Eat Well - Sow It Grow It and Feast

Garden-to-Table Family Meals

There is something deeply satisfying about preparing a meal with ingredients gathered from the garden.

A bowl of freshly picked tomatoes sitting on the kitchen table.

A handful of herbs still carrying the scent of the morning sun.

Beans collected just before supper.

A basket of vegetables that tells the story of the season.

These are the ingredients that make family meals feel special.

Not because they are complicated.

Not because they require hours of preparation.

But because they carry a connection.

From the moment a seed is sown to the moment food is shared around the table, growing your own creates a journey that brings families closer to nature, food and one another.

Garden-to-table cooking is about making the most of what is available, celebrating seasonal ingredients and remembering that some of the best meals are often the simplest.

The Joy of Growing Food for Your Family

For many gardeners, the greatest reward is not simply the harvest itself.

It is seeing someone enjoy the food you have grown.

A child proudly picking peas for dinner.

A partner discovering that home-grown tomatoes really do taste different.

A family gathering around a meal knowing that some of the ingredients began life as tiny seeds.

Growing food creates stories.

Every crop has a journey.

The potatoes dug from the soil remind you of planting day.

The strawberries bring back warm summer mornings.

The herbs growing beside the kitchen door become part of everyday cooking.

Food becomes more than something we eat.

It becomes something we experience.

Start with What the Garden Gives You

The beauty of garden-to-table meals is that they do not require a strict plan.

The garden often decides.

Perhaps there are plenty of courgettes ready to harvest.

Maybe the runner beans have reached their peak.

Perhaps the tomatoes are finally ripening faster than you can eat them.

Instead of asking, “What recipe should I make?”, try asking:

“What is ready today?”

This simple change encourages creativity and helps us cook more seasonally.

A garden does not provide identical ingredients every week.

And that is part of its charm.

Simple Family Meals from the Garden

The best garden recipes are often those that allow fresh ingredients to shine.

Summer Vegetable Pasta

A simple pasta dish can become a celebration of the garden.

Gently cook onions and garlic with courgettes, tomatoes, peppers and fresh herbs.

Toss through cooked pasta and finish with grated cheese or a drizzle of olive oil.

It is quick, colourful and perfect for busy family evenings.

The vegetables do not need to be hidden.

They are the star of the meal.

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Soup is one of the most forgiving ways to use home-grown produce.

Carrots, potatoes, courgettes, beans, leeks and herbs can all find their way into a comforting bowl.

The recipe can change throughout the year.

Spring brings fresh greens.

Summer offers courgettes and tomatoes.

Autumn provides pumpkins and root vegetables.

A good vegetable soup tells the story of the garden.

Garden Pizza Night

Growing your own ingredients can make family meals feel like an occasion.

Prepare simple pizza bases and let everyone add their favourite toppings.

Fresh basil.

Home-grown tomatoes.

Roasted vegetables.

A sprinkle of herbs.

Children especially enjoy choosing ingredients they have helped grow.

A meal becomes an activity as well as something to eat.

Jacket Potatoes with Garden Toppings

Sometimes the simplest meals are the most comforting.

A freshly baked potato topped with herbs, salad leaves, beans, cheese or home-grown vegetables makes a satisfying family supper.

The garden provides endless possibilities.

Cooking with Children

Garden-to-table meals are a wonderful way to involve children in food.

A child who has grown something is often far more curious about trying it.

Growing peas and eating them straight from the pod.

Picking strawberries before they reach the kitchen.

Washing freshly harvested carrots.

These small experiences create lasting memories.

Gardening teaches patience, but cooking teaches creativity.

Together, they help children understand that food does not simply appear on a plate.

It begins with care.

Making the Most of Seasonal Harvests

A productive garden often provides more than can be eaten immediately.

This is where simple kitchen skills become invaluable.

Freeze herbs for winter meals.

Turn tomatoes into sauces.

Make chutneys from surplus vegetables.

Preserve fruit for colder months.

These traditions allow the garden to continue feeding the family long after the growing season changes.

There is something wonderfully comforting about opening a jar of homemade chutney in winter and remembering the summer garden it came from.

Eating with the Seasons

One of the greatest pleasures of growing your own food is learning to eat with nature rather than against it.

Spring offers tender leaves, herbs and fresh greens.

Summer brings colourful abundance.

Autumn provides harvests to store and preserve.

Winter encourages warming soups, stews and slow-cooked meals.

Seasonal eating does not mean every meal needs to be planned around the garden.

It simply means noticing what is available and enjoying food when it is naturally at its best.

The Benefits Go Beyond the Plate

Garden-to-table meals nourish more than our bodies.

They create moments of connection.

Time spent outdoors.

Conversations while preparing food.

Shared meals around the table.

A slower pace.

In a busy world, growing and cooking food gives families a reason to pause.

The garden becomes a place where memories are made.

Using Every Part of the Harvest

A garden teaches us not to waste.

Carrot tops can become pesto.

Herbs can be frozen.

Vegetable scraps can feed the compost.

Overgrown vegetables can become soups, sauces or preserves.

This approach connects us with older traditions where every part of the harvest was valued.

Nothing was taken for granted.

Creating Your Own Family Food Tradition

Every family garden develops its own favourites.

Perhaps it becomes a tradition to eat the first strawberries outside in the sunshine.

Maybe summer evenings always include fresh salad from the garden.

Perhaps autumn means making apple crumble together.

These moments are not about perfect gardens or elaborate meals.

They are about connection.

The garden provides the ingredients, but families create the memories.

From Seed to Supper

The journey from garden to table is a simple but powerful one.

A seed planted in spring becomes part of a family meal months later.

A small act of gardening becomes a shared experience.

A vegetable becomes a memory.

And that is the true joy of growing your own food.

It is not only about what we harvest.

It is about the time spent caring for something, the lessons learned along the way and the moments created when we sit down together to enjoy the results.

Because the finest garden-to-table meals are not measured by perfection.

They are measured by the stories they carry.

And there is no better story than one that begins with a seed and ends with a family gathered around the table.

Further Reading: From Plot to Plate: The Surprising Benefits of Growing Your Own Food, Grow Your Own Food: Save Money & Eat Well, How to Grow for Flavour: Essential Techniques for Maximum Taste, Warming Autumn Soups to Soothe the Soul, From Garden to Oven: Autumn Vegetable Bakes for the Family

Not sure where to start? Take a look at our Grow Your Own Packs with detailed step by step instructions, seeds and 1 years online support.

As the days grow shorter and a chill appears in the air, you might find your garden is still full of green tomatoes. It can be disheartening to see so much potential fruit left on the vine with the first frost just around the corner. But don’t despair—there are plenty of ways to help those late-season tomatoes ripen to a beautiful red.

