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A SEAT AT EVERY TABLE

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A YEAR AT THE TABLE

The kitchen almanac.

What to sow, plant and harvest in a cool-climate kitchen garden each month, and the seasonal foods and traditions worth looking forward to. Every tradition links to its source.

Garden timings assume a cool-temperate Central and Eastern European garden (Poland, Czechia, Germany, Ukraine, the Baltic) where the last spring frost comes around mid-May; shift them with your local frost dates, and southern-hemisphere readers should shift them by about six months.

NovemberThis monthSt Martin's wine opens at 11:11 · Beaujolais Nouveau on the third Thursday

In the garden

  • HarvestDig horseradish roots as the leaves die back; take up to half a clump and replant the rest.
  • HarvestLeave parsnips and leeks in the ground until needed; mulch celeriac thickly against cold.
  • Garden jobProtect crops still in the ground, and new sowings, from mice.
  • Garden jobClear plant debris from the plot, but don't compost anything diseased.
  • Garden jobOn rainy days, look ahead and order next year's seeds.
  • Garden jobClean and store bamboo canes in a dry shed for next season.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: November advice (jobs to do in November) ↗ · RHS — How to grow Horseradish ↗

At the table

Beaujolais Nouveau on the third Thursday

Beaujeu, Beaujolais, France · third Thursday of November

Beaujolais Nouveau is released on the third Thursday of November, a rule since 1985 that kept the release off weekends; from 1967 the date had been 15 November. Beaujeu marks it with its Sarmentelles festival.

Source: Commune de Beaujeu — Les Sarmentelles ↗

Sausage-making season opens around St Andrew's Day

Békéscsaba, Hungary · around St Andrew's Day, 30 November

In old Békéscsaba the town judge set the start of the winter pig-killings, the season of home sausage-making, around St Andrew's Day: straw fires so close to thatched roofs made the timing a matter of safety.

Source: Csabai Kolbászfesztivál — A Csabai Kolbászfesztivál története ↗

DecemberNext monthHerring on the Wigilia table · Sviata Vecheria: twelve Lenten dishes

In the garden

  • Garden jobCheck stored apples and pears and remove any rotten fruit before it spreads.
  • Garden jobIf hard frost threatens, cover roots stored in the ground with cardboard so you can still dig.
  • Garden jobKeep forcing chicory roots in a dark, warm place; chicons appear in three to six weeks.
  • Garden jobSpread homemade compost over empty parts of the vegetable plot.
  • HarvestIn mild spells, harvest leeks, Brussels sprouts, cabbages and parsnips.
  • Garden jobClear late-season debris for the compost heap, and clean and store canes.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: December advice (jobs to do in December) ↗

At the table

Herring on the Wigilia table

Poland · 24 December

Polish Christmas Eve supper begins when the first star appears: traditionally twelve dishes and no meat. Alongside barszcz and carp comes herring, popular all year, in oil or with cream, sour apple and onion.

Source: Culture.pl — The 12 Dishes of Polish Christmas ↗

Herring on the Swedish julbord

Sweden · 24 December

Sweden celebrates Christmas on 24 December around the julbord, a Christmas smörgåsbord. Classic dishes include Christmas ham, small prinskorv sausages, herring salad, pickled herring, Jansson's temptation and lutfisk.

Source: sweden.se (Swedish Institute) — Christmas in Sweden ↗

JanuaryDunkerque's carnival and the flying kippers · Eiswein: grapes picked frozen at dawn

In the garden

  • Garden jobPlan this year's beds so cabbages, potatoes and roots move to fresh ground.
  • Garden jobOrder seed potatoes from a reputable supplier now, ready for chitting next month.
  • Garden jobCheck stored apples and pears often and remove any that are rotting.
  • Garden jobForce chicory roots in a dark, warm spot for crisp winter chicons.
  • HarvestPick Brussels sprouts from the bottom of the stalk up; stake any leggy stems.
  • Garden jobWhen the soil is not frozen, dig organic matter into heavy ground to improve drainage.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: January advice (jobs to do in January) ↗

At the table

Dunkerque's carnival and the flying kippers

Dunkerque, French Flanders, France · January to March, peaking on the Sunday before Mardi Gras

Dunkerque's carnival grew from feasts shipowners gave before the cod fleet sailed for Iceland. Since 1962, when the Bande de Dunkerque stops at the town hall, the mayor and guests throw wrapped kippers to the crowd.

