by Peggy

Hello from London!

What a wonderful time of year. The farmers’ market we use each week is alight with rich autumn colours – orange pumpkins, ruby-red beetroot and the soft greens and russets of apples and pears. The carefully stacked displays of new season foods are stunning, too. They create a delightful visual texture that increases the appeal of each product.

The wet weather has produced some very lush greens; it also has shown who are the stalwart, rain-or-shine shoppers! The stallholders recognize them and give warm greetings and appreciative nods.

Making Sloe Gin

I was very happy to discover that one stall has returned this year with a small cache of plum-like fruit called sloes. I wonder whether you’ve you come across them?

These tiny fruits of the Blackthorn tree (Prunus spinosa) resemble a blueberry in size and colour. But, taste one at your peril! They are extremely astringent, drying up all your saliva in one face-pulling moment. They also contain a small, hard pip – rather like an olive. Definitely not nice!

Even so, I was excited to buy them. For some time, I had wanted to make Sloe Gin, a winter celebration beverage that I had only ever read about in food history books. After finding this stall a couple of years ago, I finally managed to make some.

First, I carefully washed the handful of sloes, pushed the tip of my paring knife into each one, then – plop! – dropped it into a pretty bottle I found in the cupboard. When the sloes were about one inch (3cm) deep in the bottle, I added four tablespoons of organic sugar. Then I filled the bottle with gin (a rare purchase!), sealed it and shook it occasionally during that day, until the sugar dissolved.

It was very pleasing to see the gin turn a gorgeous pink colour. Over the days and weeks that followed, the colour deepened and, when I put the bottle in the light, it shone like a jewel. Of course, I wanted to open it! But, I did the proper thing; I pushed it to the back of the cupboard and let it sit, carefully labelled, waiting for the New Year celebrations.

When the year turned, and at just three months old, I offered the sloe gin in tiny glasses to family and friends. I take no credit. Its success was entirely to do with Time exerting its influence. The texture of the drink was slightly thicker than plain gin and the flavour was gently sweet and fruity. Not a trace of the ultra-tart flavour from the fruit that began the process. Surprisingly, the drink also felt medicinal, though perhaps I just wanted a second glass of it!

When, sometime in March, that bottle was finished, I tipped the sloes out and removed their pips. Then I mashed and chopped the softened fruits and sprinkled them over a portion of my Baked Bartlett Crumble and the vegan ice-cream I served with it. It was an experiment but a smash hit. I will definitely develop that idea this year.

Ear of Sweetcorn on the Cob

October also sees the end of the sweetcorn season, at least from the farmers’ market. This wonderful food has accompanied humankind for thousands of years and is a staple in many regions of the world. Where I grew up, in the Midwest, the season would be over by now. Here in the UK, I find I am never quite sure when the season ends; I simply keep buying it until it’s no longer there.

I generally boil the ears in salted water for about ten minutes. When the kernels are tender and a rich golden colour, I lift them from the water, drain them and serve. A ‘corn boat’ is the ideal serving dish; it is a narrow, rectangular dish with a slightly rounded bottom. This collects the oil and salt served with the ear, allowing you to roll the cob and collect more of these flavours as you eat. There are other ways to prepare the ears, such as roasting them in their husks in the embers of an open fire. I don’t have that option at the moment. The boiled method makes everyone here happy!

If there are left-over ears, I trim the kernels and make my Sweetcorn and Pepper Relish or add the kernels to Bubble ‘n’ Squeak. For a warmer dish, I make my Corn and Courgette Pretty. I saute lots of garlic, chopped chilli pepper, sliced sweet pepper and thick chunks of courgette in a little oil. At the last minute, I add the sweetcorn and some finely chopped fresh herbs. The picture above is what it looks like!

Autumn always delivers its bounty of gourds, pumpkins and squash, too. I am amazed by the fact that one fairly small seed can produce a huge, sprawling plant with so many of these magnificent fruits – each one home to hundreds more seeds!

Speaking of pumpkin seeds, the shelled seeds provide useful amounts of protein, zinc, magnesium, iron and the elusive vitamin K. These pointy green seeds are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. A handful each day (2 ounces/55 grams) is a delicious and healthy snack.

For the next few months, we will be having lots of pumpkin. I will serve it steamed, roasted or made into my Pumpkin and Parsnip Soup. It can be used instead of sweet potato in my Sweet Potato Puffs and it can replace banana in a favourite recipe for banana bread. I hope, later this month, to try making marinated pumpkin slices. I will let you know how that goes!

Have a great month.