This guide will help you understand why some of your tomatoes are late to ripen and what you can do about it. We will explore several simple methods for ripening them indoors. Plus, we’ll share some wonderful ideas for what to do with green tomatoes if they just refuse to turn red. Get ready to enjoy every last bit of your harvest.

Why Tomatoes Stop Ripening

Have you ever wondered why some tomatoes stay stubbornly green, even as the season ends? A few key factors are often at play.

The main reason is temperature. Tomatoes produce a pigment called lycopene, which gives them their classic red colour. This process happens best when temperatures are consistently between 20-25°C (68-77°F). As autumn approaches and temperatures drop, especially overnight, the ripening process slows down and can even stop completely.

Another factor is sunlight. While tomatoes need sun to grow and photosynthesise, direct sunlight isn’t necessary for the final ripening stage. In fact, too much direct sun when it’s hot can sometimes cause the fruit to get sunscald, which hinders ripening.

Finally, the health of the plant plays a part. A plant that is stressed from disease, pests, or a lack of nutrients might not have the energy to ripen all its fruit. By the end of a long growing season, many tomato plants are simply running out of steam.

How to Ripen Green Tomatoes Indoors

When the weather turns against you, bringing your green tomatoes inside is the best way to save them from the frost. Here are a few tried-and-tested methods to help them ripen off the vine.

1. The Windowsill Method

This is perhaps the most common technique. Simply place your green tomatoes on a sunny windowsill. While direct sunlight isn’t essential for the ripening itself, the warmth it provides can help speed things along.

How to do it: Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on the windowsill. Make sure they aren’t touching, as this can encourage mould. Turn them every day or so to ensure even ripening.
What to expect: This method can take anywhere from one to three weeks, depending on the maturity of the tomatoes.

2. The Paper Bag Method

This technique traps ethylene gas, a natural plant hormone that tomatoes produce to ripen. By concentrating the gas around the fruit, you can significantly speed up the process.

How to do it: Place a few green tomatoes in a paper bag with a ripe banana or an apple. Both of these fruits are excellent producers of ethylene. Fold the top of the bag over to loosely close it.
What to expect: Check on your tomatoes every day. They should start to show colour within a week. Be sure to remove any that show signs of rot.

3. The Cardboard Box Method

If you have a large number of green tomatoes, this is an efficient way to ripen them in bulk.

How to do it: Line a cardboard box with newspaper. Place the tomatoes in a single layer, ensuring they don’t touch. For even faster results, you can add a ripe banana to the box. Close the box and store it in a cool, dark place, like a garage or basement.
What to expect: Check the box every few days and remove any tomatoes that have ripened. This method can take several weeks, but it allows you to store and ripen a large harvest over time.

4. Ripening on the Vine

If you have the space, you can pull up the entire tomato plant and hang it upside down in a sheltered spot like a garage or shed. The plant will continue to provide nutrients to the fruit, allowing them to ripen naturally.

How to do it: Carefully dig up the plant, shaking off any excess soil. Hang it from the rafters or a hook.
What to expect: The tomatoes will ripen gradually over a few weeks. This method often results in a better flavour, as the fruit remains connected to the vine.

Delicious Uses for Green Tomatoes

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, some tomatoes will remain green. But that’s no reason to throw them away! Green tomatoes have a firm texture and a tart, tangy flavour that makes them a fantastic ingredient in their own right. They are also a good source of Vitamin C and antioxidants.

Here are a few inspirational ideas for using your green tomatoes:

Fried Green Tomatoes: A classic Southern dish for a reason. Sliced green tomatoes are coated in cornmeal or breadcrumbs and fried until golden and crispy. They are delicious on their own or in a sandwich.
Green Tomato Chutney: This is a perfect way to preserve your harvest. Green tomatoes, onions, apples and spices are slow-cooked to create a sweet and tangy chutney that pairs wonderfully with cheese and cold meats.
Green Tomato Pie: It may sound unusual, but green tomatoes can make a surprisingly delicious pie. When cooked with sugar and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, they take on a flavour similar to tart apples.
Pickled Green Tomatoes: Sliced or whole, green tomatoes can be pickled in a brine of vinegar, water, sugar and spices. They make a zesty addition to salads and sandwiches.

Make the Most of Your Harvest

Don’t let a change in the weather stop you from enjoying the fruits of your labour. Whether you choose to ripen your green tomatoes indoors or embrace their tangy flavour in new recipes, you can ensure that none of your hard-earned harvest goes to waste.

Pack your gardening gloves away for the season and get ready to enjoy the final tastes of summer.

Further Reading: Chutney: A Taste of History in a Jar, From Garden to Oven: Autumn Vegetable Bakes for the Family, Warming Autumn Soups to Soothe the Soul

From Garden to Oven: Autumn Vegetable Bakes for the Family

There’s something magical about stepping into your garden on a crisp autumn morning and gathering vegetables you’ve nurtured from seed. The satisfaction of transforming these homegrown treasures into warming, nourishing meals for your family creates memories that last far beyond the season. Autumn vegetables bring robust flavours and incredible nutritional value to your kitchen table, perfect for creating the kind of hearty bakes that bring everyone together.

Your autumn vegetable garden offers a bounty of possibilities for family cooking. Root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, and beetroot develop their sweetest flavours after the first frost. Brassicas such as Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and kale reach their peak condition. Squashes and pumpkins store beautifully, providing months of cooking opportunities ahead.

These vegetables aren’t just delicious—they’re nutritional powerhouses. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they support your family’s health during the cooler months when fresh produce becomes more precious. Creating warming bakes with your homegrown harvest transforms simple ingredients into comforting meals that nourish both body and soul.

The Art of Autumn Vegetable Baking

Baking autumn vegetables intensifies their natural sweetness whilst creating tender textures that even the fussiest eaters will enjoy. The gentle heat of the oven caramelises natural sugars, developing complex flavours that make vegetables irresistible. Root vegetables become creamy and golden, whilst brassicas develop nutty undertones that complement their earthy characteristics.

Understanding how different vegetables behave in the oven helps you create perfectly balanced bakes. Dense vegetables like potatoes and swede need longer cooking times and higher temperatures to become tender. Delicate vegetables such as courgettes and tomatoes require gentler treatment to prevent them becoming watery or overcooked.

The key to successful vegetable baking lies in preparation and timing. Cut vegetables into similar-sized pieces to ensure even cooking. Parboiling harder vegetables before baking saves time and guarantees tenderness. Adding vegetables in stages during cooking prevents some from becoming mushy whilst others remain undercooked.

Root Vegetable Gratin with Garden Herbs

This luxurious gratin transforms humble root vegetables into an elegant family dish that celebrates the best of your autumn harvest. The creamy texture and golden top make it perfect for Sunday lunches or special occasions.

