February might just be the worst month of the year. Christmas and New Year are merely memories, while the enlarged stomach resulting from massive calorie intake, and the overdraft remain all too real.
Oh, and let’s not forget the weather. If you are in the northern half of the world then it is truly grim; rainy or snowy, windy and damp. This though is not the time to feel glum, it’s the time to wage war on the cold with food for the soul, fortifying tagines, hearty stews and root vegetables.
It’s time for cabbage, and not just any but Savoy, the king of cabbages. Then there are kale and sprouts, those wonderful little balls of green goodness. Even if you are not a brassica fan, don’t worry because leeks, root veg, and rhubarb are the other stars of the month.
Celeriac is a very underused vegetable that is well worth having a play with if you haven’t already. Just like H.C. Andersen’s duckling, it may look ugly and uninteresting, but it definitely has hidden inner beauty!
Here is our list of some wonderful things that are in season (in the Northern hemisphere) right now:
Cabbage
Kale
Brussels Sprouts
Leeks
Chicory
Kohlrabi
Beetroot
Cauliflower
Rhubarb (forced)
Blood Orange
Pears
Walnuts
Horseradish
Jerusalem Artichoke
Carrots
Parsnips
Turnips
Celeriac
Sprouting Broccoli
Swede
Truffles
It’s pretty easy to beat the wintry blues when you are armed with a big pile of kale and some freshly dug up root vegetables. If all of that isn’t enough though, it’s perfect weather for spending the afternoon with a decent bottle of red.
If you eat fish and meat then it’s the perfect time for clams, mussels, wild salmon and venison.