QUINCE

Quince

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Quince

Autumn is here and so is the Quince.  With the look of a monstrous mutant pear that has been consigned to a dusty corner, the quince is not a fruit to draw the eye.  But its distinctive perfume, particularly late in its season, is intriguing.  Related to apples and pears, there is a hint of both in its fragrance, but the quince is also related to the rose so there is something floral, and there are guava and pineapple notes too.

Around a quarter of the world’s crop comes from Turkey but it is also grown in China, Iran, South America and Europe.  They grow in the UK but conditions are not ideal so they aren’t cultivated here on any great scale.  You are more likely to find them growing in a domestic garden in the UK but we buy them when we can.  As with the Seville orange, never try to eat a raw quince.  The raw flesh is hard, dry and astringent.  It oxidises quickly but you can pop the pieces into acidulated water as you work to stop the browning if you like.  Long, slow cooking turns it into a rosy-amber delight, though there are a few varieties that stubbornly refuse to colour deeply.  

Quince is high in pectin so is perfect for jams, jellies or pastes.  Quince pastes are made in many countries – known as Membrillo in Spain, Cotognata in Italy, Cotignac in France and Quince Cheese in the UK – and are often served with cheese.  The fruit is perfect for poaching or for adding to long cooked meat dishes as, sliced, it holds its shape well.  Quince is often found in North African meat Tagines.  

To prepare Quince, rub off any natural fuzz and wash the fruits.  For making jams, jellies and pastes, there is no need to peel and core the fruits but for poaching or adding to meat dishes, remove the core – to peel or not to peel is up to you.  The fruits are so aromatic that a simple sugar syrup is all you need to poach the sliced fruits for a desert.  They will turn a deep amber-red and yield easily to the tip of a knife when cooked through.   

Last week’s NEWS gave a recipe for Poached Quince , click here

Poached Quince Danish from The Little Bread Pedlar

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

SEASONAL PRODUCE NEWS - OCTOBER 2017

Girolles

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

OCTOBER

September ended on a fungi note with Chanterelles and Girolles from Scotland and Porcini/Ceps from Italy and France.  We also saw Muscat Grapes and the first Quince from France, Fragola Grapes from Italy, and English Sweetcorn, Squash, Runner Beans, Apples and Pears along with the last of the plums.  

Violet Radish

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Right now, produce coming through our doors is bathed in autumn oranges, browns, yellows and greens with splashes of purple.  Root vegetables are becoming more abundant.  As I write on the 6th October I see:

British grown Turnips, Swede, Beetroot, Heritage Carrots, Parsley Root, Celery, and Parsnips.  We also have French Jerusalem Artichokes.

From France too, we have Long Black Radish, Watermelon Radish and the spectacular Violette Radish.  There is French Salsify.

Greens include UK grown Romanesco, Cauliflower, heads of Broccoli as well as Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Black Cabbage (Cavolo Nero), Kale and Rainbow Chard.  Brussel Sprouts and Brussel Tops are here already.  

From Italy, the cold weather bitter greens are arriving, Puntarelle (Catalogna), Chicoria (Catalogna Naturala), and Cime di Rapa (Rapini)

There’s an increasing variety of UK grown Autumn Squash coming in now, including Red Kuri (Onion Squash) and we have Spaghetti Squash from France. We also have Delica Pumpkins and Ironbark Pumpkins from Italy. 

Watercresss from our Sussex Farmer continues to arrive and we have English Wet Walnuts.

Potato varieties are increasing.  This week we have two waxy-fleshed favourites: English Pink Fir Apple and La Ratte from France.  We also have Rose Lautrec Garlic and new season Smoked Garlic from France. 

English Leeks and crunchy Kohlrabi are in.

The mild start to autumn means we still have Italian Borlotti Beans and English Runner Beans.  English Aubergines too.

From Scotland we have Chanterelle Mushrooms and Girolle Mushrooms and this week there are Porcini/Ceps from both Italy and France.  

There are beautiful Muscat Grapes and Chasselas Grapes from France along with a particularly sweet seedless white/blush grape from Italy. 

From our Kent farmer this week come Cox Apples, Red Windsor Apples and Comice Pears. 

We have Citrus varieties Miyagawa (Satsuma/Mandarin cross) and Bergamots again this week.

From France there are Black Figs and large Quince.

Pomegranates this week are the ‘White’ variety from Sicily.  The seeds of this type are a delicate pink.   

