Hello blog! Wow, it really has been quite a while since I posted anything – it seems that long sunny days and blogging just don’t mix for me. I can’t believe that my last blog was about our July holiday (although it has given me the perfect excuse to look through my holiday photos again…). Now that autumn has arrived, suddenly I have several hours of evening available that are perfect for sitting down to write – and good thing too, as I’ve built up quite a backlog of posts!I have always loved autumn, and even more so this year. Admittedly, the dark evenings aren’t so wonderful, but the fabulous colours, the crisp air, the crunch of leaves underfoot, and – most importantly – the food, really do make up for it.
Now that the weather has cooled, it seemed like the perfect time to recreate our Norwegian food highlight from July – hveteboller, or cardamom buns. These were a real treat for us on holiday, especially as they were one of the more affordable options available, and they proved to be equally enjoyable back in the UK. Sam found this recipe for cardamom buns with a cinnamon filling – not quite what we had on holiday – but so, so tasty, and very much appreciated last Monday morning!

Cardamom-cinnamon buns: making Monday mornings infinitely more bearable
This sort of sets the tone for this whole post (if the title hasn’t already given it away). There is such an abundance of food in autumn, and I’m enjoying feasting on a variety of home-grown and foraged fare.
In the garden, the squash have finally been harvested after threatening to take over the garden, and although we didn’t get quite as many as we’d have liked, both the Blue Hungarian and the Burgess Vine are proving to have been well worth growing.

Blue Hungarian wedges cooked in Cajun spices (thanks to Sam’s Mum and Dad for the tip!)
The first few leeks have been enjoyed – again, we didn’t grow as many as we’d have liked, but we’ll be putting more in next year. In the greenhouse, the peppers are still going strong, although the early promise of aubergines did not materialise.

From ‘field’ to fork in fifteen minutes

Looking slightly nibbled, but there have been more than enough to share with anyone who wants a bite

Sadly, these were infested with red spider mite shortly after this photo was taken, and we weren’t able to eat any of them
The courgettes are still cropping, although they are now on their last legs. We’ve been picking these since early June, so courgette seeds are definitely on the shopping list for next year.

The overwhelming daily harvest of July seems a long time ago now
The hedgerows are now in their prime for foraging, and I’ve started carrying a ‘just-in-case’ bag on our daily walks. The freezer is crammed full of tasty berries and we’re enjoying making some new treats as well as our old favourites.

Not very seasonal, but an absolute favourite so I couldn’t leave them out. Whinberries, bilberries, whortleberries, blaeberries – utterly scrumptious regardless of the name!

Whinberry muffins topped with homemade muesli- one of our most-used recipes. Berries picked earlier in the summer but an excellent freezer-filler

Elderberry sorbet, another early summer treat, this time a new one from the Hedgerow Cookbook. It has a gorgeous colour, tastes delicious, and is scoopable straight from the freezer

Moving into autumn now, and we’ve collected bags of these in the freezer for future treats

We finally managed to find an apple tree – hurrah! Some of these will be enjoyed tomorrow morning with homemade granola and Greek yoghurt…

…While the others have already been scoffed with cinnamon scones and cream. Mmm

And finally, the anticipation of winter treats to come

After steeping overnight, the gin has taken on a gorgeous colour
Normally I wait for the first frost before picking my sloes, but we noticed that they’re starting to over-ripen and the frosts are still weeks away. So, this year I’ve decided to try them pre-frost (we stuck them in the freezer overnight which should hopefully simulate nature to a good enough degree), and will pick another batch if I can find any left in a few weeks time.We haven’t yet found any chestnuts but hopefully they’re on the agenda for this coming weekend (providing I can find room in the freezer of course!). And after that, there are still plenty of leeks in the garden, with the parsnips to come in another month or so.
With all of this wonderful comfort food, it’s probably a good thing that I’m still sticking to my walking challenge, and have just passed the 900 mile mark, putting me in a great position to finish the #walk1000miles challenge ahead of target.
I will try and start posting more regularly again, but if it all goes quiet I think it would be safe to assume that I’m either outside foraging, or inside feasting. Happy Autumn!