Ingredients:

500g potatoes, thinly sliced
300g parsnips, thinly sliced
200g carrots, thinly sliced
300ml double cream
100ml whole milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
Fresh thyme and rosemary from your garden
100g mature cheddar, grated
Salt and white pepper

Layer the sliced vegetables in a buttered baking dish, seasoning each layer. Combine cream, milk, garlic, and herbs in a saucepan and warm gently. Pour over vegetables and top with cheese. Bake at 180°C for 45-50 minutes until golden and bubbling.

This gratin provides excellent nutritional value for growing families. Potatoes offer vitamin C and potassium, whilst parsnips contribute folate and fibre. Carrots deliver beta-carotene for healthy vision, and the dairy ingredients provide calcium for strong bones and teeth.

Butternut Squash and Sage Bake

The sweet, nutty flavour of butternut squash pairs beautifully with earthy sage in this simple yet sophisticated bake. Perfect for using up those magnificent squashes that have been storing in your pantry since harvest.

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
12 fresh sage leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
100g feta cheese, crumbled
50g pine nuts
Salt and black pepper

Toss cubed squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 200°C for 20 minutes. Add onion slices and sage leaves, roasting for another 15 minutes. Scatter with feta and pine nuts for the final 5 minutes of cooking.

Butternut squash is exceptionally rich in vitamin A, supporting immune function and healthy skin. The combination of healthy fats from olive oil and pine nuts helps your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins more effectively.

Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Bake

Transform Brussels sprouts from a dreaded vegetable into a family favourite with this indulgent bake that combines smoky bacon with creamy cheese sauce.

Ingredients:

750g Brussels sprouts, halved
150g smoked bacon, chopped
300ml cheese sauce
50g breadcrumbs
25g butter, melted
Freshly ground black pepper

Blanch Brussels sprouts for 3 minutes, then drain thoroughly. Mix with bacon and arrange in a baking dish. Pour over cheese sauce and top with buttered breadcrumbs. Bake at 190°C for 25 minutes until golden.

Brussels sprouts are nutritional superstars, containing more vitamin C than oranges and providing excellent levels of vitamin K for bone health. The addition of bacon makes this dish appealing to reluctant vegetable eaters whilst still delivering impressive nutritional benefits.

Mixed Vegetable and Lentil Bake

This hearty protein-rich bake combines your garden vegetables with nutritious lentils to create a complete meal that satisfies even the hungriest family members.

Ingredients:

200g red lentils, rinsed
2 large carrots, diced
1 large courgette, sliced
200g cherry tomatoes
1 aubergine, cubed
500ml vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tomato purée
Mixed herbs from your garden
100g mozzarella, torn

Layer vegetables in a deep baking dish. Mix lentils with stock and tomato purée, then pour over vegetables. Cover with foil and bake at 180°C for 40 minutes. Remove foil, add mozzarella, and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

This bake provides complete protein from the lentil and cheese combination, making it perfect for vegetarian family members. The variety of vegetables ensures a wide range of vitamins and minerals in every serving.

Cauliflower Cheese with a Twist

Elevate traditional cauliflower cheese by adding autumn vegetables and a crunchy topping that transforms this classic into something special.

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower, broken into florets
200g leeks, sliced
100g mushrooms, quartered
400ml cheese sauce
75g mature cheddar, grated
50g oats
25g pumpkin seeds
Fresh chives, chopped

Steam cauliflower until just tender, adding leeks and mushrooms for the final 5 minutes. Arrange in a baking dish and pour over cheese sauce. Mix remaining ingredients for the topping and scatter over. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.

The addition of oats and pumpkin seeds provides extra fibre and healthy fats, whilst the mushrooms contribute umami flavours and B vitamins essential for energy metabolism.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchilada Bake

Bring international flavours to your autumn vegetables with this Mexican-inspired bake that combines sweet potatoes with protein-rich black beans.

Ingredients:

600g sweet potatoes, cubed
400g tin black beans, drained
8 corn tortillas
300ml enchilada sauce
150g cheese, grated
1 red pepper, diced
Fresh coriander and lime

Roast sweet potato cubes until tender. Mix with black beans and peppers. Fill tortillas with mixture and arrange in a baking dish. Pour over sauce and top with cheese. Bake at 190°C for 25 minutes.

Sweet potatoes are exceptional sources of beta-carotene and fibre, whilst black beans provide protein and iron. This combination creates a nutritionally complete meal that appeals to all ages.

Tips for Perfect Vegetable Bakes

Success with vegetable bakes comes from understanding your ingredients and using proper techniques. Always preheat your oven to ensure even cooking from the start. Don’t overcrowd baking dishes, as this creates steam rather than the dry heat needed for caramelisation.

Season vegetables generously before cooking, as this helps draw out moisture and concentrates flavours. Use a variety of textures in your bakes by combining soft vegetables like courgettes with firmer ones like potatoes. This creates more interesting eating experiences for your family.

Fresh herbs from your garden make enormous differences to finished dishes. Add hardy herbs like rosemary and thyme at the beginning of cooking, but save delicate herbs such as basil and parsley for the final few minutes to preserve their fresh flavours.

Making the Most of Your Harvest

Plan your vegetable bakes around what’s ready in your garden rather than forcing specific recipes. This approach ensures you’re using vegetables at their peak flavour and nutritional value. Keep notes about which combinations work well together, creating your own family recipe collection over time.

Prepare vegetables in advance by washing, peeling, and chopping them when you have time. Store prepared vegetables in the refrigerator for up to two days, making weeknight cooking much simpler. Many bakes can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to cook.

Consider doubling recipes and freezing portions for busy weeks ahead. Most vegetable bakes freeze beautifully, providing homemade convenience foods that are far superior to shop-bought alternatives.

Bringing Families Together Through Food

Cooking with homegrown vegetables creates opportunities for family involvement that builds lifelong memories. Children who help prepare meals are more likely to try new vegetables and develop healthy eating habits. Involve them in every step from garden to table, teaching valuable life skills along the way.

Share stories about how vegetables grow whilst you cook together. Explain seasonal eating and why autumn vegetables taste different from summer ones. These conversations create deeper connections to food and nature that influence eating habits throughout life.

Create family traditions around your vegetable bakes. Perhaps Sunday afternoon becomes baking time, with everyone contributing to meal preparation. These shared experiences strengthen family bonds whilst ensuring everyone enjoys nutritious, homemade meals.

Nurturing Health Through Homegrown Goodness

Transform your autumn garden harvest into nourishing family meals that warm hearts and homes throughout the season. Each bake you create celebrates the vegetables you’ve grown with care, providing wholesome nutrition that supports your family’s health and wellbeing.