Persimmons are here.  This week from Spain.

We have early Radicchio Treviso (a long early Radicchio), Castelfranco and Escarole too.

Pumpkins and Squash

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

It’s approaching mid-Autumn, so, what produce can we expect to see during the rest of October?  

Mainly British grown Turnips, Swede, Beetroot, Heritage Carrots, Parsley Root, Celery, and Parsnips.  The Jerusalem Artichokes and Salsify too may move to home grown.  English Leeks and crunchy Kohlrabi throughout the month.  We may see the mild turnip variety Tokyo Turnips.

Greens like Romanesco, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Black Cabbage (Cavolo Nero), Kale, Rainbow Chard, Brussel Sprouts and Brussel Tops should be plentiful and Savoy Cabbage may join them. 

From Italy, the cold weather bitter greens Puntarelle (Catalogna), Chicoria (Catalogna Naturala), and Cime di Rapa (Rapini).

A greater range of Chicories should arrive.  Curly Endive, broad-leaved Escarole, cream/yellow and red speckled Castelfranco, delicate pink and vibrant red Radicchio to add an extra touch of bitterness to our autumn/winter diets.

Autumn Squash will continue and, as this is the month for harvesting long-keeping Pumpkins, we will see more varieties joining the Delica Pumpkins and Ironbark Pumpkins coming in from Italy. 

Watercress from our Sussex Farmer will continue as will the English Wet Walnuts.  We should see Fresh Chestnuts arriving.

Potatoes are becoming more varied now, though we will have waxy-fleshed favourites Pink Fir Apple and La Ratte as much as possible.  

We will have Rose Lautrec Garlic for a while longer and new season Smoked Garlic from France. 

From Scotland Chanterelle Mushrooms and Girolle Mushrooms.  Although we have both French and Italian Ceps/Porcini this week, we expect to French Ceps to take over mid-month.  

Fenland Celery should appear late in the month.

French Muscat Grapes and Chasselas Grapes will continue into October. 

The weekly-changing selection of English Apples and Pears from our Kent farmer will continue through October. 

Citrus varieties Miyagawa (Satsuma/Mandarin cross) and Bergamots will be joined by other early varieties like Mandarins.

We will have Quince throughout October and those coming in from France may make way for English grown fruits.

We are buying Sicilian ‘White’ Pomegranates right now but the deep red varieties will take over later.   

We will have Persimmons from Italy mid-month and the harder Kaki fruits should arrive from Spain soon.

We expect to have Salsola, also known a Saltwort or Land Seaweed.  We discovered this succulent plant, which is of the same family as Agretti but a little finer, last year.  It’s a salt tolerant plant which is considered one of Japan’s oldest vegetables where it’s known as Okahajiki.  Salty and succulent, it is delicious raw or quickly blanched. 

Fiery Suzy Sauce

Photo © Puntarelle&Co Ltd

NEW in the Fridge:  Fiery Suzy Sauce

For those customers who like their sauces extra hot (yes, that’s you Susan) we have developed a new fermented sauce which we are calling ‘Fiery Suzy’.  Made from hot, hot, hot Scotch Bonnet chillis and a few other good natural ingredients, we think this will hit the spot.  Pick up a jar from our Ferments Fridge tomorrow and let us know what you think.

Quince

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Fragrant Quince will be with us right through October.  If you’ve never cooked quince before you may be surprised at how unyielding they are but their cooking is well worth the effort.  Its raw flesh is off-white, hard, dry and astringent – not at all suggestive of what it tastes like cooked.  This is an easy recipe for poached quince which brings out their unique flavour – apple and pear mixed with exotic guava and pineapple – that you can keep in the fridge, submerged in the juice, for at least a week.  If you pot up into sterilised jars it will keep for several months.  Poached quince is delicious served with yogurt for breakfast or with cream for a pudding when it’s particularly good paired with ginger biscuits.

Poached Quince

400g (14oz) caster sugar
1.2 litres (2 pints) water
1 kilo (2lbs) quince
½-1 vanilla bean
2 slices of lemon

Bring sugar and water to the boil in a large pan to dissolve the sugar.  Reduce to a simmer.  Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the sugar syrup.  Add the bean pod and the two lemon slices.  Quarter, peel and core the quinces and slice the quarters into inch thick wedges.  Add the wedges to the syrup as you work.  

