autumn arrives

Mindsets change on the twenty-first of September. No longer are the long summer days sought; instead, delight comes from crisp afternoons and maroon and marigold leaves delicately strewn on the pavement.

For food-lovers, a decided shift occurs in the psyche. The season for berries, cherries and peas has passed. In with the apples, in with the squash. As September transitions into October (and I can’t wait to make my pumpkin soup), have a look at some of the best fruits and vegetables of the new season:

Last of the blackberries

I noticed sadly on Saturday that there weren’t any blackberries on the shelf. It could be there’s a late-summer run on this regal purple fruit, or, as the season changes, there are few left for the shops.

In any case, if I can get my hands on any more blackberries, I’m aching to try an idea that sprung into my head last week: nectarine and blackberry crumble.

Apple harvest

According to the BBC, we should be able to find Worcester Pearmains, Bramleys, Discoveries, Early Windsors and Cox’s Orange Pippins before long. I found a few baby Cox’s in my local last weekend, and they weren’t half bad either.

Mushroom nights

There’s nothing lovelier than a roasted mushroom soup, especially as the wild varieties will be available soon. But dried mushrooms work great too and add so much flavour. A few years back I tried a Gary Rhodes’ recipe – a creamy pork and mushroom stew – from Keeping it Simple (a cookbook I really like). It’s a great warming fall recipe for chilly nights.

Marrow merriment

Of course, the obese (and less flavourful) older sibling to the courgette makes an appearance. Like pumpkin, marrow lose flavour and hold more water as they grow. I like marrow best stuffed with other, more vibrant flavours – perhaps a sun-dried tomato stuffing?

Pumpkin time

Truly the star of the autumn season, pumpkin is extremely versatile. Enjoy its flesh and its seeds in a spicy pumpkin curry or pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds – and the shell can be used as a bowl or a jack o’lantern for kids.