It’s Ocober, which mean it is apple season, and it’s been a bumper harvest this year. Celebrate with Apple Day, which is October 21st. Blackberries and damsons will go nicely with them, and pears will arrive shortly.
For vegetables may I direct your attention to aubergines, cauliflower and courgettes, which are about to leave us. In their place we have new season artichokes, brussel sprouts, and celeriac. Red and white cabbages replace the green summer varieties.
Marrow, carrots, onions and spinach are still in season, and so is squash and of course pumpkin.
One of the nice things about looking up the seasonal food every month is that you find things you’ve never had before, or at least never bothered to buy and cook. Obscure vegetable of the month for October has to go to cardoon. I’ve never had cardoon. I googled it and apparently it’s a thistle. Here’s a recipe for cardoon gratin, if you fancy it.
As always, more to inspire you on RiverCottage and Eat the seasons.
Delicious. Our old horse growing up loved thistle but I’ve never had it myself, unless you count the middle of an artichoke where it becomes spiky, since it’s a cousin of thistle.
Cardoon? I’ve never even heard of cardoon, let alone tried it. Thanks for the info!