‘The Big Autumn Harvest’ with Ed Johnstone from The Sussex Peasant
October is one of my favourite times in the Sussex food calendar. Summer has only just slipped away, but the harvest has turned decisively towards autumn: apples and pears from local orchards, squash and pumpkins, beetroot, roots and brassicas, alongside the last of some of the softer summer crops.
It is a brilliant reminder that eating seasonally is not about restriction. Quite the opposite. At this time of year there is an extraordinary amount being grown, reared and made around us, and some of the best meals begin by seeing what is plentiful rather than arriving with a rigid shopping list.
A squash can be roasted for supper and turned into soup the following day. Apples might be eaten straight from the bag, baked into a crumble or stewed for breakfast. Beetroot, carrots and other roots need little more than roasting, while the colder evenings make locally reared meat, venison, good bread and Sussex cheese feel firmly back on the menu.
One of the pleasures of buying locally is also being able to ask questions. Which apple is best for cooking? What has just been harvested? How was the meat reared? What would the producer themselves do with it?
Next week we are taking that idea a step further with The Sussex Peasant’s Big Autumn Markets, beginning at St George’s Church in Kemp Town on Friday 9 October before travelling to Hassocks, Haywards Heath, St Ann’s and Preston Park.
Alongside the seasonal Sussex produce we bring to our regular markets, the Big Markets give customers the chance to meet more of the people behind their food. We’ll be joined across the different locations by some familiar faces and some new producers, including Flax Farm, Amandus Honey, Joe’s Chilli, Spiced Sussex, Poynings Grange, Ashok’s Indian Curries & Spices, Mamoosh Bakery and M&M Venison.
It means you can fill a basket with the ingredients of an autumn kitchen while talking directly to some of the people growing, rearing and making them.
Every harvest is different. Weather, soil and timing determine what is abundant and when, and that uncertainty is part of the reality of farming. Eating with the Sussex harvest means responding to that rhythm.
October gives us plenty to work with. Come hungry, ask questions and see what Sussex is producing now.
To find a weekly Sussex Peasant farmers market close to you in Brighton, Hove, Ditchling, Lewes, Newick, Danehill or Cuckfield visit www.thesussexpeasant.co.uk
Comments