SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER

Everything you need to squeeze the last drops of summer from September: recipes for gluts, nature reads and an invitation to an autumnal foodie weekend away.

A recent rainbow harvest

Welcome to my monthly newsletter - a round-up of news, recipes and life in the veg patch - which is free to all subscribers. If you’ve made it here without subscribing, that’s easily rectified:

Before we tuck in, a request: I bloomin’ love doing this Substack. It takes a lot of time. Joyful time. But time. I try to keep some content free, but paid subscribers go a long way to help covering the costs. If you’d like to consider upgrading to a paid subscription, it costs less than a fancy packet of heritage seeds per month and you’ll also receive a monthly video (like this), a weekly recipe (like this) and plenty more (see here).

This direct support from readers is huge because it means I don’t spend my days making butter board recipes (or whatever nonsense is trending on TikTok) in order to get my work seen whilst also paying my bills. And, more importantly, you have something better than avocado toast recipes to inspire your cooking.

Whichever subscription you pick, I’m just grateful you’re here. Otherwise it’d just be me and the slugs. So thank you.

Hello you lovely lot.

I am, rather decadently, at the seaside for most of September. Which, in hindsight, is a dreadful time to go away. The gluts are at their greatest this month, and my abandoning the patch will certainly result in overgrown courgettes, woody runner beans and triffid-like spinach when I return.

I’m sure you are more organised than me and attend to your gluts with far more rigour, so I’m happy to share lots of ideas to making them into delicious meals this month.

Apart from recipes, I’ve news of another seaside trip I’m planning to Dartmouth in October and how you can join me. Plus, a reading list to get you back to the land as the nights draw in.

(TECHNICAL NOTE: There are a LOT of recipes here and they might not all fit in your email. If so, just hit VIEW ENTIRE MESSAGE at the end of the email, or head to the app or online version.)

Recipes for the gluts

Yesterday’s harvest

September is the most abundant month in my veg patch, when the gluts are at their peak. In the allotment, the sweetcorn, potatoes and onions are all ready to harvest. Here’s a little tour:

gluts_gluttony

A post shared by @gluts_gluttony

At home, the runner beans, beetroot and chard are picking daily. In the greenhouse, the tomatoes keep coming too. And the figs! Well, stay tuned because the figs have been phenomenal and I’m working on two (TWO) fig cake recipes for you. In the meantime, here are some recipes for the September bounty:

Why growing onions is (mostly) pointless and an onion supper inspired by crisp sarnies

(NB: I have totally revised my position on growing onions having done so this year in my new allotment. If you have space going spare, do it!)

Creamed corn, mushrooms & crispy kale, soup in a similar vein & culinary ear-worms

Creamed corn with roast greenhouse veg and chorizo

Runner bean & spring onion fritters

Fig leaf feta & fig salad (with flatbreads) from a recalcitrant fig tree

Blackberry, apple & thyme roll with silver-lining jam

(I’m so happy to be able to share newsletter recipes from this time last year now. It feels like a joyful archive of the seasons is finally developing.)

Weekend away?

I’ll be at Dartmouth Food Festival on Fri 25th and Sat 26th October. On Friday at 3pm I’m on the cookery demo stage and on Saturday 9:30am (9:30?! if you come, please bring me a croissant and a coffee) I’ll be part of a panel in the Food Matter tent discussing whether shopping habits have taken us away from the rhythms of the land (spoiler: they have).

I’m also delighted to have contributed a recipe to the Dartmouth Food Festival Cookbook which will be launched at the festival this year.

A reading list to get you back to the land

When not at the seaside, I’m busy with edits, layouts, PR plans and audiobook recordings (terrified) for my next book, Rough Patch, which is out in February (perhaps you heard me mention that already?!).

As part of the process, I’ve been re-reading my favourite books about food and the land - that lovely corner of nature writing that isn’t just all description of landscapes (which doesn’t do it for me), but instead leaves you inspired or feeling like you’ve learnt something too. Here are a few of my favourites:

• Wintering by

  Katherine May

• English Pastoral by James Rebanks

• The Fat of the Land by John Seymour

• The World-Ending Fire by Wendell Berry

• The Gentle Art of Tramping by Stephen Graham

What would you add? Do let me know and we’ll build a list.

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