St. Swithin's Day, if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain.
St. Swithin's Day, if thou be fair
For forty days, 'twill rain no mair.
Traditional Rhyme
Summer is in full swing now, with a good chance of picnics. Listen out for the woodpecker and watch out for bees and wasps which are very active this month. This is summer pudding season and the berries and currants are all good now. While greenhouse cucumbers are sold all year round, outdoor-grown ridge cucumbers are found from now until October. Some of the nicest lettuces come in around now, although the likes of iceberg are on sale all year round. Salsify is worth looking for, as are scarlet runner beans and globe artichokes. You will also come across fennel which can be around until late autumn. Melons are improving in quality and plums, pineapples and nectarines are on the shelves now. Herring is now at its best.
Runner Beans please
The runner bean season is a precious time so catch them while you can. Buy or pick them on the day you intend to eat them, if possible, and cook them as lightly as you dare. Their main use is an accompaniment, but they can be made into a salad.
Runner beans are also known as Scarlet runners, String beans or Stick Beans. They were introduced to Europe from Mexico in the mid seventeenth century. They come from a perennial, fast climbing plant which are usually grown as annuals. Bush varieties are also available.
The beans are at their best when picked young and should be finely sliced for cooking.
A Herb of Distinction
Dill has a lot more character than many herbs. Although you can buy it from large supermarkets all year round, it is very much a summer crop. If you grow it yourself, you will know it is not the easiest to get right. For one thing, it goes to seed very fast. For another, it does not transplant very well. That clever trick of buying a pot of 'growing herbs' and planting the seedlings out individually - which works brilliantly with parsley, sage and thyme, for instance - just does not come off with dill.
As most cooks are aware, dill has a natural affinity with all sorts of fish. Either stuff or wrap fish in dill fronds before cooking, or sprinkle it with finely chopped dill after cooking. It also brings out the flavour of many vegetables and pulses - again sprinkle it on after cooking. It is particularly good on boiled new potatoes or in a potato salad.
Choosing Cherries
Fresh cherries are in and out of season before you can blink. If you can, choose Morello cherries for cooking with. They are great for cooking as they have a strong flavour and keep their shape well. An extra 25-50 g (1-2 oz) of sugar can be added to recipes to make up for their tartness. Out of season, frozen cherries can be used, thawed and well drained.
The best types of eating cherries grown in Britain are the large, sweet White Heart and Black Heart, both of which ripen in June and July. Cherries are delicious eaten raw, either for dessert or in fruit salads. They can also be cooked and may be bottled or canned, the red and black varieties being rather more suitable for the purpose, as the white ones turn a somewhat unappetising fawnish colour when bottled.
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