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While the crisp, cold autumn mornings may make you want to snuggle up in bed, farmers across Britain are out in the elements, harvesting.
British-grown produce is abundant right now, and there really is no better time to eat locally sourced fruit and veg. September and October’s harvest includes everything from apples and pears to marrows and squashes. You can look forward to cooking hearty stews and soups and tucking into a homemade apple crumble on a Sunday evening.
If you have a vegetable patch at home or grow your own produce at an allotment, you’ll no doubt have been working hard all year round to make sure your harvest is as successful as possible. As you now get to enjoy the results of your hard work, we’re sharing some tips on making the most of your harvest and how to eat both sustainably and seasonally this autumn.
Courgettes
We recommend harvesting your courgettes whilst they are small and tender for maximum flavour. Pick regularly to prolong the cropping period.
Don’t forget to harvest and enjoy the flowers too. You can stuff these with a filling of your choice (ricotta and herbs is lovely) coat them in batter and fry until golden brown. As the flowers will close within hours of picking, we recommend eating them as fresh as possible.
Squash and pumpkins
Winter squashes and pumpkins have become the symbols of autumn, their colours mirroring those of autumn leaves. Make sure that they fully mature and colour before harvesting – and remember to use them for more than just decoration!
If fully ripened on the plant, winter squashes and pumpkins can store for up to three months, so don’t let them go to waste. Check out this month’s butternut squash mac and cheese recipe on the blog for the ultimate autumnal comfort dish.
Brussel sprouts
Brussel sprouts aren’t just for Christmas; they are usually ready for harvest throughout late autumn and winter depending on the variety. They only become sweeter and more delicious once they’ve been frosted.
The sprouts at the bottom of the stalk are usually ready to harvest first, and in cold weather you can leave sprouts on the stalk and just pick a few at a time for cooking.
Chillies
If you’ve grown chillies in your greenhouse this year, these will be beginning to reach the end of their harvest season. You can now bring these plants inside to help make the most of the remaining fruits.
Picking your chillies whilst they’re still green and ripening them further in the kitchen helps to produce more fruits. Leaving them to ripen on the plants gives them a hotter flavour.
Garlic
Whilst you’ll have already harvested your garlic, now’s the perfect time to plant some more ready for next summer. The cooler weather of the winter months helps a good bulb to form, so planting now will mean that you have a good supply of homegrown garlic to use in your cooking next year.
We may not all have a kitchen garden quite like the Nettlefolds did, but you can still make the most of the harvest season and enjoy cooking with home-grown ingredients. And, if you don’t have your own fruits and vegetables to enjoy, shop locally to help support the environment and the local economy. Your tastebuds will thank you too – because nothing beats homegrown veg fresh from the ground.
