0:00:02 > 0:00:05My name is Valentine Warner. Chef by trade, greedy by nature.
0:00:05 > 0:00:10I love food and I love eating it when it's absolutely at its best.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Wow!
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Having grown up on a farm, I've learned that eating things in season
0:00:15 > 0:00:17means you get them at their most delicious.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20That's absolutely amazing.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Tonight, I'm giving you the definitive guide
0:00:23 > 0:00:25to autumn's fantastic vegetables.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29I'll be bringing in the harvest with a passionate pumpkin crusader.
0:00:29 > 0:00:34You live like you're going to die tomorrow, but you farm like you're going to live for ever.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38I'm visiting an autumn onion fair and guzzling a raw onion
0:00:38 > 0:00:41for a Guinness World Record.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Yuk! Wow!
0:00:43 > 0:00:47And I'll be trying out biodynamic beetroot on a very kooky farm.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51He's got a direct link through the horn right up into the cosmos.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53COW MOOS
0:01:17 > 0:01:21Some of my favourite vegetables come into season in the autumn.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Morning. What are you after? Pretty much all of it, actually.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32Hearty roots like carrot and beetroot, ready to be turned into delicious soups.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37Cauliflowers and leeks crying out to be coated in velvety Cheddar-cheese sauce.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42Spinach and courgettes, perfect fried in a little olive oil with garlic.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46They're plentiful and cheap. So don't hold back.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52For me, the most autumnal vegetable of all has to be the pumpkin.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54They're far too good just to save for Hallowe'en.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56They're beautiful roasted,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58make a wonderful filling for ravioli,
0:01:58 > 0:02:02are sensational spiced up in soups and curries
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and even make a great cake, topped with their own Zinc-rich seeds
0:02:05 > 0:02:09that's not just for muesli munchers.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Pumpkins, for me, are really one of my favourite autumn vegetables,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16with their fantastic colours and amazing tastes
0:02:16 > 0:02:21that vary from very light and delicate to very dense and nutty.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25I've come to Oxfordshire to harvest some of the best in the country.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30By a stretch of Oxford canal,
0:02:30 > 0:02:36Greg has been running one of Britain's best organic pumpkin and squash farms for 20 years.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41It's a bountiful place and testament to Greg's passionate environmentalism.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46You live like you're going to die tomorrow, but you farm like you're going to live for ever.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48You look after the soil because it's the future.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53Just over three months ago, the pumpkins seedlings burst through the ground.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56Now it's September and they're ready for harvest.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00It's immediate, just looking at this patch, that it's incredibly bountiful.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Everything is kind of bursting with growth.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08There are all these fat babies lying around sucking everything up and it just looks prosperous.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Yes, very proud of this. I'm surprised you're not fatter.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Ha-ha! Too much work to do! Too much work to do.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18In fact, I've got so much stuff I'm thinking about cloning myself.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Those are naked seed
0:03:20 > 0:03:25and these are the ones that you cut open straightaway and eat the seeds out of.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28There you go. Look at that!
0:03:30 > 0:03:31It tastes like melon.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33Nutty flavour.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38You put these into soups and then put it through a blender, absolutely magnificent.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40You just want to go on snacking on these things.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44I'm going to get some more baskets out.
0:03:44 > 0:03:49Just imagine what it would be like if he cloned himself. 100 Gregs running around.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52I think the world would be a better place. It would be pretty barmy.
0:03:52 > 0:03:58The first two weeks of September are the busiest on Greg's farm.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03The pickers help bring in the harvest that can be as much as four tonnes.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Look at this big, fat baby. What a beauty!
0:04:05 > 0:04:10Us Brits are waking up to the delights of pumpkin and squash, demand trebling
0:04:10 > 0:04:16in the past five years, and Greg grows a dozen different varieties to meet this growing appetite.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17Connecticut field pumpkin.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21On Halloween, hallowed Eve, the last of October,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23with a face carved in that,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27guaranteed to keep the hobgoblins away from your house for a whole year.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29What a colour!
0:04:29 > 0:04:32That's techno orange. Techno orange.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35These are the red onion squash.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38The smaller the fruit, the more tasty it is.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40They're vibrant little fellows.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43These are the blue hubbards.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Yeah? A favourite of yours?
