Market Report - UK seasonal update 1 August 2016

This week's market report from Wild Harvest features ceps, muscat grape and broad beans as well as a whole host of other fruit and vegetables currently in season which you can see below:

Autumnal Flavours

The meteorological calendar has autumn spanning the months of September, October and November.

The astronomical seasons are based on the equinoxes and solstices. This system places autumn from the 22 September to the 20 December this year.

Without coming over too druid (this is a seasonal update however) when my game suppliers get in touch for the first grouse, I start to think of autumnal offerings.

Europe’s many climates and farming techniques have delivered some classically autumnal fruits, fungi and vegetables a month or so early.

Details of these welcome shifts below.

Wild Mushrooms & Truffles

Russia is producing both medium and baby sized girolles.

Prices are low.

For a properly hydrated, apricot/pine scented, fully formed, flower of a mushroom the enthusiast should look to Scotland.

This shroom when in the form it’s in now, jostles for the number one fungal spot with perfect porcini and new season morels.

Linking into the autumnal tone of this bi-weekly update ceps, pied de mouton and the gothic trompette de la mort are being found in Romania.

We choose to wait for more significant harvests to enhance quality and drive down prices before we buy.

Summer truffles are being lifted out of the ground all over Europe as easily as potatoes.

Now is as good a time as any to preserve these ripe and affordable tubers from Italy which we are flying in several times a week.

Fruits

The stunning muscat grape from Provence has hit our shores. This wine grape packs an unbeatable flavour punch. It’s mighty fine smoky blue skin adds looks to flavour and results in a top class cheese board garnish.

Cob nuts are now coming