Blodmonath – blood month, when animals were slaughtered for the winter months
November often catches us slightly by surprise, October can be pleasantly bright and mild, but a mere four weeks later it’s ten degrees colder outside and, with the clocks changing back, dark at five o’clock. Quite a contrast.
We’re in the final month of autumn now and, as we say goodbye to the very last of the warm days, we can start to look forward to the frosts and snow of winter. Regardless of the weather, there’s plenty to keep us entertained, both outside and in the kitchen.
For meat eaters, November should be all about game, with partridge, pheasant and venison abundant this month. Prices for the feathered game have usually come down from their early-season highs, making it affordable and increasingly accessible to all. You’ll need some vegetables to go with it, and thankfully November is one of the best months for hardy roots. Parsnips and celeriac in particular should be on your shopping list. And although not quite as generous as in October, the hedgerows are still worth plundering, as rosehips and chestnuts make welcome late additions to the wild larder.
If you’re outdoors at dusk this month, keep an eye out for murmurations of starlings which usually begin in November. From now until the spring our non-migratory residents are joined by their relatives from colder climates, with up to 100,000 birds flocking together in these hypnotic aerial pre-roosting displays. They’re a truly spectacular phenomenon and a reminder that life definitely doesn’t stop just because it’s getting a bit chilly and dark out there. Indeed, we start the month with one of our biggest seasonal celebrations on 5 November, so let’s wrap up warm, get outside and get the sausages sizzling.