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Yes, these are the ones that I like the best.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53Really dark, sweet flavour. It bakes.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58People in offices, shops, that only have a limited amount of time for lunch,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00split open and microwave.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04That's radical thinking. If you can get 200,000 secretaries to pop
0:05:04 > 0:05:08one of these in the microwave at lunchtime, you'd be onto a winner.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11I know. The pumpkins and squash are harvested in September,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13but they don't all have to be eaten straightaway.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Stored correctly, they can last right through the winter.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22These will last for months. Yes. They're like nature's tinned good.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25The next step is to get the orders, to bag them, put them in the car
0:05:25 > 0:05:28and deliver them to the shops and restaurants.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31I'm going to cook some of the bumper crop to make a delicious soup for Greg,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35his daughter Sarah and her husband.
0:05:35 > 0:05:41I'm making the same soup recipe with four different varieties so we can find out which is the tastiest.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44First, the one we all recognise.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47A regular, field pumpkin.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51My dad used to make this when I was very small and it was very exciting
0:05:51 > 0:05:54because the pumpkin soup was put back into the shell.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58It was brought from the table and the top would be lifted and the steam would swirl up.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01It wasn't the eating that was so good, but the drama of it all.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05I just want to take the lid off the pumpkin.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10Be careful with the top because it'll be the lid later.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Take out the seeds and then scrape out all of the pulp for the soup.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Look at all this fantastic flesh.
0:06:17 > 0:06:23One onion. Nothing has to be done in any great refinement at this point.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Pop a knob of butter in a pan. Then the onions in.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Black pepper.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36A little grate of nutmeg.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Small piece of cinnamon stick.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Now for the pumpkin.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47There's so much moisture inside this pumpkin that we're just going to let it cook and cook.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54When the pumpkin is soft, add some rich chicken stock and salt
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and leave it to bubble away for half-an-hour.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02Now, that should be well and truly cooked. Now blend it.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06That's about as smooth as I'm going to get it.
0:07:11 > 0:07:17And the final ingredient - a good splash of medium sherry.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Then put it back in the oven until you're ready to serve.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Goodbye, sweet, regular field pumpkin.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29See you in...half-an-hour.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34Now I'm going to make the same recipe with all the others for our tasting.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39In this rainy weather, comforting soup should really hit the spot.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43Farm pumpkin soup.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45That's an amazing table to look at.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47That's all your wares.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50First up for tasting is the field pumpkin.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52Mmm, really nice.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58There's savouriness, but there's that extra taste buds sensation.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00There's a hint of nutmeg in there.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01A hint of nutmeg.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05Next, it's Greg's favourite, the blue Hubbard.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09The Hubbard squash, in my opinion, has got the edge.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13It always has the edge. Mm.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15So, this is the red onion squash.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20That one is really pale.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Which is the hot favourite?
0:08:22 > 0:08:24I'll go for... The blue one. ..this one first.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26That also is my favourite.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29So the red-onion squash wins the soup-taste test.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Your pumpkins are really delicious.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34They've all got totally different properties.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Come back any time, Val. Thank you very much.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38We always have weeds to pull!
0:08:38 > 0:08:40THEY LAUGH
0:08:40 > 0:08:43I very rarely use a microwave, but I couldn't wait to see
0:08:43 > 0:08:48if Greg's speedy pumpkin recipe would be the fast-food treat he promised.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52First, get your hands on a small squash or pumpkin -
0:08:52 > 0:08:55the blue Hubbard is ideal.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Remove the seeds and season well.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03Pop in a lump of butter and microwave for around five minutes.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10That's good. Greg was right.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14It really is quick and delicious and all you have to wash up is the spoon.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Now for another favourite pumpkin recipe.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23First, get your hands on any pumpkin or squash.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Scoop out the seeds and slice into wedges.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Arrange on a baking tray and scatter with thin slices of red onion.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Dribble over olive oil.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Add a good blast of pepper... and salt.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Roast for 15 minutes.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51Then remove from the oven and turn the slices over.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Next, add some slivers of garlic...
0:09:56 > 0:10:00..and a generous handful of sage leaves.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Return to the oven for a final ten minutes.
0:10:10 > 0:10:16Arrange the pumpkin slices, but don't forget the wonderful caramelised onion, garlic and sage.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25Finish with pine nuts and pecorino cheese for a wonderful sweet and savoury supper.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Courtesy of the gorgeous gourd, the pumpkin.
0:10:32 > 0:10:36HE CHUCKLES
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Onions are the unsung heroes of the kitchen.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Pokey in salads, browned for stews or pickled with the ploughman's,
0:10:50 > 0:10:55these foot soldiers deserve a celebration for the work they do.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00The little Gloucestershire town of Newent
0:11:00 > 0:11:04has been praising the onion with an autumn harvest fair for over 800 years
0:11:04 > 0:11:09and this September, I've come to pay homage at this onion party.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Autumn heaven. There's sweetcorn, cauliflowers, leeks.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17It's abundant, abundant, abundant, but above all, it's onions, serious onions.