To keep the fruit submerged in the syrup while it cooks, cover the surface of the poaching fruit with a round of parchment paper and weigh it down with a saucer.  Simmer slowly until the quince are tender (45 -60 minutes).  

Serve at room temperature or cold from the fridge.

citrus - the earlies

Citrus – Miyagawa Satsuma-Mandarin

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Citrus – The Earlies

There are many forms of citrus, and the fact that they readily hybridise with one another means identification can sometimes be a challenge, even to botanists.  Science and agriculture have seized on this willingness to cross-polinate to breed out undesirable qualities and develop those they deem appealing.  Whether it’s the lemon, lime, kumquat, satsuma, mandarin, tangerine, sour orange, sweet orange, grapefruit, citron, yuzu, pomello or bergamot, it’s thought that all common domesticated citrus fruits originate from three parents: the citron Citrus medica, the mandarin Citrus reticulata and the pummelo Citrus grandis.  

Despite their association with the Mediterranean, all members of the orange family originated in China and were brought to Europe by Arab traders.  The main northern hemisphere citrus season normally runs from November to June.  We are always excited to see the first of our new season citrus arrive from Italy, and Sicily in particular.  Expect to see Sanguinello, Moro and red-flushed Tarocco oranges arriving from Sicily in late December but there is a small crop of two citrus which arrive a little earlier and which we have for you right now in, this, the last week of September.   

The Miyagawa which originated in Japan is a satsuma-mandarin cross.  Their thin, smooth skin means they do not keep well on the tree so harvest time is brief and we normally have them October-December.  The fruits arrive green, developing to yellow/orange within a few days.  The early fruits have a pleasant sharpness, while later harvests are sweeter.  If you find the early ones too sharp to simply peel and eat, their juice is a delicious alternative to lemon.   

The Bergamot is thought to be a cross between a sour orange and sweet lime.  It was mainly grown in Italy for the oil extracted from its rind.  This is used in perfumes, tobaccos and Early Grey Tea.  But its sharp juice is also delicious used in dressings, syrups and curds.  The skin can be candied and the fruits make a good marmalade.  Try adding a slice to a gin and tonic instead of lemon or lime.  The thicker-skinned Bergamot should be with us into the New Year.

APPLES

St Edmund’s Pippin Apple

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Apples

The English Apple harvest is now fully underway with ever more varieties joining the Discovery, which came to our shelves in mid-August.  It’s now that the stone fruits of late summer, ending with dusky Damson plums, give way to northern hemisphere Apples and Pears.  

Apples grow well in a temperate climate and English apples are hard to beat.  There are over 2,000 varieties – dessert, cooker and in-betweener.  Sadly, only a tiny number of these are commercially grown.  Flavours and textures vary greatly depending on the variety of apple.  Deep red apples are beautiful to look at and tasty if eaten freshly picked, but it’s the green/brownish-skinned ‘Russet’ family and those streaked green/red that improve with keeping.  

For the 4th year running we are buying our seasonal apples and pears from Foxendown Fruit Farm in Kent.  We start collecting their harvest of ‘Discovery’ apples in August and finish in late January.  John, the owner of this small family run farm, guides us and helps us choose from his 20 varieties of dessert apple and 3 cooking apples (along with his shorter season pear crop of Triumph of Vienna, Conference and Comice – in now and through October).  This week we have Dessert Apples:

Laxton Fortune, a Cox/Wealthy apple cross which is juicy, crisp, aromatic and a little sweeter than a Cox’s Orange Pippin, with us through September

Worcester Permain another early-mid season apple; can have a light strawberry flavour and is picked to the end of September.

St Edmund’s Pippin, a richly-flavoured Russet apple picked to the end of October

Early Windsor, a cross between a Cox and a Dr Oldenburg: similar to, and a little earlier than, the Cox’s Orange Pippin and should arrive up to mid-November.

More apples will follow, including those Cooking Apples that need a little longer on the tree.

For the kitchen, it’s hard to beat a Bramley for a classic apple pie or crumble but where less acidic, firm-fleshed apples are needed, reach for varieties like Laxton Fortune, Cox or Russet varieties or the later Braeburn.  All have a good balance of sour and sweet.  Good spices for apples are anise, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.  Clove too if used sparingly.  A few apples added to a pan of roasting pork together with a few sage leaves is a wonderful thing.  A simple apple puree cooked with dried fruits and cinnamon is a fixture in my kitchen during autumn and winter – so good with yogurt and a spoonful of honey.  A whole baked Bramley, cored, stuffed with dried fruits and a little sugar, is the simplest of desserts.  Just add cream.  Everyone should have a good apple cake recipe.  Replace some of the flour with ground hazelnuts and you won’t be disappointed.  And then, of course, there’s Tarte Tatin!