Source: Dunkerque Tourisme — Les origines du carnaval de Dunkerque ↗

Eiswein: grapes picked frozen at dawn

Germany's northern wine regions · hard frosts, often December or January

In some winters German growers leave healthy grapes on the vine until a frost of at least −7 °C. The frozen berries are picked, usually in the early morning, and pressed still frozen; the wait can run into January.

Source: Deutsches Weininstitut — Eiswein ↗

FebruaryŚledzik: herring at carnival's end · Ash Wednesday's sour herring

In the garden

  • Sow indoorsFrom late February, sow sweet and spice peppers indoors where it is warm and bright.
  • Garden jobStart chitting early seed potatoes as soon as you have them.
  • Garden jobTest the soil on a new plot; add lime only if a test shows it is very acid.
  • Garden jobPrepare seedbeds only where the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged.
  • Garden jobFinish winter pruning of apples, pears, currants and gooseberries this month.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: February advice (jobs to do in February) ↗ · RHS — How to grow sweet peppers ↗

At the table

Śledzik: herring at carnival's end

Poland, especially Kashubia · Tuesday before Ash Wednesday (February or March)

On the last day of carnival many Polish tables serve herring, one of the cheapest Lenten foods. The custom, called śledzik, is linked above all with Kashubia; in Kujawy and Greater Poland it is known as podkoziołek.

Source: Radio Kraków — „Śledzik”, czyli koniec karnawału ↗

Palanga's smelt festival

Palanga, Lithuania · February

February is when cucumber-scented smelt, stintos, appear on Lithuania's Baltic coast. Palanga celebrates with a fish fair, a smelt-fishing contest and its main street turned into an open-air fish restaurant.

Source: LRT — Palanga hosts traditional Smelt Festival ↗

MarchMasnytsia: Ukraine's cheese week · Danube herring runs past Vylkove

In the garden

  • Sow indoorsSow tomatoes indoors from mid-March; they stay under cover until frosts are over.
  • Sow indoorsSow sweet marjoram indoors; it is tender and goes outside only in late spring.
  • Sow indoorsSow any remaining peppers indoors now, along with celery and early salads.
  • SowIn mild spells on workable soil, sow peas and the first radishes outdoors under fleece.
  • Garden jobChit seed potatoes before planting; it gives early varieties a head start.
  • Garden jobPrepare seedbeds as the soil warms: weed, rake to a fine tilth, set pea supports.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: March advice (jobs to do in March) ↗ · RHS — How to grow Marjoram ↗

At the table

Danube herring runs past Vylkove

Vylkove, Danube delta, Ukraine · from early March, for three or four weeks

Each spring the Black Sea shad called Danube herring swims upriver to spawn. At Vylkove the fishing season usually opens in early March and lasts three or four weeks; the fish is prized as a seasonal delicacy.

Source: Interfax-Ukraine — Держекоінспекція не обмежуватиме вилову риби на Дунаї до врегулювання дозвільних питань (16 June 2017) ↗

Spring herring return to Rügen's waters

Greifswalder Bodden and Strelasund, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany · spring

Unlike North Sea herring, western Baltic herring spawn in spring, leaving the Øresund for the Greifswalder Bodden and the Strelasund off Rügen. Stocks are low, so targeted fishing is banned except for small coastal set nets and traps.

Source: Umweltbundesamt — FI-I-2: Heringslarven im Greifswalder Bodden ↗

AprilŚwięconka: the blessed Easter basket · Hvide Sande's herring festival

In the garden

  • PlantPlant seed potatoes as the soil warms: earlies first, maincrops later in the month.
  • SowSow beetroot, carrots, chard and lettuce outdoors in prepared, weed-free soil.
  • PlantPlant onion sets and shallots in firm, well-prepared ground.
  • SowSow dill straight into the bed every few weeks; it dislikes being transplanted.
  • Sow indoorsLate in the month, sow cucumbers indoors in pots; they go out only after frosts.
  • Garden jobKeep fleece handy to cover early sowings on cold April nights.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: April advice (jobs to do in April) ↗ · RHS — How to grow Dill ↗

At the table

Hvide Sande's herring festival

Hvide Sande, Ringkøbing Fjord, Denmark · late April

In the last week of April herring come in from the North Sea through Hvide Sande's inlet, and the harbour holds its herring festival: catching contests, judged herring dishes, tastings and smoked herring. It has run since 1994.