Start planning your next vegetable bake by surveying your garden and storing areas. Choose vegetables that need using soon and experiment with new flavour combinations. Remember that the best family meals come from love, fresh ingredients, and the joy of sharing homegrown goodness around your table.

Visit your local garden centre for inspiration on extending your growing season, ensuring fresh vegetables for your family bakes well into winter. Pack your enthusiasm for homegrown cooking and discover how rewarding it feels to nourish your family with vegetables grown by your own hands.

Further Reading: Warming Autumn Soups to Soothe the Soul, Autumn Foraging: Your Complete Guide to Nature’s Harvest, English Pudding Season

Warming Autumn Soups to Soothe the Soul

As the days grow shorter and a crisp chill fills the air, there’s nothing quite like a bowl of warm, comforting soup. Autumn offers a wonderful harvest of flavourful vegetables, perfect for creating hearty and nourishing meals. Making soup from seasonal produce is not only a delicious way to celebrate the flavours of the season, but it’s also a fantastic way to create healthy, filling, and deeply satisfying dishes.

This guide will walk you through the best vegetables autumn has to offer for soup-making. We’ll explore why using seasonal ingredients is so beneficial and provide you with some wonderful recipe ideas to get you started. Get ready to fill your kitchen with the rich aromas of autumn and discover the simple joy of a homemade seasonal soup.

The Beauty of Autumn’s Bounty

Why choose seasonal vegetables for your soups? When you cook with produce that’s in season, you’re using ingredients at their peak. They are fresher, more flavourful, and packed with a higher concentration of nutrients. Seasonal vegetables are often more affordable and widely available at local farmers’ markets and grocery stores.

This autumn, look for these wonderful vegetables, each ready to bring its unique character to your soup pot:

Squashes (Butternut, Acorn, Kabocha): With their sweet, nutty flavours and vibrant orange flesh, winter squashes are the stars of autumn. They are rich in vitamins A and C, potassium and fibre.
Root Vegetables (Carrots, Parsnips, Swede): These earthy, sweet vegetables form the flavourful base of many classic soups. Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene, while parsnips offer a unique sweet and slightly spicy note.
Pumpkins: Beyond Halloween decorations, pumpkins are a versatile and delicious ingredient for soups. Their mild, sweet flesh is packed with vitamin A and antioxidants.
Leeks: A member of the onion family, leeks have a milder, sweeter flavour than their pungent cousins. They add a delicate, savoury depth to soups and pair beautifully with potatoes.
Mushrooms: Autumn is the prime season for wild mushrooms. Their earthy, umami-rich flavour can transform a simple soup into a gourmet experience. They are also a good source of B vitamins and selenium.
Celeriac: This unsung hero of the vegetable world has a subtle, nutty flavour reminiscent of celery and parsley. It adds a wonderful creaminess to soups when puréed.

Embracing these ingredients allows you to connect with the rhythm of the seasons and create meals that are both comforting and incredibly fresh.

Warming Autumn Soup Recipes

Ready to start cooking? Here are three recipes that celebrate the best of autumn’s produce. Each one is designed to be simple, nutritious, and full of comforting flavour.

Classic Butternut Squash and Sage Soup

This soup is the essence of autumn in a bowl. It’s velvety, rich, and wonderfully aromatic, with the sweet flavour of butternut squash perfectly complemented by the earthy notes of fresh sage.

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash (about 1.2kg), peeled, deseeded, and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock
A small bunch of fresh sage leaves (about 10-12 leaves)
150ml double cream or coconut milk (for a vegan option)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Toasted pumpkin seeds and a swirl of cream, to serve

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Toss the chopped butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper on a baking tray. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until tender and lightly caramelised. This step deepens the squash’s natural sweetness.
While the squash is roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Add the minced garlic and most of the sage leaves (reserving a few for garnish) to the pot. Cook for another minute until fragrant.
Once the squash is roasted, add it to the pot with the other vegetables. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Then, reduce the heat, cover, and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together.
Remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until it is completely smooth and velvety. Alternatively, you can carefully transfer the soup in batches to a stand blender.
Return the soup to the pot over low heat. Stir in the double cream or coconut milk and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Gently heat through, but do not let it boil.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with a swirl of cream, a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds, and the remaining fresh sage leaves.

Nutritional Insight: Butternut squash is a fantastic source of Vitamin A, crucial for vision and immune health. It also provides a significant amount of Vitamin C and dietary fibre, which aids digestion. Sage contains antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties.

Hearty Lentil, Mushroom and Swede Soup

This soup is a wonderfully rustic and filling meal, perfect for a chilly evening. The earthy mushrooms, sweet swede, and protein-packed lentils create a robust and deeply savoury flavour profile. It’s a true one-pot wonder.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250g mushrooms (chestnut or mixed wild), sliced
1 medium swede (about 400g), peeled and diced
2 large carrots, diced
200g brown or green lentils, rinsed
2 litres vegetable stock
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
A splash of soy sauce or tamari (optional, for extra umami)
A large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Increase the heat slightly and add the sliced mushrooms. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have released their liquid and started to brown. This process develops their rich, earthy flavour.
Add the diced swede and carrots to the pot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring to combine everything.
Stir in the rinsed lentils, vegetable stock, dried thyme, and bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer gently for 45-50 minutes, or until the lentils and vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Remove the bay leaves. If you like, you can blend a small portion of the soup (about a quarter) and stir it back in to create a thicker, creamier consistency.
Stir in the splash of soy sauce (if using) and the chopped fresh parsley. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Serve hot with a slice of crusty wholemeal bread for a complete and satisfying meal.

Nutritional Insight: Lentils are an excellent source of plant-based protein, dietary fibre, and iron, making this soup incredibly sustaining. Mushrooms provide B vitamins, while swede and carrots are rich in vitamins C and A.

Creamy Leek and Celeriac Soup with a Hint of Nutmeg

This elegant soup is creamy, comforting, and surprisingly light. The delicate sweetness of the leeks combines beautifully with the nutty, celery-like flavour of the celeriac. A touch of nutmeg adds a warm, aromatic finish.

Ingredients:

3 large leeks (about 500g), white and light green parts only, washed and sliced
1 medium celeriac (about 600g), peeled and chopped
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1.2 litres vegetable stock
100ml single cream or oat cream
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and white pepper to taste
Chopped chives or parsley, for garnish

Method:

Melt the butter or heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and sliced leeks. Cook gently for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, until they are very soft but not browned. This slow cooking method is called ‘sweating’ and it brings out their natural sweetness.
Add the chopped celeriac to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes.
Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the celeriac is completely tender when pierced with a knife.
Remove the pan from the heat. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until it’s silky smooth. For an even finer texture, pass it through a sieve.
Return the soup to the pan over a very low heat. Stir in the cream and the pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
Season carefully with salt and white pepper. White pepper is ideal here as it won’t leave black flecks in the pale soup.
Warm the soup gently, being careful not to let it boil after adding the cream.
Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped chives or fresh parsley before serving.