SEASONAL PRODUCE NEWS - SEPTEMBER 2017

English Long Violette Aubergines

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

SEPTEMBER

August was the month Europe battled the elements.  Unseasonal heavy rains, lack of sun, excessive heat and hugely destructive fires all played a part throughout the continent.  Many crops peaked unusually early, particularly in Italy due to prolonged hot spells.  It proved to be a challenging month for growers, pickers and greengrocers alike.  We saw the end of the English Cherry harvest but the start of our Plums, Pears, and Kent Cobnuts.  Climbing Beans, Sweetcorn, Courgettes and Summer Squash arrived too.

English Damson Plums

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

English produce is to the fore again this month.  In the arch, as I write on the first day of September, we have:

Plump cobs of the sweetest English Sweetcorn.   Watercress, Runner Beans and Black Cabbage, direct from the Kent and Sussex farms we work with.  The first English Early Maincrop Pink Fir Apple Potatoes and a few early Pumpkin Squash.  

New season English Pears, three varieties of Apple and purple streaked Marjorie Seedling Plums from our Kent grower too.  Damson Plums and Kent Cobnuts again too.  English Heritage Carrots, creamy white Cauliflowers, Bobbi Beans, Beetroot, several varieties of English Tomatoes, organic Courgettes and Squash and several types of firm, weighty Aubergines.  Beautiful quality English Leeks are here also.  

Mushrooms are becoming more available and, this week, we have Scottish Chanterelles and Girolles as well as Ceps.

Happily, once again, we have those wonderful Sorrento Vesuvio Tomatoes.

The new season Onions are welcome arrivals.  This week there are Strings of Cipolla Rosa di Tropea from Calabria and large, flat and sweet Cipolla Bianca di Giarratana from Sicily along with sweet, delicate-skinned French Oignon Doux des Cevennes.  

French Black Figs are particularly good and there are high season Muscat Grapes from France and strawberry perfumed Fragola Grapes from Italy.  Also from Italy are large, juicy, pink-blushed Nectarines and those sunny orange, highly fragrant Percoca Peaches which are so good for cooking.

Kent Cobnuts

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

September marks the move into Autumn.  Our expectations and appetites move on too. So, what new season produce can we hope for during September?  

We expect to have English Sweetcorn, Runner Beans, Bobbi Beans,  Aubergines, English Tomatoes, Courgettes and Squash well into September.  Plums from our Kent grower should arrive for a little longer, being replaced by the Apple and Pear harvest which is already underway.  Kent Cobnuts will continue to be available too.  

English Heritage Carrots, creamy white Cauliflowers, Beetroot, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Watercress, Chard and Black Cabbage will be here throughout the month.  We should also continue to have flavourful Tomatoes and new season Onion varieties from England and the rest of Europe.  Varieties of English Maincrop Potatoes will be becoming in to join the Pink Fir Apple Potatoes which arrived this week..

Mushrooms should become more plentiful and varied this month with Scottish Chanterelles and Girolles as well as European Ceps leading.

We can expectEuropean Black and Purple Figs and Muscat Grapes to continue.  

Autumn Squash and early varieties of Pumpkins will definitely be in.

We may see some Miyagawa Green Mandarins and Pomegranates arrive.

www.londonfermentary.com   Photo ©Punterelle&Co

Last month, in our August News, we mentioned we would soon be formerly launching our new brand London Fermentary.  We have been working hard to achieve this and are pleased to let you know that all of our in-house made fermented products, which we have gradually been introducing, now bear our new labels ‘LONDON FERMENTARY’.  We have just launched a new website dedicated to our fermented products.  Please take a look at LONDON FERMENTARY for more information.  

You will find all our ferments in our fridge as our Bermondsey business premises on Saturday, as usual.  Please continue to enjoy them and, if you haven’t yet discovered them, please ask us about them.  Any feedback you can give us will be welcomed.  This will help us focus on the ones we should keep.

