As autumn approaches, there is a wonderful range of fruit and vegetables, from the last of summer’s crops such as courgettes and tomatoes to the first of autumn’s produce.
I urge you to continue to be mindful of eating locally sourced food where you can.
It can be tempting to pick up imported fruits from abroad but we haven’t evolved rapidly enough to metabolically process these foods in abundance.
Did you know that sugar content in fruit has actually gone up because it’s being modified to taste sweeter for consumer tastes? So tropical fruit which, contains a lot of sugar anyway, is now even harder for your body to process.
I love fruit and after the profusion of summer’s soft fruits it can be difficult to make that mindset switch to autumnal eating.
I try to freeze berries in the summer months so I can continue to eat them, added to smoothies or as a baking ingredient as the weather turns cooler. Something like strawberries doesn’t freeze well whole so I make these into a sorbet by blending them with a little honey before freezing. A scoop of that transports me back to a warm evening enjoying the sunshine in my garden, even when the skies outside are grey and the leaves have started to fall from the trees.
Here in the UK I’m looking forward to pears and apples, figs, plums and damsons which are all beginning to be at their best.
If you’re craving sweetness, sweetcorn and shallots are available or why not look to root vegetables such as beetroot and carrot too? Roasting these will enhance their natural sweetness and add glorious colour to your meals.
Our chef ambassador Adam Byatt is passionate about seasonal eating and with a little effort we can tailor what we’re cooking and eating to the time of year which not only reduces our carbon footprint but is beneficial for our health too.
What are you enjoying eating at this time of year? I’d love you to share this with me over on my instagram channel.
Marie
Founder of Ondine
