When it's time

  See that little fellah in the picture below? The one with a few of his mates for company? Know what they are? Course you do, so what's the big deal? A little perspective, I thought as I walked past them, and that's what I'm going to share with you tonight.

  Actually, they're technically not strawberries; they're wild strawberries. Much smaller and with a distinctive taste all of their own but that's not relevant. As strawberry season approaches it's worth considering the difference that seasons make. Firstly, if you've ever had a proper summer strawberry, possibly from a stall by the side of the road in Kent one fine summer's day, you'll never forget it. No other strawberry comes close.

  Next, I bet you completely take for granted the ability to buy any fruit and veg at any time of year. It has not always been so. Your first clue is that all fruit and veg don't grow here, secondly they only grow in season or greenhouses. So the bananas and avocados in your fruitbowl are not locally sourced and the strawberries you had last christmas tasted of nothing because they were grown in artificial conditions.

  Just so things are clear, I'm not trying to get you to only eat locally grown, seasonal produce, that's up to you. All I want to do is highlight what you might be taking for granted. Do you know when this all took off? In the middle of the last century. Before the world wars, the only fruit and veg you could get you hands on were locally grown and seasonal. Can you imagine?

  Like I said, there's no judgement here. It's just to give you an appreciation of all the produce that surrounds you as you walk into your supermarket. In fact, when you're done reading this, go off and have a think about all the produce in your house and see if you know whether it's imported or locally grown. If you're unsure, look it up. While you do, I'm off to pick my first wild strawberries of the year. Yum!

Kirk out

RevoltingFood.com