October Fruit and Vegetables

The days are growing shorter, autumn winds are blowing and the harvest is being brought in from the orchards and fields. October is sometimes thought of as the ugly sister of September, but the reputation is not deserved. Summer, when orchard and vine are exploding with juicy, sun filled abundance, may be passed, but the warm months have helped breed new things for autumnal abundance, some being uniquely enjoyable. This year the apple trees are especially heavy laden with succulent fruit, ready to be made into jams, preservers and beverages. Wild mushrooms are abundant and squash and pumpkins are ready early for Halloween.

Americans think of pumpkin as something you put in a pie and serve at Thanksgiving. Europeans know it primarily as a savoury ingredient. In this case, the old world and the new both have it right. Pumpkin is delicious in sweet pies, but it can be put to good use in all manner of savour dishes as well. The simplest is to cut the pumpkin into pieces, removing the seeds and strings from the central cavity and steaming or baking the pieces for serving with a little butter as a vegetable. Some care needs to be taken with cooked pumpkin as it becomes fragile when cooked because of the high water content. This may be acceptable if the flesh is to be drained of excess water and served mashed. One of the nicest ways of preparing this vegetable is to roast it in pieces at low temperature for an extended time, which cooks them and simultaneously evaporates much of the water.

Some vegetables from summer are still available, especially in the early part of the month: beans, courgettes, peppers and aubergines from Europe, and beetroot, sweetcorn, sweet potatoes, celery, carrots and marrows are available in abundance.

Root vegetables are now coming into their prime. Look for parsnips, celeriac, Swedes and turnips this month to use in soups and stews as we progress into colder weather. There should also be a good selection of onions available in October. If you like to make pickled onions, now is the time to make them.

The last, but not the least, of the vegetables to be considered for consumption in October are spinach, chard and cabbages. These seem to come into their own as the days become shorter and the nights grow colder. Red cabbage is especially good when cooked with onions, pears or quinces.

Most of the berries of summer are now gone, but other fruit make up for their depletion. The apple season is in full swing, and with them come delicious pears and damsons, perfect for preserves and puddings. Autumn is also the season for nuts, with fresh walnuts being the first to be seen. They are never better than at this time of year, before the flesh has lost its moist, delicate freshness.

Figs are another October highlight, picked from the tree when fully ripe, they offer their incomparable sweet flavour for a short time before they become too soft. They are perfect torn open and savoured raw, but are also delicious baked with honey and feta cheese.

Quinces are another top choice for October, especially for jam and jelly making. Pomegranates, coming from the Mediterranean, are also abundant now. They may be one of the hardest fruit to eat, but the succulent pits are delicious in both savoury and sweet salads.