🌾🍂 What if your autumn vegetable basket could give you more than one meal?
Autumn brings a wonderful variety of seasonal vegetables into our kitchens and a good opportunity to look at what we have a little differently. For generations, harvest time has been a reason to come together, with fairs, markets and festivals celebrating food, the land and the communities that grow it. These traditions remind us that what we eat has a story and that many of the ways we cook and use food have been passed down over time.
And with the cost of the weekly shop continuing to rise, bringing back some of our grandmothers’ habits makes more sense than ever. Buying seasonal produce, choosing local products where possible and making the most of what we already have at home can help us waste less while also looking after our household budget.
Autumn brings a wonderful variety of seasonal vegetables into our kitchens: pumpkin, sweet potato, beetroot, carrots, leeks, cauliflower, spinach, cabbage, sweetcorn and mushrooms, among many others. For Grandma Sita, autumn is the perfect time to enjoy these ingredients at their best and to look at them a little differently.
Because making the most of the autumn harvest isn’t just about buying seasonal vegetables. It is also about using as much of each ingredient as possible, getting creative with leftovers and finding ways to give vegetables a second life. A few simple habits can help us enjoy more flavour while wasting less.♻️
👵 Grandma Sita’s Tips
- 🥕 Look at the whole vegetable
Before throwing away leaves, stalks, stems or trimmings, take another look. Depending on the vegetable, they can be used in stocks, soups, stews, sauces and stir-fries. Carrot tops, cauliflower leaves, broccoli stalks and other edible parts can often become useful ingredients rather than food waste.
- 🥔 Make the most of root vegetables
Autumn is a great season for root vegetables such as carrots, beetroot and sweet potatoes. Roast them, mash them, add them to soups and stews — or cook a little extra and use the leftovers in salads, fritters or other meals. The trick is simple: cook once, find more than one way to enjoy it.
- 🌽 Give leftover sweetcorn a second life
Got some cooked sweetcorn left over? Add it to soups, salads, creamy dishes or stir-fries for extra colour, flavour and texture. A small leftover can easily become part of a completely new meal.
- 🍄 Don’t forget the mushrooms
Mushrooms can be delicate and easy to overlook in the fridge. If you know you are not going to use them in time, cook them while they are still at their best. Turn them into a stir-fry, soup, sauce or preserve and give them a little more time.
- 🎃 Think beyond pumpkin soup
Pumpkin is one of autumn’s most versatile vegetables. Of course, it makes a delicious soup or purée, but it can also be used in stews, sauces, savoury dishes and even cakes. And where appropriate, don’t forget to make the most of other edible parts too. Sometimes, all an ingredient needs is a little imagination.
👀Did You Know?
Many vegetables that we routinely discard have perfectly useful edible parts. Leaves, stalks, stems and trimmings can often be incorporated into everyday cooking, depending on the vegetable and how it has been grown and prepared.
🥕 Fancy keeping on cooking without wasting food?
If you’re feeling inspired to try some new ideas, Grandma Sita has plenty of seasonal, zero-waste recipes to inspire you.
👉 Discover our homemade recipes
🌱 Make the Most of the Season
Autumn gives us plenty of reasons to get back into the kitchen and make the most of what the season has to offer. Buying local, choosing seasonal vegetables and getting creative with what we already have can help us waste less while making our meals more varied and flavourful. This autumn, let’s make something delicious from seasonal vegetables, not food waste. Less waste, more flavour — the Grandma Sita way! 🥕🍂💚
And remember, before you throw it away… take another look. 👀