FOOD&DRINK

As nature prepares to throw her autumn bounty at us, Tony Benjamin gets ready to deal with all that mellow fruitfulness

Blessed as we are with a seasonal climate, we Britishers can look forward to an ever-changing supply of foodstuff as the year goes round. Things may look a bit lean in January or February, but by June seasonal treats like beans, spinach, strawberries and gooseberries are coming thick and fast. Shrewd shoppers find the best value at the peak of the season, while those with allotments and gardens can’t pick it fast enough…

And that’s the catch – scarcely has that first delicious homegrown strawberry burst fragrantly in your mouth than they’re beginning to mount up, just like broad beans, asparagus and other seasonal treats. Try as you might, it’s well nigh impossible to get through the stuff before the season is out - and even strawberries can become tedious if you have to have them every day.

Past generations always had their ways of making the most of food crops while providing for the lean winter months at the same time. When writer and educator Jackie Sherman found herself facing a glut of seasonal produce, she realised that she needed to revisit those good old ways, as well as taking on some radical new ideas. “I’ve got a reasonable-sized garden,” she explains, “and I always go out to pick-your-own places or try to buy things when they’re in season and cheap. Great bargains, but what can you do with it all?”

With the freezer groaning and her family already up to their ears in fruit pies, Jackie decided to spend a year learning how to get the most out of seasonal fruit and veg. By the time she was finished, it was apparent that a book was in the offing. “It was my first cookbook, but cooking is my big love. I’ve had a wonderful year cooking and eating and trying out new things like making cider and candied fruit. I wanted to get the widest possible range of ideas. I know people end up throwing stuff away or leaving it unpicked because they lack enough different ideas. I learned so much myself while writing this book.”

Making the Most of Your Glorious Glut is a comprehensive goldmine of recipes and techniques aimed at finding new ways to enjoy, say, the humble beetroot while preserving what you can’t manage. “I discovered that beetroot can be great in cakes – beetroot & chocolate cake is delicious! – and there’s an Italian ice-cream made from the stuff. It’s great to pickle, and you can make tasty chutney with apple and beetroot, too.” With sections on broad beans, blackcurrants, carrots, courgettes and others, she’s covered all the likeliest local food mountains, and mastering the art of the chapter on preserves will have your shelves groaning with jars of chutney, relishes, pickles and jams while you toast them in homemade cider or a glass of runner-bean wine.

For Jackie, the whole thing has been very worthwhile, not least because her cooking has improved (“I was a bit scatterbrained about quantities before”) and she’s discovered new things to grow and eat. “I’ve been more adventurous in seeding – rocket was a big discovery! Now we’re all hooked on the stuff, I’ll be trying new things every year.”

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR GLORIOUS GLUT BY JACKIE SHERMAN IS PUBLISHED BY GREEN BOOKS AT £12.95. FFI: WWW.GREENBOOKS.CO.UK

Copyright Tony Benjamin 2011