SEPTEMBER
Apart from Venison and grouse, most game starts to come in season from early
September (partridges, wild ducks and geese), although pheasants start from October. Most salmon and trout
rivers close at the end of the month, although a few may stay open until November.
‘Autumn
hath all the summer’s fruitful treasure’, treasure that had us hanging out of the window as children to catch
the trail of someone’s softly simmering blackberry jam – or plum, or damson or greengage. For the
cook who prefers her own preserves, there will be no going on holiday this month. She will want to have
her feet firmly under the kitchen table.
It is amazing how much can be put to how many different uses –
plums and damsons, for example, will make jam or cheese, chutney or sweet, spicy pickles, even wine. Pears,
quinces, peaches and apricots can be pickled in spiced vinegar too.
Don’t
forget the more unusual ‘fruits’ which cost you nothing yet provide a variety of more subtle flavours.
In a good autumn, elderberries are lavished as generously along the hedgerows as blackberries. Like
blackberries they can be combined with apple or crab apple to give jelly with extra body and a delicate light wine colour.
Like blackcurrants, they can be made into store-cupboard syrup, to use on yogurts, cream moulds and rice puddings in
winter months. Rose petal jam, using petals from the old-fashioned species of roses, can be made from a
base of apply jelly. Geranium leaf jelly is made the same way.
Try Frumenty,
the Old English equivalent of the breakfast cereal! Wheat grains are covered with water and kept warm in
a place for about 12 hours until they burst, then eaten with milk and sugar. Or the grain can be sprouted
by growing as you would mustard and cress, and used like Chinese bean sprouts.
