June is a wonderful month with a plethora of produce from growers both at home and mainland Europe, so if your writing menu’s you are spoilt for choice!
Fruit
UK Strawberries are just about with us taking over from the Dutch and Belgium varieties. Home grown raspberries are every bit as wonderful and the first gooseberries will trickle in. Outdoor rhubarb is still in abundance although the pink forced variety is now at an end. Spanish stoned fruit is building up momentum, apricots, nectarines and peaches have started and as we get into the month quality and flavour will get even better and prices will ease. Early Spanish cherries will be the same. Spanish melons to include cantaloupe, galia and watermelon will also be available with late varieties of easy peelers.
Ripened mangoes and papaya from Central America are at their best but watch prices and availability of passion fruit and physallis due to limitations from Columbia.
Vegetables
English summer cauliflower will be with us and as the month lengthens quality will get better. Asparagus is coming through in abundance now with the white and purple varieties being available to order.
English spring cabbage along with the sweetheart or hispi summer cabbage which are more tender than their winter cousins will be here along with the first British peas and broad beans which follow on from the early Italian varieties.
English kales and Jerusalem artichokes will still be around but will get scarce towards the end of the month.
Jersey royals (ware and mids) are now in full swing along with early mainland new potatoes from Cornwall and Pembroke.
French ratte and violetta potatoes are around adding something different to the plate.
English chantennay carrots, parsnips and swede are still ok but purple sprouting is virtually at an end.
Locally sourced baby leeks, fennel and beetroots along with some stunning rainbow chard are all available to order.
Salad
As temperatures increase as does the quality and the size of the salad leaves. Flat lettuce, iceberg, lollo rosso and oakleaf are now British, Spanish cos, gem and curly endive will soon be overtaken by British varieties.
English tomatoes are available to order but will be more expensive than the Dutch version. Stunning looking English heritage tomatoes are a must. Spanish aubergines are looking fantastic.
Along with all of the new season Dutch produce which is in full swing. New season UK spring onions are also here.
Did You Know?
The asparagus season officially ends on June 24th midsummer’s day. This allows British growers to stop cutting so that the remaining spears can grow into fern. The fern absorbs the summer sunshine turning it into carbohydrates which feed the root system where it is stored as fuel for next year’s crop.
To place any orders please contact us on 01743 46 22 44 (Option 1)
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