Fruit and Vegetables in February

This is the shortest month of the year, but the soil is beginning to wake up, bringing the promise of a welcome variety of vegetables to the new season. This said, where fruit is concerned, February is best for imports like apples, grapes and lychees from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The other star of the month is oranges, increasingly from Morocco, rather than Spain. Moroccan navel oranges can be almost as good as their northern counterparts, even if somewhat smaller, but are sweet with flesh that makes them perfect for eating as a sweet snack and for using in salads.

This is also the month to make marmalade. Seville oranges are around just briefly and should be grabbed when you see them. They are undoubtedly the best to use for marmalade. Satsumas and clementines are not as good as in January as they tail off in quality as the month wears on.

Among home grown fruit, forced rhubarb is coming into season and should be grabbed when you see it; used not just for fools and crumbles but also for jams, cakes, pies, tarts and muffins, and for the bases of sauces to go with game and fish.

February looks much like January where vegetables are concerned. Any type of cabbage continues to be a good buy. Root vegetables also maintain their quality, with parsnips being particularly good this month. Carrots and onions are mainstays for soups and stews, as well as leeks and potatoes. If you can find it, Swiss chard is a wonderful vegetable with a flavour similar to but even better than spinach. Although most people think that you can only use the leaf, which is steamed or wilted just like spinach, but the stems make a great vegetable served on their own, but require more cooking than the leaves. Use the stems for a great tempura or crunchy salad.

February also sees the arrival of beans, mange tout, peas, celery, new potatoes and vine tomatoes from the Mediterranean. Salads may not be at their best, but these imports can be used for great stir-fries, and to see us through the winter, excellent broccoli will be coming from Spain.