove the seeds, dip in a little wash, coat in seasoned breadcrumbs and then gently fry.
Courgettes can also be used in cake. Chef Justina developed a lovely vegan lemon and courgette cake recipe. One tip for success with this recipe is to make sure you have pressed out as much of the moisture as you can. If you miss this step you may end up with a soggy cake.
Cookery tips for tomatoes
Tomatoes are available all year round; during the winter months they are imported from Spain and Italy. Tomatoes are so common in the food we eat, we often overlook them, but why not give them a little extra attention? They deserve it.
Roasted baby tomatoes develop a lovely sweet flavour. Add onion and garlic then blend for a delicious soup. Roasted tomatoes make a nice side addition in terms of flavour and colour to a Sunday roast.
Why do some recipes say peel tomatoes and remove the seeds?
Surely this is a waste of both time and money? On the whole, I would agree. However, the seed of a tomato can be bitter; by removing them you will get a sweeter tomato flavour. The other reason to remove the seeds is to reduce the water content, so you don’t end up with a soggy salad or sandwich. The skin on some tomatoes can also be slightly tough. For the most part I put up with both; life is a little too short.
One recipe you may want to try is slow-roasted tomatoes. Place whole tomatoes into an oven dish. Add a couple a tablespoons of olive oil, a whole bulb of garlic, a sprig of rosemary and thyme, and salt and pepper. Slow roast for an hour. This is such a nice combination to dip fresh crusty bread into. Simple and delicious.
If you would like to make something more substantial using both tomatoes and courgettes, try this delicious vegan pasta bake. Use fresh tomatoes instead of tinned tomatoes, as stated in the recipe.
Seasonal produce is a great way to cut your carbon footprint and to increase your daily intake of fruits and vegetables. So, when you are wondering what you should have for your evening meal, think about what is in season.
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