Your quick guide to what’s in season? October.
And October is the beginning of some great fruit and those little fungi we all love.
But, wow, where did summer go?!
The nights are drawing in now and we’re making sure our woodpile is ready for some colder evenings.
But the one thing I love about the changing seasons is the change in what we can cook.
I’m looking forward to heart-warming stews, slow-cooked casseroles and long lazy Sunday lunches.
And it’s the height of the wild mushroom season.
So if you know someone who’s well-informed on foraging, look out for girolles, chanterelles and trompettes de la mort.
Locally sourced
So, we all know eating locally sourced food is really the way forward.
Or actually, it’s the way back because this is what we used to do until globalisation.
Not only is it better for our planet by shortening the supply chain.
It’s also good for us.
A few reasons why eating in season is good
Economical: eating fruit and veg when there are loads of it means it will be sold cheaper than in the off-season
Health benefits: food that is in season contain the nutrients and minerals that our bodies need at a particular time of year.
e.g. butternut squash and apples are in season in autumn/winter – they are packed with vitamin so help keep away horrid winter colds.
Tastes better: which makes obvious sense.
Mass-produced produce tends to suffer from a lack of flavour. Large commercial farms are about volume and often they are adapted to look uniformed and have a better shelf life so flavour slides.
What’s in Season? October
| Fruit | Apples Blackberries Figs Grapes Pears Plums Quinces Raspberries |
| Vegetables | Aubergines Autumn cabbage (green, red) Beetroot Broccoli (calabrese, autumn sprouting) Brussels sprouts Carrots (Heritage) Celeriac Celery Chard Chillies Chicory Courgettes Cucumbers Endive Fennel Jerusalem artichokes Kale Kohlrabi Lettuce and other salad leaves Leeks Marrows Wild mushrooms (girolles, chanterelles, trompettes de la mort) Okra Pak choi Parsnips Peppers Pumpkins and winter squashes Radishes (summer, winter) Spinach Spring onions Swedes Sweetcorn Sweet peppers Tomatoes Turnips Watercress [Available most months in good condition: button mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, maincrop potatoes, onions, rocket] |
| Meat | Grouse Guinea fowl Hare Lamb partridge Pheasant Venison Wild duck Woodcock [Always available in good condition: beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, farmed venison, wood pigeon] |
Want to check out more seasonal food?
Visit my What’s in Season page, here.
Reference: PennyGoLightly