A plum time

Hopefully the late summer sun in August will allow for maximum harvesting of fruit and vegetables. With so much on offer it’s hard to choose what to cook or prepare next?

One summer vegetable I will never tire of is the runner bean. Introduced to England in the seventeenth century, it was grown as a decorative plant before we realised what a good food source it actually is! Buy fresh or pick your own, and then eat them as soon as possible. Like all other legumes (peas and beans), the sugar will quickly turn to starch if stored too long. They are delicious just cooked gently, seasoned and buttered and heaped high alongside some lovely roast English lamb. Or if you have a plentiful supply try pickling some in the same way as onions or cook them al dente and use them as a base for a lovely tomato enriched spicy salsa.

August is just a perfect time to seek out a recipe for the humble plum. Try a straightforward quick and easy plum crumble or an apple and plum pie? Enjoy them stewed just until soft on their own and served with thick fresh cream and a spoonful of honey or if you add a sponge cake mix on top of your warm plums, it bakes into a plum duff!

If you are really ‘plum keen’ then there is the jam and wine making to follow! It takes five years for a plum orchard to reach full production so consider all that care and time when you tuck into what in some quarters is sometimes wrongly dismissed as a dull alternative to the colourful summer berries.

Sally Bendall co-owns Hollow Trees Farm Shop as well as finding time to chair FARMA, the National Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association.
Hollow Tree Farm Shop, A1141 Semer, Suffolk IP7 6HX
T: 01449 741247