What is in season in October
86 ingredients with a short season — three months or less — are at their best in October in France. Not only fruit and vegetables: the fish, the mushrooms, the game and the cheeses have a season too.
The turn towards storage. Chestnut and quince, medlar and persimmon, date and citron — things that keep, or that you cook in order to make them keep. The white truffle of Alba opens here; the black is still two months off. Mushrooms peak, pied-bleu among them, and the first snails and wood pigeon come in. Forty-two entries have their last month in October: everything that was summer closes now.
New this month 21
In season now and not in September.
Arbutus berry Bettarazuke Blue foot mushroom Chestnut Citron Cranberry Date Feijoa Ginkgo nut Mashua Pecan Persimmon Quince Sidr honey Sloe Sooty head Strawberry-tree honey Ulluco White truffle Wood pigeon Yacon
Last month for 42
In season now and gone in November.
Ajvar Beechnut Beefsteak fungus Blackberry Blue corn Borlotti bean Coco de Paimpol Crowberry Damson Faba asturiana Field mushroom Fresh walnut Giant puffball Grape Grape must Green tomato Hazelnut Hojiso (shiso flower spikes) Jabuticaba Japanese chestnut Jujube Kabosu Kiwi berry Lingonberry Lucques olive Nashi pear Osmanthus Piedmont hazelnut Prickly pear Périgord walnut Quetsche plum Rowan berry Sea buckthorn Shikuwasa Soissons bean Sorana bean Sorghum syrup Sudachi Tolosa black bean Vendace roe (Kalix löjrom) Water caltrop Yakiago
Everything in season in October
Vegetables 8
Doraji (balloon flower root) Fresh ginseng Green tomato Lily bulb Mashua Piquillo pepper Ulluco Yacon
Fruits 25
Arbutus berry Blackberry Citron Cranberry Crowberry Damson Date Feijoa Grape Jabuticaba Jujube Kabosu Kiwi berry Lingonberry Nashi pear Persimmon Prickly pear Quetsche plum Quince Rosehip Rowan berry Sea buckthorn Shikuwasa Sloe Sudachi
Flowers 3
Edible chrysanthemum petals (shokuyō-giku) Hojiso (shiso flower spikes) Osmanthus
Mushrooms 13
Beefsteak fungus Black trumpet Blue foot mushroom Field mushroom Giant puffball Hon-shimeji Honey fungus (chiodini) King oyster Maitake Matsutake Saffron milk cap Sooty head White truffle
Grains & flours 1
Legumes & pulses 6
Borlotti bean Coco de Paimpol Faba asturiana Soissons bean Sorana bean Tolosa black bean
Nuts & seeds 14
Acorn Beechnut Chestnut Fresh walnut Ginkgo nut Grenoble walnut Hazelnut Japanese chestnut Pecan Piedmont hazelnut Pinyon pine nut Périgord walnut Walnut Water caltrop
Meat & poultry 1
Fish & seafood 2
Shellfish & molluscs 2
Roe & caviar 3
Ikura Sujiko Vendace roe (Kalix löjrom)
Condiments & ferments 5
Ajvar Bettarazuke Grape must Lucques olive Olive
Sweet pantry 3
Sidr honey Sorghum syrup Strawberry-tree honey
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