What is actually ready.
Not what a supermarket can fly in. What is coming out of this ground, this month, in this country — and what that means for the box you are about to open.
The whole year, at a glance.
Two shades: available, and at its best. The difference between them is the difference between eating something and enjoying it.
| What | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AsparagusMarket garden | Not in January | Not in February | Not in March | Available in April | At its best in | Available in June | Not in July | Not in August | Not in September | Not in October | Not in November | Not in December |
| Broad beansMarket garden | Not in January | Not in February | Not in March | Not in April | Not in May | At its best in | At its best in | Available in August | Not in September | Not in October | Not in November | Not in December |
| Purple sprouting broccoliMarket garden | Available in January | At its best in | At its best in | Available in April | Not in May | Not in June | Not in July | Not in August | Not in September | Not in October | Not in November | Not in December |
| Cavolo neroMarket garden | At its best in | Available in February | Available in March | Not in April | Not in May | Not in June | Not in July | Not in August | Not in September | Available in October | At its best in | At its best in |
| BeetrootMarket garden | Not in January | Not in February | Not in March | Not in April | Not in May | Available in June | Available in July | At its best in | At its best in | Available in October | Available in November | Not in December |
| Potatoes, newField | Not in January | Not in February | Not in March | Not in April | Not in May | At its best in | At its best in | Available in August | Not in September | Not in October | Not in November | Not in December |
| Potatoes, mainField | Available in January | Available in February | Available in March | Not in April | Not in May | Not in June | Not in July | Not in August | Available in September | At its best in | At its best in | Available in December |
| Wheat, milledField | Available in January | Available in February | Available in March | Available in April | Available in May | Available in June | Available in July | Available in August | At its best in | At its best in | Available in November | Available in December |
| Barley, maltedField | Available in January | Available in February | Available in March | Available in April | Available in May | Not in June | Not in July | Not in August | Not in September | Available in October | At its best in | At its best in |
| Rapeseed oilField | Available in January | Available in February | Available in March | Available in April | Available in May | Available in June | Available in July | Available in August | At its best in | Available in October | Available in November | Available in December |
| HoneyBees | Not in January | Not in February | Not in March | Not in April | Not in May | Available in June | At its best in | At its best in | Available in September | Not in October | Not in November | Not in December |
| LambLivestock | Not in January | Not in February | Not in March | Not in April | Not in May | Not in June | Available in July | Available in August | At its best in | At its best in | Available in November | Available in December |
| BeefLivestock | Available in January | Available in February | Available in March | Available in April | Available in May | Available in June | Available in July | Available in August | Available in September | At its best in | At its best in | Available in December |
| PorkLivestock | Available in January | Available in February | Available in March | Available in April | Available in May | Available in June | Available in July | Available in August | Available in September | Available in October | At its best in | At its best in |
| EggsChickens | Available in January | Available in February | Available in March | At its best in | At its best in | At its best in | Available in July | Available in August | Available in September | Available in October | Available in November | Available in December |
| BlackberriesHedgerow | Not in January | Not in February | Not in March | Not in April | Not in May | Not in June | Not in July | Available in August | At its best in | Not in October | Not in November | Not in December |
| SloesHedgerow | Not in January | Not in February | Not in March | Not in April | Not in May | Not in June | Not in July | Not in August | Not in September | Available in October | At its best in | Not in December |
| Apples, ciderOrchard | Not in January | Not in February | Not in March | Not in April | Not in May | Not in June | Not in July | Not in August | At its best in | At its best in | Not in November | Not in December |
At its best Available This month, August
Why the hungry gap is real.
March and April are the hardest months on any British holding and the ones the supermarkets have trained everybody out of noticing. The winter stores are finished, the spring crops are not ready, and the honest answer to "what is in season" is very nearly nothing.
What there is: purple sprouting broccoli, the last of the cavolo nero, forced rhubarb from Yorkshire, and stored potatoes going soft. Everything else on a March shelf came a long way to be there.
We do not pretend otherwise. In March the box gets smaller, the price comes down with it, and the page tells you why rather than filling the gap with an air-freighted mangetout.
What seasonality actually costs.
What is good this month, and what to do with it.
| This month | What it is | How long it keeps | Best thing to do with it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackberries | Off the hedgerow, picked by hand | 3 days | Eat them today or freeze them tonight |
| New potatoes, last of | Lifted in June, stored cool | 2 weeks | Boil, butter, salt, stop |
| Beetroot | Pulled small | 3 weeks in the fridge | Roast whole in foil, then peel |
| Broad beans | Tail end of the crop | 4 days | Double-pod them. It is worth it |
| Honey, spring extraction | From the hives you can watch | Indefinitely | Nothing. Do not cook with the good jar |
| Lamb | First of the season | 4 days fresh | A shoulder, slowly, with the door shut |
Seasonality is not a virtue signal.
It is a constraint. Eating what is ready is cheaper, better and less wasteful, and it is also occasionally boring — there is a fortnight in March where the honest answer is cabbage. Anyone who tells you a British seasonal diet is a year-round delight has never tried to eat one in February.
What people ask.
For the shop, yes, within the sixteen-mile radius and named on the label. For the boxes, no — the box is what came off this ground that week.
Because there is less. The price drops with it, and the page says so on the week it happens.
Stored roots, brassicas, eggs and whatever the polytunnel is doing. It is a thinner month and we would rather say that than pad it out.
No. Peas and broad beans frozen within an hour of picking are better than fresh ones that have sat in a lorry, and we will say so on the label.
Elsewhere on the estate.
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