With my friends, we’re on a mission to uncover some of the stories behind our hero seasonal food – from juicy fruits to veggies with va va voom.

It’s great to know where our food comes from.  Just think, it might even be from your local farmer down the road.

Now…

• Did you know there are over 2.7 million fields across the country?  And that 70% of our land is farmland – fields, orchards and grassland as far as the eye can see.
• How about that people used to think tomatoes were poisonous?
• That farmers like to harvest rhubarb in candlelight! And that when ripe, cranberries bounce!

To help us find out how it all happens, we’re going to meet farmers across the country to give us the deep dig on how all these crops get from the fields to your fork.

But let’s start with some… 

FRUITY FACTS! 

• Here’s a classic!  You might have heard of Isaac Newton – he was a famous scientist who discovered gravity all because an apple fell on his head!
• And did you know that Queen Elizabeth II was very particular about eating fruit when in season.  Oh, and eating bananas with… get this… a knife and fork!
• This fact is literally out of this world.  It’s all about the humble potato, which in 1995 became the first vegetable to be grown in space! 

Now, while we eat food every day, most of the time I guess we don’t really think about what we’re eating or where it comes from, right?  So let’s find out how fruits and veggies that we love are grown…

DOWN ON THE FARM!

Now, one thing you might not know,  but farming is something that’s been going on for years… in fact, thousands of years. Around 11,000 years ago, people started to stop running and jumping all over the place to catch animals… which must have been pretty exhausting, and started growing crops and keeping animals.  It was the start of a more settled way of life which in time meant villages and towns, with farmers taking their produce for sale in their local markets!

Before farming, folk were always on the move. But once you start growing your own food, you build homes, raise families and create a way of life.  Farming is the world’s oldest job and one that’s shaped the way our country is today.  And there’s more to it than you might think – something that even the earliest farmers knew….  

For many years, what farmers grew varied according to the land and the weather.  That’s why historically we have different types of farming in different parts of the country.  

• Arable farming – that’s the growing of crops such as vegetables, fruit and cereals, is particularly strong in the South East where the land’s flatter with rich soils.
• Pastoral or animal farming is strong in wetter places where there’s lots of delicious green grass that cattle love. And then in hilly areas, where it’s too cold and rocky for crops, it’s great for hardy breeds of sheep.

As you might imagine, our cooler wet climate isn’t naturally going to make it easy to grow tropical fruits like mangos and pineapples

But the great thing is we can work with the seasons to have the freshest fruit and vegetables in store when they’re ripe and ready, which as you will know, varies for each. 

Take the Strawberry – they’re ripest in June, whilst Blackberries are great in August to October.  And then the Apple, they’re great in September to October, whilst Brussels Sprouts come into their own during the winter months.

Farmers can learn from previous generations of farmers to get the best out of the crops. Take Rhubarb… over many years, farmers discovered that it’s best to grow it in the dark as that helps rhubarb keep its sweetness.

But farmers are also making use of newer tech – like using polytunnels and greenhouses to grow across the year.  And in our cities, underground farms are growing herbs and salad plants hydroponically on wool carpet cut-offs under banks of LED lights. 

Using the pieces of land we have, working with the soil and seasons as well as old knowledge combined with the newest innovations to grow all we need. 

Even with the latest technology, farming is hard work! Farmers wake up early and work in all kinds of weather to take care of animals and plants. And there’s always something to do – from sowing seeds and watering the crops…

GET IN MA BELLY!

Don’t worry, we’ve a ton of great recipe ideas, whether roasting, baking, boiling, chopping, dicing, tossing or slicing… or even just eating it raw.

So make sure you listen out each month as we and our friendly farmers explore our hero seasonal fruit and vegetables as we spin the “PEEL OF FORTUNE”

… and don’t forget to bring your appetite!

THE MORRISONS FRUIT & ROOT CREW – EXPLORING OUR SEASONAL FRUIT AND VEG FIND OUT MORE AT MORRISONS.COM