Nutritional Insight: Leeks are a great source of flavonoids and vitamins A, C, and K. Celeriac is low in calories but high in fibre, vitamin K, and phosphorus. It supports bone health and digestion.

Plan Your Autumn Cooking

Making a simple pot of soup is one of the most rewarding ways to enjoy the autumn season. It’s a chance to slow down, connect with the food you eat, and create something truly nourishing for yourself and your loved ones. With a few fresh ingredients and a little time, you can create a bowl of comfort that will warm you from the inside out.

Further Reading: What to Do in Your Vegetable Garden in September, The Incredible Benefits of Growing Your Own Food

Eat Yellow: What to Grow, Pick and Eat from the Sunny Side of the Rainbow

There is something inherently cheerful about yellow food.

A bowl of lemons on the kitchen table. Sweetcorn dripping with butter. Golden tomatoes warm from the greenhouse. A perfectly ripe banana. Yellow peppers, squash, courgettes and those little yellow raspberries that look as though someone forgot to colour them in.

Yellow might not get quite as much attention as green when we’re talking about vegetables, but there’s plenty to explore at the sunny end of the fruit and vegetable rainbow.

And quite a lot of it can be grown at home.

Some yellow foods contain plant pigments called carotenoids, although not every yellow fruit or vegetable gets its colour in the same way. They also provide varying amounts of vitamin C, vitamin A precursors, potassium, fibre, folate and other nutrients.

But rather than treating individual foods as remedies for particular health problems, I think there’s a much more enjoyable way to look at them.

Grow a variety. Eat a variety. And enjoy what’s in season.

So, let’s explore some of the yellow foods we can grow, pick and eat — along with a few we might have to leave to growers in rather warmer parts of the world.

Eat Yellow. Bananas, Pineapple, lemons, Peppers, Star Fruit, Mango, Yellow Carrots, Corn on the Cob, Yellow Dragon Fruit, Yellow Chillies, Yellow Tomato, Grapefruit

Why Are Some Fruits and Vegetables Yellow?

The colour in fruit and vegetables comes from naturally occurring plant pigments.

One group you’ll often encounter in yellow and orange produce is the carotenoids.

These include beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. Beta-carotene can be converted by the body into vitamin A, while lutein and zeaxanthin are found in high concentrations in parts of the eye.

But colour isn’t a precise guide to what’s inside a particular fruit or vegetable.

A yellow pepper doesn’t contain exactly the same nutrients as a banana simply because they’re the same colour.

That’s really the point of eating the rainbow.

Different fruits and vegetables give us different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and plant compounds.

And they make dinner considerably more interesting.

Yellow Peppers

If you’ve ever left a green pepper on the plant and watched it gradually change colour, you’ll know that peppers don’t necessarily start life yellow, orange or red.

The colour develops as the fruit ripens.

Yellow peppers provide plenty of vitamin C, along with carotenoids and other plant compounds.

They’re also sweet, crunchy and incredibly versatile in the kitchen.

Sow it

Peppers need a long growing season, so sow the seeds indoors early in the year somewhere warm.

They can be a little slow to get going.

Don’t give up on them.

Grow it

Peppers love warmth and sunshine. A greenhouse is ideal, but they can also grow well in pots in a sunny, sheltered position.

Keep them watered and feed regularly once fruits begin forming.

Then comes the difficult part.

Waiting for them to turn yellow.

Feast

Eat them raw in salads, roast them until soft and sweet, add them to pasta sauces or stuff them and bake them.

If you’ve grown several plants and they all decide to ripen simultaneously, roasted peppers can also be frozen for later.

Yellow Tomatoes

Red tomatoes may be the familiar choice, but tomatoes come in a glorious range of colours.

Yellow varieties can be particularly beautiful.

You can grow tiny golden cherry tomatoes, plum varieties and enormous beefsteak tomatoes in shades ranging from pale lemon to deep gold.

Their nutritional profile varies by variety, but tomatoes generally provide vitamin C, potassium, folate and a range of carotenoids.

For me, though, the main reason to grow yellow tomatoes is flavour.

Sow it

Sow tomatoes indoors in late winter or early spring.

Grow it

Give them plenty of light and warmth, then gradually acclimatise plants to outdoor conditions before putting them outside once the danger of frost has passed.

Depending on the variety, they’ll grow happily in greenhouse borders, growbags, pots and sunny outdoor beds.

Feast

Mix yellow tomatoes with red ones for one of the easiest beautiful summer salads imaginable.

Add olive oil, basil, a little salt and perhaps some mozzarella.

When you’ve grown something that tastes that good, there’s really no need to interfere with it very much.

Yellow Courgettes

I have a particular fondness for yellow courgettes.

They’re grown in much the same way as green ones, but their bright colour makes them wonderfully easy to spot beneath the leaves.

Anyone who has discovered a green courgette approximately the size of a marrow hiding under a plant will appreciate this advantage.

Courgettes provide fibre, vitamin C and potassium, among other nutrients.

Sow it

Sow courgettes indoors in spring or directly outside once conditions are warm enough.

One or two healthy plants can produce an impressive amount of food.

Possibly too impressive by August.

Grow it

Give courgettes rich soil, plenty of water and enough room to spread.

Pick them regularly while they’re relatively small and the plant should continue producing.

Feast

Slice them into pasta, grill them, roast them, grate them into fritters or turn them into courgette cake.

And when everyone in the household says, “Not courgettes again”, start making chutney.

It’s practically a gardening tradition.

Sweetcorn

There are few things more satisfying than growing your own sweetcorn.

Partly because the plants become so magnificently tall, and partly because freshly picked sweetcorn can be extraordinarily sweet.

Sweetcorn provides carbohydrate and fibre as well as folate and some B vitamins. Yellow varieties also contain carotenoids including lutein and zeaxanthin.

Sow it

Sweetcorn likes warmth, so sow indoors in spring or directly outside once the soil has warmed.

Grow it

Plant sweetcorn in a block rather than a long single row.

It’s wind-pollinated, so growing plants together improves the chances of the pollen reaching neighbouring plants and producing well-filled cobs.

Feast

The sooner you eat sweetcorn after picking, the better.

Boil or grill the cobs and add butter.

That’s it.

Sometimes the feast part really doesn’t need to be complicated.

Yellow Carrots

Carrots weren’t always orange.

They come in purple, white, red and yellow varieties too, and growing a mixture is an easy way to make an ordinary crop more interesting.

Yellow carrots provide fibre and contain carotenoids, although the amounts and types vary between different varieties.

