Autumn Equinox: What foods are in season in Italy

Autumn Equinox 'equinozio d'autunno' is celebrated on the 23rd September, this year, with the hot Summer months coming to an end and Autumn beginning. On these days, there are almost equal amounts of day and night, ( in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres) which is where the word equinox — meaning "equal night" in Latin — comes from. After the Autumn Equinox peaks, the days will grow shorter and the nights will grow longer.

View from our home terrace and cooking school in Autumn

Growing up in the city of Rome, we always knew what was in season, by watching my father, mother and grandmother preparing meals for our family. My grandmother used to teach me and my brother that each season brings new fruit and vegetables that are perfect for the weather, your health and your next round of seasonal recipes.

Moving from Rome to the nearby countryside in the Sabine Hills has made me even more aware of the changing seasons and what fruits and vegetables are coming to an end and what will soon be produced.

As I write, our Summer garden is still producing it’s last tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini and I have just begun to plant our winter vegetables in our home permaculture garden. So I will keep you posted as to the next harvest. I will also do a lot of foraging in the winter months ahead as there is so much to gather that just grows wild in our immediate countryside.

persimmons, locally called 'Caki'

Here’s a list of just some of the more popular fruits and vegetables in their peak, or coming into season in Italy: broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cavolo nero, celery, fennel, garlic, leeks, peas, pumpkin, spinach, plus olives (to be harvested in October/November), apples, blackberries, pears, grapes ( harvested in September and made into wine), prickly pear (fichi d’India), and persimmons ( locally called ‘Caki’) and chestnuts (where you will see and smell being roasted everywhere over an open fire).

Olives still ripening on our own olive trees

I hope I have ‘wet your appetite’ for some more seasonal recipes to come. Wishing you all a Happy Autumn Equinox directly from my home in Italy
Buon equinozio d'autunno

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