English Sweetcorn/Corn on the Cob

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Before those barbecues get stored away, here’s a suggestion for one last firing up.  English Sweetcorn is particularly good right now, so, roasted corn-on-the-cob with a chilli butter to temper its sweetness fits the bill.  

TO ROAST:

Peel back the husks without removing and pull out the silk threads beneath.  Wash the cob and the husks and put the husks back to their original position, twisting them at the top as tightly as you can (a little water trapped within will help the cooking). Cook over hot coals for about 30-40 minutes depending on size until the husks are well charred and the kernels softened.  

Meanwhile gently heat some butter and add thinly sliced red chilli to just soften then put to one side.  

Serve the cooked cobs, peeled of their charred husks, with salt, pepper and the chilli butter.

(If you don’t want to cook over coals, strip off the husks and silks and cook the cobs in a pan of boiling water for 10-15 minutes (just remember not to add salt to the water as it toughens the kernels).

Courgettes and other Summer Squash

Courgettes and other Summer Squash

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Courgettes and other Summer Squash

Courgettes come under the category of Summer Squash which are all fruits of the Cucurbita family.  They are with us until late autumn culminating in large marrows suitable for stuffing, then the hard-skinned varieties take over to see us through winter.  They range from the most familiar long, thin, smooth-skinned fruits which come in dark green, yellow and white/pale green, through the distinctly ridged Cocozelle to the round tennis ball sized ‘Ronde’ types which can be very pale to dark green. The round, scalloped Pattypan and pale yellow Crookneck are Summer Squash too and then there is the Spaghetti Squash.  The family also includes the Tromboncino, a long, slender, sinuous pale-green squash.  Its dense, tasty flesh is particularly good sliced and eaten raw.  When we can get it we bring this in from Italy but its trombone-shape makes it an inefficient squash to transport so most remains for home consumption.  

Late spring/early summer sees the squash flowers starting to appear on our shelves.  They are good tossed in hot butter with new season vegetables or stuffed with ricotta, dipped in a light tempura batter and deep fried.  A little later they arrive with their tiny fruits attached and are delicious given the same treatment but without any stuffing.  The fruits are versatile.  They can sliced, layered with tomatoes and basil and baked for a gratin, added to a vegetable stew like Ratatouille, or chopped and used for a risotto, adding a few sliced blossoms at the end if you have them.  They make a surprisingly creamy textured soup cooked up with a little onion and potato – a handful of basil, dill or fennel leaves adds flavour.  Chop and fry with onions in olive oil, add oregano, thyme or basil, maybe a little cream or an egg, and you have a pasta sauce.  The Italians have a simple and delicious way with fried courgettes – Zucchini Scapece – meaning courgettes marinaded in vinegar and mint.  Sliced thinly, Summer Squash are delicious served raw paired with ricotta or goat’s curd and toasted pinenuts or hazelnuts.  They can also be stuffed and baked, but maybe that’s best kept for the large marrows.

As yet we’ve never been offered any English grown Tromboncino but we are now well into the English courgette and summer squash season with lots of interesting and tasty varieties coming through our doors.  

Coco de Paimpol - Coco Beans

Coco de Paimpol

Photo ©Puntarelle&Co Ltd

Coco de Paimpol

It’s early, but the first of the Coco de Paimpol have arrived.  These semi-dry white haricot beans have an AOP designation of origin so only beans grown in a small coastal area of Brittany can be named Coco de Paimpol.  The temperate climate in this area allows for a long, slow growing period producing thin-skinned pods and a tender seed coating.  The plants are uprooted once the beans have reached the stage when the pods are just beginning to show signs of drying and then harvesting is done by hand. 

The pods of Coco de Paimpol are pale yellow/cream with light violet markings – less showy and smaller than a Borlotti.  The bean has a delicious nutty flavour and cooks quickly to a particularly creamy consistency. That creaminess pairs beautifully with fish – a pan-fried fillet of cod, or other white fish on a bed of Coco de Paimpol with, maybe, a few Girolles mushrooms would be my choice.  For a tasty, nutritious, vegetarian dish, pod the beans and cook them for 2-3 minutes.  Add them with a little of the cooking water to sliced onion which has been cooked in oil until soft, chopped tomato, thyme leaves, salt and pepper; pour into a gratin dish, cover with breadcrumbs and bake in the oven to brown the crumbs and bring all the flavours together.

