September in the farm Table

It’s September & we’re clinging on to summer - a final vibrant flourish before autumn’s cold hands close in. The fields and farm shop show signs of the new season: plump damsons, sweet Victoria plums and the first Bramley apples in surrounding gardens. Keep an eye out for pears, quinces, the last of the blackberries and a parade of squash - kabocha, Crown Prince and butternut, with their tough skins and sweet flesh. It’s the peak time for English sweetcorn, earthy brassicas, various maincrop potatoes and the first crisp cavolo nero. It’s a fantastic time for your cooking to gradually transition into a new rhythm. While we all love summer, the new season is a time for celebration.

It’s also when orchards come alive. For our friends at Sandford Orchards & dozens of other local cidermakers, it’s the start of the cider apple harvest, sweeping up bittersweet apples destined for traditional Devon cider. In the vineyard, we’re eagerly testing the ripeness of our Pebblebed grapes daily, a ritual that marks the beginning of harvest. September’s warmth and cool nights concentrate the sugars as acidity gradually drops off. It’s looking like a fantastic vintage & we’re gearing up for our community harvest weekends in early October; if you fancy joining in, there’s nothing quite like it. Hundreds of people gathering to pick grapes & enjoy each others company amongst the vines – we’ll reward you with coffee, wine & a pulled pork bap!

The season is also festival time - Taste East Devon brings our region’s best food, drink and hospitality to the fore. It’s a wonderful reminder of the richness and creativity of the local food scene. Keep your eyes peeled for unique events on the Taste East Devon website.

Ingredients

2 x large romanesque, washed
Olive oil
1 x crown prince squash
100g toasted almonds
100g toasted hazelnuts
Balsamic vinegar
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
100g tomato paste
Dried rosemary
Salt
Pepper
1 jar grilled artichokes
100g pitted black olives
1 large banana shallot
20g lemon juice
20g chopped parsley
200ml Pebblebed white wine
Caster sugar

Method

For your salsa, roughly chop the olives and artichokes. Dice the shallot, chop the parsley and mix together with olive oil and the lemon juice.

For the romanesque, wash and cut each head into 8 wedges. Using a grill, grill the wedges on their flat sides. Then move to a large oven tray with deep sides. Dress with olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, white wine. Then cover with a lid or foil and braise for 30-50 minutes, or until soft.

For the romesco, cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Oil and season the cavity. Then place skin up on a baking tray. Pour in 500ml of water and bake until the flesh is very soft (40 - 90 minutes). Once cooked, scrape out the flesh and put into a food processor along with the toasted nuts, tomato puree, garlic and around 200 - 400ml of olive oil (depending on the size of the squash). Add around 100ml of balsamic and blend. It doesn’t need to be too smooth! Add seasoning to taste, or add sugar if it needs some sweetness.

To serve, a good spoonful of Romanesco on the bottom, then the romanesque wedges, then spoon the salsa over the top.

Darts Farm

September in the farm Table

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