Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Foods in Season: March 1861

As I ramp up my gardening activities, it's time to see what Beeton's Book of Household Management has to say about foods that are in season for March.

Fish- Barbel, brill, carp, crabs, crayfish, dace, eels, flounders, haddocks, herrings, lampreys, lobsters, mussels, oysters, perch, pike, plaice, prawns, shrimps, skate, smelts, soles, sprats, sturgeon, tench, thornback, turbot, whiting.

Meat- Beef, house lamb, mutton, pork, veal.

Poultry- Capons, chickens, ducklings, tame and wild pigeons, pullets with eggs, turkeys, wild-fowl, though now not in full season.

Game- Grouse, hares, partridges, pheasants, snipes, woodcock.

Vegetables-Beetroot, broccoli (purple and white), Brussels sprouts, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, kidney-beans, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, sea-kale, spinach, turnips, -various herbs

Fruit- Apples (golden and Dutch pippins), grapes, medlars, nuts, oranges, pears (Bon Chrétien), walnuts, dried fruits (foreign), such as almonds and raisins; French and Spanish plums; prunes, figs, dates, crystallized preserves.

Cod is off the menu! Not that I usually cook with it. No changes to the meat or fruit lists. Fowls are now out of both the poultry and game categories. Sea-kale has been added to the vegetable category (the only new addition this month). So, all told, March is looking very similar to February. And January. While this is a much larger variety of foods than one might fear, I'm starting to get a better appreciation for how boring late winter and early spring cooking can get prior to long-distance refrigerated transit.


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