Seasons Changing

Late summer now and things are starting to get a little crispy. The lushness has started to dissipate and Autumn waits in the wings with mist and mellow fruitfullness. Ok by me!! The baby pears blown down by the wind have been bottled and stored for garnishing sweets or game dishes and woodpigeon breasts have been smoked and salted down , perhaps the saffron pears will sit well with them sliced like a carpaccio? A drop of port might help that down too.
Plums have been bottled as well and will probably end up strained and /or reduced for a nice sharp sauce for the pheasant soon too be arriving.
The apple trees are groaning and will produce more cider than I have bottles for so it will go into a pressure barrel as a scrumpy to mature for a while with a lump of belly pork in it.
Seeds have been collected for next years leaf and are hanging in the shed to dry while the baby carrots are coming on well in the greenhouse. Tomatos have been slow this year and squash also --not so good.
The best result has been the partridge escabeche! They will make a nice Christmas starter or even a little intermediate dish with some beans and a dry sherry , The Spanish do this with the redleg birds. I love the little English 'Greys' though , the flavour is superb.
Grouse are slow coming in this year and the price is quite hard , Around £8 a bird in the North here and a lot more in London. The introduction of raptors wont help .Although I understand why species need to be protected theres no point in wonedering why moorland birds are in decline when goshawks and perigrine need their lunch too. Red kite are known as carrion birds and nice to see but soon they will be at pest proportions again . Oh yes , dont forget the abundance of foxes either!
I welcome autumn and all the colours and wonderful smells but best of all , the abundance of foods that become available to conjure with.