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Empty sky

Who would have thought this time last week that we would be thinking about the Royal Navy being dispatched to rescue stranded Brits, and shops warning of shortages on imported goods.

Apparently we are likely to run into imminent shortages of exotic fruit, like figs, papaya and coconut. What’s a bit sad is that there aren’t more things on the list, given how much of our fruit and veg comes from overseas. It just goes to show how much comes by sea and how long it’s been out of the ground or off the tree by the time it hits your shopping basket.

And right now we are on the brink of some additional fabulous British seasonal produce, as the asparagus season is nearly upon us. Of course you can buy it all year round, but why would you? This really should be about enjoying what is ready and beautifully ripe today, not what can be ferried in. I really like Eat the Seasons as an online guide to what’s good right now, particularly as it’s updated on a weekly basis.

There has been a huge surge in interest in seasonal food, as a search on Amazon will reveal. There are currently 3528 books that come up when you search on seasonal food, with titles from everyone from Mark Hix to Paul Waddington and Ross Dobson. The whole issue over the past week has also highlighted concerns around our self sufficiency as a nation to be able to supply our own food. There are some interesting books around on the subject, like Eat Your Heart Out: Why the Food Business is Bad for the Planet and Your Health.

Perhaps it’s another part of the reason why we’ve seen the massive surge in interest in growing our own fruit and vegetables. That said, cooking would be considerably duller without things like lemon and lime, which is possibly why they have been so prized for so long.

Here’s hoping that things revert to normal soon, that everyone gets to where they need to be. And everyone gets hold of some fabulous British asparagus!

Fantastic shot of empty skies by matze_ott over on Flickr.

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