Sow it

Carrots are best sown directly where they’re going to grow because they dislike root disturbance.

Sow thinly into fine soil and keep the area watered while the seeds germinate.

Grow it

Carrot root fly can be troublesome, so avoid crushing the foliage unnecessarily when thinning and consider growing resistant varieties or using a physical barrier.

Carrots also grow surprisingly well in deep containers.

Feast

Roast them, grate them into salads, add them to soups and stews or simply steam them and add butter.

Home-grown carrots also have the advantage of coming in shapes never encountered in a supermarket.

Some require a little imagination.

Butternut Squash

Technically a fruit, although firmly treated as a vegetable in the kitchen, butternut squash is one of autumn’s great comfort foods.

Its golden flesh contains beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A, along with fibre, potassium and vitamin C.

Sow it

Start squash seeds somewhere warm in spring.

Grow it

Give the plants space.

Then give them a little more space.

Squashes have an impressive ability to head off across the vegetable garden in whatever direction you least expected.

They like fertile soil, sunshine and regular watering.

Allow the fruits to ripen fully and cure them properly after harvesting and many squash varieties will store for months.

Feast

Roast butternut squash with herbs, make soup, stir it into risotto or add it to curries.

Growing food that stores well is particularly satisfying because you’re still eating from the garden long after the growing season has slowed down.

Golden Raspberries

Yes, raspberries come in yellow.

Golden raspberries are varieties of raspberry that produce pale yellow or golden fruit rather than the familiar red.

They’re beautiful, delicious and just unusual enough to make people ask what on earth you’re growing.

Like red raspberries, they provide fibre, vitamin C and a range of plant compounds.

Grow it

Autumn-fruiting golden raspberries can be particularly straightforward to manage.

Give them sunshine, decent soil and support where necessary.

Once established, raspberry plants can produce fruit for years.

Feast

Eat them straight from the cane.

If sufficient quantities actually reach the kitchen, they’re lovely with yoghurt, porridge or puddings and can be frozen for later.

That’s quite a big “if”.

Lemons

Now we reach something a little more ambitious for the British gardener.

Lemons are rich in vitamin C and contain several plant compounds, including flavonoids.

They’re useful in almost everything from salad dressings and marinades to cakes, puddings and drinks.

But despite what you may have read online, you don’t need lemon water to “detox” your body.

That’s a job your liver and kidneys are already rather good at.

What lemons are very good at is making food taste wonderful.

Grow it

Lemon trees can be grown in Britain, but they need protection.

A pot is usually the most practical option because the plant can spend warmer months outside and be moved somewhere bright and frost-free during winter.

Growing your own lemon isn’t necessarily the easiest route to self-sufficiency.

But picking a lemon from your own tree in Britain feels disproportionately exciting.

Feast

Squeeze them over salads and vegetables, use the zest in baking, make lemon curd or add them to marinades.

And if life gives you lemons…

Well, you know the rest.

Bananas

You can grow a banana plant in Britain.

Producing a useful crop of edible bananas is another matter entirely.

Bananas provide carbohydrate, fibre, potassium and vitamin B6, among other nutrients.

They’re convenient, inexpensive and easy to eat, which is probably reason enough for their enduring popularity.

For most of us, however, bananas belong firmly in the feast rather than grow category.

Slice them over porridge, freeze ripe bananas for smoothies or use those alarmingly brown ones in banana bread.

A brown banana is not necessarily a failed banana.

Sometimes it’s simply cake waiting to happen.

Pineapple

Pineapple provides vitamin C and manganese and contains an enzyme mixture called bromelain.

You’ll sometimes see sweeping claims made about bromelain and digestion or inflammation. It’s more sensible to regard pineapple as what it is: a nutritious fruit that can form part of a varied diet, rather than a treatment for anything.

You can actually grow a pineapple plant from the leafy crown of a shop-bought fruit.

Whether you’ll eventually harvest a pineapple from it in Britain is considerably less certain.

But gardening would be rather dull if we only grew things guaranteed to succeed.

Grapefruit

Grapefruit provides vitamin C, fibre and several plant compounds.

It has also acquired a long-standing reputation as a “weight-loss food”, but no individual fruit has magical fat-burning properties.

There’s another important reason grapefruit deserves a little caution.

Grapefruit can interact with some medicines, changing the amount of medication that enters the bloodstream. Anyone taking medication that’s affected by grapefruit should follow the advice provided with it or speak to a pharmacist or healthcare professional.

For the rest of us, it’s simply a beautifully sharp citrus fruit.

Sometimes breakfast is enough of a job for a grapefruit.

Star Fruit

Star fruit — or carambola — is a tropical fruit that looks particularly impressive when sliced crossways into little stars.

It provides vitamin C, fibre and various plant compounds.

It’s unlikely to become a productive garden crop in Britain, but it’s an interesting addition to the yellow rainbow when you come across it.

There is, however, an important caveat: people with kidney disease may be advised to avoid star fruit because it contains substances their kidneys may not clear effectively.

This is a good reminder that “natural” doesn’t automatically mean suitable for everyone.

Grow a Little Patch of Sunshine

If you’d like to grow some yellow food yourself, don’t try to grow everything.

Start with what suits your space.

For a small garden or patio, try:

Yellow tomatoes + yellow courgettes + yellow peppers.

Have a little more room?

Add sweetcorn and a squash.

Fancy something permanent?

Plant a golden raspberry.

Suddenly you’ve got an edible patch producing yellow food from summer well into autumn.

And that’s where eating seasonally becomes much more interesting.

You aren’t choosing yellow tomatoes because somebody told you they’re a “superfood”.

You’re eating them because there are twenty-seven ripe ones in the greenhouse.

What to Do With a Yellow Harvest

Growing food has a habit of producing either absolutely nothing or far more than any reasonable household could possibly eat.

Rarely does the vegetable garden provide exactly three courgettes at convenient weekly intervals.

So when the yellow harvest arrives, make the most of it.

Roast peppers and freeze them.

Turn courgettes into fritters, pasta sauces and chutney.

Freeze tomatoes whole for cooking later.

Cure and store squash.

Freeze raspberries.

Enjoy sweetcorn as soon as you pick it.

And give some away.

One of the loveliest things about growing food is being able to knock on someone’s door and say:

“Would you like some of these?”

Eat the Rainbow — But Grow It Too

Eating a varied selection of fruit and vegetables gives us a broad mixture of fibre, vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring plant compounds.

Yellow foods are simply one part of that bigger picture.

You don’t need lemon water to detox your liver.

You don’t need grapefruit to boost your metabolism.

And no single pepper, pineapple or banana is going to transform your health.

Food doesn’t need those sorts of promises to be worthwhile.

Grow what you can.

Buy what you can’t.

