5 in Season Ingredients for December
We can’t quite believe it at The Teaspoon Club, but December is just around the corner. There’s really nothing better than cooking with in-season fruits and vegetables. Read on for 5 of our favourite in-season ingredients this month, as well as some great recipes to cook with them.
1. Beetroot
Fresh beetroot is just fantastic this time of year. It pairs wonderfully with goats cheese, nuts, apples, citrus fruits and fennel. Tips on preparation can be found here, and some of our favourite recipes: beetroot tart with goats cheese, beetroot hummus, and this beautiful ‘colourful’ beetroot salad.
2. Butternut squash (and other squashes)
Autumn and winter are great seasons for squashes and there are such a wonderful variety on sale in most supermarkets and farm shops. Nearly all of them can be roasted, and the flesh scooped out and used in cooking and baking, though they can be used in a whole host of different ways. Our butternut squash curry with roasted coconut is a favourite among vegetarians and vegans, and we also like this soup from BBC Good Food.
3. Carrots and parsnips (and other root vegetables)
These root vegetables are at their prime this time of year and can be made into some really hearty soups. We have our own roasted parsnip soup and roasted carrot soup which you can buy as recipe kits. They’re great just roasted with some herbs and spices (we sometimes chop up some halloumi cheese with ours and roast them all with coriander and cumin seeds), and can also be made into a really delicious parsnip and carrot mash.
4. Wild mushrooms
This time of year is just fantastic for finding wild mushrooms in your local grocery shops. Mushrooms lend themselves brilliantly to risottos, where the creamy rice texture is complimented wonderfully by the rich flavour of mushrooms. We love this quick recipe by BBC Good Food, as well as this labour of love from Epicurious. Some of our other favourite recipes include these mushroom tartlets, and this twist on a classic lasagne.
5. Apples and pears
We don’t mean stairs! Apples and pears are great to make delicious desserts with, like this incredible poached pear recipe (look out for our own spiced poach pears recipe kit coming soon!). You can also make your apples into jams and chutneys, like our list of recipe kits here, which can make great Christmas presents too! Other desserts can include the classic ‘Apple Tarte Tatin’, or savoury dishes like this speedy pear and goats cheese tart.