It's hard to keep track of the tip top produce this month - even for Bob at P & I.
It's a glorious time for British fruit and veg. Apples are flowing in from the orchards. The first Conference pears have just started.
Main apple varieties are Discovery (pictured above) and Red Robin (below), a more recent introduction.
Have you read our Chef's Guide to Plums? Homegrown varieties now include Victoria's and Marjorie's Seedling.
These are greengages ...
And the dainty French mirabelle.
Other British fruit includes blueberries, the last waves of strawberries and raspberries. Kentish cobnuts are still green, fresh and 'wet' - a different eating experience to the dried.
Here's chef Ed Haines with a box. He works for the Gladwin brothers, who have several restaurants in London. "We're moving from cherries to plums and cobnuts. It's all about the move over into autumn."
You'll also find the first wet walnuts - these are Spanish, over at P & I.
It's a great time for British-grown corn on the cob.
Squashes are now abundant - these early pumpkins spotted at P & I.
And this beauty - a Crown Prince?
On the veg front, load up on British runners, bobbies and broad beans - chef recipes here in our guide.
Other local veg includes tomatoes, salads, cabbages (Primo, Hispi, white, red, Savoy), onions, courgettes, marrows, kale, Romanesco and broccoli.
Note that cauliflower prices are stabilising after a price hike. (Yellow peppers from the Continent are still high). The first Brussel sprouts have also been spotted - a sure sign of autumn.
I'm also excited by the start of Turkish black figs. At their best, they are delicious and well-priced as the season rolls on. Find out more from my visit to Bursa, the region where they are grown.
Here's a fruit booming in popularity - jackfruit - a ready-prepared batch over at wholesaler Gilgrove.
Other exotics and imports include easy peelers, melons of all kinds and grapes. From Italy, there are the first whispers of spiky chestnuts and prickly pears.
Wet garlic is another on-trend ingredient - more subtle in flavour than the dried.
And I couldn't resist snapping this gorgeous box of green tomatoes. Any ideas of how chefs use these in the kitchen?
See you in October. Please do get in touch with any comments or queries.
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