Winter fruit and vegetables and a few fruit and vegetable suppliers now delivering nationwide

So we're inching, bit by bit, into winter and of course, with that comes a change in the fruit and vegetables available. We're not growing very much at all at the moment, we have a few winter bits and there's still apples and some pears on some of the trees. 

Luckily, our apples store very well and unlike the ones from shops which seem to shrivel up quite quickly, these last for months once stored, so we will have a supply to last us into the New Year. 

Otherwise we have some radishes coming, they're still one of my favourites in terms of how quickly they grow, but I must admit to preferring the way they look, particularly the bright heirloom varieties I like to grow, slightly more than the way they taste. I do like their taste, but I don't love it in the way that I love say tomatoes, but love the colour they bring to a dish and also that they're quite slimming and filling. 

One of the last Cafe Au Lait dahlias

Dahlias very much almost finished

I'll miss these pompom dahlias, this one had the most beautiful colouring

We still have a steady supply of salad leaves and herbs and I've grown a few unusual raddichios this year which I hadn't tried before so I am looking forward to harvesting those very soon. 

I also bought some winter tomatoes from Turnips, London. They have an excellent selection of slightly more unusual fruits and vegetables and are so good for a top up, though more as a bit of a treat as they're on the pricey side. I used to love visiting the big Turnips stand at Borough Market when we lived closer so it's so nice to still be able to get their produce even though we're now so far away. The winter tomatoes are ones grown overseas, in Italy I think, but they're in season from December until May roughly and even though they're not quite as sweet as the ones we get in summer, they're so rich in flavour and wonderful for salads etc, I wouldn't really waste them for cooking. 

As well as Turnips, Natoora have also starting delivering nationwide as so I placed an order with them last week s get a few special bits. As always I was drawn to the produce that's pretty standard (ie oranges), but unusual in variety so a different colour. I picked up these wonderful mandarins which I am using to make a salad along with some fennel and mint.  I also got some leafy lemons, again, mostly because I love the way they look in a bowl on the table, almost as an ornament or replacement for a bunch of flowers, though these have the wonderful benefit that you can also eat them afterwards! I couldn't help also get a couple of finger limes. I never see these anywhere here and they look so exotic and unusual and apparently taste wonderful too, I'll have thee with a salad maybe too perhaps with a ginger and honey dressing as I love lime, ginger and honey together. 

I haven't tried them, but also discovered The Artisan Food Company, again these usually operate out of Covent Garden market in London but now deliver nationwide. I am hoping to put an order in with them very soon, I'll let you know when I do and what I think!