British seasonal food « Penny Golightly

British seasonal food in October

October 13th, 2011 by Penny Golightly

I love October’s seasonal foods. It’s the perfect excuse to make a casserole, followed by a blackberry and apple crumble. Or maybe a bouillabaisse, followed by some nice cheese and biscuits. Or maybe some cream of cauliflower soup.

Anyway, here’s what’s waiting for you at the market this month. Get stuck in.

Fruit: new season apples, blackberries, crab apples, damsons, elderberries, figs, hazelnuts, juniper berries, Kentish cobnuts, pears, plums, quinces, raspberries, sloes, sweet chestnuts, walnuts.

Vegetables: asian greens, autumn and red cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts and tops, cardoons, cauliflower at its peak, celeriac, celery, chicory, courgettes finishing, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, last of the lettuce, leeks, peppers, marrow, mushrooms (chanterelles, ceps, hedgehog fungus, horn of plenty), parsnips, pumpkins and squashes, radishes, rocket, salsify and scorzonera, spinach, spring onions, swedes, sweetcorn, turnips, watercress.

Fish and shellfish: brill, brown hen crab, brown shrimp, cod, Dover sole, eels, lobster, mackerel, mussels, native and rock oysters, prawns, scallops, sea bass, sprats, squid, spider crab, squid, turbot, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game: Autumn lamb, grouse, wild duck, partridge, pheasant, woodcock.

Cheeses: Caerphilly. Gruyere, Saint-Nectaire and all the other main French hard cheeses.

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So, what are you going to cook?

Tags: British seasonal food, ingredients in season, october seasonal food, seasonal food, seasonal foods for October, UK seasonal food
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British seasonal food in September

September 21st, 2011 by Penny Golightly

What’s in season this month? I’m looking forward to autumn berries, the best wild mushrooms, the return of the shellfish, and the biggest range of goodies from the kitchen garden in the whole of the growing year.

Lots of UK gardeners have had problems getting crops to ripen this year due a lack of sunny days during the crucial months. In particular, quite a few people have complained to me about green tomatoes so stay tuned for ripening methods and the tastiest ways to use up the ones that stubbornly refuse to ripen. Meanwhile, on with the seasonal show:

Fruit & nuts: apples, bilberries, blackberries, blueberries, crab apples, damsons, elderberries, figs, grapes, greengages, juniper berries, first Kentish cobnuts, loganberries, pears, plums, raspberries, sloes. Imported: melons, nectarines and peaches.

Vegetables: all salad leaves, asian greens, aubergines, beetroot, broccoli, late summer cauliflower, celery, chard, chillies, chives, courgettes, cucumbers, fennel, globe artichokes, green beans (French, runner, and borlotto pods), green and red cabbage, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, marrows, peppers, pumpkins (put first Winter ones aside to mature rather than eat), radishes, red onions, rocket, salsify and scorzonera, samphire, shallots, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, squashes, swedes, sweetcorn, summer squash, tomatoes, watercress, wild mushrooms (ceps, chanterelles, oyster, puffball, shaggy ink cap and more).

Fish and shellfish: black bream, brown and rainbow trout, brown hen crabs, brown shrimp, clams, cockles, Dover sole, eels, lobster, mussels, native oysters, pilchards, plaice, prawns, scallops, sea bass, signal crayfish, skate, sprats, squid, turbot.

Meat, poultry and game: Michaelmas goose, Autumn lamb, grouse, partridge, venison at its best, wild duck.

Cheeses: UK: Double Gloucester, Farmhouse Cheshire. French: Brie de Meaux. (For other French seasonal cheeses see this table at baudelet.net).

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What are you going to cook? Ideas please!

Tags: British seasonal food, eating the seasons, food in season September, seasonal food, seasonal fruit and veg, September fruit and vegetables, September seasonal foods
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Garden pests and diseases, and how to deal with them

February 9th, 2011 by Penny Golightly

Every new garden has its success stories, but it also has its problems. Here’s a quick overview of some of the troubleshooting I’ve had to do in the last 12 months.

Many problems can be overcome by chucking expensive chemicals at them, but it isn’t a guaranteed fix and you wouldn’t necessarily want to eat your veggies afterwards.

Let’s start with a little ‘murder mystery’, shall we? Look at the picture below and guess what disease or creature caused this damage to this sprouting broccoli plant.

Competition: The first correct ‘Diagnosis Murder’ answer left in the comments section below will win a mini-collection of vegetable seeds suitable for growing in a small garden. (UK entrants only). The answer will be revealed on Friday morning so you’ll need to be quick.

The garden has been very productive for the most part, but there have been problems with animals of all sizes:

pets (not all of them mine)
ants
blackfly and other aphids
slugs and snails
foxes
assorted birds
butterflies and moths
beet leaf miners
wasps

Amazingly there was no carrot root fly, but that’s probably because I did some companion planting and stuck to the rules about thinning and harvesting. I’ll write about those on another occasion.

Plus there have been problems with diseases, mainly:

Downy mildew
Rust
Mosaic virus
General stem rot

The one thing I was most worried about was blight, but the area I live in escaped somehow so we ended up with strong and healthy tomato and potato plants. That could have been because we had some long hot stretches over the summer, or it could have been blind luck.

I’ll be writing about all kinds of garden pests and diseases – and how to cheaply stop them destroying all your crops – over the next few weeks, as the gardening year starts to take shape. On Friday I’ll begin by tackling our mystery ‘friend’ from the crime scene above.

Have you had problems with any garden pests or diseases? Did you manage to deal with them without using harsh chemicals? Any tips for other growers?

Tags: allotment gardening, British garden kitchen, British seasonal food, common garden pests, common plant diseases, container gardening, dealing with garden pests, get rid of blackfly, get rid of slugs and snails, grow veg cheaply, grow your own vegetables, growing vegetables cheaply, growing vegetables on a budget, keep cats out of your garden, keep this up kitty and I will be serving you up as a side dish, seasonal food
Posted in Home & garden | 11 Comments »

Seasonal foods to eat in February

February 7th, 2011 by Penny Golightly

Hello February, what are you feeding us this month?

Fruit: apples from store, early forced rhubarb.

Vegetables: Asian greens, cabbage (white and green), celeriac, chicory, endive, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, new season garlic, parsnips, salsify and scorzonera, spring onions, the last sprouts and sprout tops, swedes, turnips, wild garlic.

Fish and shellfish: brown crab, clams, cockles, cod, cuttlefish, dab, gurnard, hake, halibut, lemon sole and other flat fish (plaice, sole), mackerel, mussels, native oysters, pike, pink prawns, scallops, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game: hare, rabbit.

Cheeses: Blue Cheshire, Cotherstone, Farmhouse Cheddar, Stilton, Blue Wensleydale. Bleu des Causses, Brie de Meaux, Tomme Arlesienne.

This month I’ll be finishing off those last sprouts and the sprout top with Sunday lunches, and making some kind of a casserole with root veggies, herby dumplings and loads of gravy.

Already had some Jerusalem artichoke soup, line caught cod, mussels, creamed leeks, rhubarb trifle and a tiny piece of Tomme. All fresh, all gorgeous.