seasonal eating

Greengages

Greengages are a sweet and juicy type of dessert plum that range in colour from yellow to dark-green, and can be speckled with burgundy. They have a soft, delicate, aromatic flesh that are best appreciated raw.

Greengages

They have a very short season in August and September. When bought from shops and markets, it’s impossible to tell until you bite into it whether it is ripe or not. They are worth poaching and freezing for later in the year, if not store at room temperature and eat as soon as possible after purchase.

If cooking with greengages, crème fraîche or Greek-style yoghurt will enhance their natural sweetness. Vanilla and almond will complement their flavour in a pie, crumble or sponge. Or if you want to turn it into a preserve, add lemon juice to help them set.

Plum Sponge

If you want to give greengages a try, this Steamed Plum Sponge with Cinnamon Custard recipe from BBC’s James Martin should have you heading out on the hunt for greengages.

For more information on the plums, there’s an article featured in The Independent.

Ugly Veg Makes a Comeback!

For years, it has rather annoyed us that farmers are forced to discard such vast quantities of perfectly good fruit and veg, just to meet supermarket standards.

Of course, here at Vanilla in Allseasons, we buy our produce seasonally and from local suppliers, so the supermarkets don’t get a look in from us. But we have to admit, we were very glad to hear that they have now relaxed their aesthetic rules to help out the farmers after our appalling summer.

The driest March in 59 years, followed by the wettest June and autumn storms and flooding have reduced British fruit and vegetable harvests by more than 25% .

The unusually wet season left many farmers in serious trouble after crops were ruined. The ones they were able to yield need to be used and sold in a bid to try and claw back some profit.

So when you are shopping for fruit and veg remember, the ugly ones still taste good! They have all the same nutrients and flavour. Help British farmers and embrace the ugly!

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