When trying to find ways to reduce your carbon footprint, it can be hard to know where to start. Sometimes the amount of information available to us is just overwhelming. But it doesn’t need to be so difficult! There’s no need for a complete life overhaul; just making small changes to your daily habits can really minimise your impact on the environment. For example, eating seasonal vegetables and trying to use mostly low carbon ingredients in your cooking can greatly reduce your carbon footprint.
Research has shown that if the Western diet was adjusted to be more sustainable, we may be able to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80%, and water use by up to 50%! These numbers represent a best-case scenario, but hint at just how much of an impact the food we eat has on our environment.
There's lots of ways to change our diet to be more sustainable, from adopting a flexitarian diet, to reducing the amount of food waste we produce. But another big, big one is eating with the seasons. So if you’re interested in using more seasonal vegetables in your cooking to reduce your carbon footprint, read on to find out more.
There are all sorts of delicious seasonal vegetables available to us in the UK during the Spring, and all sorts of things we can cook with them! So I’ve gathered together some of my favourite eco-friendly recipes that all use in-season vegetables.
What vegetables are in season during Spring?
Westerners in general are known for our simple, no-nonsense cooking - lots of potatoes, carrots, parsnips… often thrown into an amazing stew or casserole! But you can also be a lot more creative with our amazing seasonal produce; we grow so much more here in the UK than just root vegetables! 69% of the country’s land area is used for agriculture, so there’s a lot to be found on British or US soil.
Here’s a quick overview of vegetables that are ready to eat in the country during springtime:
MARCH
Vegetables to harvest or buy
- Cauliflower
- Forced rhubarb
- Kale
- Leeks
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Savoy cabbage
Vegetables to sow and plant
- Broad beans
- Cabbages
- Early carrots
- Early potatoes
- Lettuce
- Onions
- Spinach
Vegetables to sow indoors / in greenhouses
- Aubergines
- Chillies
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
APRIL
Vegetables to harvest or buy
- Asparagus
- Rhubarb
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Spring cabbage
- Spring onions
Vegetables to sow or plant outside
- Beetroot
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Kohl rabi
- Lettuce
- Leeks
- Onions
- Peas
- Radishes
- Rocket
- Spinach
- Spring onions
- Swiss chard
- Turnips
Vegetables to sow indoors / in greenhouses
- Aubergines
- Chillies
- Cucumbers
- Peppers
- Pumpkins
- Squashes
MAY
Vegetables to harvest and buy
- Asparagus
- Lettuces
- Radishes
- Rhubarb
- Spinach
- Spring cabbages
- Spring onions
Vegetables to sow or plant outside
- Cabbages
- Cauliflower
- Courgettes
- Cucumber
- French beans
- Runner beans
- Parsley
- Pumpkins
- Squash
- Sweetcorn
- Tomatoes
JUNE
Fruit and vegetables to harvest or buy
- Baby carrots
- Broad beans
- Chard
- Courgettes and summer squash
- Currants
- Gooseberries
- Lettuce
- Parsley
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spinach
- Spring cabbage
- Spring onions
- Strawberries
Vegetables to sow and plant
- Courgettes
- Cucumbers
- French beans
- Lettuce
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Springtime recipes using seasonal vegetables
As you can see, there are all sorts of British crops that are perfect for harvesting throughout spring! And once you’ve chosen some incredible, seasonal, low carbon ingredients to cook with - it’s time to get in the kitchen!
Here are some of my favourite recipes using ingredients that are in season in spring. Most are meatless, and all focus on low carbon ingredients, so you can be sure that you’re not only eating delicious food, but you’re also eating the best food for our planet.
White Rhubarb and White Chocolate Panna Cotta from Olive (Seasonal vegetables used: Rhubarb)
Cod and springtime veg from Great British Chefs (Seasonal vegetables used: Asparagus, broad beans, artichoke)
Purple sprouting broccoli with pangrattato from Riverford Organic Farms (Seasonal vegetables used: Spinach, purple sprouting broccoli)
Delicious Bubble and Squeak from Earth Trust (Seasonal vegetables used: Cabbage, potatoes)
Pork belly tacos with smashed broad beans (mmmm) from Delicious Magazine (Seasonal vegetables used: Broad beans, radishes)
Pasta primavera from Delicious Magazine (Seasonal vegetables used: Asparagus, broad beans, leeks, carrots)
Lentils with spring greens from BBC Good Food (Seasonal vegetables used: Spring greens, hispi cabbage, carrots)
Jersey Royal & Taleggio Tart from Jamie Oliver (Seasonal vegetables used: Leek, spring greens, carrots)
So there you have it - ten delicious seasonal recipes to help you enjoy springtime, and to help you feel good about the food you eat, in every way possible!
For more information on how to adapt your diet to help the environment, check out our top tips for eating your way to a lower carbon footprint, how meat lovers can still do their bit for the planet, and some more tasty lunch recipes for worker bees on the go.
Or why not give Pawprint a try, and start measuring and reducing your impact today.