Source: Visit Vesterhavet — Herring festival in Hvide Sande ↗

MayZimni ogrodnicy and zimna Zośka · Kappeln's herring days at the fence

In the garden

  • Garden jobWait until the Ice Saints have passed in mid-May before planting out tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.
  • SowSow beans outdoors once the soil is warm, usually after mid-May; cover if frost threatens.
  • SowSow pickling cucumbers outdoors in the second half of May, in well-prepared beds.
  • Garden jobHarden off indoor-raised plants for 10 to 14 days before planting them out.
  • Garden jobEarth up potatoes as they grow so the new tubers stay covered and never turn green.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: May advice (jobs to do in May) ↗ · Deutscher Wetterdienst — Wetter- und Klimalexikon: Eisheilige ↗

At the table

Kappeln's herring days at the fence

Kappeln on the Schlei, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany · Ascension Day weekend (May or early June)

On Ascension weekend Kappeln holds its Heringstage around the herring fence in the Schlei: a W-shaped trap of stakes and woven willow, a method dating to the 15th century, for herring swimming in from the Baltic to spawn.

Source: Ostseefjord Schlei — Kappelner Heringszaun ↗

Oscypek season opens on the mountain pastures

Podhale and the Tatras, Poland · May to September

In early May, as sheep go up to the mountain pastures, Tatra and Podhale shepherds start making oscypek, the smoked cheese of the mountains. The PDO cheese is made only in the grazing season, May to September, from at least 60 percent sheep's milk.

Source: WIJHARS Kraków (gov.pl) — Oscypek: góralski skarb chroniony prawem UE ↗

JuneMidsummer herring, new potatoes and dill · Glückstadt opens the matjes season

In the garden

  • HarvestLift the first new potatoes when the plants flower and tubers are about egg-sized.
  • PlantPlant out peppers only once all risk of frost has passed.
  • PlantPlant out late cabbages and other winter brassicas raised earlier; white heads become autumn sauerkraut.
  • SowKeep sowing beetroot, radishes and lettuce in small batches, ideally in part shade.
  • SowThere is still time to sow beans and outdoor cucumbers directly into prepared beds.
  • Garden jobHoe weeds between rows on dry days and keep earthing up maincrop potatoes.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: June advice (jobs to do in June) ↗ · RHS — How to grow potatoes ↗

At the table

Midsummer herring, new potatoes and dill

Sweden · Friday between 19 and 25 June

Sweden's Midsummer Eve is always a Friday between 19 and 25 June. A typical menu brings several kinds of pickled herring, boiled new potatoes with fresh dill, soured cream and chives, then cake with the first strawberries.

Source: sweden.se (Swedish Institute) — Swedish Midsummer ↗

Glückstadt opens the matjes season

Glückstadt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany · from the second Thursday of June, for four days

Glückstadt on the Elbe opens its Matjes Weeks with a ceremonial tasting: on the market square a wooden barrel is opened and the guest of honour and the mayor bite into the season's first matjes. It has run since 1968.

Source: Glückstadt Tourismus — Glückstädter Matjeswochen ↗

JulyPickling cucumbers fill the markets · Summer Beaufort from the Savoie alpages

In the garden

  • HarvestLift autumn-planted garlic once the leaves turn yellow, then dry the bulbs somewhere airy.
  • SowSow a last row of bush beans by about 10 July for picking in September.
  • SowSow radishes for autumn, and winter radish from mid-July into early August.
  • SowSow Chinese cabbage and pak choi in July for harvests from September until frost.
  • PlantAs early crops finish, plant kohlrabi and endive seedlings into the freed beds.

Timings: Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG) — Merkblatt 2102: Gemüsearten zur Nachkultur ↗ · RHS — How to grow garlic ↗

At the table

Pickling cucumbers fill the markets

Poland · summer

Every summer Polish market stalls are piled with small pickling cucumbers beside bunches of dill and horseradish. Cucumbers are the most popular vegetable for pickling, and many households still put up their own ogórki at home.

