Pears are plentiful. William pears are still available along with new season Packham and Beurru Bosc pears.  Select firm, mature pears and ripen at room temperature or cook while still firm.

There is a great selection of crisp, new season apples now available ranging from Bonza, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Jonathon,

Other early Autumn fruits include Persimmons Pomegranates Quinces Rhubarb Banana Grapefruit Grapes Kiwifruit Figs and Lemon.

Try new season fennel raw, finely sliced and tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and black pepper.

Most mushrooms are farmed in climate controlled sheds but you can still find full-flavoured wild varieties at markets.  Better still, learn where and how to forage for your own via the Oberon Visitors Centre 6329-8210.  Remember though, if in doubt, throw it out!                                                                                                                    

Also keep an eye out for fresh  Artichoke Silverbeet/Swiss Chard celeriac Olives Pumpkin Beanshoots Broccoli Carrot Cauliflower Potato Turnip

Guinea Fowl Hare Partridge Pheasant

Almonds, Chestnuts & Walnuts all of which are grown in our own Blue Mountains. Chestnuts have a sweet taste and can be boiled, baked, grilled or roasted. Choose those that feel heavy for their size.

All round the Mediterranean, there’s a version of this dish, using some combination of old and new world vegetables like aubergine, capsicum, garlic, potato and tomato. The French call it ratatouille; the Italians peperonata; the Tunisians mechouis.  The Mallorquins add potato and call it tumbet.  To my mind, and in this version, it’s the pick of the bunch and ideal for autumn in the Hawkesbury, when all the ingredients are close to hand.

Ingredients

Equal quantities of…  red peppers, aubergines and potatoes for frying

Tomatoes for saucing, garlic (as much as a head of peeled cloves), onions, fresh thyme or dried oregano, a slurp of red wine and enough oliver oil for medium deep frying.

Method

First, make your tomato sauce by slicing onions and fry in oil until soft and transparent.  Skin and dice tomatoes and add to onions.  To about 12 tomatoes and two onions, add the peeled, whole cloves of garlic.  Slurp in the red wine and simmer slowly, grinding in black pepper to taste.  You want to reduce it to three quarters in volume, a thick dark sauce.

Next, cut the aubergines into 1cm thick rounds, salt and leave for 30 minutes.  Cut the capsicum into broad 8cm long strips.  Slice the potatoes into 1cm thick rounds.

Pour a good dollop of oliver oil into the bottom of a heavy wide pan, preferably earthenware or cast iron, and when hot enough, fry first the potato then the rinsed and dried aubergine slices, then the capsicums.

Drain each on kitchen paper and arrange in layers in another deeper earthenware dish for the oven: first the potato then aubergine and finally capsicums.

Just before taking the sauce off, stir in a herbs and pour over the vegetables.  Bake in medium oven for 20 minutes.

Variations - use sweet potato or turnip instead of potato or substitute torn fresh basil for other suggested herbs.

Eat with crusty bread and olive oil and a homely red or a cool light red in summer

Also delicious cold

Once a year, for about two weeks in October, the Mallorquins catch a fish called Ilampuga (here in Australia, mahi mahi would substitute) for this firm, sweet fleshed oily fish which is served baked with the tumbet.  Also try it with a slab of reef fish like red emperor or a tuna steak.

Pre-heat oven to 180C and line a 26cm springform pan with non-stick baking paper lightly greased and floured.

Ingredients

1 cup castor sugar

zest of 2 lemons, finely grated

4 organic or free range eggs lightly beaten

3 tablespoons milk

1 3/4 cups self-raising flour

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

140gms melted unsalted butter

2/3 cup light olive oil

300gms fresh rhubarb, leaves removed and stalks chopped into small chunks

Method

In a mixing bowl using an electric beater, blend the sugar with lemon zest for 1 minute.  Ad in the eggs and beat until pale and thick, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the mix and flour to make a smooth batter.  Beat in the lemon juice, melted butter and olive oil to blend until smooth.

Pour one third of the batter to cover the base of the cake tin.  Distribute the rhubarb over the top.  Pour the res of the batter over the rhubarb.

Bake for 50 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.  Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Serve with creamy honey yogurt or vanilla ice-cream.  Serves 10-12

Ingredients

600gms plums

600gms peaches - plunge into boiling water for 4-5 minutes to remove skins

2 Spanish onions, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 whole lemon, finely chopped, retain removed pips and tie in a muslin bag

1/2 cup cider vinegar

200gms sugar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves

Method

Remove the stones from plums and peaches and roughly chop.  Pre-heat oven to 200C and place the peaches, plums, onions, ginger, lemon and vinegar into a roasting tin and bake for 1 hour, tossing a few times during the cooking.  Remove to a preserving pan and stir in the sugar and lemon pips.

Stir until sugar has dissolved and bring to the boil.  Cook at a low simmer for 30 minutes until thick and syrupy.  Stir in the sage leaves and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and pour into sterilised jars and seal.  Store in a cool dark cupboard.

In 2006, Slow Food Sydney launched the Edible Schoolyard Programme.   Slow Food Sydney committee member, Justin Topfler together with Meg Tompson, who supplied Crown Street School Canteen with organic produce, secured a matching grant from Sydney County Council for $5,000, the building of the Crown Street Public School’s garden got underway. Committee member Syd Pemberton with the help of a dedicated group of parents successfully pulled together and created an edible school garden out of a a small concrete  inner city school yard. 

The garden was completed and opened by Clover Moore, Mayor of Sydney in 2008.    It has  provided a natural launch-pad for extra curricular learning opportunities including practical gardening skills like worm farming, composting, crop rotation, weeding etc. as well as regular cooking sessions using produce from the gardens.

The garden is run under sustainable practices which means the children also learn what naturally grows in what conditions, in which season and how long it takes.  Basic concepts lost when we live in an era where foods are available all year round.  The children can now identify a whole variety of plants and know when produce is ready to harvest.

Sarah McMaster, the parent coordinator for Crown Street runs a roster so each class gets the opportunity to manage the garden.  Sarah is always looking for volunteers at their regular Wednesday working bees.  If you are interested, please contact Sarah on semacmaster@optusnet.com.au to register.

The success of Crown Street spurred the next Co-Convivium leader, Alison Drover onto another garden at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Waterloo.  Like Crown Street, it has historic significance for the inner city Sydney area, not to mention the perfect sunny spot for a garden.  The Sydney County Council again provided a matching grant.

Steve Bately from Sydney Organic Gardens has been contracted to manage the design and installation of the garden.  Steve is a great believer in giving the children ownership and his designs are based on their feedback and ideas.  This week they are making their first seasonal plant selection which, all going to plan, will be in the ground following the working bee after the Easter break.

Current Convivium leader, Syd Pemberton now runs the Edible Schoolyard programme with Jossette Gardiner.  ”Connecting children to the joy of picking a vegetable or flower; something they have planted and watched grow, helps connect them with the natural season and their food.  Watching them experience the taste of fresh grown food is a thrill.”

Syd would like to see Slow Foods Sydney being instrumental in implementing more Edible Schoolyards in the Sydney area, particularly in less advantaged schools.  ”We are always looking for an opportunity in the shape of a sunny plot!” laughs Syd.

This of course takes committment and time as well as funding. If you know of a school with a strong sense of community and an interest in introducing their students to the wonder of growing their own food, please let us know through info@slowfoodsydney.com.au