An abundance of vegetables will be ready to harvest this month, including courgettes, french beans, runner beans, peas and carrots. Sometimes vegetables are harvested in abundance so it’s good to consider ways to use up large quantities to reduce waste. This recipe for Piccalilli is very adaptable and can be adjusted to whatever vegetables you have on hand. It is a great way to preserve veg so that it can be enjoyed in the months to come. 

As we enter the later part of this year, more potatoes come into season including the famous Arran Pilot. This recipe for Arran Pilot Aloo Dom from Eco Savvy’s cookbook puts our local potato centre stage in a dish that allows you to enjoy its delicious flavours. 

This month also sees more summer fruits in season. A great way to incorporate them into baking is to make pancakes. This recipe was part of our vegan baking course and makes delicious and fluffy scotch pancakes. It suggests using blackcurrants but there is a large range of fruits that can be used in August. For example raspberries, redcurrants, loganberries, and tayberries. 

Other vegetables and herbs also in season this month include cucumber, sweetcorn, tomatoes, chard, beetroot, peppers, chives, tarragon, and thyme. 

August 22nd is World Plant Milk Day, why not try plant milk for the first time or switch it into your daily cup of tea/coffee. Making your own oat milk is surprisingly easy with lots of simple recipes available online. 

August in the garden means a last chance to sow any root vegetables, like winter radishes, carrots, and turnips. It is also good to plant any overwintering crops outside like brussels, cabbages, and cauliflower. As more comes into season, it’s important to harvest regularly to ensure everything you get from your garden is at its best when you use it. 

If you are considering or planning the next year in the garden, it is a good idea to think of ways to make it a more bee-friendly space. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust has a great guide on bee-friendly flowers to plant that will appear next summer and give your local bee population a boost. 

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Piccalilli

Makes 10 x 450g jars

Ingredients

2kg assorted vegetables 

– select 5 or 6 from the following: 

cauliflower, green beans, cucumber, 

courgette, tomatoes, carrots, 

marrows, shallots, peppers, 

french beans, celery, gherkins

200g of sugar

150g of salt

30g plain flour or cornflour

20g ground ginger

20g mustard powder

2 – 4 teaspoon of ground turmeric

2 teaspoons of mustard seeds

1 litre of vinegar (white or malt vinegar)

Method

1. Wash, peel where needed and dice all veg into small similar sized vegetables into a large bowl and mix well with 150g of salt, making sure to sprinkle some on top. Cover bowl with tea towel and place in the fridge overnight. The salt will draw water from the vegetables. 
2. When ready to cook, wash the vegetables several times in cold water to remove the salt and drain thoroughly. 
3. Add the vinegar and the sugar to a large saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the prepared vegetables.
4. Stir the veg, vinegar and sugar well, add in ginger, mustard and mustard seeds, bring to boil and simmer for several minutes until the veg is still slightly crunchy, occasionally stirring gently.
5. While the veg is cooking, mix the flour and turmeric together with a little vinegar to make a smooth, runny paste.
6. Add this mixture, while continuously stirring, to the vegetables in the pan and continue to stir until the mixture thickens.
7. After a few further minutes of cooking, remove from heat.
8. Ladle the piccalilli into sterilised jars and screw lids on immediately. Ensure they are sealed and leave to cool overnight.
9. Leave piccalilli to mature for four weeks before using.

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Arran Pilot Aloo Dom

Ingredients

750g Arran pilot new potatoes 

4 large tomatoes (finely diced)

3 tbsp oil

3 tsp cumin

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 large onion (thinly sliced)

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp chilli powder

1 large fresh red chilli

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

½ tsp white sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala

15g fresh coriander (finely chopped)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200° C.
2. In a bowl, coat potatoes with a little turmeric and cumin for colour and par roast until just starting to give (about 20-25 minutes).
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pot and add cumin seeds and bay leaves and cook for a minute or two until the smell is released.
4. Add the cumin powder and cook for another minute.
5. Add onions and saute for 15 minutes.
6. Add fresh ginger, fresh chilli, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and sugar and cook for 10 more minutes.
7. Add tomatoes and cook for 15 minutes until the oil breaks away from the tomatoes (add some water if you need to reduce it down).
8. Remove potatoes from the oven and add potatoes, dried coriander, garam masala and fresh coriander to the pan and cook until the potatoes are soft. 

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Vegan Blackcurrant Pancakes

Ingredients

8oz (225g) self-raising flour

1⁄2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cider vinegar

Large knob of vegan butter

Plant milk (enough to form stiff batter)

Handful of blackcurrants (or other fruit of choice)

Method

1. Put flour, baking powder, sugar, vinegar, and plant milk into a bowl and beat until smooth. Add milk gradually to ensure the batter is the right thickness.
2. Melt the vegan butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Once melted, pour into the batter, and beat with a whisk.
3. Put a small spoonful of the batter onto the pan, place blackcurrants on one side of the pancake before you flip it.
4. Flip the pancake when bubbles begin to form on the top.
5. Place pancakes in a tea towel on a cooling rack.

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Our What’s in Season blog posts are written by Megan Hamill our Zero Waste Cafe Support Worker. To find out more about Megan you can read her bio here, and you can find out more about our Zero Waste Cafe’s here.