Haervestmonath – harvest month, when the main crops were brought in
The arrival of September, the first month of our autumn season, is inevitably a bittersweet affair. Our good friend summer is just so much fun that it’s always with a touch of sadness we say farewell. But then, just as we’re getting a bit gloomy about the whole thing, autumn knocks on the door, asking if we can come out to play in a beautiful new landscape of bright colours, crisp mornings and intense flavours.
September is kind enough to ease us in to the new season gently and, even compared to August, it’s a bountiful month. The light, sweet tastes of summer start to make way for the richer, earthier flavours of autumn. So, we’ll probably see the last of the strawberries and cherries being replaced by the first squashes and nuts.
The hedgerows are packed full of foraging treats, too, with plump blackberries, sharp damsons and tart crab apples all abundant. You’re certain to have something interesting and edible growing wild near you.
Not only do the late-summer fruits and early-autumn nuts create a delightful gluttony of produce, but the weather in September is pretty reliable, too. In fact, if you look at the recent historical rainfall data in the UK there’s little to choose between August and September. So, with a bit of luck, there’s plenty of good weather still to come and we can be out and about (and fairly dry) for a good few weeks yet.
Enjoy your September; it’s usually an absolute humdinger of a month and a splendid curtain-raiser to autumn.