0:11:17 > 0:11:23Later on, I'll be chomping raw onions for a place in the record books.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25But first, I'm off to meet Mike Davies,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29a member of the Royal Vegetable Society and one of last year's winning growers.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Good morning. Morning.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Pleased to meet you. Pleased to meet you, too.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Welcome to Newent. 3½ kilos. 3½ kilos.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38It's a whopper. It's a whopper.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Have you eaten an onion that big? A little bit of seasoning,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44on top of a piece of steak, there's nothing better.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47That's...that's...Wow!
0:11:48 > 0:11:50That's nice!
0:11:50 > 0:11:53It's a big full bum of a thing!
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Onions are part of the Allium family and there's a huge variety
0:11:56 > 0:11:59for the hungry cook to choose from.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Red onions are mild in flavour, so they're great used raw in salads.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07That's a good red onion, sliced up.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Forget cooking it, you want to eat that raw.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Shallots are lovely whole in casseroles and stews,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16or you can chop them up finely and add them to dressings.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20There's so much choice and variety of onions
0:12:20 > 0:12:24it's completely overwhelming.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28These, you can imagine them bobbing around in delicious pickle.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Fantastic shallots you want to eat.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34It's high-quality produce in here.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I bet it tastes fantastic as well.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40Here, they go by National Vegetable Society rules.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43It's not the flavour, but the size, shape, uniformity
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and colour that counts.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48I've got a third. I'd have liked to get a first, but...
0:12:48 > 0:12:49I think that is well done.
0:12:49 > 0:12:54I'm beaten by better shallots, so that's what the show is all about.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Do you think this is fair, what you've been given? Yes.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01Those are almost perfect, they are. All the same size.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03All is fair in love and war and onions?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Well, yeah, we don't fight over things like that.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Yeah? Yeah, you come along and shake my hand...
0:13:09 > 0:13:11I'd be grumbling with gritted jaw.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14If you're going to be like that, you shouldn't be exhibiting.
0:13:14 > 0:13:22As the onion fair draws to a close, it's time for the annual raw-onion-eating competition.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24First to show their mettle are the women.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28CHEERS AND SHOUTS
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Then, it's my turn.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34The onion-eating competition is nearly upon me. I'm feeling nervous.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Of course, I'm going to give it my best shot,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39but there's a hardened air of real onion eating in this town.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41CHEERING
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Two minutes, 47 seconds. Well done.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49The ladies look like tough competition.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53Maybe I'm in the wrong category. I'm just about to start the men's.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Here we go. Wish me luck.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59This is Jane from the Guinness Records. Give her a welcome.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Do you go in for minimal bites?
0:14:03 > 0:14:04Average. You aren't a kind of...
0:14:04 > 0:14:07You don't nibble at a high speed all the way? No.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09These guys really mean business.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11There's even one dressed as an onion.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15OK, is everyone ready?
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Three, two, one, go.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22LOUD CHEERING
0:14:39 > 0:14:42It's all in. This one is all in.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45CHEERING
0:14:49 > 0:14:51OK. Well done.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53No Guinness World Record here today, I'm afraid.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56That was one minute 11 seconds.
0:14:56 > 0:14:57One minute 11?
0:14:57 > 0:15:02Yes. The record is 48 seconds, so sorry, but no Guinness World Record.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04But well done, everyone.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10That was intense, but the sheer competition of it today,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13I kinda forgot about how the onion tasted.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17It was going down a lot better, but that, I think, was the nerves and the worry.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19But, er, yeah. Wow.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24I definitely had my fill of raw onion for today,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27but I'll never tire of cooking these beautiful vegetables.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Onions are at their absolute best in autumn,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32so I've offered to rustle up a special dish
0:15:32 > 0:15:34for onion grower Mike Davies.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Onions, amazing onions.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43I'm going to make something where the onions are hardly touched.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Start by cutting some ordinary cooking onions almost to their base.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49Both ways, in a cross.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Sprinkle over a good amount of salt.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57That's the thing about onions - they are quite meaty. If you just roast an onion
0:15:57 > 0:15:59and eat it with nothing else,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03it's a big, full, chunky, wholesome, filling good thing.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05I can't get enough onions.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Add a sprinkle of sugar to bring out their sweetness
0:16:09 > 0:16:11then poke some slices of butter in.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16Now, some puff pastry to encase the onions.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Strip them naked then you dress them up again.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Roll out a thick layer of pastry
0:16:23 > 0:16:26then cut out a base for each onion and place them on a baking tray.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Next, we're going to glue the lids on to the bottom.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32It's really got to be very firm.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35You want to keep all the steam in which will cook the onion.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Whisk an egg to make an egg wash.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43Give it a good, solid coating.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47The remaining pastry tops the onion parcel.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Lay it gently over the top.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Again, it's about onion love.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55Try not to make any holes in it either.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00Glaze the top with the egg wash and it's ready for the oven.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02And look at those.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Very, very simple and very, very delicious.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15After 45 minutes the pastry will be dark golden.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Mike. Oh, Valentine. Thank you very much.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Onions, onions in pastry.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26I think there are few things as restorative.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28It's fantastic, isn't it?
