Kent Veg Box Update: Out With The Old, In With The New.

It all about how long the Summer crops will last and how soon the crops will fully arrive.

Kent's famous Soft Fruit is always watched keenly. Strawberries, Raspberries & Blackberries generally last well into October, and I have known them last through to very late November. Cropping can be patchy if the weather is dismal, but this year so far so good. Checking back we managed to supply Soft Fruit up to the first week of November.

I have to say I quite prefer late season Strawberries. The varieties present as a bit firmer than the true Summer ones, somewhat paler but very sweet.

Top Fruit, Apples & Pears, are cropped to the end of October and then come out of storage. Kent, of course, has plenty of growers so supply through will not be a problem.

I have literally just heard that the last of the salad leaves, lettuces etc will end in the first week of November too, similar to last year. Unlike Soft Fruit the Salads tend not to be in polytunnels so any hard frosts etc can result in the ending prematurely.

At KVB we will certainly be using all of the above in our boxes during October before we say good-bye until April 2025.

Lots of winter crops have started to appear during late September and into October.

Amongst the roots Carrots, Parsnips & Beetroot have already arrived. Could really do with some cold nights to send the bugs scuttling... but then what about the above! Swede/Turnips are due very early November.

Winter Squash are in abundance, and many have already been lifted in to storage and will hopefully last well through into January.

Leaf veg such as Chard and Spinach are cropping well now but are very dependent on there being an absence of frost and particularly snow which is fatal. We hope for a mild Autumn/early Winter.

The stalwarts of Kent Winter Veg season are the Brassicas. Robust, large and nutritious they will increasingly dominate our veg boxes during November as the above fall away.

The Kales have already started and if the pigeons leave them alone they will be available for the next 4-5 months. Very hardy they regard snow and frost merely as an inconvenience, word is they taste better after a few frosts.

Winter season Cauliflowers are already cropping and should be around for quite a while. Whilst quite hardy any prolonged period of frost/snow can see the flowers start to yellow. Prices can fluctuate wildly if they are short as you may have noticed last year.

Broccolis, be they green or purple, are again producing well and should be fine through to December. Frosts and snow are a killer but as probably the most popular Brassica they tend to come and go quite quickly.

Cabbages are cropping now and should continue through well into next year. Like the kales they tend to be very hardy. We have Savoys in with the frost on them that dry off with no rot or even marks.

Finally Brussel Sprouts. They are usually the last Brassica to crop and appear early November and of course last to Christmas and beyond. Early on Sprout Tops are popular but again they are loved by the pigeons. They've good taste.

Finally a couple of loners. Leeks are cropping now and tend to last through the Winter. New for us this year is Celery which has just become available. Quite hardy any frost will tend to finish them off.

Overall the hope is for mild weather so the last of the Summer crops linger on before we enter the realm of Squashes, Roots & Brassicas.

True seasonality is great though. Always something new to look forward to whilst reminiscing about the recently departed.