Eat plenty of different plants.

And when you pick a yellow tomato you’ve grown from a seed, slice it open while it’s still warm from the sun and eat it standing in the garden.

You’ll understand exactly why I think we should eat more yellow.

Not because it’s miraculous.

Because it’s delicious.

Further reading: Why You Should Eat More Purple, Why Eating Green Is Good For You, Eat the Rainbow: The Power of Red, Why Orange Foods Deserve a Place on Your Plate, The Incredible Benefits of Growing Your Own Food

Not sure where to start? Take a look at our Grow Your Own Packs with detailed step by step instructions, seeds and 1 years online support.

Eat Orange: What to Grow, Pick and Eat from the Orange End of the Rainbow

Carrots pulled from the soil. Pumpkins glowing in an autumn garden. Apricots, peaches, sweet potatoes and great wedges of butternut squash roasting in the oven.

Orange food is rather difficult to ignore.

And that’s a good thing.

Many orange fruits and vegetables get their colour from naturally occurring plant pigments called carotenoids. These include beta-carotene, which our bodies can convert into vitamin A.

But orange fruits and vegetables aren’t all nutritionally identical simply because they happen to share a colour. Between them they provide different combinations of fibre, vitamin C, potassium, folate and other vitamins, minerals and plant compounds.

That’s why I prefer to think about variety rather than miracle foods.

And, of course, quite a few of these orange foods are things we can grow ourselves.

So let’s leave the promises of detoxes, glowing skin and miraculous health transformations to one side and do something rather more interesting.

Let’s sow them, grow them and eat them.

Eat Orange. Pumpkin, cantaloupe melon, butternut squash, tomatoes, sweet potato, apricots, carrots, peppers and chillies, peaches.

Why Are Some Fruits and Vegetables Orange?

That wonderful orange colour often comes from a family of plant pigments called carotenoids.

One of the best known is beta-carotene, found in foods including carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and some squashes.

The body can convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, which has a number of normal functions in the body, including contributing to normal vision and immune function.

Other carotenoids include alpha-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin.

But there’s no need to remember all their names before you’re allowed to eat a carrot.

The important thing is that different plants contain different mixtures of nutrients and plant compounds, which is one of the reasons eating plenty of different fruits and vegetables makes sense.

And growing different ones makes the vegetable garden considerably more interesting too.

Carrots

Let’s start with the obvious one.

Carrots are so closely associated with the colour orange that it’s easy to forget they also come in purple, yellow, red and white.

Orange carrots are particularly associated with beta-carotene. They also provide fibre and potassium, among other nutrients.

They’re also satisfying to grow.

Admittedly, pulling up a carrot can occasionally reveal something resembling a pair of trousers rather than a supermarket specimen.

But that’s part of the fun.

Sow it

Carrots are best sown directly into the soil because they don’t particularly enjoy being transplanted.

Sow little and often from spring onwards for a succession of roots rather than an enormous crop arriving all at once.

If your soil is heavy or stony, try growing carrots in containers filled with a finer growing medium.

Grow it

Keep the soil moist while seeds are germinating and avoid disturbing the foliage unnecessarily, as the scent can attract carrot root fly.

There are also resistant varieties and physical barriers available if carrot fly is a problem in your garden.

Feast

Eat young carrots raw, roast them, grate them into salads or add them to soups and stews.

Carrot tops can be used too, although their flavour is quite strong. Try a small amount chopped into a herby pesto rather than automatically putting all the foliage on the compost heap.

Pumpkins

Few vegetables announce the arrival of autumn quite like a pumpkin.

Technically a fruit, pumpkins are members of the squash family and range from enormous orange Halloween specimens to smaller varieties grown primarily for eating.

Their orange flesh contains carotenoids, including beta-carotene, as well as fibre and various vitamins and minerals.

But the best reason to grow an eating pumpkin is what happens when you bring it into the kitchen.

Sow it

Pumpkins need warmth, so sow seeds under cover in spring before planting outside after the risk of frost has passed.

Grow it

Give them fertile soil, plenty of water and room.

Lots of room.

A pumpkin plant can set off across a vegetable patch with the determination of someone who’s just remembered they’re late for a train.

Let the fruits mature fully on the plant and harvest them before the first serious frosts.

If properly cured, many varieties will store for months.

Feast

Roast pumpkin with herbs and garlic, make soup, add it to curries and risottos or turn it into purée.

Don’t automatically throw away the seeds either. Clean and roast them for a crunchy snack or topping.

One plant; plenty to eat.

Butternut Squash

Butternut squash has become such a familiar supermarket vegetable that it’s easy to forget you can grow it yourself.

Its deep golden-orange flesh contains beta-carotene as well as fibre, potassium and vitamin C.

It’s also an excellent crop for extending the home-grown season because properly ripened squash can be stored after harvesting.

Sow it

Start seeds somewhere warm in spring.

Grow it

Like pumpkins, butternut squash appreciate rich soil, warmth and plenty of water.

They also like to roam.

If space is limited, you can experiment with training some squash plants vertically over sturdy supports, although the developing fruits may need supporting.

Feast

Roast it, make soup, stir it through pasta or risotto, add it to curry or mash it with butter and black pepper.

A tray of roasted squash is also one of those useful things that can become several different meals over the following few days.

Orange Tomatoes

Tomatoes aren’t just red.

There are yellow, green, purple, almost black and beautifully orange varieties too.

Different tomato varieties contain different proportions of carotenoids and other plant compounds, alongside nutrients including vitamin C, potassium and folate.

But I grow unusual tomatoes primarily for something much simpler.

They taste good and look glorious together on a plate.

Sow it

Sow tomatoes indoors in late winter or early spring.

Grow it

Give them warmth, light, regular watering and feeding once the fruits begin developing.

Choose your variety according to where you’re going to grow it. Some tomatoes are happier in greenhouses while others perform well outdoors in a sunny, sheltered position.

Feast

Combine orange tomatoes with red and yellow varieties, tear over some basil and add olive oil.

That’s summer lunch sorted.

If you have a glut, roast them or turn them into sauce for the freezer.

Orange Peppers

Peppers begin green and many change colour as they ripen, depending on the variety.

Orange peppers are sweet, crisp and particularly useful in the kitchen. They’re a source of vitamin C and contain various carotenoids.

They’re also a lovely crop to grow if you have somewhere warm.

Sow it

Start peppers early indoors because they need a long growing season.

Germination is much better with warmth.

Grow it

A greenhouse is ideal, but peppers can also do well in pots in a sunny, sheltered spot.

Water consistently and feed plants once they’re fruiting.

Then be patient.

Watching a green pepper gradually turn orange is surprisingly satisfying.

Feast

Eat them raw, roast them, stuff them, add them to pasta sauces or chop them into salads.