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Good.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33What do you think? I just think onions don't need much, on the whole.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Absolutely. You haven't got to go over the top to make anything nice like this.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Wonderful. Can I say, you've made me a very happy man today.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Your championing the same cause - the onion. The onion!
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Today's been a real onion bonanza.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53I think it's time we all followed the people of Newent and gave onions the love they deserve.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56For a more refined to take on onion and pastry, take a mountain
0:17:56 > 0:18:01of onions and get chopping for the most oniony tart ever.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Onions are the workhorses of cooking, but in this tart,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07they get to be the star of the show.
0:18:07 > 0:18:13Once finely chopped, dry your eyes and add half a pack of butter to a large pan.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Add the onions and cook gently until deliciously soft.
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Now make the pastry.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24In a blender, mix together some plain flour...
0:18:26 > 0:18:27..diced butter...
0:18:27 > 0:18:31two yolks and a pinch of salt.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35When it's ready, knead well.
0:19:21 > 0:19:21Once cooked to golden-biscuit brown, give it a short-back-and-sides,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25cool, and then spoon in the onion mixture.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32Dress it up to the nines with a showering of Parmesan
0:19:32 > 0:19:36and some beautiful silver anchovies and pop in the oven.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40As soon as it goes a wonderful, sizzling brown,
0:19:40 > 0:19:45whisk it out of the oven and prepare to get your teeth into the tastiest autumn tart ever.
0:19:47 > 0:19:48Mmm!
0:19:58 > 0:20:02Beetroots are another of my absolute favourite vegetables,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04and they're at their best at this time of year.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08The sweet crimson beauty makes amazing salads and soups,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12but sadly it's usually pickled to death then left on the shelf.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14As it's the perfect time to eat it,
0:20:14 > 0:20:19I'm on a quest to find the ultimate beetroot at a very special farm.
0:20:19 > 0:20:25Food fads and fashions are always changing and in farming, biodynamic is the new organic.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Biodynamic farmers believe everything on Earth grows in connection
0:20:33 > 0:20:35with natural forces in the cosmos.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Lunar cycles, astrology and potions
0:20:38 > 0:20:44are at the centre of the farming year for around 100 biodynamic farms in the UK.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49Spencer Christie grows beetroot using biodynamic methods
0:20:49 > 0:20:52at his farm on the Blackwater estuary in Essex.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56You have a healthy interest in cowpats. Why is this?
0:20:56 > 0:21:01Well, have a look. This is really high in nitrogen, magnesium,
0:21:01 > 0:21:06everything that you need for a really good manure to fertilise the vegetables.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09The cow is really central to the whole biodynamic farm.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13The cow's horn is an amazing conduit for spiritual messages, if you like.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Take him over there with his horns pointing upwards.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20He's got a direct link through the horn right up into the cosmos.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23So the cow's horns are a direct kind of aerial to cosmic alignment?
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Absolutely. You can see it, you can see the way they're pointing upwards there, just like a TV aerial.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Do you talk to your cows? Of course we do. I told them you were coming.
0:21:36 > 0:21:42I thought I was in tune with nature, but Spencer takes it to a whole new level.
0:21:42 > 0:21:48To fertilise his beetroot and other vegetables he grows, Spencer
0:21:48 > 0:21:51keeps several compost heaps, but of course this is no ordinary compost.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57So, this is a big, active pile. Yes!
0:21:57 > 0:22:00With the moon pulsing down on it.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04What we're going to do now is add the magic.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Right. Is this your magic box?
0:22:07 > 0:22:09This is the magic box, yes.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14If you can make a hole going down about half a metre.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17OK, this is the first preparation.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22This is yarrow that has been dried and put in the bladder of a red deer,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25a stag deer, hung up over summer
0:22:25 > 0:22:28and then buried over winter.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33This is getting really witchy now.
