Now is usually the time for broccolis, cauliflowers and other greens to be thriving, but because it has been such a dry autumn these crops have been badly impacted. Other less moist cabbages are doing well and hardy winter veg are coming into their own – parsnips, carrots, beetroot, swede and celeriac.
Soon it’ll be your last chance for fennel and bok choy, whose tough skins can fend off the cold for a little longer. Tomatoes and aubergines may continue to hang in there for a few more weeks in glasshouses and polytunnels, get them while you can.
The Kingdom of Squash
The squash family has some of the most beautiful looking, and tasting, members. Many don’t make it further than the carving pumpkin and butternut squash, but if you venture off the beaten path, there is so much more to enjoy.
- Delicata – rich and melt in the mouth, similar taste to a sweet potato
- Red Kuri – smooth, nutty and buttery
- Spaghetti – a mild in flavour. Once cooked it can be easily shredded with 2 forks and, if you add a decent amount of spices, it can make a good vegan substitute for pulled meats
- Turban & Kabochas – drier and harder, better for soups and sauces
As Shillingford continues to cure their squashes, leave them out in the field, it reminded me of a tip for buying squashes (and watermelons for that matter). The trick is to buy the most scuffed squash. I know it’s not as pretty, but it is a good indication that it has been left in the field to cure for longer and so will have developed a sweeter and richer flavour.
Plow It Back Into the Field…
Spring this year was one of the driest in decades causing issues for farmers and this autumn is continuing the trend. In some parts of east England farmers have seen barely a tenth of their usual rainfall, leaving fields parched and farmers having to spend extra time watering them.
This dryness has hit the broccoli and cauliflower crops especially hard. The problem is not only a lack of water, but the pests that come along with a lack of rain. Farmers in Lincolnshire have been affected by aphid and whitefly infestations, leading to whole fields of crops being mowed back into the ground.
What should be a bountiful time for broccoli has become a scramble to salvage what we can.
Long In The Tooth
At Ripple Farm, they have been planting out their garlic. Garlic is a relatively weak plant, so Ripple covers it with compostable plastic to suppress weeds and help it establish successfully. This also helps to retain water in the soil and keep the garlic from drying out, but it can lead to mould, so you need to be careful.
The garlic won’t be ready to harvest until July (although we do harvest green garlic/ premature garlic in spring during the hungry gap). The reason you plant garlic before winter is because the long stretch of cold triggers the plant to form multiple cloves, rather than one singular clove. The top of the plant slows its growth while its roots, the bulbs, continue to grow laterally.
Ready to Start Getting a Seasonal Vegbox?
