What's in Season in February?

If Candlemas Day be fair and bright
Winter will take another flight.
If Candlemas Day be cloud and rain
Winter is gone and will not come again.

Traditional

Candlemas (February 2nd) is the popular name for the feast of the Purification of St. Mary the Virgin and Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Another February festival is that of St Valentine's Day on the 14th. This is the day for sending cards, love messages, poems and romantic presents. The idea of sending sentimental cards to loved ones is a Victorian one. Later on in the month there is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day, the day before the start of Lent.

February is a most changeable month, with hours of sunshine that promise spring, followed by hard frosts and lashing gales that remind us it is still winter. Nevertheless, violets venture out, hazel catkins turn yellow, and jays, chaffinches and blackbirds all make their presence felt. Wild duck and early wild salmon appear this month, as does hake, plaice, dabs, sole and mussels.

In the kitchen garden there are signs of spring as forced lettuce, cress and spring onions all appear just in time to make the first green salad of the year. If the winter was not too hard, you will get the first chives now, and look out for the first artichokes, parsley and sea kale too. Chicory is also a very welcome crunchy vegetable at this time of year.

Chives in season

Chives are a very small variety of onion. The leaves grow as a slender hollow like needles and have a delicate onion flavour. Minced or chopped, chives are excellent for flavouring salads, omelettes, sauces, vegetables and as a garnish for cold savoury dishes and for soups. They should be used very fresh.

Chives can be used in many dishes for a bit of winter seasoning. Try them in Winter Salad, Herbed Scones or in Potato Soup. They also go particularly well with cheese, especially in a Cheese Paté or Spread. Fish is another natural partner. Salmon and Chive Quiche features a delicious combination, both of which are in season this month.

Salmon, the King of Fish

Salmon is a round a fish, weighing 4.5 kg (10 lb) to 13.5 kg (30 lb). It is caught in the rivers of Britain from February to august. Salmon is at its best when the head and tail are small and the neck thick. It should be stiff, red in the gills and covered with bright silvery scales. The flesh should be of a bright red colour.

Salmon is one of the oily fish and is thus digested more slowly than white fish. It is a good source of vitamin D and has a higher energy value than white fish. It also provides animal protein and calcium.

Salmon can be cooked in many ways but some of the best methods are poaching or baking.

Smoked salmon is a delicacy and is sold ready to serve. It is eaten as a starter (sliced very thinly and served with lemon and brown bread and butter). It may also be used in salads and sandwiches. Smoked salmon offcuts can be bought at a reduced price and used for mousses, patées and pastes.

Chicory (or is it endive?)

Chicory is a group of plants cultivated for their leaves, the two principal types being wild chicory and garden chicory. The wild plant, which grows in meadowlands, is eaten only in salads; the bitter-flavoured leaves are cut into strips and eaten raw.

Garden chicory (also known as Belgian endive), has fleshy tender leaves. It may be eaten raw in salads or braised and served with butter. The large roots of one type of chicory can be roasted, ground and used to blend with coffee, to which they impart a bitter flavour.

There is some confusion between the use of the names chicory and endive. In France and the USA, what the British know as chicory is called endive or Belgian endive, while our endive is called chicory in the States and chicoree in France.