0:22:33 > 0:22:39Spencer attends to his heap with love and attention and makes me apply for more potions,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43all representing aspects of the human body.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46In the heart of the heap is the nettle.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53I'd never have thought that building a compost heap
0:22:53 > 0:22:55could involve so much witchiness.
0:22:57 > 0:23:03Lovely. Five months ago Spencer's special compost was used to plant beetroot seeds
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and it has nourished the plants through the summer.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11Now autumn's here, it's time to unearth some of his magical crop.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Look at these. Wow-ee!
0:23:14 > 0:23:17These look really fat and healthy.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19I mean, this is a coconut of a thing.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24This is the first biodynamic beetroot I have ever clasped in
0:23:24 > 0:23:28my hands and what a belter this one is, too.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34And, of course, this being a biodynamic farm, there's a reason we're harvesting today.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38On the moon calendar, today is a roots day
0:23:38 > 0:23:41with the gravitational pull at its least,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44and in Virgo, which is an Earth sign.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48So we are picking beetroots at a most auspicious time.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Sounds good to me.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52An auspicious time for beetroots.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59Can I have a nibble of some of your raw beetroot? Absolutely.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02That's got a super skin on it, hasn't it?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Wow! What a colour there.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18This is an utterly delicious beetroot and it just hits you straightaway, first bite.
0:24:18 > 0:24:23Biodynamic, I'm not totally sure if I...
0:24:23 > 0:24:27But it's a very, very, very delicious beetroot, and that's, you know...
0:24:27 > 0:24:30That's as much as you can say, really, isn't it?
0:24:30 > 0:24:31What more can you want?
0:24:31 > 0:24:36You can easily get your hands on fresh beetroot at this time of year from lots of shops.
0:24:36 > 0:24:41For the best flavour it really is worth buying them raw and cooking your own.
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Spencer's conjuring up a raw beetroot salad for me and I'm
0:24:45 > 0:24:52hoping to align my cosmic beetroot with some zingy flavours that will send his taste buds into orbit.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55I'm going to get straight on with it. I'm boiling my beetroot
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and the golden rule with any beetroot,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59whether you're roasting or boiling them -
0:24:59 > 0:25:03don't peel them until they're cooked because you'll lose a lot of their fantastic taste.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Right, right. Leave the skin on.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07I'm just taking that off.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09I'm going to go and boil my beetroots.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Okey-doke. Well, I shall get peeling with mine, then.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17I think Spencer's going to go a bit hippy healthy
0:25:17 > 0:25:20on the whole thing, but I want to do something
0:25:20 > 0:25:24a little bit more exciting and fiddled a little bit.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Does your beetroot creation have a name?
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Yes, it does. What is it?
0:25:34 > 0:25:36A beetroot and sultana salad.
0:25:36 > 0:25:37OK, fair enough.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Just as it says on the tin. Yep, yep.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Mine is also going to have a raw element for your sake.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45It's going to be beetroots with green sauce.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48I'm going to start off with these little anchovies.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Finely chop anchovies, onion and garlic to give the sauce attitude.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Then add capers for their sharp, salty flavour.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02I'm putting in a little bit of Dijon mustard now.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Parsley and mint add wonderful, herby freshness.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11And some olive oil brings it all together.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I'm going to go and check my beetroots.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16OK. I think I'll put a few sprigs on the top.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21Spencer finishes his raw beetroot and sultana salad with fresh parsley.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23The beetroots are boiled. Well done.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26Perfect. Mm.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Wow!
0:26:35 > 0:26:38I think we've done well here. Good, quick cooking.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Very quick. Yeah, yeah.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45Spencer's partner Shannon comes to share my first biodynamic meal.
0:26:45 > 0:26:46Welcome to the beetroot festival!
0:26:46 > 0:26:49You've been busy. You're just in time for the beet fest.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I'm going to tuck in.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Ooh! I tell you what.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59What? That's amazing!
0:26:59 > 0:27:01It's got an incredible aftertaste to it.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06And the textures, the two textures are superb together, aren't they? That's incredible!
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Well I'm enjoying my health... My health salad here. Good man.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Shannon, what do you make of that?
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I think it's beautiful, and I could eat the whole lot.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Thank you. Well, please go ahead and eat the whole lot.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Your beetroots, they're excellent.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25They're nothing short of excellent. Well, that's wonderful.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30And the biodynamic - all of it has been thrilling and extraordinary and magical
0:27:30 > 0:27:34and strange and, um, odd, but look what it's produced!
0:27:34 > 0:27:35Oh, that's great.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44I'll never quite understand how the moon and the magic affected Spencer's beetroot,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48but what I do know is they're the best I've ever tasted.