August
Nature's bounty just gets better as harvest approaches: heat-loving aubergines, courgettes and tomatoes ripen, as do leeks and sweetcorn. Early wild mushrooms, apples, blackberries, pears and plums are ready to be picked, and don't forget to make the most of cherries and radishes.
These tasty birds are about as seasonal as it gets.
Versatile, easy to grow and low in calories, there's more to the courgette than being a staple in ratatouille or veggie lasagne.
To the Brits they're the exotic-sounding aubergine, to Americans and Australians the eggplant (and you can find out why here) – whatever you call them, you'll find them in an array of global cuisines and for good reason.
Fresh, healthy and local – pick-your-own’s popularity is on the rise. Food writer Kate Belcher visited Garsons farm in Surrey, and discovered that freshly-picked produce looks and tastes fantastic, too.
delicious. online has teamed up with FoodLovers Britain to highlight some of the producers responsible for bringing August's succulent seasonal produce to our kitchens..
Celebrate blackberries
British summers are synonymous with hedgerows heavy with wild blackberries, and there's nothing more gratifying than picking – and cooking – your own. Their not-too-sweet, not-too-tart flavour is a delight, they add texture to cocktails and can even be made into gin.
Blackberry seasons runs from August-November in the UK and as the seasons change so do the culinary uses for this fruit. In summer, blackberries go well on their own, sprinkled lightly with sugar or added to cream, in berry compotes, summer puddings or muddled into cocktails; in autumn they bring comfort in the form of steaming hot pies and custard-friendly puds.
Blackberries can be found across the globe in countries with cooler, temperate climates, but no-one loves them more than the British and Northern Europeans – archelogical digs have confirmed that Europeans were eating them as long ago as 8,000 B.C.
This bramble grows quickly and adapts to its environment well, even growing in poor soil, and so is commonly found on wasteland as well as in hedgerows and woodland.
Nutritional content and health benefits
Blackberries are very high in antioxidants and vitamin C which may protect against cancer. Their seeds contain fibre and omega-3 and -6 fats.
Choosing and freezing blackberries
If you can, pick your own – even citydwellers will find them growing on canal paths, the wild areas of parks and on scrubland. Try not to pick any by the roadside, however, as these can absorb pollution, and go for berries above waist height, especially on paths, for the simple reason that an animal could have cocked their leg on what could soon be lunch. Expect the fruit from each blackberry bush to vary in sweetness.Otherwise, try local farmers' markets or a Pick Your Own farm. The blackberries you pick should be plump, dark and somewhere between squishy and firm. If they stain your container, they're probably too soft.Once picked, they need to be eaten or cooked within a day or two. Keep them cool and wash throughly before use. They can be frozen too; spread evenly on a tray, freeze, then pop into air-tight plastic bags and keep in the freezer.
Blackberry facts
- In WWI children in England were told to collect blackberries to make a vitamin-rich juice for soldiers.
- One superstition claims that blackberries shouldn't be picked after
mid-October because this was when the devil was cast out from heaven
and, in a fit of pique after falling into a prickly blackberry bush,
urinated on them, leaving a stain on the leaves. A possible explanation
is that as the weather grows wetter and colder the fruit can become
infected by molds and frosts.
- The blackberry root is sometimes used as a treatment for dysentry and diarrhea in herbal medicine.
delicious. blackberry recipes
Summer pudding stacks
recipe
This recipe requires blackberry liqueur. delicious. recommends Cotswold
Country Liqueurs for its range, which also includes damson brandy, sloe
gin and citrus-spiced whisky. Every liqueur is hand-made from
hand-picked seasonal flowers and fruits. Visit
cotswoldcountryliqueurs.com.
Blackberry and apple jam recipe
A straightforward and very satisfying blackberry and apple jam recipe.
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