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Taste the Passion - Winter Vegetables

Date: 11/11/2010 | Posted by John Garton
As the days shorten and temperatures fall, Genuine Jersey’s Taste the Passion campaign turns its focus to the abundance of fresh seasonal produce grown in the Island over the winter months.

Eating fresh local winter vegetables is not only healthy and good for the Island’s economy it also helps beat the winter blues - whether at the heart of a meal, in a bowl of home-made soup or eaten raw.

The Chief Executive of Genuine Jersey, John Garton, said Taste the Passion was designed to encourage consumers to buy local and in doing so, support Island producers and the economy at a time when the home-grown produce was at its very best and most abundant.

‘Promoting the benefits of eating Jersey’s winter seasonal harvest encourages diverse diets with optimal nutritional value as vegetables are packed with essential vitamins, calcium and fibre to name a few. Moreover, buying local keeps food miles to almost nil, reduces the Island’s carbon footprint and keeps the local pound in circulation and producers in business,’ he said.

Amal-Grow Produce Limited is the largest local producer of outdoor seasonal vegetables in Jersey and has been supplying Channel Islands supermarkets, wholesalers and other retail outlets for over 30 years. Fresh produce is harvested and packed daily for Islandwide deliveries and export to Guernsey. The crops they harvest over the winter include: potatoes, carrots, parsnips, leeks, cabbage, winter greens, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and curly kale.

Company founder Tony Le Brun said they were delighted to support the Genuine Jersey Taste the Passion campaign.

‘We are passionate about supporting a campaign that raises public’s awareness in how many great local winter vegetables there are available virtually on their doorstep at this time of year. Many of these winter vegetables struggled through exceptional dry conditions this summer, so it is credit to all our staff,  and makes me very proud  that we have managed to grow such fine crops ready to harvest now,’ he said.

Amal-Grow will be promoting vegetable soup packs and other winter vegetables to town shoppers from a Genuine Jersey stall next to Hamon’s in King Street on Friday 19 November from 10 am to 4 pm.

To encourage Islanders to eat more vegetables Jersey Pottery chef Tony Dorris has come up with a Genuine Jersey Winter Roast Vegetable Soup to be reproduced on recipe cards which will be available free to the public.  The soup will be on sale at the Genuine Jersey stall on 19 November and at the annual Shelter soup kitchen on 30 November.

By engaging and educating the community, the campaign hopes to raise local awareness of the Genuine Jersey brand and to encourage consumers to make an informed choice. It is funded by a combination of money from the States Fiscal Stimulus Fund to support local businesses in tough economic times and also from the Channel Islands Co-Operative Society and participating producers. It began in August with the promotion of eggs and has subsequently featured organic farmers, fishermen, crabs, lobsters and scallops.