Equinox Recipes For Autumn
Food is one of the most basic needs for all living things. But food is more than that. It connects us to our history, our ancestors, the land and nature. I didn’t know what to write about this month, not something I struggle with often, I must admit. It seems such an odd thing to write about something that brings comfort, nourishes our souls as well as our basic needs at a time when the world is in such a dark place and the basic necessities of life are turned into weapons of warfare. But food is something that connects, that heals and brings people together. Sometimes, sharing what we have with others is a means of resistance, the forging of community bonds and so it is in this vein that I share some recipes of the season that have graced my own kitchen.
Quick Pickles
A good pickle is a kitchen staple in my house and these quick pickles are some of the best I have tried, bar none! Making pickles can be a lengthy process and I rarely have the time for that nowadays. This recipe is so easy and a great way of using the last of your harvested vegetables if you grow your own and is also a great way of using up what you have left in the fridge. You can add any salad vegetable you like without having to cook first, but for this recipe I am using onion and cucumber.
For this recipe, you will need:
● 2 onions
● ½ cucumber
● 2 cups vinegar (whatever you have in your cupboard, I used white vinegar in the pictures)
● ½ - 1 cup of sugar
● Garlic cloves (optional)
Begin by chopping your vegetables into chunks and place them in a clean jar or bowl. Next, heat the vinegar and sugar slowly in a pan until the sugar has dissolved and pour over the vegetables, making sure they are completely covered. Replace the lid or cover the bowl and keep in the fridge for at least 3 hours before using. If kept in a covered bowl in the fridge, it will keep for the week, but if in a jar, will last much much longer, though these pickles are so delicious, they probably won’t last that long at all!
Berry and Honey Elixir
This time of year sees the last of the soft fruits, and you might find that they are not quite their best anymore (but totally still edible). This fruit is perfect to use in infusions and drinks, juicy and jammy. This recipe uses elderberries I harvested last month and froze as well as the last few blackberries from my garden with a few rosehips chucked in for good measure. This recipe is made with alcohol, but you can totally leave that out and add extra water. You will need:
● 1 cup of fruit
● 1 cup honey
● 500 ml of brandy or other spirit
First prepare your fruit by giving everything a quick blast. I always soak my berries for about ten minutes to get rid of any bugs and if you are using rosehips, you’ll want to get rid of the seeds and use only the flesh.
Next, put the fruit in a pan and cover with a little water and heat gently, pressing the fruit with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Push through a sieve and pour the juice back into the pan and add the honey (you can replace the honey with sugar if that is what you have in your cupboards at home), heating gently until you have a syrupy mixture. Leave to cool before adding your chosen spirit and bottle up. It’s up to you whether this elixir is a health promoting addition to your diet by taking a spoonful a day in water, a medicine to stave off cold and flu or a warming autumnal tipple!
Pan Fried Nuts
If you’re lucky, you might still find a few cobnuts on the trees, but if the squirrels have beat you to them then no bother, the walnuts are in season right now! This is a really simple recipe but one that is the essence of autumn. I love to make these on a Saturday afternoon to snack on while I watch a movie or curl up with a book (they make the perfect accompaniment to the elixir above). You will need:
● Nuts of choice
● Knob of butter
● Salt and pepper to taste
Shell your nuts while the butter melts over a medium heat. If using walnuts, you might want to chop or halve them, then add to the pan. Cook them until they get a little colour, before seasoning with salt and pepper before enjoying warm.
Hawthorn Vinegar
The hedgerow is a trove of foragable delights during winter, and the hawthorn is just one berry that is ready to harvest right now. For this recipe, you will need:
● 1 cup haws
● Up to 500 ml apple cider vinegar
The prep for this can be a little labour intensive if you choose to make a slit in each small haw, so I prefer to freeze the berries and then defrost them as this often splits the skin anyway. Next, pop the berries into a jar or bottle and pour over the apple cider vinegar until full. Leave to steep for at least a week before straining into a fresh bottle. You can use this vinegar in a host of other recipes, as dressings or additions to sauces. As with the elixir recipe, you can even add a spoonful to water and take it daily as a health promoting tonic.
Easy Roast Vegetable Soup
I love a good soup during autumn, and this soup is quick and easy to make. I use the last of the tomatoes still on the plant for this one, the kind that might not be as firm or as ripe as you might like in a salad, but there’s nothing wrong with the taste. This is a good way of using up vegetables in the fridge that might be past their optimum but still edible. Here is the recipe I often use, though you can substitute vegetables to suit your own tastes:
● 2 onions, halved
● 3 cloves garlic
● 1 bell pepper
● Handful of tomatoes
● Half butternut squash
● 500ml vegetable stock
● 1 potato, peeled and quartered
● 2 tbsp vegetable oil
● Herbs, salt and pepper to taste
Place all the vegetables on a baking tray and drizzle with the oil. Roast in the oven at 180 degrees or until soft. Transfer the vegetables to a pan (scooping out the flesh of the butternut squash) and add the stock and seasoning. Blend the ingredients together with a hand held blender (or use whatever you have). Serve with crusty bread for a hearty autumn dinner.
EMMA KATHRYN
Emma Kathryn, practises traditional British witchcraft, Vodou and Obeah, a mixture representing her heritage. She lives in the sticks with her family where she reads tarot, practises witchcraft and drink copious amounts of coffee.
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