Written by Tom Moggach
October 09, 2017
There's some startling colour this October - from gigantic pumpkins to speckled Castelfranco.
Check out these Lancashire Brussel sprouts and tops on the stalk - in tip top condition over at wholesaler P & I. All the brassicas are a good bet at this time of year, including kales, kohl rabi, broccoli and the cabbages.
This is also the time when citrus starts to get interesting. The first bergamots are in from Italy and these Miyagawa clementines, an early variety first discovered and bred in Japan and now grown in Europe, too.
Here's the pumpkin, up on the counter at S Thorogood & Son. There are plenty of other squashes on hand - everything from the tiny Munchkin to the crinkly numbers in the second pic below.
The radicchio season is just starting in earnest. Check out the gorgeous Castelfranco and Precoce varieties below. Tardivo will be along a little later. (To find out more about this ingredient, see our Product Profile).
And last but not least - while we're highlighting colour - here's some Blue Meat radish, grown in France, on sale at European Salad Company.
English apples and pears are the pick of the fruit. Here's a photo that explains which varieties are most abundant at time of writing. (Bramleys, the cookers, are also readily available).
British soft fruit is still flowing in, including raspberries and blueberries. Strawberries are in their very last weeks.
Black figs from Turkey are a good call - read more about this fruit from our trip to the orchards, described in last month's Product Profile.
These artichokes are UK-grown. You'll find others from France, Spain and Italy. Other British crops in their prime include corn on the cob, onions, parsnips (including Piccolo), bunched beetroot, rainbow chard, turnips and carrots (including Chantenay).
Other Continental lines include wet walnuts, chestnuts, courgette flowers, aubergines, puntarelle, peppers and coloured cauliflowers. Posh grapes from France and Italy are also terrific, such as the complex Muscat.
Over at Premier Fruits, salesman Scotty showed me some pictures of these Apache potatoes, a new line for them. Apparently it has a buttery, chestnut flavour. (Find out more here).
These fresh Espelette peppers at The French Garden are also a rare find.
Other fruits worth a special mention include pomegranates and pineapple. I popped by fruit specialists H G Walker, celebrating 130 years in business this year.
See you in November for next month's update from Buyers' Walk.
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