It’s a good apple harvest this year, say growers, slightly down on early expectations in some parts of the country, mainly due to lack of rainfall. Cox’s Orange Pippin – which some reckon is the finest apple on the planet - have a lovely red blush thanks to the sunshine in September. Taste is fantastic! They’re at farmers’ markets and farm shops now.

Other varieties in season now include Crispin (Oct-Feb), Egremont Russet (Sept-Nov), Gala (Oct-Jan), Golden Delicious (yes, they do grow in the UK. Why buy French when you can buy English? Season: Oct-Feb), Idared (Oct-March), Jonagold (Oct-March), Jonathan (Oct-Jan), Jupiter (Oct-Jan), Kidd’s Orange (Oct-Jan), Lord Lambourne (Sept-Nov), Spartan (Oct-Feb).

Pears are just beginning to ripen; Beurre du Comice is first to arrive, lovely, honeyed, juicy – a luscious, curvy pear, followed by Conference - elongated, sweet, juicy but more restrained than Comice. Concorde is a cross between the two – firmer than Comice and with more flavour than Conference – and it’s around from now until after Christmas. If you like Williams, you’ve just missed the English season but they’ll be back next September.

As the weather gets cooler and the days shorter, great golden pumpkins are an autumn bonus. It’s hard to believe that a seed planted around May, as the soil starts to warm up, can produce such enormous fruits in just a few months. They grow low to the ground under large leaves at first and, as they grow on their vine they overtake the leafy bit of the plant completely. They are actually picked in September and allowed to sit on the field for a few days where – hopefully – the sun will shine on them and they’ll get to glow a beautiful orange. Some years they need the help of being taken into polytunnels because it’s too wet. But this year, in most parts of the country, it was warm, dry and sunny at just the right time so the pumpkins, and other members of the squash family also ready now, are a wonderful sight.

Pumpkins store reasonably well in cool, dry conditions so you can buy your Halloween pumpkin anytime now and it should be fine for the big night.

When carving pumpkins, take care as the skin is hard and quite thick. Children and sharp knives is never a good combination so, to keep your Halloween fun:

Adults – cut the top off the pumpkin with a good knife on a hard surface. You can saw round it or place it on its side to slice. It will take some effort.

Once you have the top off, adults and children can delve into the inside which will be full of seeds and ‘strings’ of fibre, which all have to be scooped out. It’s messy and slippery. If you want, you can rinse the seeds in a colander, place them on a baking sheet and into a hot oven for about 15 minutes to crisp up. They are very nutritious and it’s a shame to waste good food.

Once the seeds and string are out, you’re left with the flesh and this too is good food. You’ll need a robust spoon or two (nothing too precious because the handle could get bent) to take out the flesh which, if you keep it in a bowl can be the basis of a lovely smooth soup – there’s a recipe below – or put into savoury dishes of all kinds as an extra vegetable. It cooks down to a soft mushy texture, like most root vegetables.

Once the flesh is out and you’re left with a shell, it’s a good idea to plan your lantern design, drawing it on the pumpkin with a felt pen. Go to town with your own ideas or there are some templates that you can download here and print out. Tape the template to the surface of the pumpkin and use a thin skewer to mark out the design in little pin-pricks, going through the paper.

Children will need supervision now as you’ll need a small sharp knife, or one of the cutting tools that you can buy specially for the job in some farm shops, to cut the shapes. The skin is still quite tough but once you get used to the amount of pressure needed, the creative fun takes over from hard work.

The resulting lantern will look great with a tealight inside – take care not to leave it unsupervised or where children or pets will knock it over. If it’s not stable when you put it down trim the bottom.

Your pumpkin lantern will last a few days if you keep it cool and dry – but it will perish quickly now. It’s destined for the compost heap and in a few month’s time it can nourish the next season’s pumpkin crop.

Two farmers' markets this year share the crown of FARMA Farmers' Market of the Year. Brigg Farmers' Market in North Lincolnshire, won the title of Rural Farmers' Market of the Year 2009, while Moseley Farmers' Market in Birmingham won Urban Farmers' Market of the Year at the FARMA Awards Ceremony in November.

The judges were impressed that within just eight years of trading, Brigg farmers' market has revitalized the heart of this picturesque town centre, working across the community to establish a far-reaching reputation for quality and local foods.

The judges also felt Moseley farmers' market to be an exemplary, community focused event. It is large and lively, regularly featuring more than 50 producers selling some excellent quality produce, and has become a monthly meeting point for an average 5,000 people in Birmingham's innercity suburbs.

Read more about Brigg Farmers' Market
Read more about Moseley Farmers' Market
Read more about the FARMA Local Food Awards 2009