Source: Culture.pl — Sour Power: Poland's Love Affair with Pickling ↗

Summer Beaufort from the Savoie alpages

Savoie, France · June to October

Beaufort d'été is made from June to October, while the Tarine and Abondance cows are out at pasture. Beaufort chalet d'alpage is made twice a day above 1,500 metres from a single herd's milk.

Source: INAO — Beaufort (AOP) ↗

AugustSurströmming premiere in Sweden · Burčák season in Czechia

In the garden

  • HarvestCheck cucumbers every few days and pick them small and firm, before they yellow.
  • SowSow spinach from early August for autumn leaves; sowing can continue into mid-October.
  • SowSow lamb's lettuce in August and early September for salads from November through winter.
  • SowKeep sowing radishes through August for crops in September and October.
  • Garden jobReuse beds freed by onions, peas and salads for crops that mature before frost.

Timings: Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG) — Merkblatt 2102: Gemüsearten zur Nachkultur ↗ · RHS — How to grow cucumbers ↗

At the table

Surströmming premiere in Sweden

Sweden · third Thursday of August

Sweden's surströmming premiere is traditionally the third Thursday of August; until 1998 the date was fixed by law so the fermented Baltic herring would be properly ripe. It is eaten cold with onion, dill and potatoes or bread.

Source: Store norske leksikon — surstrømming ↗

SeptemberWinobranie in Zielona Góra · Znojmo's historic grape-harvest festival

In the garden

  • HarvestLift maincrop potatoes carefully, without spearing them, and clear away the old top growth.
  • SowSow spinach and winter lettuce now for overwintering; spinach can go in until mid-October.
  • PlantPlant lamb's lettuce seedlings in early September for winter salads.
  • PlantPlant overwintering onion sets, covering them until rooted so birds cannot pull them out.
  • Garden jobSow green manure on bare beds to hold nutrients and protect the soil over winter.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: September advice (jobs to do in September) ↗ · Bayerische Gartenakademie (LWG) — Merkblatt 2102: Gemüsearten zur Nachkultur ↗

At the table

Winobranie in Zielona Góra

Zielona Góra, Lubusz, Poland · first half of September

Zielona Góra's Winobranie, held every year in the first half of September, hands Bacchus, the town's symbol, the keys to the city. Local winemakers gather in a wine village around the town hall, and a fair fills the promenade.

Source: Visit Zielona Góra — Winobranie ↗

Les Charbonnières welcomes back Vacherin

Les Charbonnières, Vallée de Joux, Switzerland · late September; the cheese season runs September to March

Each year at the end of September, Les Charbonnières celebrates the start of the Vacherin Mont-d'Or season together with the herds coming down from their summer pastures. The village has held the fête for a quarter of a century.

Source: Vacherin Mont-d'Or AOP — La Fête du Vacherin Mont-d'Or AOP ↗

OctoberBékéscsaba's sausage festival · Helsinki's Baltic Herring Market

In the garden

  • PlantPlant garlic cloves this month in well-drained soil, before the ground freezes.
  • HarvestCut autumn cabbages before winter sets in; some keep well, others become sauerkraut.
  • PlantFinish planting overwintering onion sets for a crop in early summer.
  • Garden jobClear old pea and bean plants but leave their roots in the soil to feed it.
  • Garden jobMulch cleared beds with your own compost to protect the soil over winter.
  • Garden jobStore crops in rodent-proof boxes or rooms and check them regularly.

Timings: RHS — Grow Your Own: October advice (jobs to do in October) ↗ · RHS — How to grow Cabbages ↗

At the table

Békéscsaba's sausage festival

Békéscsaba, Hungary · second half of October

Békéscsaba has held its sausage festival in the second half of October since 1997. Csabai kolbász is seasoned with plenty of red paprika and no black pepper; an unproven local anecdote blames a pepper shortage during the Napoleonic wars.

Source: Békéscsaba (city website) — Békéscsaba a kolbász fővárosa ↗

Sources checked . Festival dates move from year to year; check the organiser before you travel. Garden timings shift with your local frost dates.