Eat the Seasons September

September

As arguably the most abundant month for your vegetable garden, September finds itself in the midst of harvest season and begins the approach to autumn – with the 23^rd of the month marking the end of summer.

September is Organic month encouraging us to celebrate everything organic and homegrown. So if you have been planting throughout the year, now’s the time to reap the rewards!

Silversprings, Hollam Nurseries and Stewart’s are just a few of the Titchfield-based garden centres that stock seeds, so any green fingers who are just starting out can begin to prepare and sow veggies to grow over the winter.

September is also National Mushroom Month in the UK, making it the perfect time to try some of the many varieties of fungi out there. They contain great nutrients and make excellent meat substitutes if you are cutting down on your intake.

You can pick up fresh veggies from The Fruit Basket in Stubbington, which stocks an extensive range of mushrooms including button, chestnut, shitake and portobello. They also stock Nutbourne tomatoes and broad beans, grown locally in Titchfield and are perfect for autumnal salads.

Or you can order a bespoke box from Titchfield-based Boxxfresh, to get the freshest vegetables, herbs, salads and fruits delivered straight to your home.

September 9 marks a special occasion for foodies across the patch, with National ‘I Love Food’ day giving us all the perfect cheat day to enjoy any food we wish!

There are plenty of wonderful restaurants across the patch to try – so watch this space as we’ll be launching a new directory of them to mark the occasion.

Meat 

Beef, duck, grouse, guinea fowl, partridge, lamb, pheasant, rabbit, turkey and venison

Fruit

Blueberries, figs, raspberries, plums, damsons, apples and pears

Vegetables

Mushrooms, carrots, runner beans, cabbage, lettuce, sweetcorn, peppers, chillies, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, cauliflower, fennel, chard, courgettes and summer squash

Fish

Cod, crab, haddock, shrimp, whelks, pollack, monkfish, lemon sole, mackerel, herring, sea bass, clams, halibut, hake and squid

Recipe for the month

Cauliflower rice, with stir-fried mushrooms, celery and lemon thyme

This recipe comes from our friends at Boxxfresh and was inspired by the delicious lemon and chilli rice at their local Indian restaurant. This earthy and fragrant dish serves four and is made with grated cauliflower instead of rice to celebrate one of our favourite seasonal vegetables.

Ingredients

1 clove of garlic, chopped

4 sticks of celery, finely diced

8-10 chestnut mushrooms, finely diced

1 tsp dried lemon or regular thyme

1 cauliflower

The zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp lemon juice

2 green chillies, finely diced

4 handfuls of spinach leaves

1 handful of chopped chives

1 handful of hazelnuts (optional)

Olive oil

Method

First, warm a wok or a large, deep frying pan over medium heat with two tablespoons of olive oil, then add your garlic, stir and allow to gently fry for a few seconds before adding the celery.

Mix everything together, and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring regularly, until the celery starts to turn translucent.

Add your mushrooms, lemon thyme and a good pinch of salt to the pan and mix. Cook for a further 6-7 minutes and stir occasionally.

Then, snap the outer leaves off the cauliflower and cut off the stalk. Grate the florets into a ‘rice’ like consistency and add it to the plan.

Pop in your lemon zest, chopped chilli, chives, spinach leaves and a pinch of black pepper, then mix everything together and continue to cook for further 2-3 minutes.

Finally, stir in the lemon juice before plating up. Sprinkle with your chopped hazelnuts and serve!