Tuesday 31 July 2012

Autumn, What's in Season!


 

Well, autumn is finally here! That means winter is coming next and as many people often say, “sher lads, we won’t feel Christmas now.” Autumn is the time where the leaves on the trees start to change colour, the breeze gets colder and stronger and food becomes heartier and more comforting. This is when people start to wander the country roads and fields to forage for nuts, berries and other autumnal treats. This particular image takes me back to my childhood when I used to pick wild gooseberries and more carefully, blackberries. A happy time it was! 

Traditionally this was the time where the art of preserving really came into action, but with the advent of the supermarket and the lack of its necessity for sustenance, preservation has unfortunately fallen out of favour with the masses. This is a great shame as preserving is such an enjoyable and rewarding activity and there is nothing like the anticipation for say a ripened blackberry jam or a fruit liqueur. It really makes you feel like a kid again and in this fast-moving world there is certainly nothing wrong with that. 


Here, I am providing you with a list of what’s in season in autumn. These are foods that are best now and in the coming few months, berries will be at their sweetest and vegetables will be at their most flavoursome. Keep your eyes open for the foods mentioned below, both in the wild and in your local supermarket, your taste buds will truly thank you!



Fruit
Apples
Blueberries
Blackberries
Plums
Cranberries
Quince
Nectarines
Elderberries
Sloes
Figs
Pears
Raspberries
Gooseberries
Chestnuts
Hazelnuts

Vegetables
Aubergine
Butternut Squash
Leek
Swede
Carrots
Celeriac
Celery
Pumpkin
Courgette
Mushrooms (wild)
Brussels Sprouts
Fennell
Parsnips
Cabbages
Radishes
Rocket
Potatoes
Onions
Turnips
Beetroot

Meat
Venison
Game Birds

Fish
Pollack
Haddock
Whiting
Mackerel
Coley
Sea Bass