Fermenting with Sandor Katz

Elena with Sandor Katz

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

Fermenting with Sandor Katz

On that meltingly hot Sunday of 18th June I raced through the streets of Hackney to catch up with Sandor Katz.  Recognised as one of the world leaders in fermented vegetables, this was someone I had to meet and his Fermentation Seminar, as part of London Gastronomy Seminars, was the perfect opportunity.  In a packed and steamy upper floor I learned his perspective on the fermented vegetables I have grown up with and now produce for sale. 

As Sandor explained, it’s a mere 150 years since science brought us insights into how fermentation works, yet there is evidence that man has been successfully fermenting for at least 10,000 years.  Ferments are foods associated with survival as they provide nourishment through the lean months of winter.  Sandor pointed out how ‘Pickles’, where the vegetables are effectively sterilised, are often confused with ‘Ferments’.  Fermenting, in contrast, actively encourages the healthy bacteria naturally present.  Through bacterial transformation toxic compounds are removed, food is preserved, made easier to digest and flavour is added. The health benefits of ferments derive from the activity of pre-digestion where the proteins are broken down into amino acids by lactic acid bacteria (so called because this was first observed in milk).  

Vegetables are fermented by wild fermentation – no deliberately added bacterias, simply utilising what is naturally present.  Sandor pointed out that salt adds flavour but is not essential and length of fermentation is according to preference.  Austrians typically expect their Sauerkraut, for example, to be soft.  Others prefer more crunch.  Most Sauerkraut, he reminded us, is now pasteurised and therefore has none of the beneficial qualities of its wild-fermented original.  

Food safety was discussed and Sandor re-iterated that the US Department of Agriculture cannot find one example of food poisoning from wild fermented vegetables in the US or in countries they share data with.  Science has proved that if fermenting is carried out correctly, bad bacteria like salmonella and e-coli are unable to survive in such an acid environment. 

I came away from the seminar reassured to find I have a fellow natural fermenter spreading the word on the fascinating world of Ferments.  

Broad Beans

Broad Beans

Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

BROAD BEANS

Our first Broad Beans of spring usually come from Italy and, this year, they began to arrive in the first week of March.  Now English Broad Beans are with us.  

Very early small bean pods can be cooked whole and eaten simply smothered in melted butter.  As they become larger, they need to be removed from their pods.  Late Broad Beans are best podded, boiled and then popped out of their grey-green outer skins to reveal the vibrant green kernel.  This removes not just toughness but the bitterness that can become more pronounced when the season is ending.  Even late crops can be tasty if treated right.  By this time the kernels may have taken on a mealy texture but can be pureed and spread on warm toast, used for a pasta sauce or be added to soups.  Broad Beans have a particular affinity with bacon so what’s nicer than a warm salad of cooked beans with new potatoes, bacon and peppery rocket or English watercress.

Seasonal Produce News

Kohlrabi                    Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands

JUNE

May was the month of Artichokes, Tropea Onions, Fennel, Fine Beans and Courgettes from Italy; Grelot Onions, Wet Garlic, radishes and Watercress from France; English Asparagus, recovering from everything the weather could throw at it, and early Strawberries with real flavour arriving from Kent.   We had wonderful English foraged Sea Vegetables too.  The second half of the month brought the first tender English Artichokes and, in the final week, the first picking of English peas, so sweet we just wanted to eat them straight from their pods.

Purple Ligurian Basil          Photo ©Puntarelle&Co Ltd

In the first week of JUNE, as I write, this is what stands out for us on the shelves of Puntarelle & Co:

Several varieties of sun-ripened Italian Tomatoes along with flat, pink Cipollini Onions which roast so well, great quality new season Garlic for keeping.  

Italian Borlotti Beans, Fennel and Courgettes – Round, Romano, Yellow and Green.  A number of forms of Italian Cicoria and Aubergines and both Green and Purple Ligurian Basil.  We also have the first supply of Tenerumi (leaves of the Cucuzza Zucchini) from Italy for pasta and soups.

English new season produce is becoming more available.  We have Asparagus from our Kent grower coming in at better prices now we are well into the season.  We have English Watercress direct from the grower, Artichokes, Peas, Broad Beans, Cucumbers, Radishes, Spring Onions, Spinach and juicy Kohlrabi.  

