Enjoy a gourmet, vitamin-packed autumn with seasonal fruits and vegetables

At the heart of the locavore movement, in-season fruits and vegetables are a guarantee of flavour, health and sustainability. Freshly harvested local products retain all their flavour and nutritional qualities. A shorter food supply chain also supports the growers of a region while avoiding the environmental impact of transporting food over long distances. Wondering what fruits and vegetables to eat this autumn? Follow this guide.

The fruit and vegetable varieties available at the market vary from month to month. From September to October, and even into November for certain produce, you can still enjoy summertime vegetables like tomatoes, aubergines and sweet peppers. As for fruit, we continue to find peaches, figs and all types of plums, from greengage to mirabelles. Red fruits like strawberries, currants, raspberries or blueberries also love to play into extra time. Now might be a good time to hurry up and try – or to make again – the deconstructed strawberry tart with matcha cream by Willy Camboulin, chef of Barricot restaurant in Toulouse. Autumn is also the season for collecting mushrooms like ceps (also called penny-buns or porcini), girolles and chanterelles, which make an appearance in fine weather. Much appreciated for its anise taste, fennel is harvested until November.

The harvesting of apples and pears begins around September, although this differs from one variety to the next. Nicolas Innocenti, pastry chef at the Michelin-starred 1912 restaurant in Trouville, has created the ultimate autumn dessert in his recipe for roasted pear with fennel, an original and irresistible dish that you simply must try. Other indispensable produce of the season includes grapes, which are excellent from September to October, while broccoli begins to appear at market stalls in September. Due to their sweet mildness, the Cucurbitaceae – pumpkins, squashes and gourds – are the stars of seasonal gratins and soups.

In autumn we also find produce that's available all year long, like cabbage, lettuce and root vegetables. A number of fruits and vegetables are thus available up until winter. Of course we think of potatoes, onions and carrots, but why not (re)discover turnips, parsnips or even Jerusalem artichokes as well? Long neglected, these very tasty vegetables are finding their way back onto our plates.

Beyond the benefits of sustainability, health and taste, eating locally and in season is a true source of creativity. When we replace produce that's heavily cultivated or imported from the other end of the world with ingredients that we aren’t usually in the habit of using, we diversify our pleasure while making delicious discoveries!