What's in season in October?

Seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch eves run.

John Keats, Ode To Autumn

British food is wonderful, what can beat the mouth-watering anticipation of the new season’s locally grown vegetables – the first Jersey Royals for instance. The aroma of a Worcester Pearmain apple, for example, may conjure up many memories of sunny autumn days. Sadly, nowadays we seem to have much less choice of where and what to buy, thanks mainly to the power of the major supermarkets. It seems that often tasteless food transported from all over the world is the price consumers pay for having everything under one roof all through the year. Maybe it is time to rethink our food purchasing habits before it is too late and there really is no choice at all.

The most delicious fruits and vegetables become really abundant in October. Here are some to look out for this month: Apple Day 21 October

Apples of Paradise

There are about 1200 varieties of British apples that have been bred or discovered and yet so few can be found in the shops at a time. Some apples are British through and through, like the famous Bramley cooking apple, which started life in a cottage garden in Southwell, Nottingham, and was the first marketed in the 1860s. However, many British-grown varieties have their roots elsewhere – Spartan hails from Canada, Kidd’s Orange Red and Royal Gala are from New Zealand and Early Windsor originated in Germany.

Many have very different and distinctive flavours and textures; here are just a few of the many varieties:

Cooking apples break down when cooked, so use them when you want a soft pulpy texture. If you want to keep the shape of the apple and a slight crunch, use a crisp eating apple such as Cox’s Orange Pippin, Egremont Russet, Royal gala, Jonagold or Discovery.

British apples can be divided into 4 types:

Despite this variation, most growers concentrate on a few commercially-proven varieties, leaving us with little choice. For this reason the Brogdale Horticultural Trust in Faversham, Kent is well worth a visit. It has almost 2,500 varieties of apples, especially during its Apple Celebration held between 23-25 October. Apple Day falls just before, on 21 October each year and many special events are taking place around the country on the weekends before and after this date. As well as enjoying tours of the orchards, there will be 100 varieties of apples to taste and buy. If you are worried about your home-grown apples, bring them along for a check-up from the Apple Doctor. For further information see Common Ground's website at www.commonground.org.uk.

Look out for Quinces

Quinces are the hard, dry-textured fruit of a tree belonging to the apple family, which grows in temperate climates. When ripe, they become golden yellow or slightly reddish in colour and resemble apples or pears in appearance. They have an unusual and powerful aroma and are best stored apart from other fruit.

Most of the quinces in the shops are imported from Portugal and Spain. Quinces do grow in Britain but our late frosts and unpredictable summers can cause problems.

Quinces should not be eaten raw. They are best peeled, sliced and poached until tender. Just one quince will add perfume and flavour to an apple pie or crumble. Poach the slices first, then add to the filling, or puree the poached slices and spread over the pastry base when making an apple tart. Alternatively, they can be made into jam or jelly.

Blackberries from the Hedgerow

October is the month for raiding the hedgerows for blackberries. Delicious raw with sugar and cream as well as cooked into pies, crumbles, tarts and other delightful desserts such as autumn pudding. Equally, they make excellent preserves such as jams, jellies, pickled blackberries or wine.

Blackberries are also known as brambles and they grow extensively in this country. The cultivated varieties, such as Himalayan Giant, are often larger and more juicy than their wild counterparts and are slightly different in flavour. Blackberries are a good source of vitamin C, supplying the day's requirements (20 mg) in an average serving.

The fruit should always be picked over and washed before eating or cooking. When cooked, blackberries are often combined with apples. Apples are also added to blackberry jam and jelly to supply the acid and pectin necessary for a good set. As blackberry seeds are very hard, many people use the fruit only in dishes in which it is sieved such as blackberry fool, blackberry conserve and bramble jelly. The fruit and also the young shoots make a good wine and the leaves can also be used, dried, as a tea.

Blackberries freeze well too. Pack them in rigid containers and freeze for up to 1 year. You can use the fruit from frozen for many hot puddings – just increase the cooking time by about 10 minutes.

Mushroom Feasts

A feast of mushrooms This month is one of the best times for foraging in the woods for mushrooms. Many people are afraid to gather wild mushrooms, probably because they are quite rightly wary of picking poisonous ones. Some excellent publications about mushrooms are currently available:

Look out for the many varieties in the shops now:

What else should you look out for?

As well as British apples, pears are at their best during October too. Look out for the new season’s juicy varieties such as Williams, Conference and Comice. This is also the month to feast on plums and damsons. It is also the time for medlars, figs and Kentish cobnuts.

As Halloween night approaches on the 31st, look out for huge bright orange pumpkins. You can hollow them out for lanterns or to make a soup tureen and serve soup in it made from the scooped-out flesh.

October is one of the busiest months in the kitchen gardener’s year. All the root crops – carrots, potatoes, parsnips, celeriac and beetroot – are waiting to be gathered in. Cauliflowers, crisp autumn cabbages and Chinese vegetables are at their prime. Salad vegetables such as endive and lamb’s lettuce are plentiful too. Keep an eye out for red cabbage. Red Cabbage is great for that British classic side dish ‘Braised Cabbage’.