February is a really miserable month (most suicides happen in this month apparently). No Christmas to look forward to, evenings still starting early, and, if you are in England, weather is even more grey, cold, windy and wet than usual.
Appropriately then, foodwise February is also a pretty uninteresting month. The best that can be said for it is that it is the time for eating the preserved versions of food in season in more exciting months… in particular fruity chutneys to go with cheeses and cold meats.
February takes over January’s highlights of Seville and Blood oranges and forced rhubarb, but now we start to get purple sprouting broccoli – a chink of light after the endless cabbage and root vegetables.
Food in season in February:
- apple
- black truffle
- brill
- broccoli – especially purple-sprouting
- Brussels sprouts
- calçots
- carrots
- cauliflowers
- cavolo nero
- celeriac
- celery
- chard
- chervil
- chervil root
- chicory
- clams
- cockles
- dab
- duck
- grey gurnard
- guinea fowl
- haddock
- hake
- halibut
- hare
- herb fennel
- herring
- Jerusalem artichokes
- John Dory
- kale
- kalettes
- kiwi fruit
- kumquats
- langoustine
- leeks
- lemons
- lobster
- monkfish
- mussels
- oranges (blood)
- oranges (Seville)
- oysters
- parsley
- parsley root
- parsnips
- passion fruit
- pears – passe crassane
- pigeon
- pineapple
- pomegranate
- potatoes (main crop)
- prawn
- purple sprouting
- rabbit
- red gurnard
- red mullet
- rhubarb (forced)
- romanesco
- salad burnet
- salmon
- sardines/pilchards
- savoy cabbage
- scallops (king and queen)
- skate
- sole (lemon)
- sole (dover)
- sorbs
- spinach
- spring onions
- swedes (ugh)
- sweet potato
- turbot
- turkey
- turnips (unless baby, in which case they are in season later, also ugh)
- venison
- walnuts
- whelks