February in The Farm Table

While February isn’t a month of grand occasions, you must always find reasons to celebrate. Each week should be bookmarked by long, lazy Sunday lunches and spontaneous dinners to add a little sparkle to the short, dark days. For the romantics, Valentines Day is a perfect excuse to share a tomahawk steak or pop open a bottle of something special.
Out on the farm, we are caught between winter’s grip and the faintest murmur of spring. Amidst the sea of sturdy brassicas and humble root vegetables, there are glimmers of seasonal excitement to get the heart racing. Perhaps my favourite is Forced Rhubarb, which arrives from Yorkshire at this time of year. It’s grown in dark, heated sheds & harvested by candlelight. Its stalks are vivid red with a translucent interior and the flavour is sweeter and less tart than its field-grown counterpart. Originally, cheap coal from Northern mines would heat the forcing sheds to produce early Rhubarb when fresh fruit was scarce. In the early 20th century, there were over 200 producers, today only 12 remain.
A little further afield, citrus season is in full swing. Quite clearly, our climate doesn’t lend itself to growing oranges and lemons, so we have built a relationship with brothers Alfonso and Paolo who bring in the most exceptional fruit from their own farm and other small growers in southern Italy. Our favourite is the arrival of the Tarocco Fire blood oranges, which arrive unwaxed and still on the leaf. The flavour is otherworldly, you simply have to try one!

George Dart

Darts Farm

February in The Farm Table

Posted in The Farm, Food & Drink on 26 Feb 2025

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