Autumn is a great time to make the most of Mother Nature’s generosity. Fruit trees are laden with apples and pears following on from the glorious offering of blackberries ripe and ready to be picked from the hedgerows.
Many allotments and vegetable patches are also full to bursting as gardeners reap the rewards of their labours. Vegetables, grown from seeds planted in the spring, are now ready to be harvested including a plethora of squashes such as pumpkins and butternut squash.
I am a great believer in using seasonal fruit and vegetables. They are fresher and healthier and don’t rack up thousands of food miles. But just as in the late summer when there is a glut of tomatoes, often too many to be eaten, this new abundance of fruit and vegetables can present a bit of a problem…how do you use it all? When they come, they come in large volumes and I hate seeing food going to waste.
In fact, there are easy solutions to this seasonal dilemma. The first is to cook up the fruit for delicious pies and crumbles which can either be eaten immediately or which can be frozen. Both puddings and the fruit itself freeze well meaning you can make the most of all this produce and enjoy appertising desserts time after time.
Vegetables are incredibly versatile and can be used in a variety of meals from curries to roast dinners or in delicious warming soups. Sweeter vegetables such as pumpkin and butternut squash are also perfect for desserts, muffins and cakes.
Then there are preserves and jams which are both tasty and long-lasting.
A surfeit of fruit or vegetables is never a bad thing. If you can’t eat, cook or freeze them all, you can share them with friends or neighbours who are sure to be grateful. I have a friend who gives me plums from her tree and, in return, I give her back some of the plum jam I make from them. By sharing, you are creating a community in which everyone benefits.
