The eGunroom Instagram feed is currently awash with the hashtag ‘Regenuary’ and it is quite likely that if you follow a few farmers or keen shots, then yours will be too. But what is ‘Regenury’ and why should you care?
One year ago a founder of The Ethical Butcher wrote a Facebook post after he spent an evening in London and saw a number of adverts from food brands promoting Veganuary.
Veganuary
Veganuary is the movement that encourages people to try vegan for January and beyond. It encourages and supports people (not just in January but throughout the year) to move to a plant based diet as a way of protecting the environment, amongst other things.
Whilst the Veganuary movement does want to see ‘a vegan world’, it also states that it wants a ‘world where food production does not decimate forests, pollute rivers and oceans, exacerbate climate change and drive wild animal populations to extinction.’
As shooters and consumers of game we may not agree with living in a vegan world, but as conservationists we can agree that food production should not harm the planet.
Regenuary
The concept behind Regenuary is a simple one. It asks you to consider the impact that everything you eat has on the planet, and aims to try to get you to source as many ingredients as you can from regenerative agriculture, whether you do or do not eat meat and meat products.
The Ethical Butcher’s follow up blog post looks at the seasonal fruit and vegetables currently on offer: “Assuming the consumer is in the UK not too much grows here in January that contains the fats and proteins our bodies need. The vegetarian society lists these plants as being native and seasonal in January:
Apples, Beetroot, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Celeriac, Celery, Chicory, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Pears, Red Cabbage, Salsify, Savoy Cabbage, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Squash, Swedes, Turnips, White Cabbage.”
UK famers certainly do need our support and what better way than to buy seasonally right now?
Turning to local estates and butchers is also a great way of partaking in Regenuary. Many estates around the country will have suffered from the lack of shooting due to COVID-19 restrictions. Any help you can offer these or the game dealers/butchers who work with them will be greatly appreciated. Whilst driven shoots can not take place under new COVID-19 restrictions venison will still need to be controlled and consumed! However, these suppliers won’t just stock game meats, you will also be able to purchase other high quality meats from them.
“Regenuary is all about eating foods that are local, seasonal and farmed using regenerative methods, now that could really save the world.”
