Seasonal Food: If You Eat 1 Thing This Month … October

The Apple

October is a beautiful month. The colours are changing all around us and the fruits are rich and warming. We turn to foods which are wholesome and satisfying rather than light, green & hydrating. Our cravings change from salads & berries to soups & crumbles.

An apple a day keeps the Doctor away

We’ve all heard the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away & most of us enjoy apples on a daily basis whether we’re crunching on the fruit, drinking the juice or serving it in hot dishes. Although apples are eaten throughout the year, in Autumn the apple really shines in the UK.

Whilst apples continue to be one of our favourite fruits, commercial apple orchards in the UK over the past 40 years have dramatically declined which has unfortunately meant we source apples from further afield including from as far as South Africa & New Zealand!

Small scale growers and those with apple trees in their gardens will know of the great taste of fresh, local apples. Apples are often included on EWG’s Dirty Dozen list that is released annually.

Fun Facts

• The apple is believed to be the first fruit that was cultivated [1].
• The apple is a common symbol used in ancient mythology. The apple symbolises everything from love & beauty to knowledge & wisdom or even good health [1]
• The apple is from the Rosaceae family which includes roses, strawberries, raspberries, apricots, plums, cherries, pears & almonds. [2]

• There is estimated to be over 30,000 varieties of apples in the world including Cox’s Orange Pippin, Red Prince, Granny Smith & Bramley! [3]
• All apples can be cooked but cooking apples can’t be eaten raw!

• The UK apple season generally runs from September to May.
• Apples are so versatile. Enjoy them raw as a snack, create sauces, bake with them, roast them, juice them, ferment them. The list goes on!

“You cannot sell a blemished apple in the supermarket, but you can sell a tasteless one provided it is shiny, smooth, even, uniform and bright.” Elspeth Huxley

Other Foods in Season

As the weather starts to get cooler, we see hardier, sustaining foods back in season such as root vegetables and game.

• Parsnips
• Potatoes
• Swede
• Venison
• Pumpkin
• Pheasant
• Rabbit
• Plums

What foods do you enjoy most in October? Join the conversation on social media. Follow Foodful on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.