Crisp mornings and big piles of golden leaves mean that we can now give up all hope of a summer, and start enjoying autumn! As the daylight hours get shorter, there is nothing more comforting than snuggling up with a bowl of vegetable soup or a hearty seasonal pie!
  
© NTPL / Various
About pumpkins and squashes
There is way more to the iconic pumpkin than just scary faces! In fact, a pumpkin is in the same family as the squash, the cucumber and the melon...
- The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed in at a collossal 1,689 lb.
- Native Americans dry pumpkins and turn them into mats.
- Squash are technically a fruit, but probably taste better as soup rather than with custard...
- Antarctica is the only continent that pumpkins won't grow in.
Back to top
Recipes
So, you've scooped the middle of the pumpkin out, and carved a frightful face to scare the trick-or-treaters. It seems a waste to chuck all of that lovely flesh out. Try putting these recipes into action and turn the potential waste to something really tasty.
Caramelised baked pumpkin
A classic from the Slindon Estate
Ingredients:
- 1kg pumpkin - peeled, de-seeded and decentred
- 25g butter
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons demerara sugar
Method:
- Cut pumpkin into cubes
- Melt butter in shallow ovenproof dish
- Add pumpkin and coat with butter
- Sprinkle on salt, pepper and sugar
- Bake for 9-15 min at 250oc then reduce to 220oc for further 10 min
- Serve immediately
Pumpkin cream:
A more unusual way to eat pumpkin - but delicious nonetheless.
Ingredients:
- 500g pumpkin, peeled and seeded
- 500g granulated sugar
- 60g butter
- Zest of 1/2 orange
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Method:
- Cube pumpkins and place in pan
- Add water to cover base of pan and stew until pumpkin is soft
- Add more water if necessary and stir to ensure it doesn't catch
- Once pumpkin has collapsed add sugar, butter, orange, lemon zest and juice
- Cook rapidly until mix is thick
- Pot in jars and eat within 6 weeks
Back to top
Also in season
So, looking beyond the delicious pumpkins and squashes, what other hearty autumnal grub is out there this month?
Vegetables: Artichokes, aubergines, beans, beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cardoons, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chicory, courgettes, cucumber, fennel, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, potatoes, rocket, salsify, sorrel, spinach, swede, tomatoes, turnips.
Fruit: Apples, blackberries, blueberries, bullaces, chestnuts, crab apples, damsons, elderberries, loganberries, medlars, pears, plums, quinces, raspberries, sloes, walnuts.
In the garden
The veg growing season has most definitely slowed down, but it doesn't mean you should hang up your wellies for the winter.
Collect up the harvest.
- Tomatoes need to be picked - even if they're green (see September for tips on ripening them)
- Blackberries and raspberries should now be bountiful
- Early-ripening apples can be collected
- Collect the last of your potatoes and carrots
Bring in your herbs to protect them from the frost.
|