Small red/yellow Watermelons and the large Greek variety liked so much by our customers.  The special thin-skinned, orange-fleshed Melons from Italy now join the Cantaloupe Melons.  We have new season Sicilian Green Lemons, prized in particular for their highly fragrant zest.  We also have the first large, plump Green Figs from Italy.  There are various vibrant Fresh Herbs along with English Strawberries, Raspberries and the first of the Gooseberries.  Italian Peaches, Nectarines and Apricots are already plentiful and French Cherries are starting to arrive.  

Tenerumi / Leaves of the Cucuzza Zucchini    Photo ©Puntarelle&Co Ltd

So, what new season produce can we expect to come through our doors through JUNE?

English Broad Beans and Peas and, perhaps, the first English Fennel bulbs.  The Asparagus from our Kent grower will take us up to the last week of June with lower prices than in May.

Watercress sourced direct from Kingfisher Farm in Surrey, who have been growing watercress for more than 150 years, should be with us throughout the month. 

New Potatoes from Jersey, France and Cornwall.

British Strawberries, Raspberries and Gooseberries will be benefiting from some summer sun in June.

English-grown Herbs – Mint, Coriander, Parsley and Dill in particular as well as Cucumbers, Radishes, Spring Onions and Spinach.

Crunchy French Grelot Onions will continue through the month and we will have a good supply of Round, Romana, Trompetta, White, Yellow and Green Courgettes and Tenerumi (leaves of the Cucuzza Zucchini) from Italy.  There will be Borlotti Beans and a greater variety of Aubergines this month.  

Even sweeter varieties of sun-ripened Italian Tomatoes.  The supply of flat, pink Cipollini Onions for roasting should continue as should quality new season Garlic and crunchy Kohlrabi.  

We should continue to have small red/yellow Watermelons, Cantaloupe Melons and new season Sicilian Green Lemons, prized in particular for their highly fragrant zest.

Peaches, Flat Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots and Green Figs from Italy.

We expect both Red and Rainier Cherries from France as well as White and Blood varieties of both Peaches and Nectarines (pêche de vigne & nectavigne).  

Plums from France and Italy should be arriving and Green Almonds are now in season.  

By late June we should have English Cherries arriving.

Smoky Leekchi Ferments                                    Photo ©Puntarelle@Co

NEW on our shelves:

Focusing on our Fermented Vegetables range this month we have ‘Smoky Leekchi’, a ferment of Leeks, smoked chilli, garlic and ginger.  Particularly delicious paired with dishes involving chicken or pulses.   

Flat Peaches               Photo ©Evie Saffron Strands    

We select the best peaches we can get but early peaches can be a little less yielding than you might like.  Their season arrives along with a vibrant array of fresh herbs including Lemon Verbena.  Peaches have a particular affinity with the ‘sherbet lemon’ quality of this herb.  Here is a recipe that’s perfect for those peaches that need a little heat to bring out their best but works for ripe peaches too:

Baked Peaches with Lemon Verbena
(serves 4)

4 Unripe round or flat peaches
100ml water + the same volume of caster sugar
4 leaves of tender fresh lemon verbena (or 2-3 basil leaves)
A handful of raspberries for each plate (optional)

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/Gas 4.  Lightly butter an ovenproof dish.  
Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones.  Place the fruit cut-side up in the dish.
Dissolve the sugar in the water over a medium heat and add the lemon verbena leaves.  Pour the contents of the pan over the cut peaches.  Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of the peaches.  If the fruits are particularly hard, you can cover the dish with foil to speed up cooking.  Baste the peaches a couple of times during cooking and, if they are not softening, turn them a couple of times in the syrup.  

Serve with the cooking juices spooned over and, maybe, a fresh leaf of verbena.  If you have raspberries, add a few to each plate.  Cream to serve is good.

English Strawberries

English Strawberries

We have picked up our second harvest of outdoor-grown Strawberries from our preferred farmer in Kent today.  The variety is the same as the one we had last Saturday for you - ‘Jubilee’ – which grows particularly well in the growing conditions of Kent.  

This distinctly heart-shaped variety is naturally sweet and juicy with just the right level of acidity so we are very pleased to have them again.  Picking is only just getting going so, rest assured, we will select the best flavour varieties as the season progresses.  

Strawberries are naturally high in vitamin C and this variety is particularly good as it requires little, if any, sugar to bring out its best.  In fact a light grinding of pepper, instead, may be all you need.  Strawberries also pair well with rhubarb and outdoor-grown rhubarb is at its best now.   Just a few berries added when cooking brings a wonderful perfume to a dish of rhubarb.