Roasted peppers can also be frozen, which is handy when several decide to ripen at once.

Orange Chillies

Chillies are closely related to sweet peppers and come in an extraordinary range of shapes, colours and levels of heat.

Their heat comes from capsaicin, while orange varieties may also contain carotenoids responsible for their colour.

Sow it

Sow chillies early and give them warmth.

Some varieties can be slow to germinate, so don’t assume nothing is happening after a few days.

Grow it

Chillies grow beautifully in pots and can be surprisingly ornamental plants.

Give them sunshine and warmth and they’ll often keep producing well into autumn.

Feast

Use them fresh in curries, stir-fries and sauces.

If your plants produce more chillies than you know what to do with, freeze them whole or dry suitable varieties.

One productive chilli plant can supply a household for a surprisingly long time.

Especially if you accidentally chose a very hot one.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes aren’t closely related to ordinary potatoes despite the name.

They’re a warm-climate crop and the orange-fleshed varieties are rich in beta-carotene. They also provide fibre, potassium and vitamin C.

Growing them in Britain is possible, although they need a long, warm growing season.

Grow it

Sweet potatoes are generally grown from young shoots called slips rather than from seed.

Give them your warmest, sunniest position. A greenhouse, polytunnel or large container in a sheltered spot can improve your chances.

Feast

Bake them, roast them, turn them into wedges, mash them or add them to soups and curries.

They’re naturally sweet, which also makes them surprisingly versatile.

Apricots

Apricots are one of those fruits that remind you just how much difference ripeness makes.

A ripe apricot picked from a tree is soft, fragrant and quite unlike many of the firm fruits we encounter in supermarkets.

Apricots contain carotenoids as well as fibre, potassium and vitamins including vitamin C.

Grow it

Growing apricots in Britain takes a little thought.

They flower early, which makes blossom vulnerable to frost, and they appreciate warmth and shelter.

A sunny south-facing wall can provide the sort of microclimate they enjoy.

If you’re gardening in a colder or exposed spot, they may be more of a challenge.

Feast

Eat perfectly ripe apricots fresh.

If you’re lucky enough to have a generous crop, they can also be poached, baked, turned into compote or made into jam.

Peaches

Peaches are another fruit that can be grown successfully in Britain if you give them the right conditions.

They contain fibre, vitamin C, potassium and various carotenoids and other plant compounds.

But again, flavour is the reason I’d make room for one.

Grow it

Peaches appreciate warmth and shelter, and training a tree against a sunny wall can work beautifully.

They flower early, so blossom may need protection from frost.

Growing under cover can also help with peach leaf curl, a common fungal problem.

Feast

A properly ripe peach needs very little assistance.

Eat it over the sink.

You’ll understand why.

If you’ve got more, grill them, poach them or add sliced peaches to salads and puddings.

Oranges and Mandarins

Oranges may be the most obvious orange food of all.

They provide vitamin C, folate, fibre and various plant compounds.

They’re not an obvious outdoor crop for most British gardens, but citrus trees can be grown in containers if they’re protected appropriately during colder weather.

Grow it

Citrus trees like plenty of light and will generally need winter protection in Britain.

Growing them in pots allows you to move plants between a sheltered outdoor summer position and suitable winter accommodation.

Don’t expect your home-grown oranges to replace supermarket bags any time soon.

That’s not really the point.

The first fruit you pick from your own citrus tree will feel ridiculously exciting anyway.

Feast

Eat oranges and mandarins as they are, add segments to salads or use the zest and juice in cooking and baking.

And use the zest before throwing away the peel.

There’s an extraordinary amount of flavour in it.

Melons

Orange-fleshed melons such as cantaloupe contain plenty of water as well as nutrients including vitamin C, potassium and carotenoids.

They like considerably more warmth than the average British summer reliably provides, but they’re certainly worth trying if you have a greenhouse or polytunnel.

Grow it

Start seeds in warmth and give plants the sunniest conditions you can.

Melons need consistent watering while growing, although conditions should not remain permanently soggy.

Feast

Chill them and eat them simply.

A ripe melon doesn’t require a recipe.

Turmeric and Ginger

These aren’t orange fruits or vegetables in quite the same sense as carrots and pumpkins, but they often find their way onto orange-food lists.

Turmeric contains the yellow-orange pigment curcumin, while ginger contains a range of aromatic compounds responsible for its characteristic flavour.

Both are used extensively in cooking.

They’ve also attracted enormous numbers of health claims online.

There’s interesting scientific research into compounds found in both plants, but that doesn’t mean adding a spoonful of turmeric to a smoothie will “detox” your liver or cure inflammation.

I prefer them for the reason cooks have valued them for centuries.

They taste good.

Both can also be fascinating plants to try growing somewhere warm, even if producing substantial rhizomes in the British climate can be challenging.

Grow an Orange Garden

If you’d like to grow some of the orange rainbow yourself, keep it simple.

You don’t need an allotment full of exotic crops.

Try:

Carrots + orange tomatoes + an orange pepper.

If you’ve got more room, add:

Pumpkin or butternut squash.

And if you have a greenhouse or particularly sheltered garden, perhaps experiment with:

Sweet potatoes, melons or even a citrus tree in a pot.

That’s the lovely thing about growing food.

There’s always something else to try.

Some things will thrive.

Some will sulk.

And occasionally something you’re absolutely convinced won’t work will surprise you.

What to Do With an Orange Harvest

Late summer and autumn can produce an impressive amount of orange food.

So think beyond tonight’s dinner.

Roast and freeze peppers.

Cure pumpkins and squash for winter storage.

Turn tomatoes into sauce.

Freeze chillies.

Make apricot or peach preserves.

Store suitable carrots.

And eat plenty while it’s fresh.

Preserving a harvest is satisfying, but don’t become so determined to save everything for later that you forget to enjoy it now.

Eat the Rainbow — But Grow It Too

There is good reason to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables.

Different plants provide different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring plant compounds.

Orange fruits and vegetables are one colourful part of that bigger picture.

They don’t need to “detox” us.

They don’t need to transform our skin.

And we don’t need to assign each vegetable a particular health problem to solve.

A carrot can just be a carrot.

Preferably one you’ve pulled from the ground yourself, brushed off, taken into the kitchen and turned into something delicious.

Because that’s what Sow It Grow It and Feast is really about.

Grow good food. Enjoy growing it. And then feast on what you’ve grown.

Further Reading: Why You Should Eat More Purple, Why Eating Green Is Good For You, Eat the Rainbow: The Power of Red, Grow Your Own: Best Fruits for Your Garden, The Importance of Growing Your Own Food

Not sure where to start? Take a look at our Grow Your Own Packs with detailed step by step instructions, seeds and 1 years online support.