What's in Season in November?

No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds - November!

Thomas Hood, No!

The chill winds and almost bare trees that are around in November remind us that winter is almost here. We look forward to the smells and sounds of crackling wood on the fire and the lace-like dusting of frost that's sure to appear on our windows by month's end as well as cooking with the best of the seasonal foods available.

Some of the best-loved treats of the season are the readily available fresh fruits and vegetables that are tasty on their own or as a special part of any meal.

Produce in season this month

What a squash!

The vegetable responsible for preventing the starvation of the pilgrims during their first winter in America was the pumpkin and they are popular in Britain now, mainly associated with Hallowe’en. The pumpkin is an indelible symbol of November and is but one variety of the fruits from the great family of gourds.

Although available almost all the year round, winter squash make their ripest appearance in the early autumn. They are characterised by thick, hard skins and meaty seeds that are often wonderful for toasting. Their dense orange-yellow flesh is usually best baked or steamed, when it can be puréed for soups. Unlike courgettes and some other summer squashes, winter squash should not be eaten raw. Varieties include butternut, acorn, spaghetti, delicata, sweet dumpling, turban, and of course the mighty pumpkin. Most can be stored successfully, uncooked, for up to one month in the refrigerator or another cool place that's out of the sun. Choose winter squash and pumpkins that are heavy for their size, and have hard, dense, unblemished skins.

Autumn and winter squashes and pumpkins last for weeks stored in a cool dry place. Smaller squashes such as butternut, acorn and patty pan are particularly sweet and nutty – the first two are excellent sliced thinly, softened in butter in a wide pan, then drizzled with cream and grated cheese. Finish under a hot grill.

The best of root vegetables

Knobbly roots of Jerusalem artichokes have a delicate, earthy flavour that’s a great match for roasts and casseroles. Scrape and steam as you would potatoes. They are easier to peel if cooked first and then allowed to cool. They give an excellent flavour to casseroles and are also very good baked to serve with roast meat.

The Jerusalem artichoke is not an artichoke, nor does it come from Jerusalem. It is originally from America, though it is now grown extensively in Europe, and it is part of the sunflower family.

Celeriac is a variety of celery, available from November to February which is cultivated for its turnip-like stem base. The root only is served as a vegetable, made into a cream soup or grated raw in salads.

Peel it fairly thickly; the small ones may be cooked whole, but larger ones should be sliced thickly or cut into dice. Cook in boiling water or stock until tender 20 to 60 minutes or even longer. Drain well and serve with melted butter or with a good white sauce.

How about seaweed?

Seaweed packed in sea salt is in some larger supermarkets. Before cooking, rinse under running cold water for 2-3 minutes to remove the salt. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice and add to stir fries or pasta sauces; wrap around fish fillets before steaming; or cut into fine strips, dry well and deep fry in batches, Chinese style. Sprinkle with a little sugar and serve.

Many types of seaweed are eaten in different parts of the world and in countries where fresh vegetables are scarce during the winter months, they form an important part of the diet, as they have good mineral content. In some parts of Britain such types as dulse, laver or sloke are eaten by themselves or used in cooking.

Perfect Plums

The British plum season is well under way. For cooking, plum varieties are interchangeable; you may need to adjust the sugar to taste. Plums are ripe when they are scented and tender. The skins of plums are inclined to be tough, and it may be better too remove them when raw fruit is used such as in fruit salads.

Plums are thought to have developed originally from the sloe. Many varieties of plum are grown, ranging in colour from gold to dark purple, and varying considerably in size. In England, the best plums are grown in Kent and the Vale of Evesham.

Plums are used for all the usual fruit desserts, such as pies, baked and steamed puddings, flans, jelly whip, fruit salad, etc.; they may also be frozen, pickled, dried, bottled or made into jam.

In Praise of Pears

Pears are the fleshy fruit of a tree widely grown in most parts of the world, except the tropics. Many different varieties of dessert and cooking pear are grown and marketed in Britain and large numbers are also imported. Some are very juicy and sweet and when absolutely ripe these make an excellent dessert fruit, though if they are allowed to become over-ripe they are woolly and insipid. They make good cold desserts when combined with other fruit, cream or ice cream.

Pears ripen from the end of summer to the beginning of winter and some types will keep until Christmas. They should be stored well apart, on wooden shelves, in a temperature from 4 -16 °C (40 - 60 °F). The English dessert pears must be carefully watched and eaten as soon as they are ripe. A dessert pear which is ready for eating should yield to slight pressure at the stalk end.

Some of the most esteemed pears are:

The Conference pear is a good all round fruit suitable for eating, cooking and bottling.