Seasonal Fruits for Christmas
by Chris, 13 December, 2019, 1 comments
Winter, and Christmas in particular, is linked with foods and flavours that perhaps we do not experience at other times of the year. Think of the distinctive smell and taste of the Christmas Pudding with its many ingredients, the cranberry sauce with the turkey, mince pies (with their mixed fruits) and perhaps exotic crystallised figs; all examples of seasonal fare. The ingredients for some of these may be raised in your garden or come from much further afield.
If we look back in time, then our ancestors would have gathered, stored, and preserved a wide range of foraged fruits and ‘seeds’ to ‘see them through’ the harsher winter months. They had techniques and recipes for preserving fruits / roots etc. through the winter when fridges and freezing had not been thought of; except for the ice houses on the estates of the landed gentry. In relatively recent times, there has been renewed interest in foraged food such as chestnuts, sloes etc - see Richard Mabey’s book “ Food for Free." Read more...
